Customer Reviews

Bruce Lee's Fighting Method, Vol. 4

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Excellent book by Bruce Lee that shows advanced methods that go beyond the "Basic Training" and "Skills In Techniques" books. This book covers attacking and defensive moves and various ways to use what you should have learned in the previous two books. Techniques show ways of attacking with punches, kicks, etc. as well as more defenses and counters. Excellent book if you have already studied the previous two books. 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 dealing with the advanced boxing skills of jeet kune do. i agree with one of the reviewers that said that this book can be looked in 1 hour,but,,,to master those sparring skills is taking a few years. the magnificent side-kick is also shown and explained and the overall book represents the full contact boxing and sparring of the art of jeet kune do.many photos are shown as well as explanation.great book!

This is a book that is almost immediatly applicable to a point sparring situation, but also just good for learning one-on-one fighting techniques. I think the only "advanced" principle is feinting, and maybe the parts on stop-hitting and dealing with different kinds of fighters. I consider this book as part of a whole, although it can stand alone for the average martial artist. The basic techniques, such as the side kick and backfist, are probably familiar to most "hard" stylists, but I think the idea of having your dominant side forward, and striking primarily with your lead weapons, may be new to some. This approach to JKD emphasises fluidity and adaptability, and some of that comes out in this text. I would recomend also picking up the other books in this series, as well as "Tao of Jeet Kune Do" for a more complete coverage of this unique style.

This book has a lot of punching techniques including the straight lead, straight left and right hook. It also covers the side kick, stop-hit, spinning kick and other weapons of attack. I will say that the book can be read in less than one hour, and that the material is not really different than the other Fighting Method books. I am a fan of Bruce Lee and JKD but I wish these books had gone more in-depth. The pictures of Bruce are worth the price.

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 4: Advanced 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.

12. Hand Techniques for Offense; Part One:

a. Set-up your primary attacks first.
b. Your primary attacks should be indirect attacks rather than direct attacks.
c. Basic principles involved in utilizing hand techniques effectively.
d. You should always be studying your opponent.
e. How to effectively utilize the Leading Finger Jab.
f. How to effectively utilize the Leading Straight Right.
g. How to effectively utilize the Leading Punch to the Body.
h. How to effectively utilize the Leading Straight Left Punch.

13. Hand Techniques for Offense; Part Two:

a. How to effectively utilize the Straight Left to the Body.
b. How to effectively utilize the Lead Jab.
c. How to effectively utilize the Backfist.
d. How to effectively utilize the Hook Punch.
e. How to effectively utilize the Uppercut.

14. Attacks with Kicks:

a. How to effectively utilize the Side Kick to the lead shin and/or knee.
b. How to effectively utilize the Leading Side Kick.
c. How to effectively utilize the Roundhouse (Hook) Kick.
d. How to effectively utilize the Turning Back (Spin) Kick.
e. How to effectively utilize the Turning Wheel or Hook (Sweep) Kick.

15. Defense and Counter:

a. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Lead Finger Jab.
b. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Leading Side Kick to the shin or knee.
c. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Roundhouse (Hook) Kick.
d. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Turning Back (Spin) Kick.
e. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Leading Right.

16. Attributes and Tactics:

a. Discusses the importance of speed, attitude and tactics.

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.

This is a good book for those individuals consumed with Bruce Lee, it was published in the early 1970's with the simple black and white photos and simple text. At its original publication time it was an excellent resource; it is now very dated and many more books with much more information regarding the martial arts and self-defense have been produced. If you are a Bruce Lee fan and must own his works, buy this book. But, if you are more concerned with truely advanced techniques in the martial arts, pass on this book and refer to those which I list in my "Listmania".

If you like martial arts , than it's a great book and you can better unerstand Bruce Lee.

