Customer Reviews (23)

Good JKD book
While I have not finished this book, yet, it seems to be
a good addition to the JKD arsenal.Some spellings are
different, but no big deal!Good job!Thanks

really good book on the art of JKD
This book was simply amazing to read and to follow along on the different techniques, exercises, and drills. I have a question: Is this book supposed to be in color photos or just black and white? I got mine in black and white so I just wanted to know. This book goes through the 5 ways of attack in JKD, wooden dummy, sticky hands, energy drills, kicking drills, 1 inch punch/kick, and much much more! I am glad that I purchased this book and it is one of the best books of JKD on the market.

Amazingly accurate but too much trapping !!
Don't get me wrong, this is by far the most complete,up to date, accurate and full of photographs JKD book in the market ! Everything, and I mean really everything of this art is covered with an astonishing amount of pictures. I have never seen a book so loaded with pictures, describing every angle and each and every movement in JKD.
So I will not repeat the positive qualities of this book, already very much described in other reviews.
On the negative side: complement this book with a more streetfighting oriented book. This book is also very much focused on trapping, tunneling, and related drills which have limited use in real world experience (unless you spend years daily training with them).
So, for the phisical preparation, and training, all of these drills are veru useful, but, I would use it only for training purposes.

Complete JKD Course
This DVD is a complete and comprehensive course in JKD presented in a structured way for effective learning and practice.If you can't get to or don't want to enroll inJKD school then buy this DVD.Just get a friend and practice or you can practice much of it on your own.The discussion and use of the By-Jon stance alone is worth the price.

best jkd instructor and book
this was the best book i ever have about JKD coz its not only a very good in text presentation but the instructor is very knowledgeable in tranferring JKD knowledge to an student. i am from the philippines and JKD training were very expensive here. This book help me on my own JKD training without the presence of JKD instructor. and I believe that i improve my JKD only by this book instructions. thank you sifu george hajnasr im wish you can travel here and do some seminars. ... Read more

Amazon.com
To watch Bruce Lee on film is an amazing experience. Those who have read Tao of Jeet Kune Do, however, know that Lee's prose can also be exhilarating. This praiseworthy and enduring bestseller (mainly written over six months when Lee was bedridden with back problems) compiles philisophical aphorisms, explanations on technique, and sketches by the master himself.Book Description
This is Bruce Lee's treatise on his martial art, jeet kune do. This international best seller includes the philosophy of jeet kune do, mental and physical training, martial qualities, attack, and strategy. BEST SELLER! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (160)

Bruce Lee....
I love Bruce Lee, but I couldnt get into this book! I cant honestly tell you to read it or not, because I havent! I bought it here at Amazon and gave it away a month later! Watch "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story", thats a classic!

The essence of an era called Bruce Lee...
I came into this world many years later since Lee had closed his eyes upon it. I can only imagine the loss it must have been to the world to Martial Arts. But, he never left in spirit. An essence of his philosophy and his approach to martial arts still lives through his followers and this book. I learnt Aikido for 5 years, but found it not very handy when it came to tackling an opponent in the street. That's when someone recommended Lee to me. JKD is much faster and more practical (make no mistake, I still worship Aikido from bottom of my heart...JKD is only a natural next step in the route I took for my education in Martial Arts) when it comes to handling a situation in the street. But this book is not a step-by-step guide to beat someone black and blue. It's Lee's philosophy, his approach to martial arts (which is called Jeet Kun Do) - a way of life, from Lee's perspective.

I am only qualified to speak so much, but definitely recommend this book for everyone who wishes to understand Lee's apparoach to Martial Arts and, in turn, benifit from it to develop his or her own perspective.

My opinion
this item was excellent, a good buy. it was exactly what i was looking for.

Tao of Jeet Kune Do

Excellent study guide into the mind of Master Bruce Lee! This book is for the true Martial Artist........Tao of Jeet Kune Do

book
This was puirchased for my youngest son,13, saw Bruce Lee's movie & became very interested in his practice of martial arts. ... Read more

Book Description
This useful and informative book offers a detailed overview of Jeet Kune Do practice while explaining the specific moves readers will need to perfect their techniques.

As a foundation, the book recalls the origination of Jeet Kune Do -- the philosophy, history, and diffent styles of the martial art. This gives readers an important reference point on how the practice evolved. From there, the book explains how to choose a school, taking readers through their first class including the etiquette and dress requirements. The basic elements of the style -- stances, footwork, upper body and lower body techniques, and grappling are all well represented and defined.

Building upon this solid groundwork, the book informs readers of the five ways of attack, including the single direct attack, the attact by combination, the progressive indirect attack, the attack by drawing, and the hand immobilization attack. Fighting instructions include the tactical considerations of Jeet Kune Do practice such as defenses, counterattacks, and sparring.

The book concludes with a comprehensive list of resources to help students further develop their knowledge of and training in Jeet Kune Do. Through compact and easy-to-read, this book gives readers everything they'll need to start their practice of this important fighting art. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Perfect partner for the first 6 months training !!
Excellent book !
In depth coverage of everything a beginner should know, learn and practice in the first 6 to 12 months JKD training.
From the very very basics techniques, to tactics and combination, this book will amaze the reader with its semplicity yet detail.
Step by step instructions, drills, exercises which will accompany for many months.
i really feel that, when I will have practiced all the book, I will really be a "pretty good" beginner.
Amazing !

Jeet Kune Do Basics
Exellent book. Mr.Cheng has researched the original/JunFan version of jeet kune do as taught by Bruce Lee and has masterfully organized the information into an easy to understand format. The Tuttle "Basics" series is well designed. This book is already in second printing. I beleive it will be a standard in the field of Bruce Lee/JKD texts.
Unfortunately there exists much political bias in the JKD field. Lines are typically drawn between those who practice the original JKD (when Bruce Lee taught and encouraged others to practice JKD as a martial art from late 1967 through 1970) and those who practice the JKD concept which Bruce Lee promoted after 1971 ( see for example the famous 1971 Black Belt article in which Bruce Lee states "I have not created a new martial art).Mr Cheng, who is schooled in both versions sticksto presenting the original 'Jeet kune Do as a martial art' version in this book.

An essential purchase
A really great book. Excellent layout. David Cheng has done himself proud. I eagerly await a follow up. In a confused world of what is Jeet Kune Do... David Cheng shows you what your school should be teaching you.

