At the risk of perpetuating the myth that all martial artists run around quoting Bruce Lee,
this book should still be required reading. One reason to read this book is not to learn
about Bruce Lee (though the insights are certainly there); it is to learn about yourself.
Whether a person agrees with what Lee says or not, it is important to at least understand
his arguments. This in turn forces you to evaluate your own personal motivations, habits,
and approaches to martial arts training, and one can hardly deny the importance of such
self-reflection. Secondly, the book'’svalue also comes from its allowing us inside the
mind of a great martial artist. It is evident from the reading that Lee worked on an
intellectual plane that 99% of martial artists do not; his thoughts and attention during
an engagement were not the same, indeed, they transcended those of his competitors. Most
martial arts authors would do a great service to themselves and their arts if their books
organized and articulated the principles, nuances, and inter-relation of strategy and
application to the extent that Lee’s does. But that is not to suggest that the book
comprehensively covers the art of Jun Fan/JKD.
A work in progress when he died, this book is not a free flowing, continuous
script, but rather an assembly of thoughts presented in proverbial style. Fortunately,
Lee mused on a variety of topics concurrently, so the compilation seems amazingly
thorough. These topics include the philosophical and theoretical, such as how the
martial arts become an expression of the individual and how to develop true spontaneity
and flow in technique. Lee makes a related argument that structured forms and
curriculum are a barrier to such expressions. Lee also comments on a variety of
critical attributes such as speed, vision, balance, endurance, etc. While certain
techniques or examples are given, they are described less for how-to purposes than to
illustrate JKD’s strategy and tactics, including timing and distance, feinting and
drawing, classifications of simple and complex attacks, etc. Thus, students will gain
insight on both a philosophical and tactical level.
His statements are at times simple and at times profound. Sometimes they seem
idealistic; other times they are pragmatic. Sometimes they are quite direct, other
times they are painfully metaphorical, perhaps allowing us to see the extent to which
Lee connected martial discipline with other aspects of life. His original sketches
and hand written notes give the book a special feel and add historical value.
As stated before, you might not agree with every point he makes, but it is clear that Lee
has thought about his approach to martial arts. This book discusses and at times
questions some of the foundations of the martial arts such as forms
training. By reading this book and thinking about his comments, we are forced to similarly
evaluate our own methodology, regardless of what style we practice. And it is no coincidence
that such individual analysis is a foundation of JKD.
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