I was fortunate in being able to train and share life experiences with Bruce in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Hong Kong. I remember coming to visit him at this house in Bel Air after he had hurt his back in 1970 and he was forced to stay in bed for six months. However, during that time—and true to his philosophy of “turning a stumbling block into a stepping-stone”—Bruce didn’t complain or lament this apparently cruel twist of fate. Instead, he began to write—and his writings filled volumes (seven of them, in fact). I marveled then (and again now that I think about it) how productive and artistic he was—even while injured. Lesser human beings would simply have given up, but then Bruce Lee was never a lesser human being. He was always a great human being; an inspiration and role model for not only individuals of Chinese ancestry such as myself, but for ail individuals who value, as Bruce did, the potential of the human spirit for achievement and producing work of outstanding and enduring quality.
And while some of the combative beliefs, philosophy, and illustrations that Bruce committed to paper during this period of his convalescence became The Tao of jeet Kune Do, (Ohara Publications, 1975), many of them did not. And it is these other writings that have filled this book, in combination with some incredible never-before-seen written and photographic material of Bruce’s, that I believe have made this book, Jeet Kune Do: Bruce Lee’s Commentaries on the Martial Way, the definitive presentation of Bruce Lee’s way of martial art. Drawing from diverse and authentic source materials, with sections on combative techniques, training methodology, philosophy, motivational/inspirational beliefs, lesson plans, teaching/coaching strategies, as well as Bruce’s own comments on the historical development of his art, this is a book that deserves to be read, reread, studied, and poured over again and again not only by those who share a serious interest in the preservation and perpetuation of Bruce Lee’s art of jeet kune do, but to those who also seek to frame a more accurate picture of the true nature and character of Bruce Lee. This book accurately captures the essence of Bruce’s personality and beliefs on such a wide range of subjects that it is the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to what it was actually like to train privately with Bruce Lee.
I’m delighted to note both the quantity and caliber of the material that has been gathered together in this book by my good friend and Bruce Lee historian, John Little. I met John back in 1993, and since then we have forged a close friendship with many training sessions and discussions together. We both share a common interest and goal in the art and philosophy of jeet kune do. With tireless energy, John has spent tremendous amounts of hours over the last four years of his life in putting together this book. He has made many personal sacrifices while enduring financial hardships. He has sifted through, read, and studied some six thousand pages of Bruce’s notes and personal papers and has read, studied and interviewed many of Bruce’s original students and friends with an eye toward finally putting together a multi-volume book series that will perfectly clarify Bruce Lee’s “commentaries on the martial way.”
I consider John Little to be one of the foremost individuals in terms of his knowledge of this subject matter, and his sincerity, respect, and loyalty for preserving and perpetuating Bruce’s true teachings have given new insight into the art of jeet kune do. We are very fortunate to have John take up the task of editing Bruce’s materials for future generations to learn about Bruce Lee and his art. More importantly, John wants to promote Bruce not just as a great martial artist, but also as a philosopher and a pointer of truth.
A huge debt of thanks is also owed Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce’s wife of nine years and the lady that Bruce once told me was “directly responsible” for his success. Linda has always remained loyal to Bruce and was not only the mother of their two children, Brandon and Shannon, but, in my opinion, she is also the spiritual mother of jeet kune do for, without her entering his life and being the yin to his yang, Bruce would have had to work a nine-to-five job and thereby been deprived of the time necessary to create such a beautiful art and to share it with the world.
Jeet kune do is a unique martial art in that it is the first martial art that is not based solely upon tradition. Granted, jeet kune do has specific and distinguishing techniques and a core curriculum that Bruce thought important enough to teach to all of his students. However, this is viewed more as a “launching pad” from which the individual practitioner initiates his own exciting journey of self-discovery and self-expression. In fact, to truly ascend to the higher aspects of this art, one really has to do it on one’s own. What Bruce is offering us in the pages of this book and in the personal lessons he taught to those of us fortunate enough to have studied under him is a prescription for freedom—both in combat and in day-to-day life—and that prescription lies in the discovery that we already are free, we simply have to be willing to do the homework necessary to realize it.
When I hear people say “You shouldn’t bother to train like Bruce Lee did, nor to follow his teachings, because you don’t possess his attributes,” I realize that they’ve missed the point as to what Bruce Lee was all about. He would frequently tell us that he wasn’t anything “special,” but rather that he was simply a very dedicated trainer. Bruce was so good because he made himself so good. He practiced all the time and then looked for ways to make his practicing even more efficient. If you only work out twenty minutes a day, or three days a week—I mean, if that’s all you’re willing to commit to your jeet kune do training—then, yes, it would be impossible for you to obtain attributes similar to Bruce’s because he practiced long and hard for every inch of progress he made. Don’t expect Bruce Lee-like results, unless you’re willing to put in Bruce Lee-like hours to obtain them.
I know that the more I practice what Bruce taught me, the better I become at it—and the same is true for anybody who applies what they read in this book. I always looked up to Bruce Lee for his work ethic. And even now, if I find myself sitting around not wanting to train, my memory is jogged by an image of Bruce Lee, and how hard he worked, and I feel guilty for not having more faith in the potential of my ability.
Bruce always emphasized the need for us to experiment with what he was teaching us. Not experiment in the sense of a test-drive, wherein you try something out and if for some reason it “seems” like a bad fit, you discard it. Rather, Bruce wanted us to practice diligently on what he shared with us, not for hours or even days, but for years. He wanted us to practice on such things as the on-guard position, mobility or footwork, the lead punch, the cross, the hook, the finger jab, the side kick, the hook kick, and so on, until they became second-nature to us. This type of “experimentation” takes years, but it’s well worth the time invested because you end up learning much about yourself and, by extension, you learn significant things about others as well. For one thing, you learn about the commonality we all share as human beings and how it is possible to achieve efficiency in things such as movement, force production, and combat. All you have to do is be willing to work at it.
This book is your road map to an exciting journey of self-knowledge. It has value in being a guidepost to help you in the process of your own personal development. And then, at the end of the journey, you can throw it away for you will have then learned the significance of one of Bruce’s most significant statements:
The medicine for my suffering I had within me from the very beginning.
Note: Ted Wong is considered one of the most knowledgeable men in the world regarding Bruce Lee’s art of jeet kune do. Wong was Bruce Lee’s private student from 1967 until Lee’s death in 1973. Lee’s day timer diaries reveal that he and Wong got together on no less than 122 separate occasions. Wong received certification in jeet kune do directly from Bruce Lee himself.
PREFACE
Between the ages of twenty two and thirty two, martial arts legend Bruce Lee was a very prolific writer. To be sure, not all of his writings were in the form of essays or systematic presentations of themes and philosophical dissertations. However, it is worth observing that during this brief span of time, Lee wrote and self-published one book, prepared manuscripts for two additional books (that he later decided not to have published), authored several articles that were published on the theory and nature of unarmed combat, scripted no less than three screenplays, and penned seven volumes