Customer Reviews

Bruce Lee's Fighting Method, Vol. 2

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is probably the most important book of this series. I am a martial artist who trains in the JKD philosophy. This is the book I look back to constantly, and I will always consider this the most important one in my martial arts library. The Basics are the MOST important aspect of your training. A great fighter must have a great foundation.

Don't buy this book expecting to become Bruce, to become great you must want to be great. What is covered in this book all of Bruce's student's teach. If you go to a Richard Bustillo, Tim Tacket, Chris Kent, or Dan Inosanto, chances are you'll be learning the stuff directly from this book.

The book covers basic exercises, stance, footwork, and ideas behind punching and kicking. DON'T expect this book to be the only "way". Don't expect this book to train you. It's only a book not a personal trainer. The exercises in the book are not "impossible" as one person commented. They are totally effective.

You should buy this book with an open mind. Don't just read this book, understand this book.

Excellent book to show the basics and mechanics of Bruce Lee's fighting style (Jeet Kune Do). Currently taking JKD myself, this book has helped me tremendously in learning the "details" of such basic things like the basic JKD stance, jab, cross, uppercut, side-step, etc. as well as training. I feel it's an excellent book if you wish to learn more about Lee's fighting style. Other books I'd recommend based on his fighting style would be the rest of this series, as well as "The Bruce Lee Library" series by John Little. The "Tao Of Jeet Kune Do" is also an excellent book that includes his own personal notes and thoughts about his fighting art.

This book is easy to understand, and very possible for someone with absolutely no martial arts background or knowledge. Lee took his experience with other forms and simple logic to create a near-perfect fighting form: Jeet Kune Do. I can't explain it all in here, and I really don't want to, but if you want to learn how to use practical, fast, and powerful fighting techniques, this is the book to start out with. The Tao of Jeet Kune Do doesn't explain details of the system. The other books and series that feature Jeet Kune Do mostly outline the attacks and parries, and that may be okay for people who don't care about technique, but if you're like me, you'll want to stick with this series until you finish it, and then go on to the philosophies, tips, and outlines for sparring and combat. If you want to be frustrated by books that don't explain techniques, however, go for one of the advanced books, but you're not going to get anything out of them. You're going to be very pleased with this book, and it's the perfect stepping stone.

Also, I've read other reviews saying that there isn't enough information in it, but I think that there's plenty, and if you need more, go buy the next book in the series.

I bought this book about two months ago and I really liked it. I always wondered how Lee trained to get as fit as he was. I wanted to have the power and agility that he had. This book outlines all that you need to know for stretches and excercises as well as the good stuff. It shows you some of the basic positions you want to keep and how you should react to a punch or some attack. I take martial arts and have been for about a year and a half. I enjoy it very much and this book also helped me to keep my martial arts lifestyle, not just in the classroom, but at home and wherever.

I have read the whole serious of Bruce Lee's Fighting Method and I think it is extremely helpfull to develop speed and proper training method. Bruce Lee's advice and techniques have deffinetly helped me in my training and I feel that I have become a bit smarter as a fighter and more inteligent in my training. I deffinetly recommend this book and the other three to anyone who is interested in developing a proper training style.

Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is Bruce Lee's and M. Uyehara's, "Bruce Lee's Fighting Method; Volume 2: Basic Training."

As is stated in the introduction to this and the other three volumes in the series, Bruce Lee never intended for these books to be published. However, since his untimely passing, his wife Linda decided that she would allow them to be published. Something we should all be thankful for.

What I will attempt to do in this review is to give you a well-rounded grasp of what Bruce has written and demonstrated for you in this series of books. Although nothing can replace the value of a qualified and competent instructor, a well written book can still provide you with a wealth of knowledge if you know how to realize it and obtain it.

1. The Fighting Man Exercises:

a. The importance of aerobic conditioning and exercises to increase your aerobic capacity such as; running, bike riding, jumping rope, etc.
b. Most martial artists neglect their actual physical workouts, thinking that practicing their particular martial art of and by itself is all you need to get into and stay in shape. This is not true! One must supplement their martial arts training with various muscle building and flexibility exercises.
c. You must constantly push yourself to become better than what you already are. If it comes easy, it generally isn't worth it.
d. How to warm-up properly in order to prepare your body for harder workouts without risking the chance of unnecessary injury due to the use of a well designed and executed warm-up routine.
e. Various flexibility exercises are shown using the trampoline and various body stretches.
f. Several different abdominal exercises are demonstrated as Bruce always felt that the abdomens were the major source of power in the martial arts.

2. The On-Guard Position:

a. Bruce goes really in-depth on a good fighting stance.
b. Looks at the disadvantages of more traditional or formal stances.
c. Bruce also talks a good deal about balance and how important it is to being effective with your techniques.

3. Footwork:

a. The basic principles behind your footwork are discussed.
b. Demonstrated and explained are the Forward and Backward Shuffle.
c. Demonstrated and explained are the Quick Advance and Retreat.
d. Demonstrated and explained is the Burst Forward.
e. Demonstrated and explained is Sidestepping.

4. Power Training; Punching Power:

a. How to correctly make a fist for punching.
b. Various training exercises utilizing the heavy bag, punching mitts, force shields, etc.
c. The use of canvas bags filled with everything from sand to steel filings in order to toughen the hands for impact.
d. The use of hand weights when practicing your punches.
e. The use of a staff across your shoulders to improve your body's ability to work in unison when punching.
f. Talks about using KI when punching and how to punch through your target, not at it.
g. Also discussed is "Pulling Power" and how to develop it with hand and forearm exercises.