ANOTHER HISTORY BOOK
This book is nothing more than a copy of other 10 JKD books that have been written about Bruce lee's life, one more guy writes about Bruce lee's HISTORY andtheories and how he became so great and how he came to this country at a young age, but yet lets title the book Jeet Kune Do BASIC, how can you teach a basic studentfrom a text without demonstrating the technique, that blows my mind .that someonethinks that they can teach from just writing it and telling you how, good luck. The title of this book should be Bruce lee's life that you have read about 20 thousand times. As for the guy that posted a challenge, he should realize that Tun sau lop sau which is a block grab is not used to block a quick jab, it can very effectively used against a wrist grab shirt grab, a kick can be stopped with tun as well. Etc....but he is just another guy that thinks he is a great fighter in his own world.

To luke the Great,

I knew the moment I read your review that you are Bruce Lee the Great,Get a life and pick on someone in your area of interest,Iam just a person that likes to read books on martial arts not a fighter.This is not a forum idiot, it is only for reviews only.I could care less what your stupid pak sao or how ever way you spell it can do and how many people you've trained with to me you're just a master in your own way. I am sure there are lots of people that can kick your #@$%&,Peace be would you bruce.

ON WHAT WORKS
MARTIAL ARTS AND WHAT IVE LEARNED AFTER 20 PLUS YEARS.i saw this book in borders and skimmed thru it.its ok.some of the jkd that is being taught today i think bruce wouldve discarded. a technique that is taught in jkd and wing chun is the same hand tan sao to lop sau.im not a speed demon but i know and challenge anyone to tan my punch and grab it with a lop sau at the wrist! even your bong lop sau is a joke! you bong sau my punch and i guarantee you that you wont be able to grab it with a lop sau.im even willing to bet that most people cant do a tan sau to same hand lop sau or execute a bong lop sau even to your average person on the street! students concentrating more on their next sash or belt than ON learning effective techniques are being ripped off and deceived to say the least! im sure that bruce wouldve worked more developing his students speed,power and deceptiveness than teaching so many techniques that are impractical to say the least THAT ARE BEING TAUGHT TODAY EVEN BY HIS FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS!THEY ARE MORE INTERESTED IN PROMOTING JKD -STILL AN ART THAN IN TEACHING WHAT WORKS!no wonder he decided not to teach jkd anymore and he closed down his schools!too bad.THEY TOOK WHAT WAS BEING TAUGHT AND CONSIDERED IT THE GOSPEL TRUTH! JKD NEEDS TO EVOLVE -UNFORTUNATELY MOST OF HIS FIRST AND FURTHER GENERATION STUDENTS DONT CONSIDER THEMSELVES WORTHY ENOUGH TO EVOLVE JKD AND JUST TEACH WHAT WORKS.IM SURE BRUCE KNEW THIS.thats one of the reasons he closed down his schools.most if not all his original,2nd and 3rd generation etc generation students are teaching the art just to promote the art and not teaching students JUST what really works.try the bong lop in sparring or the tan sau to same hand lop sau and decide for yourself! YOU are the ultimate teacher to you not your teacher!youll find this out through YOUR sparring and after being tested on a technique and you can perform it at a decent level then you test it in sparring and it doesnt work -ITS GARBAGE!REMEMBER THAT JKD IS STILL AN ART AND THAT YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY ART AND THAT INCLUDES THE JKD OR ANY ART FOR THAT MATTER! WALK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Decent start-up for stand-up fighting
This book wasn't designed for the sport of kickboxing; rather, it was designed to show the kicking and boxing aspects of Jeet Kune Do. This book shows basic punches and kicks with the forward and rear hand and foot, and their applications. There is also some discussion and applications shown of using footwork, along with these tools, to move in and out of range, or to bring different weapons to bear against an opponent. As well, some combinations, using both hands only, feet only, and hands and feet together are shown, as are the basic attacks, against equipment like focus mitts and kicking shields. Also discussed, briefly, is the progressive indirect attack. Defensive possibilities are then shown, including counterattacks, including slips, bridging, ducking, stop-hits, and more. The use of focus mitts in training for defense is covered in the same chapter. There's also a bit on attack by drawing, whereby one "baits" the opponent.The book then moves on to jab-catch drills, building off of the basic defensive movement into counter-offense.The book finishes with some parrying drills, some basic kicking drills, and a word or two about strategy vs. different opponents.The elements in this book focus on Jun Fan JKD, and in that sense it's very compatible with the "Bruce Lee's Fighting Method" series and "Jun Fan/ Jeet Kune Do: The Textbook".In fact, "Kickboxing" and "Textbook" are almost two halves of a whole: the former for the basic applications, the latter for more advanced tactics and strategies.Those interested in Jun Fan would not be disappointed with this book.

Good but not good enough
This book offers a glimpse at Jeet Kune Do principles as they are applied to the sport of Kickboxing. The focus mitt drills as well as the other drills are explained correctlly but the poor photography really doesn't reveal the tecniques in the best form. Also this book was written in the 80's as a current Asst. Instructor in JKD I can tell you that the techniques and strategies in JKD have changed quite a bit since this book was written. For a better read pick up Principles of a Complete Fighter by Ron Balicki. It gives you a good view of current JKD training and strategy

Good basic overview of Jun Fan Gung Fu's basic striking
Jeet Kune Do Kickboxing is a good overview of the basics of Jun Fan Gung Fu in the kicking and punching range. If you're already a Jun Fan / JKD student under a qualified instructor you probably won't get anything really new out of this, but it is a good reference for those of us who aren't good about taking notes. My only complaint is that the basic stance and footwork are only given about a page and a half, and IMO, those are two of the absolute most important things as they are the foundation for everything else. If you don't have a good stance and good footwork, everything else falls apart.

Terrible!
I have been kickboxing for fifteen years, and got this book in the hopes that it would offer some fresh perspectives on the subject.I was sorely disappointed.

The book has a kernel of good information, however, the stances, footwork, combinations and technique demonstrated are so clearly incorrect, I was surprized this book got published.Not only are the authors demonstrating poor technique, the layout and structure of the book doesn't facilitate clear instruction on the principles of fighting.

I realize that this book's bent is JKD kickboxing, however, I wouldn't use this book for anything other than a primer on how NOT to do martial arts.

