Bruce Lee's Fighting Method are these books good?

[ramus]

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[gungfuhero]

Not bad, but take it all with a grain of salt. The sections on tactics, sparring and footwork are the best with everything else being okay but not great. If you can, I suggest volumes 3&4 along with Kevin Seaman's book on Jun Fan Gung Fu. If you have philosophical questions check out Ron Ballicki's book, The Tao of JKD, Liberate Yourself from Classical Karate or you can listen to me rant and rave on occasion

[ramus]

what about book 2?

[gungfuhero]

I didn't care for it as much. It has a little to say about some specific techniques, but those same basics can be found in a lot of other, more thorough sources.

[ramus]

what about the physical training in book 2?

[Davidc316]

The Bruce Lee fighting method books are, in my opinion, the greatest martial arts books on the planet. They are simple to the point of leaving you feeling let down BUT don't be put off with size or simplicity!

I would say do not take them with a pinch of salt. Take every word at face value and go for it!

The reason I feel so strongly about this is because my girlfriend and I were attacked a few years ago and I used a technique described in one of these books (the orange one) to get the two of us out of the situation in one piece.

The stuff in those books WORKS. I know because I found out in the ultimate testing ground.

-David

PS- I am a complete wimp- not a martial arts expert.

PPS- The blue book (basic training) is, in my opinion, the best book of the entire series.

The books are not well planned, and are more of a hotch potch of techniques rather than a proper course. One of them is a Self Defence book, and he recommends head kicks.

That may be OK for a young Bruce Lee, but not for 99.9% of the population.

[Lost Ronin]

I have all of the books and I can tell you that they are really good. The thing is, they are not supposed to be " stand alone" books, they are supposed to complement the information in the "Tao of Jeet Kune Do". These books are a great help when it comes to understanding the material presented in the Tao of JKD. If you read that book first and then the Fighting Methods books you'll have a pretty clear understanding of the stuff that Bruce Lee was concentrating on prior to his death. I also want to respectfully disagree with some of the comments that Bri Tai made, first off, the books are not well planned because they were not really written by B. Lee, they were a compilation of info that was supposed to be made into a book but Bruce decided against it. Second, altough tactically not the best option, high kicks do have a place in the repertoires' of martial artists, don't be discouraged to experiment with them.
Hope this helps.

[Davidc316]

Originally posted by Lost Ronin
the books are not well planned because they were not really written by B. Lee, they were a compilation of info that was supposed to be made into a book but...

Hang on a second! What are saying here is equally true for the Tao of Jeet Kune Do- the book which you seem to hold in such high esteem.

With respect,

David

[Lost Ronin]

Yes my friend, as a matter of fact, the only book that was actually officially authored by Lee was " The Tao of Gung Fu". Which is quite a good read and it let's you delve into the mind of a much younger Bruce Lee. And yes, I do hold the Tao of JKD in high esteem, the thing is though, for you to truly be able to grow from it you have to look at it as a source of inspiration, no more and no less. Let it inspire you to research and learn about other arts, then you will truly understand the essence of the book.