Power in Kicking:

a. Flicky point style kicks are useless in self-defense.
b. How to develop striking power in your Side Kick.
c. The use of the heavy bag to develop power in your kicks.
d. The use of the kicking shield to develop power in your kicks.
e. How to add more power to your Front Kick by utilizing your hips correctly.

5. Speed Training:

a. Basic principles involved in training for speed in your techniques.
b. Developing punching speed.
c. Developing whipping speed for your Back Fist.
d. Developing speed in your Finger Jab by using a piece of paper.
e. Developing speed in your Lead Straight Punch.
f. Using equipment such as the double-end bag, punching mitts, and heavy bag to develop speed.
g. Developing a non-telegraphic punch.
h. Using concepts from fencing to enhance your speed and punching skills.
i. A very interesting use of a children's game to develop speed.

Speed in Kicking:

a. Principles and techniques of the Side Kick and Roundhouse Kick, which I find very interesting that Bruce calls the Roundhouse Kick a Hook Kick.
b. Various methods of developing speed in your kicks.
c. Awareness of your body and what it is doing when you are kicking.

Like any well written book, as much as you can learn from this book by reading it, you can learn just as much if not more by reading between the lines. I particularly enjoyed the simplicity of what Bruce was trying to relay throughout this and pretty much all of his books. What may work well for one person, may not work at all for another. Therefore, you as an individual needs to research the techniques that are out there and find those that work best for you and use them. Remember, there are no superior martial arts, only superior martial artists.

Bruce Lee's Fighting Method: Basic Training Vol. 2

Chapter 1 is sort of an overview of a number of exercises and the benefits of each exercise in conditioning the body to be a fighter. There is not much in this chapter, which you cannot find in other exercise or workout books. Furthermore, the practice of receiving blows from a medicine ball or moderately controlled punches to the abdomen is no longer recommended because we now know that receiving even moderate, controlled blows over time can cause damage to internal tissues and organs. Never the less, I am not going to say that there is nothing worth reading in this book. It's just that this book was written before the fitness craze gained momentum to the extent of becoming a cultural practice in the United States. Many people back then were out of shape and did not know how to exercise for better health and physical performance. Some still don't. To beginners, this chapter can serve as an introduction of the types of exercise for a fighter.

Chapter 2 explains in detail and illustrates Bruce Lee's unique right lead Jeet Kune Do guard stance, posture and benefits. Then, there are a series of photos of Dan Inosanto, Bruce Lee's famous student, posing in various classical guard positions, some of which look more like illustrations of moves in kata or forms. The book persuasively criticizes the various weaknesses of the classical guard stances. In defense of some classical positions criticized, however, some martial artists argue persuasively that these classical positions found in katas and forms are symbolic representations of effective fighting techniques being executed and do not represent stationary guard positions.
(See books by Rick Clark, Guy Trimble III, Ashley Croft and George Dillman for more on better interpretations of kata's symbolic representation of effective fighting techniques."

The Chapter on footwork is very basic and simple. It is almost boring. However, the important point to take note of is that moving quickly and effectiveness in fighting begins with being quick on the feet. Bruce lee's books are unique in that they emphasize elements such as distance, timing, speed, creating openings in the opponent's guard and observing the opponent's reactions and habits rather than reliance on techniques for this or that situation. So, it begins with footwork to move into range quickly to strike, to move out of range or side-to-side to avoid being struck and being ready to counter when an opening does appear. The later volumes build on ideas that require good footwork. So, it does start with this book to create a foundation of good footwork. After all, good technique and power is wasted if you can't deliver your strikes or kicks due to lack of speed or improper timing or distance.

The beginning martial artist reading this book might get the quickest results from this book in studying the chapters on power training and speed training. Anyone who understands how to combine the elements such as closing to a proper distance to be able to punch through the target, using harmonious movement of the body while keeping the muscles relaxed until the instant your strike makes contact will discover an alternative, more effective way to deliver a powerful strike rather than using the strength of the arm and upper body alone.

The last chapter on speed training offers 7 different ways to train for developing speed. Most of these training methods require a partner. The reader has to look for these in the context of the writing. There is also an interesting technique suggested for psychologically developing a better sense of timing and quickness of reaction near the end of the last chapter.

Beginners and young martial artist might not fully understand the value of the information in the series of books on Bruce Lee's Fighting Method and in his Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

There is also a video adaptation of this book available on VHS or DVD which features Richard Bustillo and Ted Wong, one of Bruce Lee's students, who also is seen in the photographs of the books.

VHS:

Bruce Lee's Fighting Method

Bruce Lee's Fighting Method

DVD:

Bruce Lee's Fighting Method - by Ted Wong and Richard Bustillo

While this entire series is good, if you get the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, or the book Jeet Kune Do, you might not need this one as therre isn't too much more here. I think this one has more actual pictures though, while the others have more of Lee's drawings.

You will be able to read this book in an hour or less. There are only about 100 pages with lots of photos. What's in the book is good, but like another reviewer said I would have liked for the book to be more in depth. The material in the book was good and offered some ideas on how to build your speed and power, and explains how important being fit is to defending yourself.

This is a well-rounded little book that you can go back to again and again. In order for your martial arts skill to be good, you need a solid foundation. You can find help here in these pages. It gives an overall view of the essentials of punching, kicking, blocking, and footwork. The only unfortunate thing about this book is they weren't able to go more in-depth about Lee's workout regime (after all, how well can one do martial arts out of shape?), but then again the book isn't geared toward one aspect. It's just a general overview to show beginners where they have to start and to remind the rest of us where we came from.