Regardless of what you think of Bruce Lee, what does everyone think of The Tao Of Jeet Kune Do ?
I mean with regard to its description of basic and advanced combat principles.
I am reading it at the moment, and I have jsut finished the section Tools, which seems to mostly be about boxing.
Do you think it is full of good advice or full of untruths? I don’t have enough practical experience to know, but it seems to be good, common sense stuff.
Please don’t turn this into a Bruce-bashing thread.
It’s a pretty good reductionist view of fighting methods interwoven with philosophy. Worth reading.
The Tao
The Tao of Jeet Kune Do is a collection of Bruce Lee’s Notes, some he copied directly out of other books, like Jack Dempseys Fireside Book of Boxing.
Don’t get me wrong here the Tao has some really good insight into what Bruce Lee was thinking and researching and i really enjoyed it, but some people put to much empahsis on the writing contained in the Tao. Personally i think if you want to read a book about Bruce Lee’s art of Jeet Kune Do you should read the 3rd book in the Bruce Lee library Series: Commentaries on the Martial Way. Edited by John Little.
This book gives a lot more of Bruce’s actual opinions on things as well as lesson plans written by Bruce and lots of really good information. Also Sifu Lamar M. Davis’ Book Jeet Kune Do Scientific Street Fighting is a great read.
And by the way why would this turn into a Bruce Bashing thread, why would you bash a dead man?
Damian
Hitting dead men is a pastime for some folks on KFO
Stumpydee, from the number of your posts I see that you’re new here and perhaps don’t know that ANYTHING posted about Bruce Lee will, sooner or later, turning into a Bruce Lee bashing thread.
Just give 'em time…
I have read it several times, and the thing that bothers me the most about TDOJKD is you can’t tell when he wrote any of the thing in the book.
Since it is a copy of his notebook, his thought experiments and such, how can we know that if actually chose to write a book that he would have said the same things? Had he changed his mind already? Can anyone at 32 years old really have a complete grasp of their own martial arts?
It’s a good book, and worth studying. However, it begs as many questions as it answers.
Interesting points, and all valid.
"And by the way why would this turn into a Bruce Bashing thread, why would you bash a dead man? "
LOL!!
It must be very popular as I got it out of the library the other day (after waiting 4 weeks for someone to give it back, in another town) and can’t renew it, as somebody else has reserved it!
I suppose some think of it as their bible. Is that how it is for JKD people?
“Dead men don’t hit back.”
sorry
GDA bashes dead men " on the regular "
JKD’ers
I do practice JF/JKD, and i would say that there are a lot of people who consider the Tao their bible, and this is a big mistake.
If you have ever read commentaries, it has a much clearer message, it is based more on the theories of economy of motion, simplicity and directness. The notes used to compile the commentaries on the martial way are more Bruce Lee, than outside sources, it is like a reflection on his research as opposed to his actual research notes (the Tao). And i think it offers a lot more to the person who wants to know about Bruce and JKD.
Budokan
I know what you mean even on JKD forums were people are supposed to like or at least be interested in Bruce Lee they still manage to get people to come and bash him.
Damian
More interesting as a glimpse into his search process than as a conclusive document on fighting or martial arts.
I don’t think it contains much unique or very advanced information, well at least it shouldn’t be considered advanced if you’re studying with a good instructor. And don’t get me started on the philosophy section.
With all that said it’s definately worth owning at least to see a small part of the process that Lee used to get from being a student of Wing Chun to the founder of JF/JKD.
sharky is correct.
… the book
i gained a new respect for the man after reading the book. i think bruce was very good at taking eastern philosophies and describing them in ways that make a lot of sense to those of us in the west. anyone from china with a strong grasp of american culture could do the same, but i think bruce was particularly good at it.
Bruce lee was sh it because:
-Only trained max 3 years properly in WC
-WSL beat him when he tested his skills in the 70’s
-Gene Lebell screwed him over on the mat
-Never fought a decent opponent. His fights on the set of ETD if unstaged were against inexperienced street bums
-Impressed some sh itty karate and TKD guys like chuck norris
-wasn’t actually that fast or strong
Tao of JKD was mostly lifted from a boxing manual.