Perhaps I got spoiled.When I first started fighting back in the 80's, I was lucky enough to get a copy of Jean-Yves Theiriault's "Full Contact Karate".This book has become a collectors item.When I see books like the one I just reviewed, I understand why people are willing to shell out [price] for a used copy of Theiriault's book.

very good book on the subject
a very good photo book that showing and explaining the kickboxing of jeet kune do, plus including many boxing and kickboxing drills(including how to train with the partner wich this particular part of the book is superb).the5 ways of attack(in the art of jeet kune do) are explained in theapplication of j.k.d.-kickboxing wich is the topic of this book.a verytechnical book with explanations,although the footwork (as my previousreviewers mentioned) should have to be disccussed more in details.in shortit is recommanded ! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Very good.
Very good book on how to meld striking with standing grappling.(E.g., clinching, throwing.)

good instruction from a Jeet Kune DoORIGINAL student
I think this is a good book Mr. Hartsell conveys his points in this book very well, i have been studying JKD and Kali extensively. One word of advice though i repeat you cannot learn jkd from a book this book is for practicioners or a beginner looking to see some techniques of jkd, there are alot of reviewers saying this book is bad and that grappling is useless and time consuming. Grappling is a skill trapping is a skill skills take time to cultivate, anything worthwhile takes time to cultivate and learn.
I find it really funny that some reviewers are stating boldly that something is useless and doesnt work if you try to use it and fail, like the old saying goes try try again.Thats the only way to make progress in the arts and life.

Hartsell on JKD
This is one of my favorite books on JKD. Larry Hartsell combines the original art of JKD as taught to him by Bruce Lee with the more current JKD Concept. Full of easy to understand photos this book is a classic that finds favor with both OJKD and JKDC.

AREALISTS REVIEW
after being exposed to jkd,concept and original,kenpo,judo,boxing and so many seminars/books/videos studying and practicing since i was 13 and now im 40 {just so you know this isnt someone blowing smoke up your a;; here is my review:there are some good techniques in the book.but i have to disagree for alot of the grappling though-dont take my word for it-take it for checking and try it yourself! try the tech on page 95 - catch to figure 4 arm lock to takedown.if anyone with a decent amount of handspeed throws a punch at you and doesnt leave it out there for you to grab like is shown in the book or as you see in martial arts seminars-you not going to be able to pull off this technique.its bs to say the least.even if somehow you caught the punch like is shown-then you use BOTH of your arms to put the opponant into a figure four like as shown in the book-WHATS FROM STOPPING HIM from finger jabbing you in the eyes or for that matter hitting you with the other hand?!ive asked this in seminars and the only answer they give me is they ask me to throw a punch and then they do the technique even more harder then they would for the average participant-more answers like this-ask a question that makes sense and ill just try to inflict pain on you so youll shut up! kinda answer! or with their arm that is doing the figure four elbows you to the head AFTER THE FIGURE FOUR IS APPLIED...... of course i couldve easily fingerjabbed his eyes as both of his hands were tied up in his grappling figure four movement and really he had no defence except for his grappling movement.i even had my fingers right on his eye and even was able to "air" hit him 2-3 times in the throat and to his temple before he swept me - so tell me who really would have inflicted more damage if this "teacher" had tried a technique like this in the street against someone who justs keeps an open mind and just goes for whats open?? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! another nonsense tech is thinking that a lin lop sau {cross grabbing hand }is going to work in the street or in sparring-sure it looks good in the movies and in seminars when the participant isnt really trying to REALLY punch you but to think that after youthrow a straight punchand its blocked by your opponant with a pak sau{slapping hand}with his rear hand that you are going to be able to use your rear hand to grab your opponants rear blocking hand and pull him into your lead backfist is a PIPEDREAM AND A JOKE TO SAY THE LEAST! dont take my word for it !!!try it in sparring yourself! chances are when you spend time trying to grab the opponants wrist you are going to get hit with his other hand or someother strike! techniques like this are good only for one thing-to advance to the next belt!really-think about it.bs techniques like this are taught in so many styles/arts. no wonder bruce studied western boxing so much after he came to the states! alot of his wing chun just wouldnt work against someone with a decent jab/cross or just a good jab! of course there is even some stuff in western boxing that is bs that cant be used in the street like taking a punch to your gloves because in the street you have no gloves on! and also this dancing around your opponant like you saw ali or leonard do is a joke against someone who kicks you in the leg or who steps on your foot -moves quickly in ON YOU AND jams you and PUMMELS YOU! TRYING TO BE LIKE ALI OR SUGAR RAY! HA!better off that when someone blocks your punch -instead of you trying to use your other hand to grab his blocking hand wrist you just collapse that arm that was blocked at the wrist -you collapse it into an elbow into the his head and with your other hand you either do a pinning pak sau{palm slapping hand} or you use it to punch,etc.make more sense? try it for yourself ! dont believe me! try it for yourself! take it for checking! YOU AND ONLY YOU ARE THE ULTIMATE TEACHER-NOT ME OR ANY OTHER ONE! teachers will show you techniques but YOU are the only one who can see if they really work! teachers are not always teaching you techniques that work -----they are teaching you techniques so that you can progress to the next level/sash/belt and not necessarily teaching you techniques that work! i encourage ALL martial artists who are responding in their reviews,respond with positive and negative -by negative i mean constructive-comments so jkd gets "cleaned" up and hopefully one day jkd,wing chun etc.other martial arts are composed of PRACTICAL REAL LIFE WORKING TECHNIQUES/TOOLS THAT WORK AND NOT JUST USED TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT BELT/SASH OR LEVEL! TRAIN SMART,PERSISTANTLY AND HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WALK ON ! lwlwbwbw@aol.com

Plethora of trapping/grappling techniques
This book does a pretty good job of presenting techniques from a clinch, or another situation where one is close enought to use Wing Chun-style trapping techniques.It also covers moving into a clinch possition, as well as several takedowns and throws from said possitions.It covers using these techniques both offensively and defensively.Also covered is basic fighting stance and footwork, some standing submissions, and some leglocks for securing a person on the ground.The book was made in 1984, so it maynot be 'state of the art' where some clinching and grappling techniques are concerned, compared to what has developed in modern MMA competitions.It's a decent enough book, and for someone with no knowledge of clinching, trapping, or basic upright grappling, I think it could be helpful, and is reasonably useful for MMA competition and self-defense training, but mostly as a suplementary text. ... Read more

Book Description
Bruce Lee's original art (wing chun) and the art he developed (jeet kune do) are compared by Lee's associates. Includes stances and footwork, hand and leg techniques, tactics, and self-defense. Fully illustrated. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Practicioners of both JKD and Wing Chun
Me, myself being a practicioner of both JKD and Wing Chun Kung Fu found this book to be interesting.It shows you how Bruce Lee used his Wing Chun knowledge and skill to be the basis of Jeet Kune Do.This book also shows how both Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do would handle the same situations.

In my personal opinion Jeet Kune Do is much more simpler, direct and practical in terms of hand-to-hand combat, but where Jeet Kune Do is rooted from should not be overlooked.