This is not a cure all book of splendor that will make your street sojourns safe as can be. What it happens to be is a terse condensing of terms and applications. However, this can be a blessing in disguise if you've ever really fought someone for whatever petty reasons. But as is usual, petty fights can't be won by might alone. Moreover, a brief self-defense type situation not asked for nor expected in the least, will never ever count on you being able to muster Earnie Shavers-esque punches via hours and hours of your prior chopping of wood and winding up and hitting a hanging truck tire with sledge hammer in hand. But such is the world of Archie Moore. Anywho, Bruce Lee's Vol. 4 "Advanced Techniques" will give you insights into not so much what works, but what will keep you in the fight for the long haul. Pointers I took to liking and appreciating were:
Side kick from a distance. Hook kicks aimed roughly a foot in front of an advancing target for maximum impact (a late straight or hook kick results in you being taken down or knocked stiff; watch muay thai to appreciate). Straight kicks to the groin when in close (the power comes from the bending and straightening of the knee as when kicking a soccerball). For punching, what I found illustrative were comments on when to throw body punches and how to punch in disengagements. Many fights end after an attacker relaxes to early, stays too close, and then abruptly tastes a big hook or wild uppercut when flatfooted. Hook when countering, uppercut when the hook gets suffocated, throw high, low, high, low and so on when putting together combinations. Be careful though when body punching a big strong opponent - you open your face all to easily to both compact and loose hooks. Lastly, if you are facing someone who is in the reverse stance (opposite lead hand forward), be very cautious of straight punching both upstairs and down. Of course, if your opponent doesn't do this, you should be able to no problem as it is your first and best option (you beat a lefty by evading the straight left, but to do so, you'll have to square up on occassion and unleash your own straight right). Lastly, speed and defensive measure can be vastly overrated - you might quickly escape backward only to be launched further (watch UFC competitors who smell knockouts! it isn't one punch, two punch, three........it is a literal assault coming straight at you with a fierceness you'll have to somehow disrupt). Use your speed only for direct attack or blocking, however, try not to feint hyperactively as this will leave you wide open eventually! Learn to block, roll the punch, sharply turn, and lastly, if you can, duck and parry a straight punch and follow naturally with a leaning blow to the opponents already commited waistline.
The book is lacking in elbow and knee offensives. Knees are really only good from the clinch, while elbows are good against someone who comes in uppercutting or letting loose lowline hooks with both hands. It also does not teach you any grappling, takedowns, shoots, or chokeholds. Learn those elsewhere - I prefer Ken Shamrock's 'Beyond the Lions Den' with its emphasis on submission wrestling and manuevers that translate to the street if need be.
Other aspects covered that should be paid attention to are: keeping initial combinations (opponent not dazed nor hurt) to 2 to 3 blows; keeping hands projected further outward when feeling stuck (rear hand can almost touch lead shoulder to make for new angles and lessening of muscle tension); lead jab thrown with knuckles in the verticle and rear heal almost leap frogging toward lead heal to make a power-V for torque in rotation); also relying less on bobbing and weaving against a stronger opponent (as is thought to be so fruitful) and looking more to the stop-hit and cover-counter-cover-counter approach (bob and weaving works somewhat at a distance, and can help to avoid becoming frozen in action). Lastly, I'll give a few hints from my own minor scrapes, mostly on what to avoid from the opponent:
1) Learn to stop or get away from rear shots. These include overhands, straights, thrusts, etc. Either jump straight back (chin down hands high), move to a side (again hands high), or jump forward at an angle (duck!). It is very easy to get overconfident with straight punches. The good news is, you opponent begins to open himself to his own weapon of choice - the rear straight! Once you start countering straight for straight, be preparred to duck and then uppercut in anticipation of the opponents tendancy to start trading straights. If you can collapse the gap, short hooks and body punching can become overwhelming to a once strident attacker.
2) Do not lunge in to far, called reaching, to land a straight body punch or blow to the head because if your opponent is well seasoned, you will get tagged repeatedly by hooks arriving in all directions. Thus, if your opponent starts getting desperate and throws long overhands, either step right in with two rapid one-two uppercuts; or, step back and let the attackers momentum shift them right into range for your wild hooks. One or two of these is plenty, but a third and forth can be sprung on them if they are stunned or cover excessively.
3) Long hooks and sharp, in-close body punching can be the only way to open up a stubborn defensive fighter. No matter the situation, if you do 3 daily exercises, your strength for self-defense becomes two-fold within a month or two - pushups, situps, and squats. And if you wish, shoulder presses and pullups.
Bruce Lee was a master. In a real boxing match, he may not have been big enough to tackle the heavyweight devision, crowned champ. But when there are no rules out on the street, and if your initial move or instictive reaction fails (groin kick, knee kick, side kick to sternum, carotid strike, eye jab) then it becomes imperative to have a reserve of strong boxing/kickboxing know-how. Thank goodness for people who devoted their lives to helping innocents withstand perilous circumstance. Maybe not as beautiful as Euclid's Elements Book 13, enlightening just the same.

