Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist

by Tommy Gong

Tracing Bruce Lee’s path from wing chun student to jeet kune do founder, this biography chronicles Lee’s physical journey—from Hong Kong to Seattle to Oakland to Los Angeles and back again to Hong Kong—as well as his voyage of self-discovery and actualization. The book draws on numerous conversations with Bruce Lee’s childhood classmates, former students, and family friends, offering a unique insight into the life of the legendary martial artist. It also offers a wealth of rare and unique photos, letters, and personal writings courtesy of Lee’s wife, Linda Lee Cadwell, and his daughter Shannon. As they learn about his progression in martial arts techniques and training methods, readers will also discover how Bruce Lee’s personal philosophy of continuously adapting to the changing conditions of the moment can be applied to life.

Genres: Martial Arts

258 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2014

Reviews

[Norm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book! Tommy Gong traces Bruce Lee's evolution as a Martial Artist from his Wing Chun roots (at age 13) in China, through his different "phases" upon moving to America (Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles), clearly highlighting the techniques and training methods Bruce Lee incorporated, developed - and often discarded - along the way. After guiding the reader through the various phases of JKD, the author then outlines the core techniques, which, I feel, is as good a place to start as any, if you want to know what JKD fighting is really like. But Tommy Gong also discusses the philosophical side of Bruce and how he tried to incorporate his personal beliefs into his system of Martial Arts. Martial Arts is as much a way of looking at life, dealing with the world and facing our own fears and limitations, as it is about fighting and Bruce Lee was constantly aware of this, as Tommy Gong shows us. One of the last sections of the book is an overview of Bruce's personal library. One of Bruce's most ardent beliefs is that we never stop learning, growing and changing and that adhering rigidly to any style or system inhibits our growth as Martial Artists and as Human Beings.

I hope this volume will go a long way toward clearing up many of the misconceptions surrounding Jeet Kune Do, since the author provides many quotes and excerpts from Bruce himself as well as his widow, Linda and JKD instructors like Ted Wong, who apparently logged more training hours with Bruce than anyone else. There are lots of great photos and illustrations (many I'd never seen before), taken from various sources, including private collections, and they complement the text wonderfully, sometimes demonstrating techniques, sometimes illustrating concepts. I also like the brief "biographies" of Bruce's friend and students, such as Ted Wong and Allan Joe. They help to capture the feel of the time and places Bruce was teaching and developing his art.

If I could recommend only one book on Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do, this is the one I'd choose. It's one of those books I will be reading and re-reading.

[Mr. Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

goes into greater detail behind his training methods. for instance: explains how the lead punch was never meant as an end-all in a fight, but that’s the impression i’ve always gotten from other books.
very informative if you’re interested in the inner workings of jeet kune do.