REALLY CMON NOW LETS GET REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO you really think that this stuff is going to work? especially the trapping? so many people love trapping but when then try it in sparring it doesnt work.the lin lop sau,the bong lop sau,the same hand tan to lop sau-cmon now none of that works against anyone who doesnt leave their hand out there after they throw a punch! this may have been how people fought hundreds if not a thousand years ago but it certainly isnt practical now! if you want to spend lots of your precious time learning an art that most of it you cant use in sparring or in the street then so be it.but like bruce said "man {or for that matter any person man or woman} is MORE IMPORTANTthan any art or system" even applies to jkd and wing chun-not the other way around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nothing new and not a lot of meat
There isn't anything new to be found in this text that hasn't been covered more thoroughly in other texts.The topics covered seemed glossed over without any meat or substance.Skip this one for more up to date books.

If you like examples without explanation...
This book makes a decent reference guide, or a hypothetical fight comparison, but there isn't much that can be personally gained from it.It is divided into five chapters: stances, hands, kicks, tactics, and selfdefense.There is a woefully inadequate into paragraph for each chapter,then the rest is filled with "what-if?" situation counters.Thisbook does a poor job of explaining the REASONS Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Doare different and simply shows you what ted wong and william cheung woulddo in an assortment of fighting situations.Also, it is important to notethat Ted Wong practices JUN FAN, not JKD.Some of his counters arehopelessly outdated.For example, an attacker stabs with knife [angle 7]and he does an INSIDE CRESCENT KICK to deflect it.Is he the Flash?Thematerial in this book might be okay to play around with a friend, but I'drather apply the money towards paying an instructor:you cannot learn JKD(even Jun Fan) or Wing Chun from a book.

Book to basic
This book was very disapointing, and misleading. Like for example wing chun has no high kicks butyou will see one in this book. enough said ... Read more

Book Description
AT LAST! BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT! Stanley Wayne "The Possum" Cox is bringing a hillbilly mastery to Bruce Lee's martial art of Jeet Kune Do. In "Jeet Kune Do: The Appalachian Way", you will learn about the inner game of Jeet Kune Do, including never before revealed secrets! You'll also get enlightening interviews with Bruce Lee historian Robert Handy and original student Rusty Stevens! This book is one of a kind! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great book by Dan
IN MEMORY OF MARIO PONTILLO
Since the late 1970's, I have studied Mr. Lee's "Way of the Intercepting fist." I have the 1st editions of all the "best" books on Bruce's work.
Dan published this in 1976, I have the original in my possession. It use to belong to Mario, whom was a great fighter that followed Bruces teachings from afar. Mario has passed on to better things, just as Bruce has. Get this book if you can.

My favorite quote: "Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do." -Bruce Lee

Please do not hesitate to check out my Poetry book that I published while in the U.S. Navy in 2003; "Under the Rose: Poetry of Tragedy, Essence, and Romance"

Best of the Best
A true work of art. Dan takes the reader through the reform and changes jkd under went following Bruce Lee's passing as well as showing many techniques of jkd. At this point in time the book being almost 20 years old it is just as informative and enjoyable to page through today. Unfortunatly I borrowed my copy to a friend almost 15 years ago and haven't seen it since. I truly hope the book is put into re-print so I may buy another copy. Not only does Dan take the reader through the history and comcepts of jkd he also loads the book with pictures of the(now)old Filipino Kali Academy. Truly a collectors item.

One of the best JKD books.
The book written by Dan Inosato, the best student of Bruce Lee, reaches the deapth of JKD philosophies.I believe only the experienced martial artists can barly understand this book.The concepts are verysophisticated.Very good book. ... Read more

Book Description
In 1962 author Greglon Lee's father, martial arts expert James Yimm Lee, joined forces with the future superstar Bruce Lee (1940-1973) to form the Jun Fan Gung-fu Institute, now considered the birthplace of Jeet Kune Do. Their relationship was crucial in Lee's progression from unknown student to celebrated master, shaping Lee's ideology and outlook on the martial arts for years to come. Using extensive interviews with dozens of Bruce's students and contemporaries as well as anecdotes based on rare documents and family history, the authors present an engaging picture of Bruce Lee as an extraordinarily talented young man who was also a warm and caring person. This insider's look at Bruce Lee's formative years also outlines the development of Lee's legendary skills between 1962 and 1965, an era previously unchronicled. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Truly pathetic
This book is just plain awful.I was expecting to learn more about James Lee (who IMHO is the most underated of all JKD practioners).

Most stories are conjecture and out right lies.The authors should be ashamed of themselves.This book does nothing but tarnish the legend of Bruce Lee.

To add insult to injury, it reads like a 3rd grade book report.

If I could write this review in blood and tears, I would.

Gotta take the good w/ the bad
The first part of this book regarding Bruce Lee's training w/ Gin Foon Mark seems totally bogus ! There is no eveidence Bruce Lee ever met this guy. The book details Lee's father and Bruce himself in NY, even covering in detail their innermost thoughts,and there is no proof of this other than the oral record of this guy who has claimed for years to have taught Bruce Lee. I think actually Lee's fathers last trip to the USA was when Bruce was born in 1940 .

On the other hand the material covering Seattle and early Oakland seems to be on the up and up and very imformative.

part 2 needs a real author
this is a book that has been needed for a long time now. the early bruce, and a look back at how he developed. there's great stuff here...too bad it reads like a "junior scholastic" teen book! the authors are poor storytellers. this is bruce lee material we have all been waiting for, james yimm lee, jesse glover, wally jay, etc. the early years! fantastic! some great photos...and some not so great maps, copied from "mapquest"? the book reads like a danielle steel movie-of-the-week potboiler...boring. fantastic material, horrible presentation. like a 5-star meal on a paper plate. bruce and james history both deserve a better treatment...5 star material served as 2 star writing! poor publishing from a company that usually puts out quality books. found quite a few grammatical mistakes...so o.k. get a real writer and a proofreader too! maybe they will make-up for it with volume 2.

James Yimm Lee & Bruce: Incredible!
An incredibly enthralling look at the relationship between two of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century.One now a well-known icon (Bruce Jun Fan Lee), the other just coming into his due (James Yimm Lee).For the first time, in this extensive work we can read about the symbiotic relationship between Bruce Lee and James Yimm Lee (not blood related to one another despite the last name).The book is helped immensely through the participation of Greglon Yimm Lee, James Lee's son, who offers insight into the life of his father and family life previously unknown.

