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I am not really familiar with jeet kune do and I have two questions reguarding it. First, would you suggest reading tao of jeet kune do for some one that does not practice jeet kune do? I do not have a martial arts book and since bruce has allways been my favorite I would think this would be a great one to start with. My next question is just something I have wonderd over for a while and it has to do with his beliefs on traditional martial arts. I know he was against certain forms and katas and the practice of movements that lead no where. At the same time I believe it was the practice of tradional martial arts that gave him his begining. Mostly my question is do you think the training in these traditional ways is what gave him his skill(besides his natural abilities) which later he did not need because it was masterd. I know I am about to be corrected but I welcome it to further my knowledge of bruce lee. thank you.
I'm not sure about your second question, but I don't think you really need to know JKD to read the book, it's a good book regardless of the style you practise, but of course, it won't compare to actual JKD lessons, and I thought that you would need at least basic understanding of a martial art, i.e. different types of kicks, to comprehend the book.
__________________ "People can take physical pain, people can take mental anguish, but cardio pain crushes eveeeerybody." - Frank Mir
"The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" isn't really a martial arts instruction book like the ones that exist for so many other styles. Rather, it is an explanation behind the thinking of Jeet Kune Do. At the very least, it is enjoyable.
I think that forms, pretty much, are just ways of formalizing the set of movements for a style. Instead of an instructor handing you a long series of techniques, the forms are supposed to give you the building blocks to make you own techniques and combinations. Lee's point (which has been echoed again and again) is the forms don't do this with the way they are presented. On that point I agree. HOWEVER, I would point out that no matter how much form practice a martial artist does, good martial artists do well with forms. This is probably why people with MA experience advance quickly while taking a new style.
if tao of jeet kune do isnt a instructional book then I will be more likely to read it. I am not really interested in taking up jeet kune do without an instructor who can teach it. I am very happy with taking my goju ryu class. I guess it would be more of a good book for me because I want to know lee's teaching and ideas on the martial arts. If this book will give me a greater understanding and some tips that I can apply in my martial art then I will be happy with purchasing it.
Tao of Jeet is a great book to read, but to give a better prospective I also suggest reading the Tao de Ching since that was Lee's inspiration. Also Lee wrote a very thin pamplet called Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Tao of Jeet Kune Do was Lee's personal notes and thoughts a diary if you will. A great deal more as been written by the people who knew Lee and many who know his ideas.
As for Lee's interest in TMA and its influence Lee in his later years became interested in forms training but only in the more traditional context of their purpose and scientific development. That interest was in more in the idea of how forms develop then in actually practicing them. I think WC had an influence on much of Lee's JKD but also was a struggling a bit to surpass and break the patterns he himself was stuck in from TMA training. As one man remarked Lee fought like a Wing Chun man, who learned different styles but always as a Wing Chun man.
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