TAO OF JEET KUNE DO
By
BRUCE LEE
The Tao of Jeet Kune Do is the best selling martial arts book in history authored by the worlds most famous martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. The Tao was a compilation of writings by Lee that were pu together and published after his death. The title refers to the martial art style Jeet Kune Do that was founded by Bruce Lee and taught at his three schools. This is a fine book in many aspects and helps the reader better understand Lee and his philosophy of combat. For a detailed description and instruction in his style you will be better served reading the Original Jeet Kune Do Training Manual also available on this page.
We recommend them both highly.
Enter the Way of the Intercepting Fist, Jeet Kune Do.
- Pub. Date: October 1975
- Publisher: Black Belt Communications
- Format: Paperback , 208pp
Here is what the popular website wikipedia had to say on the book, then we will comment and add some actual facts in purple.
Tao of Jeet Kune Do is a book expressing Bruce Lee's martial arts philosophy and viewpoints, published posthumously (after Bruce Lee's death in 1973). The project for this book began in 1970 when Bruce Lee suffered a back injury during one of his practice sessions. (This was never a project as Lee was not writing a book. These were his thoughts his personal dairies and notes. He hurt his back lifting weights not in a practice session.)
During this time he could not train in martial arts. He was ordered by his doctors to wear a back brace for 6 months in order to recover from his injury. This was a very tiring and dispiriting time for Lee who was always very physically active.
It was during his convalescence that he decided to compile a treatise on the system or approach to martial arts that he was developing; he called it Jeet Kune Do. (Total BS, he was not writing a book on the art of Jeet Kune Do, in fact many of the statements and illustrations were the exact opposite that he taught in his classes and in his training manual to his students.)
The bulk of these writings would become the "core set of writings". Many of these writings were done during a single session which provided natural continuity. (Notes were compiled from various years and not any one session.)
Lee had also kept various notes throughout the development of his combat philosophy and these would become the disparate notes used in the book. (True) Many of these notes were "sudden inspirations" which were incomplete and lacked any kind of a construct. The combination of the "core set of writings" and the "disparate notes" would be known as the text Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
In 1971, it was Lee's intent to finish the treatise that he started during his convalescence. However, his film career and work prevented him from doing so. (Nope, he was just journaling.)
He also vacillated about publishing his book as he felt that this work might be used for the wrong purposes. Lee's intent in writing the book was to record one man's way of thinking about the martial arts. It was to be a guidebook not a set of instructions or "How to" manual to learn martial arts. (Nope, again he was just journaling.)
In 1975, after Bruce Lee's death his widow Linda Lee Cadwell decided to make available the information her husband had collected. Lee's untimely death changed the perspective of releasing the information that Bruce Lee had vacillated about. The "core writings" and various notes were put together in a logical fashion by various editors. The main editor was Gilbert L. Johnson. Johnson along with Linda Lee, Dan Inosanto and other students of Bruce Lee helped him understand Jeet Kune Do well enough to editorialize and organize Lee's material into text. (True)
The book is dedicated to: The Free, Creative Martial Artist. Lee's wife, Linda Lee Cadwell holds the copyright to the book. The book is attributed to Bruce Lee as his notes and work were used to compile the book. It is important to understand that although Lee's material was utilized it was NOT organized by him; therefore Bruce Lee was not strictly its author. (Hmm Bruce Lee not the author of his hand written notes. LOL)
The purple fact corrections and comments were added by the President of the World Jeet Kune Do Federation. You can read more and get more information by contacting the official website of Jeet Kune Do at www.jeetkunedo.org and worldjkd.com
The Tao of Jeet Kune Do
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Click Picture To Order
The Tao of Jeet Kune Do
Original Jeet Kune Do Training Manual
This is the manual that has it all! If you have ever wanted to learn the original JKD moves or just to have a valuable reference you wont be disappointed. Has complete listing of all techniques require for instructor training in JKD. Covers requirements for rank Level 2 through 12, plus the black sash test. You can look elsewhere but you will only find it here. This is the written version of JKD that you can use to follow along with the video's. All new for 2003 complete with over 123 photographs and illustrations.
Click Picture To Order
Click Picture To Order
Original Jeet Kune Do Training Manual
What is Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do / Jun Fan JKD is the only non classical Gung Fu system in existence today. Jun Fan which means Bruce Lee, was born from Bruce Lee's idea to take the best of Wing Chun Gung Fu, American Boxing and French Fencing and bring them together as the ultimate combat art, from the ultimate combat artist. The style as founded by Lee has a fixed curriculum with exacting maneuvers designed to eliminate an attackers threat within seconds. Jeet Kune Do is based upon his teaching at his famous schools in Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles. If you are wondering if Lee did JKD in his movies, no he did not. He saved that for his special clients and students. If you want the philosophy and insight into the art then you read Tao of Jeet Kune Do. If you want the exact techniques of Jeet Kune Do System then you read the Original Jeet Kune Do Training Manual.
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