Largely forgotten, or formerly summed up in a few brief paragraphs, James Lee wrote and published the first publicly available serious gung fu books in English. James Lee was a consummate martial artist in his own right, having studied at one of the first public Sil Lum (Shao-Lin) schools in San Francisco (under T.Y. Wong), as well as making it a practice to trade techniques and practice with other martial artists throughout the Bay area.Another famed student of James Lee's covered in this book is Al Novak, a pioneer in his own right.

James Lee was one of the first martial arts men to advocate the practical approach through his books, keeping useful information, and rejecting the notion of maintaining"tradition for tradition's sake."As a matter of fact, if you compare any of J.Y. Lee's early self-published books, you can see the progression J.Y. Lee made from blind obedience to tradition, to creating his own practical tradition.Of course, most of us don't have access to these books--which is what makes this volume, "The Dragon and the Tiger", a treasure.

There are photos and explanations of James Lee's early books, training devices, and classes--and the full story of how Bruce Lee came to adopt many of James Lee's theories and methods.It isn't difficult to see how James Lee's concepts became popularized by Bruce Lee, who adapted many of James Lee's methods to his own needs (as James Lee had intended).Bruce Lee of course, later became legendary for his own practical approach, which was later systematized in his Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do, influencing contemporary martial arts thought in the U.S. and the World.

This is a book about friendship.About a journey into study and research and human limits that two men undertook together.It provides new information not contained in any other work which makes for an enjoyable read and a hard-to-set-down book.Finally, a book that gives credit where it is due--to James Yimm Lee: teacher, student, and argueably perhaps the greatest influence upon Bruce Lee.You needn't be a Bruce Lee fan to enjoy this book, anyone with an interest in American martial arts history, the Chinese community in America, or American history in general should find this fascinating. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Kent + Tackett = expertise
I would highly recommend this book to anyone studying JKD. I am mid-level as a JKD student (fourth level), and we do a lot of the techniques shown in the book at the school I go to. Chris Kent and Tackett are simply the best at JKD. I have heard a lot of total B.S. recently in the martial arts world, that Bruce Lee "gave up on wing chun". Anyone who knows anything about what Bruce really taught and did knows that wing chun was the core of the art (like the brances of a tree grow from the trunk, JKD techniques grow from the core, which is wing chun). That is one reason I really liked this book.

My teacher studied a bit under Chris Kent, and he told us stories of how good Kent was (really, really good !). Kent is evidently really fast and his wing chun is evidently really good. My instructor said that Kent's wing chun was perfect, really, and you could not touch him because he would just redirect your energy so well.

Excellent Introduction for Beginners
I recently tried a Jun Fan Gung Fu class in my city and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be enrolled as a student starting next month.This book provides the terminology and techniques you will start learning in any Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do academy.I really like the way each technique starts with a clear explanation of the 'how and why' and then shows many pictures showing all the variations.I wish the authors would continue with more books.Even though this one is old it is still 100% applicable to todays training methods.

If you are real serious about understanding the science of Bruce Lee's techniques then read this book first then read Tao of Jeet Kune Do second.It will make a lot more sense to you.

Good Introduction into classic JKD
This book is a great intro to classic JKD and Strategy. The chapter on attribute refinement(like awarenes and mobility) is especially good. The drills are great for someone who has a little martial arts expirience and the techniques are easily understood through the great writing and photos.

One of the best books on stand-up fight training out there
If you're going to be involved in stand-up martial arts or fighting, get this book.It's all you need.The training methods in here are very, very good.This book covers on-guard position, tools(puches, kicks, etc.), energy drills, distance, timing, the five ways of attack, parries, target training, partner training...It's probably best for someone who has been exposed to stand-up fighting before, and has a basic knowledge of punches and kicks.It becomes a masterpiece when taken with "Jun Fan/ Jeet Kune Do Kickboxing" (which it often referes to), the "Bruce Lee Fighting Method Series", and the "Tao of Jeet Kune Do".Once again, it's probably not for begginers, and many drills require a partner, but that's just the nature of the beast.Good for sport/full contact, and pretty decent for self-defense.

An absolute must read for any serious Jun Fan / JKD student
Chris Kent and Tim Tackett do an excellent job of presenting the basics of Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do concepts as well as a variety of useful drills. I highly recommend this book to any JF/JKD student. My only complaint is that there wasn't much about stance or footwork, which are the basis for everything else. In their book Jeet Kune Do Kickboxing they cover bai jong, the basic stance, for about a page and a half, but you could probably write an entire volume on the stance and footwork alone. If you're studying under a qualified Jun Fan / JKD instructor you'll know all of this, but it would still be nice to have a reference on it, and I'm sure that Sifus Kent and Tackett could probably offer quite a bit of insight into what is, IMO, an incredibly important, if basic subject. ... Read more

Book Description


Descendents of the Dragon

Bruce Lee's art of Jeet Kune Do has ridden the waves of controversy since his death in 1973. From the backyard of Dan Inosanto to the magazine pages of Black Belt and Inside Kung Fu, Jeet Kune Do has become many things to different people. From its early days of being known as Jun Fan Gung Fu to its later incarnation as 'Jeet Kune Do' and then 'JKD Concepts', 'JKD Strategies', 'Combative JKD' and 'Original JKD' (to mention a few) the art has continued to thrive under several different original Lee students. As time marches on and these "pointers to the truth" eventually retire or unfortunately pass on, the world of JKD is left with their students, who have become known as "Second Generation Instructors of Jeet Kune Do." Many of these second generation instructors have had the privilege of training with several of Lee's students rather then merely obtaining one perspective on Lee's art while a select few have chosen the path of solidarity and remain under the guidance of only one instructor of JKD. This book, Descendents of the Dragon, seeks to explore and promote the future generation of Jeet Kune Do instructors and also include instructors from the various off springs of Jeet Kune Do such as Jesse Glover's Non-Classical Gung Fu, Joe Cowles' Wu-Wei Gung Fu and James DeMile's, Wing Chun Do. As a historian of Bruce Lee's art and the life of Bruce Lee, I have chosen practitioners to interview that I feel best represent the aforementioned arts and the current state of Jeet Kune Do. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Decendants of the Dragon
Paul Bax has hit on a sure fire methodfor pleasing thegreatest audience. Just about every currently active OBLS is represented in Paul's newest contribution to the JKD literature. You can learn first hand how each version of JKD was formulated as you read the testimony fromactual students who have risen to the top of their respective classes. After reading the book I can only say that JKD is in good hands.

Short note
The book contains many interviews with second gerneration instructors. Some very well written details and insights. Every JKD Branch is covered and the reader will get a very good overview about how JKD has developed and is trained/taught today.

