Customer Reviews

Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do: The Textbook

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The other reviewer must have gotten his wires crossed as this book is not about iron palm in any way. It is about Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do. It's one of the best books I've seen on the subject. The techniques described in this book are clearly explained and well illustrated.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone studying JKD. I am mid-level as a JKD student (fourth level), and we do a lot of the techniques shown in the book at the school I go to. Chris Kent and Tackett are simply the best at JKD. I have heard a lot of total B.S. recently in the martial arts world, that Bruce Lee "gave up on wing chun". Anyone who knows anything about what Bruce really taught and did knows that wing chun was the core of the art (like the brances of a tree grow from the trunk, JKD techniques grow from the core, which is wing chun). That is one reason I really liked this book.

My teacher studied a bit under Chris Kent, and he told us stories of how good Kent was (really, really good !). Kent is evidently really fast and his wing chun is evidently really good. My instructor said that Kent's wing chun was perfect, really, and you could not touch him because he would just redirect your energy so well.

Chris Kent and Tim Tackett do an excellent job of presenting the basics of Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do concepts as well as a variety of useful drills. I highly recommend this book to any JF/JKD student. My only complaint is that there wasn't much about stance or footwork, which are the basis for everything else. In their book Jeet Kune Do Kickboxing they cover bai jong, the basic stance, for about a page and a half, but you could probably write an entire volume on the stance and footwork alone. If you're studying under a qualified Jun Fan / JKD instructor you'll know all of this, but it would still be nice to have a reference on it, and I'm sure that Sifus Kent and Tackett could probably offer quite a bit of insight into what is, IMO, an incredibly important, if basic subject.

I recently tried a Jun Fan Gung Fu class in my city and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be enrolled as a student starting next month. This book provides the terminology and techniques you will start learning in any Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do academy. I really like the way each technique starts with a clear explanation of the 'how and why' and then shows many pictures showing all the variations. I wish the authors would continue with more books. Even though this one is old it is still 100% applicable to todays training methods.

If you are real serious about understanding the science of Bruce Lee's techniques then read this book first then read Tao of Jeet Kune Do second. It will make a lot more sense to you.

This book is a great intro to classic JKD and Strategy. The chapter on attribute refinement(like awarenes and mobility) is especially good. The drills are great for someone who has a little martial arts expirience and the techniques are easily understood through the great writing and photos.

I purchased this book on the recommendation of my JKD instructor. It has been an excellent supplement to my lessons. I don't feel that one can "learn" martial arts from a book alone. However, this book gives many techniques and drills that can be learned and adapted if one has some experience in JKD, boxing, Wing Chun, or Filipino martial arts.

There are several sections, including basic stances or postures and striking techniques, drills, psychological and physical attributes, footwork, and other sections. I found particularly useful the section on attributes, which gives advice and drills to develop attributes such as timing, speed, quickness, perception, etc. These are skills which are not talked about as much in other martial arts books, which might focus more on developing techniques such as punches, kicks, blocking, joint-locking, etc.

This is not a book just to be read from cover-to-cover. You need to practice the techniques and drills to improve. There are many pictures of the drills, which are useful.

If you are cross-training in different arts or want ideas for different workouts, check out this book. If you train in Jun Fun or JKD, this is a must-have.

If you're going to be involved in stand-up martial arts or fighting, get this book. It's all you need. The training methods in here are very, very good. This book covers on-guard position, tools(puches, kicks, etc.), energy drills, distance, timing, the five ways of attack, parries, target training, partner training... It's probably best for someone who has been exposed to stand-up fighting before, and has a basic knowledge of punches and kicks. It becomes a masterpiece when taken with "Jun Fan/ Jeet Kune Do Kickboxing" (which it often referes to), the "Bruce Lee Fighting Method Series", and the "Tao of Jeet Kune Do". Once again, it's probably not for begginers, and many drills require a partner, but that's just the nature of the beast. Good for sport/full contact, and pretty decent for self-defense.

This is a great book on Jeet Kune Do, I think. It goes through basic tools, and a myriad of combinations and drills. This is very helpful to supplement Bruce Lee's books, which were more based on principles than techniques and combinations. I recommend it!

This is one of the best fighting manuals that I have ever seen and read about. But how many pages are there?

This really is a training manual covering all the basics. From stance to punches and kicks this book has a good format. If you're new to JKD or come from a traditional martial art this is a good start (some friends who box liked the punching section). Overall a good book to help you develop a training routine. There is nothing on Iron Palm so disregard the other review.