Customer Reviews

Bruce Lee's Fighting Method, Vol. 3

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2 star:		(1)
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I've trained in Ryukyu Kempo for quite a while. I have read many great martial arts books such as Pressure Point Fighting made easy by George Dillman. When I picked up this book by Bruce Lee I was utterly AMAZED, at the techniques and the new knowledge I have gained. The techniques taught in this book was NEVER taught at the DOJO that I've trained in. For instance this book teaches you to PARRY, and NOT to block. To punch straight instead of at a 45` angle. What to watch for when your sparring, and what common mistakes people make. THE BOTTOM LINE IS: IF YOU ARE A SERIOUS MARTIAL ARTIST, AND WANT TO LEARN HOW TO --REALLY--- FIGHT, YOU SHOULD GET THIS BOOK.

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 3: Skill in Techniques." This book is a direct continuation of the previous volume and will continue where that one left off.

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.

6. Skill in Movement:

a. Basic principles involved in obtaining and keeping your preferred distance away from your opponent.
b. The 3 fighting distances and what the preferred techniques are for each one.
c. Footwork and how to use it to maintain your preferred distance from your attacker.
d. Don't telegraph your intentions or your movements to your opponent.
e. How to Side-step your attacker.
f. How to effectively duck in order to avoid a blow.

7. Skill in Hand Techniques:

a. How to use your entire body correctly when punching.
b. How to utilize strategy when punching.
c. How to effectively utilize countering techniques.
d. Avoiding bad habits such as; opening your mouth, dropping your hands, etc.

8. Skill in Kicking:

a. The basic principles behind kicking are discussed.
b. How to utilize the Lead leg Side Kick.
c. How to utilize the Slide Forward Side Kick.
d. How to utilize the Roundhouse (Hook) Kick.
e. How to utilize the Turning Back (Spin) Kick.
f. How to utilize the Turning Wheel or Hook (Sweep) Kick.

9. Parrying:

a. Parrying a blow is preferable to blocking a blow.
b. Basic principles involved with parrying.
c. Several various types of parries are demonstrated.
d. Utilizing parrying and counters against punches.
e. Utilizing parrying and counters against kicking.

10. Targets:

a. Discusses the two primary targets you should try and strike during a fight.
b. Fighting is not a sport.
c. A martial art that is primarily sport oriented is weaker than a traditional martial art.
d. A description of various other targets that you can strike as well as the two primary ones.
e. It is better to strike the correct vulnerable spot once, than the incorrect one many times.

11. Sparring:

a. Contact sparring is preferable to non-contact sparring.
b. Various techniques to use when sparring with protective gear.
c. How to use feints, fakes, counters, slipping, and bobbing & weaving.

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.

I have been into Karate and I hold a brown belt in it. Recently I got myself involved with Jeet Kune Do. I find Bruce Lee's book the best, just like the master himself. It makes understanding this art easy and also teaches very good techniques for fighting. I believe that you can learn any art even with a good book which can be a very good guru. In that way this book will serve anyone as a good teacher who wishes to learn the way of the intercepting fist. A must for any martial art learner.

One of the very few books on Martial Arts which go beyond the "naked" presentation of techniques. Bruce Lee explains tactics - things which help integrate the individual skills into an effective way of fighting. Although there are some "low-level" explanations of the simple kicks and punches (of which the most famous are his lead-hand attack and low-level side kick), the focus is definitely on how to use them in a fight, in response to the actions of your opponent. Reminds me of Musashi's "Book of Five Rings" - I would read one page, then sweat over it for weeks or even months, until the knowledge becomes reflex. As a peculiarity, the round kick is called "hook-kick", but the explanations and the pictures eliminate the possible confusion.

This is one of the better books out there devoted to actually being able to use your body's weapons with skill. The book starts off on body movements, stuff like footwork and distancing. It then goes into attacking with the hands, and then attacking with the feet. Parrying is also covered, and then targets and stances. This book is devoted to eliminating bad habbits, and has a lot of comparisons of JKD vs. classical martial arts. As I mentioned in my other reviews of "Bruce Lee's Fighting Method", this book works much better when taken with the series, as well as a couple of other early JKD books. However, it is useful to the average martial artist when it comes to making fighting movements more efficient, and more crisp.

this is a classic book on jeet kune do. in this book bruce showing and explaining the skills of j.k.d. in movement such as footwork\distances of fighting\and diffrences among fighting stances compare to the j.k.d. on guard position. counter- attacks, deflecting, trapping and grappling are also shown and explained,and all of that are with strategy in the phylosophical yet easy to understand way that was a very tipical way of expression of bruce lee.very highly recommanded!

Excellent book that goes beyond the "Basic Training" book and goes into more detail about the basics and some advance techniques such as parrying and various kicks, also included are some common mistakes practitioners make and the proper way to correct them and execute the moves. As usual, there are lots of photographs to demonstrate the moves actually being done by Lee. 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.

Thought the book was well thought out with it's diagramming of the various technical skills. Also the explanation of the skills were very simple but precise.

The Chapters are numbered from VI to XI.

After reading Chapter VI, the reader should begin to understand how the intensity and mode of a fight can change when fighters vary their distance thru the 3 ranges of long range, medium range, close range. The reader should begin to understand how fighters can test each other's behavior responses, habits and perhaps level of skill by attempting to provoke and manipulate each other thru the use of footwork to vary distance and use of feints and drawing techniques.

Chapter VII covers the attributes, advantages and form of strikes and defensive guard used in Jeet Kune Do. 8 bad habits are listed to bring to the attention of the reader habits to avoid or correct one's self from doing or to take advantage of when done by the opponent.

Chapter VIII is about kicks.

Chapter IX defines and describes the use of parrying in Jeet Kune Do. The message to fighters is to fine tune their defense to save energy and effort in defensive action by not making wasteful, exaggerated moves. Elements of timing, distance, evasive footwork and awareness of the opponent's intent is covered here.
The cleverness of Bruce Lee's use of the lead hand to strike while the rear hand parrys or grabs becomes understandable as the photos show that the opponent's hand is allowed to extend more fully when parried by the rear guard hand thus opening the opponent's defense for a counter strike with the lead guard hand.
In this chapter, Lee's parries are constantly compared favorably and persuasively to traditional, classical methods of blocking.

Chapter X "Targets" is about the weak, vulnerable areas of the body. There are no secret vital pressure points and no mumble jumbo about imaginary vessels and meridians in this book. All weak spots covered in this chapter are known to every one: the ribs, solar plexus, groin, shins, etc, etc.
In this chapter, Bruce Lee reminds the reader that well chosen targets can bring a fight to a quick, efficient end. Part of the purpose of this chapter is to have the reader keep these weak areas and the moves that expose them in mind when planning defense and attack techniques to use, that is, to have the fighter thinking about defending and attacking weakness as an essential component of a fighter's skills.

Chapter XI is about sparring and mentions the degenerative, decaying effect competitive sports, safety rules, regulations, and safety equipment have on martial arts and combative systems.
Covered subjects include combinations, drawing the opponents reactions, feints, timing and self confidence. The parts of this chapter that explain about evasive means of defense instead of parries and blocks and more about bad habits is especially valuable and very much worth reading.

Hector Echavarria's 3 Volume DVD video series on KickBoxing is very similar and compatible to this series of books on Bruce Lee's Fighting Method.

This is a good book with an explanation of alot of JKD principles and techniques. Like I said on Book 2 (Basic Training) you can read this book in about 1 hour. I wish there was more to it!