# Should I get Tao of jeet kune do?



## Christopher kung fu (Oct 18, 2020)

Hey guys I was wondering if I should get the book "Tao of jeet kune do" will it give me some insight on the style or should I register for classes first. I am a bit confused. Plus during covid in my area all schools are closed. My friend of mine suggested to get the boom but don't have much time to read. I was looking for an audio book and I found it on amazon audible. I could get it with a free trial. Should I get it?

Audible Membership Trial - Sign up | Amazon.com


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## KOKarate (Oct 18, 2020)

Get it if you want but you can’t learn much from a book and that book wasn’t written by lee it was published after he died by someone going through his notes and throwing it all together apparently according to joe Lewis the book was very disjointed and done as a cash grab


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## jobo (Oct 18, 2020)

Christopher kung fu said:


> Hey guys I was wondering if I should get the book "Tao of jeet kune do" will it give me some insight on the style or should I register for classes first. I am a bit confused. Plus during covid in my area all schools are closed. My friend of mine suggested to get the boom but don't have much time to read. I was looking for an audio book and I found it on amazon audible. I could get it with a free trial. Should I get it?
> 
> Audible Membership Trial - Sign up | Amazon.com


free trial seems to answer the,question


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## Graywalker (Oct 19, 2020)

It's good, if you are into collecting books from the originator of an art.


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## isshinryuronin (Oct 19, 2020)

I bought the book when it first came out, soon after Bruce died.  I believe his wife, Linda, compiled his extensive notes (likely with the help of some unknown person.)  I was very much enthralled by it.  I strongly disagree that the book is just a cash grab and disjointed.  It does cover a great range of martial art topics and philosophy (both of which he studied extensively) but that only shows the breadth of Bruce's knowledge and interests.  Kung fu, fencing, boxing and wrestling are discussed and the value of their techniques acknowledged.  Footwork, strategy, timing and mental attitude are all discussed as well.  Like I said, there is a wide range of information to be found.  His personal view of martial arts (physical and spiritual) is clearly defined IMO.

I especially like his definition of art - to paraphrase since my soft cover copy disintegrated decades ago:  Art is the excellence of technique infused with the spirit of one's self.  I think this holds for all arts, including martial.

I would not go with an audio copy of the book as there are numerous, helpful, illustrations, and for me, reading the words makes it much more personal and allows browsing and re-reading the gems of insight this book contains.  To be honest, I have not read this book since I was a younger, perhaps more impressionable, man, but I suspect that reading it now would still hold my interest and get me thinking.

P.S.  Bruce would criticize your use of the word "style" when referring to his art.  For him, JKD transcended the limits of style in the spirit of the formless Tao.


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## Bruce7 (Oct 20, 2020)

isshinryuronin said:


> I bought the book when it first came out, soon after Bruce died.  I believe his wife, Linda, compiled his extensive notes (likely with the help of some unknown person.)  I was very much enthralled by it.  I strongly disagree that the book is just a cash grab and disjointed.  It does cover a great range of martial art topics and philosophy (both of which he studied extensively) but that only shows the breadth of Bruce's knowledge and interests.  Kung fu, fencing, boxing and wrestling are discussed and the value of their techniques acknowledged.  Footwork, strategy, timing and mental attitude are all discussed as well.  Like I said, there is a wide range of information to be found.  His personal view of martial arts (physical and spiritual) is clearly defined IMO.
> 
> I especially like his definition of art - to paraphrase since my soft cover copy disintegrated decades ago:  Art is the excellence of technique infused with the spirit of one's self.  I think this holds for all arts, including martial.
> 
> ...



I agree with what you are saying, but I also agree with KOKarate ,it is disjointed and is not a how to book.


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## punisher73 (Oct 20, 2020)

If I was you and looking for a bit more in depth study of JKD, I would buy the John Little books on JKD that also went through BL's study materials and is a bit more organized.

I also agree with what has also been stated.  The Tao of JKD, was just notes and ideas thrown together by BL.  In many cases, he took quotes and inserted "JKD" instead of the noun from the original quote.  The problem is that those quotes are now attributed to BL as original thinking which is not the case.  Luckily, no one ever went after the estate for plagiarism since that is what is boiled down to (note, not BL's fault since they were his private notes and not meant for publication.  Also, I don't think Linda knew they were quotes taken from other sources either and probably thought they were his original thoughts).


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## KOKarate (Oct 20, 2020)

Bruce7 said:


> I agree with what you are saying, but I also agree with KOKarate ,it is disjointed and is not a how to book.


Yep to me it’s his wife trying to make some money off him. Bruce lee wouldn’t have released those notes as a book it’s not like it’s an unfinished work it was his wife who didn’t know a thing about martial arts grabbed some papers and gave them to a publisher to cash in on his name


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## Mdwilson (Oct 21, 2020)

I bought the book some years back just because I wanted to read it. I enjoyed it for what it is. 

Afterwards I just added it to my book collection. 

I would second the opinions here that state to buy it in print.  Some things just need to be seen & not heard.


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## MartialHermit8 (Dec 14, 2020)

You should! I think any serious martial arts enthusiast should get a copy, even if you are not into Bruce Lee. 
It has many unique exercises, concepts, and ideas that would definitely aid you in developing your own unique method of self-improvement.


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