Great Book Well Written
The book itself is well written with lots of info from great JKD Instructors from all around.

2nd Generation students with their insight on Jeet Kune Do.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

My favorite of the series!
This is my favorite of the John Little/Bruce Lee series.

If you are looking for real, honest-to-goodness Bruce Lee principles of JKD, then this is the book. Even though the book is organized into categories, I think the best way to study it is to take a random page (any page will do) and apply it to your martial study for a full practice session. Just the one page will be packed with ideas.

And your martial arts will improve.

Digest the book, one piece at a time, and you will improve every aspect of your martial arts ... speed, reaction time, attack and counterattack, rhythm and timing, and on and on.

This really is a value-packed book.

Remember, savor the advice and don't gloss over any of the writing. This "stuff" is important.

--Keith Pascal, martial arts author

The Jeet Kune Do Manual for the JKD student.
I study Jeet Kune Do in Denver Colorado. My Sifu referred me to this book. I do wish the book had more diagrams of some of the techniques. Overall it is the geatest book on JKD. Of course it is,it was written by the man who created JKD.
In one place in the book, Bruce Lee had written the pros and cons of different arts and what he liked about them technichly. This allows you to see how Lee was percieving martial arts and what he was looking for. You also get possible insight to where his art was going.
Near the end of the book are Lee's training routines. He even writes how to teach a class. There is much more info in this book than the original. Just don't forget the same author wrote them both.
Also don't forget to check out Bruce Lee's 4 volume Fighting methods to see how Lee trained.
JKD Pupil

Wonderful book, not the key to martial art though.
I see that a lot of reviewers that gave this book low ratings seem to think that you can learn martial arts from a book. I will give you this warning now, you can't and never will be able to learn a martial art from a book, but this is a good starting place for beginners to see some of the techniques and ideas put forward in Jeet Kune Do. If you're someone with martial training as I am you can learn a number of things from this book. Most martial arts that are taught today are for exercise, fun, or competition, rarely are they taught for safety or other more historical reasons. This book can help you get back to those roots of your art.

I have studied various forms of martial arts for around ten years now and would consider this book an invaluable edition to my library, which is always growing and always changing and I still rank this book as one of the better ones in my collection. Inside you will find sections of philosophy and sections on technical work. The reason I gave this only four stars is that if you are not a martial artist or if you don't at least have some basic training, the technical section of the book is worthless and will do you no good. However, if you have practiced, you can learn a lot from the technical section of this book as Bruce goes over individual moves and how to use them to their best in a fight. He also explains how to close space between yourself and an opponent, how to mix up the rhythms of a fight, and how to make your attack and defense more effective.

If you haven't studied martial arts then you will find some sections of this book to be quite interesting while others are utterly worthless. If you have, however, this is one of the better technical manuals that can be purchased that is also veined with the philosophies behind this physical and mental art. It is a wonderful resource and a useful tool for any martial artist.

Disorganised and rather painfull
Jeet Kune Do is a book full of insight into the martial arts through the eyes of Bruce Lee. It does contain many important aspects of martial arts. It appears to attempt to address very important topics which many martial art styles tend to ignore. Martial arts are more than lists of techniques and pre arranged kata. They are about developing fighting skill, and about how to train in order to perfect your agility, balance, power and timing. Volume three does address these concepts and more.

The down side to this book is that it isn't very much more than the brain storming sessions of Bruce Lee committed to paper. One statement after another is made with very little logical connection. What this book needed was to be ordered such that related statements and concepts were grouped together. In places there are simple lists of various techniques without little or no explanation of the context. Rather than clear explanations of concepts we are treated to short unrelated sentenences.

The job of trying to extract from these notes the real meaning of what Bruce was trying to convey was very difficult indeed. The book is full of photos of Bruce in action, however these photos are generally not related to the content. Drawn illustrations are in somewhat better context, but they are obviously the original illustrations Bruce had drawn himself.

For those who are interested in the original notes from Bruce Lee there may be some interest. However, for a general reader the presentation of his ideas is confusing and incomplete. This isn't to say that the book does not have value. There is quite a bit of good advice. My issue with the book is that the editors could have substantially reorganised it in such a way as to make it more comprehensible. It would also have been an advantage to redraw the illustrations professionally so that we don't have to strain to read the notes.

Bruce was a great Martial Artist, but that doesn't mean we should expect him to be the best writer. In this case his ideas should have been extended and examined. Where there were incomplete sections the context should have been filled in for people. Also the order of ideas should have been changed so that similar ideas were not repeated throughout the book.

Great Book!
This is the best book on on Bruce Lee's philosofies yet!A must read for every martial artist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The real JKD
Just got this book today. Great book. I have been taking Jeet Kune Do for about 2 years now. This is exactly the kind of stuff we practice, the real JKD, as taught by Bruce Lee to Jerry Poteet and Dan Inosanto, and the early students. The book is not cluttered with unnecessary text, and has lots of clear photos demonstrating the right and wrong way to do each technique. The author demonstrates things like the finger strike (Bil Gee), straight lead, low-line attacks (kicks), the straight blast (jik cheung chui), the backfist (which is very important in JKD, and is banned in western boxing, because it is so effective and powerful !), footwork, groundfighting, "cutting into the tool", intercepting any movement by the attacker, bob and weave, slipping, etc. etc. etc. All intersperced with reminiscenses and quotes from Bruce Lee.

Really good JKD book, on the real JKD. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Just trapping !!!
The pretty negative review is based on the fact that the book is made of 95% trapping drills which are very very difficult to follow.
The rest 5% is actually quite interesting as it covers fighting tactics against different opponents types (boxers, grapplers, karatekas, etc....) but the pages dedicated to that are the extreme minority.
The book should have just been called: Advanced trapping exercises.
Good if you are a trapping fan, but wasted time if you are much more "street oriented".
Disappointed.

It's... there
Having been trained in JKD, I bought this book to maybe reinforce some teachings, or hopefully learn something new.
It makes a nice reference in case I forget the names of some moves, but aside from that, I couldn't really find a good use for it.
Might be a good read for someone a bit newer to the art.
Very good picture flow and explanations of moves.

Okay.
Unlike his older books, this one is more specialized to jkd'ers (& maybe wing chun folks).Also, imo, the techs. shown for dealing with grapplers are not as strong/solid as those shown in his older books, or in material taught in his seminars.Prof. Hartsell is great, but this is not my favorite work of his.