Let the flaming begin…
Ouch!
You got some balls there nafanal
Fair comment though!
Bruce lee was sh it because:
-Only trained max 3 years properly in WC
" Funny however that his classmates WONG SHUN LEUNG( the best fighter out of the HK bunch ), Hawkin Cheung, and William Cheung said BRUCE was pretty good.
-WSL beat him when he tested his skills in the 70’s
“That is debatable and a lot of CMA guys want to say this cause they want to hear BRUCE get beat.”
-Gene Lebell screwed him over on the mat
“www.genelebell.com talks about his encounter with BRUCE and LOL…Gene Lebell has screwed the likes of BENNY THE JET, CHUCK NORRIS, JOE LEWIS, and even pro boxers. Afterwards BRUCE had like 13 sessions training with GENE LEBELL.”
-Never fought a decent opponent. His fights on the set of ETD if unstaged were against inexperienced street bums.
“Neither has a lot of CMA masters and GRANDMASTERs…other than CUNG LE! Why…who knows???”
-Impressed some sh itty karate and TKD guys like chuck norris
“LOL…CHUCK NORRIS is ****ty…back in the day…he, Joe Lewis, Benny the Jet, Bill Wallace and some others started the FULL CONTACT karate circuit which evolve into KICKBOXING. Chuck Norris is a man deep within TANG SOO DO…a brown belt in BJJ and a very good boxer. Where did this fool get him ranked in TKD??? Wrong info!”
-wasn’t actually that fast or strong
“Joe Lewis who is a body builder and martial artist contended that BRUCE upper body was very strong. His lower body was questionable however. But Bruce wasn’t into grappling…”
“CONCLUSION…it’s funny but I like to see some of these talkers step up BRUCE back in the day. He didn’t take critism well and there were plenty of guys that tried. Bruce based on psychological intimidation would finish a fight before it began ala TYSON. Yes he was a bully but he was a very complicated man. The Tao of JKD is nothing more than notes of various arts he studied or wanted to study…nothing more. They way he fought or practice can be seen on his past videos and going to seminars of peeps he trained with. Judge for yaself after training with Ted Wong and Dan Insonto or Joe Lewis.”
WSL was lee’s sihing – his older brother – by a longshot, so beating lee up wasn’t all that difficult for him. a couple times, lee would show up for class before his classmates, lie to them by saying the instructor was sick and class was cancelled, then hope to get a private lesson. WSL found out about this and indeed gave lee a private lesson – a bloody one.
and william cheung? also lee’s sihing. in his own letters to william cheung after he and wing chun were no more, lee admitted that he had always looked at his sihing as probably the best pure fighter he knew.
and chuck norris being crap? ask anyone who has eaten his sidekick, or maybe ask for a chance to eat one of them yourself, and then maybe rethink your opinion of the guy.
Ohhhhh WONG SHUN LEUNG…kept thinking he was pulling da WONG JACK MAN crap…it is true…WONG SHUN LEUNG and WILLIAM CHEUNG back when Bruce was 14 or 16 were beating the crap out of BRUCE in chi sao and others…so what…Bruce came back in the 70’s and there is an interview on one of the WING CHUN links regarding his encounter with WONG SHUN LEUNG who he looked up as an older brother type deal. It mention Bruce was talking about interception and what he modified in wing chun to make his way better for HIM. Wong Shun Leung also held a pad in the air so Bruce would show off his power regarding his straight punch. WSL felt that Bruce was really fast but being a martial artist and top gun guy also felt he could counter BRUCE’s attack. No big deal. So did many of Bruce’s peers.
read m.uyeharas bio/book on bruce
it talks about bruce going back to hk sometime 70-72, after the whole 66? fiasco of him wanting to film the sets and yip man said no cuz then he would have to tape them for everybody.
when bruce went back in the 70s he chumped all yipman students who would step up, then he went on to say he discussed is theories/synthesis on combat with yipman, and he was very impressed, then bruce says ip didnt have time to implement bruces theorys as he died shortly after, as did bruce…CHECK IT OUT
sounds like the print version of ralek.
See? It didn’t take long to turn into a Bruce Lee trashing thread after all.