Review of Bruce Lee's Fighting Method, Volume 4, Advanced Techniques

This Volume has Chapters XII thru XVI

The main idea for this volume is that 4 elements that make for a good attack include strategy, deception, timing, speed. The inconsistent or fragmentary structure of Bruce Lee's writing almost mutes the main idea stead of supporting it.

Being able to adapt to change quickly is an important strategic quality. Bruce Lee expressed it in other words in his writings. He recommends that the fighter should vary his attacks and defenses ostensibly to prevent the opponent from anticipating what comes next and to be able to fight with fighters from other styles.

Bruce Lee recommends a number of ways to deceive the opponent such as using feints, drawing the opponent's attack by using footwork or leaving a target open to the opponent, using circular and semi circular parries and strikes: hooks and uppercuts that come from out side the field of the opponent's visual field, and broken attack rhythms.

Timing and speed are more important with use of more advanced techniques: good counter strikes, trapping, evasion techniques to allow the fighter to counter strike with more than one blow without blocking or parrying, and being able to sense and harmonize with the opponent' moves and the rhythm of his moves to strike him the moment he makes an opening in his guard are all advanced skills in timing and require the ability to move quickly to seize a moment and make use of it.

Some techniques have the potential illusion of speed built into them simply because the hand or food used might be closer to a target on the opponent. Eliminating moves that reveal your intent to the opponent also creates the illusion of speed by reducing or elimination of warnings.

In Chapter XIII, Bruce Lee mentions that too many fighters emphasize too much on speed and blame their failure to make contact on the opponent with their strikes on the lack of speed instead of not using the correct strike for the moment. This statement would have been better placed on the first page of the volume because it helps to preserve the main idea of this volume as you read about all the tactics and striking and kicking techniques that follow.

This volume covers each of the various basic striking and kicking techniques. The body mechanics of performing each strike, the practical uses of each technique, and quality of each type of strike is covered. So, in this volume, strikes are written about in such a way that a punch is not just a punch. A kick is not just a kick. But, each strike's characteristics makes it suitable at a particular instant, a particular type of scenario in fight. In a fight each striking technique becomes a tool for an instant, for the right moment: lead jabs to intercept and keep the opponent busy or at a distance, hooks and upper cuts to follow straight punches to catch an opponent off guard in close fighting, reverse punch or rear counter for a powerful, damaging strike when the opponents guard is open.

I think that these 4 volumes were originally intended to be published as one book; not in volumes. Each of the volumes has different range of chapter numbers. Sometimes while reading some topic, something will make more sense if you had read the previous volume or a related topic in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

If you like this series of books and the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, you might also like Paul Vunak's "street Fight" series of videos or former kickboxing and karate tournament champion, Hector Echavarria's 3 video series on Kickboxing. Many of the principles Hector Echavarria talks about and demonstrates are the same or very similar as those in this series of volumes on Bruce Lee's Fighting Method.

Street Safe I by Paul Vunak

Street Safe II by Paul Vunak

Street Safe III by Paul Vunak

R.A.T. Fighting System by Paul Vunak

Jeet Kune Do: Its Concepts and Philosophies (Jeet Kune Do) by Paul Vunak

Anatomy of a Street Fight by Paul Vunak

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