Fine book by one of the greats
For those of you who know Mr. Hartsell, he needs no introduction, but he's one of the Lee's original inner circle of JKD students and is also an excellent grappler. So he combines the best of outfighting and infighting techniques in his personal approach. I've never had the chance to train with Mr. Hartsell myself, but I had the opportunity to buy the Wisconsin summer camp training tape featuring him, Danny Innosanto, Paul de Thouars, and Sirisute a few years ago, and it was excellent. So when I saw this book I thought I would check it out.

Mr. Hartsell is no longer a young man and has been doing martial arts for probably 40 years (like me). I like guys like that since after four decades one knows what works and what doesn't, and one can distill the essence of one's art down to the most effective and essential and practical principles. It's fun to do the fancy stuff and moves and combos, and I sometimes show off a little bit too during my workouts and teaching. But when pressed, I resort to simple techniques which will work in almost any situation, but which require a good foundation in the basics.

Mr. Hartsell has done the same in this book about JKD. He is old and wise now in the ways of the fistic arts. As someone once said, "old age and trickery beats youth and strength." Mr. Hartsell presents the main aspects of JKD, from basic techniques to trapping and energy drills, wooden dummy, JKD sparrying, and basic and advanced strategies and tactics. As I said, one thing that impressed me was that he didn't try to write an exhaustive presentation of JKD, but rather has set down the most important concepts and techniques.

One controversial area of JKD and Wing Chun is trapping. As you may know, Lee during his last years decided trapping wasn't as effective as claimed and got away from it, and I even heard he stopped teaching it as part of the standard curriculum, a major change from the early days when trapping was part of the original "Chinatown curriculum." However, Hartsell addresses that issue too. There is a time and place for everything, and many things in the martial arts are situational rather than universal principles, and trapping is one of them, and Hartsell discusses the issues relating to trapping and how to deal with them.

My favorite part of the book was the section on advanced sparring skills and how to deal with various opponients, such as western boxer, wrestler, Thai boxer, streetfighter, and so on. There is some very practical advice here. Lee was nothing if not a profound strategist, and that approach is reflected here in this section.

Finally, there is a nice section showing the intial attack, and proceeding from there to counters, strikes and kicks, holds and chokes, and takedowns, covering the entire sequence of ranges and techniques, and from standing to ground-based arts. Also, there is an appendix done in Question and Answer format where Mr. Hartsell deals with specific questions and issues there, such as "How to cultivate a killer instinct," and more details on strategies for different fighters, such as tall, big, fast, slow, "hit and run fighters," and many other topics.

I had one last piece of advice, which is that if you're a novice this book should be used in conjunction with a video or videos on JKD showing the actual drills and techniques, of which there are many out there. It would be difficult to pick these up just from the photos. Steve Grody has done an excellent series specifically on trapping skills, and others have done video series covering the more general JKD curriculum. In fact, you can often find these used at bargain prices on e Bay. You might have to check the auctions there for a few weeks to find some, but eventually you should be able to get them. If you're an experienced JKD practitioner you shouldn't have any trouble following the photos.

Great Book
A great look at not only classic JKD techniques but also new ones developed by Larry Hartsell. Being an original student of Bruce Lee Larry has the rare ability to absorb what is useful and transmit that to his students. The drills found this book are very helpful and will help those of us with some expirince get better that much faster. For the Newbies it will give you an inside look at what JKD is about. ... Read more

Book Description
Burton discusses the concepts that bind all martial arts together.He provides information on martial philosophy and tactics; he then explains in detail five components shared by all martial arts - ranges, postures, attributes, techniques and training. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Does not deliver
The first half of this book does a pretty good job of scientifically breaking down martial arts and training.The book starts off showing different symbolic jestures in the martial arts, such as bowing, and then explains the meaning of Bruce Lee's JKD symbol, then Richardson's JKDU symbol.Whoopie.Next is a list of the tennets of JKDU's philosophy, as well as it's fighting philosophy/tactics.Interesting that the two should be separate.There's actually some good stuff here, though.Next, the five ways of attack are explained, as well as the three ways of defense; all very scientific, and all are included in any good JKD book elsewhere.Mr. Richardson then gives his seven ranges of combat.There are four empty-hand ranges and three weapons ranges.I've grown out of the whole range concept thanks to "Mastering Jiu-Jitsu" by Renzo Gracie, and I'd recomend that book to any martial artist.Six different postures are then classified; this does little more than make you aware that your body can be in at least six different possitions.Then there's three pages on how there are billions of techniques, and a good bit about techniques as words, and how you learn to write your own sentences.Different methods of training are classified next, including a section on spiritual training.Once again, this is more or less to classify what you are doing.Then, from pages 56-137, there is nothing but crap.Not really crap, just a bunch of techniques to show you how much the author knows, really.There wasn't much here that was related back to JKD principles.If you don't know a lot of techniques, then this section might interest you.Overall, though, I didn't see anything really new on the JKD front, and it seemed like the author just wrote this book to promote himself and his "style", not to help others grow in the martial arts.Nothing at all like the other JKD books out there.It's a shame, because I do like Mr. Richardson's articles in IKF, and I hear that he's a good instructor.Shame none of that showed in this text.

Weak
Not the best work on JKD. Padded with pictures this book does convey the essence of JKD Concepts but I was looking for more of a techniques oriented text. Try Entering to Trapping to Grappling by Hartsell if you're like me and want to see some techniques you can add to your repetoire.

Very limited
Usually Richardson is a bit more eloquent in his monthly writings in IKF but this is one of the worst books on "Concepts" ever conceived.

The text is rather pointless and shallow while most of the book is pictures of techniques that IMHO only work on a still training partner.

Save your money.I bought this used and feel cheated.

Confused
In my opinion no one can express what jeet kune do is really about except the master Bruce Lee himself since he never really got into the hardcore aspects of it before his tragic death. All these people who think they knowJeet Kune Do have no idea that what they do know could be no more then the2nd class of it. The real tragic part is no one alive knows the full art ofJeet Kune Do since his son passed away. He hadnt taught anyone long enoughfor anyone alive to know all of Jeet Kune Do.

The real purpose of jeet kune do
This book was not designed to be a manual for self defense. It was written to show how martial artist can apply the principals and philosophy of Jeet Kune Do to their art and this book accomplishes this feat perfectly. Thisbook will help martial artists of any style and will hopefully teach themto forget about the limitaions of conforming to one specific style and willencourage them to intergrate all they can into their training to makethemselves well rounded fighters who have an answer to every combatsituation. ... Read more

Book Description
Jeet Kune Do.The very name conjures images of the late Bruce Lee destroying opponents on the movie screen.But what is jeet kune do?Is it Bruce Lee's personal expression in combat?Is it a style?Is it a process?Chris Kent, one of jeet kune do's most accomplished practitioners, seeks to answer these questions. According to Kent, while Bruce Lee felt there shouldn't be a fixed system of fighting, he did believe there is a progressive approach to training mastering martial skills.In this book, Kent reveals Lee's training methods and philosophies - the same methods and philosophies that made him unbeatable in unarmed combat.With over 400 dynamic photographs, this volume is a virtual encyclopedia of jeet kune do techniques. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

I would have given it a five if I didn't already have it.
I loved this book, back when it was called Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do the textbook.That was Tim Tackett, Chris Kent production then. The pictures in this book are new but not as good or comprehensive as the Tackett/Kent book. My advice is get the Text Book version, and Pick up Tackett and Kent's Jeet Kune Do kickboxing book. Those are actually good. If you want to review techniques and understand alot of what goes into making a good JKD fighter. It is important to note that for that last part you must have read and absorbed the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
Another complaint I have about this book, and is by no means minor, is the way Chris Kent handles grappling.It is quite clear to even a six month practicianer of, nearly any grappling art, except maybe Small Circle Jiu-jitsu, that Kent has no idea of what he is talking about.The problem is that Kent does not understand the grappling range at all.He seems to think it is a place where (after he has performed his miracle trapping) his opponent will just allow him to twist, crank, and lock him in any way Kent wants. There is no discussion of how dynamic this range is.Chris Kent, like Larry Harstell, can perform myriad locks and takedowns in the context of various drills, I am not sure they can do anything in a live situation.I am not saying they cannot, but the way they present their grappling, it appears that they really do not have an accurate idea of what happens when some one with skill crashes into you.I must say that is not the case with all JKD fighters (and in their defense, it may not be the case with Kent, and Hartstell).Roy Harris, Jack McVicker, Paul Vunak, Dion Riccardo, and Eric Paulson, and Dan Insosanto all understand what it is to really grapple.The point is from the Kent book I do not think he could handle a white belt of one year at any reputable bjj school.

THISIS A BOOK EVERY SINGLE MARTIAL ARTIST MUST HAVE!
This comprehensive book is very good. It explains Bruce Lee's art in a magnificent manner. There are over 650 photos along with tons of written information on the fighting techniques. They are really good and easy-to-learn. You can use the moves with complete confidence in a self-defense situation after just looking at the photos (seriously).

Everyone should have this book!

A must for serious JKD practitioners
I own a copy of Chris Kent's book volume one and am going to purchase volume two. Financial and location difficulties only allow me a few months a year personal training with a Sifu in JKD so Mr. Kent's book helps me to practice movements and strategy in off months.It has good photos and text to help link the movements... extremely helpful.I mean it seems as Mr. Kent is right there helping you correct any problems in your techniques.It even has some grappling and holds as well which are essential to any martial artists skills.

Also Read: the Tao of JKD by Master Bruce Lee, and also Mr. Lee's several part series on different aspects of his philosophy , art and training methods.(I found Mr. Lee's training methods to be especially helpful , when I use them they improve my physical aspects and contemplating some of his thoughts help in life as well. Try some of Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi/Stephen Hayes Ninjutsu/Taijutsu books and Park Bok Nam's Pa Kua/Ba Gua series.I like these three arts b/c they are adaptive and efficient as arts and life styles in my humble opinion.

a useful reference
A useful reference of tools, concepts and tactics, but most of the information was already covered in Chris Kent and Tim Tackett's other excellent books, "Jun Fan / Jeet Kune Do: The Textbook" and "Jeet Kune Do Kickboxing"

still, a very nice addition to any serious JKD student's library ... Read more

Book Description
Experience the power of Bruce Lee's jeet kune do, the explosive art drawn from the best of Eastern and Western fighting styles. An exclusive collection featuring interviews with Inosanto, Lewis and others, and a dynamic presentation of principles and techniques. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Jeet Kune Do Concept
This is the book endorsed by Dan and Paula Inosanto in 1987. The book details the development of the JKD Concept and includes interviews with the top JKDC personalities. This is an older book, published in 1988. A real collector's item.

A Book Of Interviews
This book is a must for any Bruce Lee or American Karate practitioner.Here Dr. Beasley, founder of the World Martial Arts Group and Karate College, interviews some of the 1st generation Bruce Lee students.Theydiscuss Bruce's ideas about combat and training,and speak about their ownviews on martial arts.The interviews with Bruce Lee protege Dan Inosantoand Joe Lewis are a must.They are candid and insightful.

The book,however, should have avoided implementing photographs to demonstratecertian techniques.The book isn't a primer on Jeet Kune Do concepts andthis only fills space which could have either been discarded or re-workedinto more interviews withother well known Jeet Kune Do instructors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Very good.
A fine companion to the first book.Solid in melding striking with standing grappling.

A unique JKD look at grappling strategy
I really liked a lot of the material in this book.It really stands out because Sifu Hartsell does not simply give us a bunch of random grappling techniques.Instead he gives us techniques and strategies that truly reflect the techniques and ideas of the Jeet Kune Do fighting method.I particularly liked the section that dealt with using the JKD trapping tools as a defense against grappling attacks.It is this aspect and the various clinch strategies that make his book a worthy addition to a JKD practitioner's library.On the downside, you must remember that this book was published in 1987 and so it does not take into account a lot of modern day grappling/submissions knowledge.As a result, some of the material (especially the stuff that deals with groundfighting, joint locks and submission) seems dated by today's standards.Nevertheless, you'll still find plenty of valuable stuff in this book.

Add Grappling to your Martial art.
This book presents problem situations and gives you the best grappling solutions from Jujitsu, Kali, Aikido, Western Wrestling etc.I cannot think how this book could have been made better.Although this book is the second in a series on grappling showing some reversals of moves made in the first book I think this book stands on its own as it shows the original moves.In other words if you can afford both books buy both if you just want to buy one book - get this one. Every technique is explained with the aid of clear step by step photographs.There is a great section on what to do in thestand up tie up position (Boxer's clinch) which occurs frequently in street fights.All you need is this book and someone to practise on.

Excellent book for both the beginner and experienced MArtist
As a white belt beginning my training in my mid 30's, with all the responsibility of work, home, and kids, and squeezing in 3 classes a week, while training at home in my own garage, now gym, I found this book to bean excellent reference to review at home, or to help me work out techniquesthat I may have had difficulty with.My sensei has ordered the book as ageneral reference for our dojo.Both the beginner and experienced martialarts practitioner can benefit from the easy to follow pictures and writtenexplanations of each technique. ... Read more