Bruce Lee - The Tao of Gung Fu: A Study in the Way of Chinese Martial Art

Id like to inform the public that gung fu cannot be mastered in just three easy lessons. Intelligent thinking and hard work are required.

Bruce Lee
Seattle, 1963

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Bruce Lee (1940-1973) is generally considered the greatest martial artist of the twentieth century. A true Renaissance man, Lee was a talented artist, poet, philosopher, writer, and actor, apart from being a formidable fighter. His insights into philosophy, physical fitness, self-defense, and moviemaking, have been enjoyed and lauded by millions of people around the world for well over two decades. He is the founder of jeet kune do, the first martial art to ever be predicated on total freedom for the individual practitioner. A learned man, Lee attended the University of Washington where he majored in philosophy. His personal library contains over 2,500 books on topics ranging from Eastern yoga to Western psychoanalysis. His achievements and example continue to inspire athletes and artists from around the world.

John Little is considered one of the worlds foremost authorities on Bruce Lee, his training methods, and philosophies. Little is the only person who has ever been authorized to review the entirety of Lees personal notes, sketches, and reading annotations. He is currently the associate publisher of Bruce Lee & Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do magazine and the managing editor of Knowing Is Not Enough: The Official Newsletter of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. Littles articles have appeared in many martial arts and health and fitness magazine in North America. He is the author of The Warrior Within: The Philosophies of Bruce Lee and the coauthor of Power Factor Training, The Golfers 2-Minute Workout, and Static Contraction Training for Bodybuilders. He is happily married and the proud father of three children.

APPENDIX I

Bruce Lees gung fu background at the time he wrote this book (c. 1959-1964)

1. Wing Chun: The only Chinese martial art that Bruce Lee truly studied in an in-depth and formal fashion for a prolonged period of time (five years). He learned the art from renowned master Yip Man.

2. Tai chi chuan: Lee learned the fundamentals of this art and remained quite taken with its central philosophy throughout his life. There is considerable indication that he learned the fundamentals from his father, although it is by no means clear which style of tai chi chuan Lee learned, for while his father studied the Wu style, Lee has been photographed performing movements from the yang style, and demonstrated the Yang Long forms 108 movements on at least one occasion (to his first student in America, Jesse Glover).

3. Hung-gar: Lee first learned the fundamentals of Hung-gar gung fu in Hong Kong from a friend of his father, Lee Hoi Chuen.

4. Chin-na: the art of chin-na emphasizes joint and wrist locks. Lee was familiar with aspects of this art, but there is no indication that he studied it formally.

Classical gung fu forms that Bruce Lee learned and/or demonstrated

1. Praying mantis

2. Southern mantis (this was the form he used most often during gung fu demonstrations in Seattle)

3. Wing Chun gung fus sil lum tao

4. Jeet kune

5. Fu jow (tiger-claw) gung fu

6. Crane

Gung fu styles that held Bruce Lees interest in the early 1960s

1. Tai chi

2. Northern praying mantis

3. Eagle claw

4. Pa-kua

5. Monkey boxing

6. Jeet kune

7. Choy Lay Fut

Gung fu styles that Bruce Lee read up on

(Mostly from bookstores located in Vancouver, Canada)

1. Southern mantis

2. Eagle claw

3. Dragon fist

4. Tai chi chuan

5. Choy Lay Fut

6. Hsing-I

7. sil lum tao

8. Pa-kua

9. Flung-gar

10. Chin-na

11. Dim mak

( Note : Bruce Lee engaged in such study, according to both Taky Kimura and Seattle students Ed Hart, Jesse Glover, and Doug Palmer, because he wantedeven at this early stageto create a superior gung fu system.)

APPENDIX II

Gung fu terminology

1. Finger jabBiu jee

2. Straight blastJik chung

3. Vertical fistChung chuie 4. BackfistGua chuie

5. Slapping handPak sao

6. Grabbing handLop sao

7. Jerking handJut sao

8. Knuckle fistChop choy

9. Hooking fistOou chuie

10. Horizontal fistPing chuie

11. CenterlineJung Seen choy

12. Arm resting on opponents with hitFook da

APPENDIX III

Letters and gung fu scrapbook

C ONTENTS

Disclaimer: Please note that the publisher and author(s) of this instructional book are NOT RESPONSIBLE in any manner whatsoever for any injury that may result from practicing the techniques and/or following the instructions given within. Martial arts training can be dangerousboth to you and to othersif not practiced safely. If youre in doubt as to how to proceed or whether your practice is safe, consult with a trained martial arts teacher before beginning. Since the physical activities described herein may be too strenuous in nature for some readers, it is also essential that a physician be consulted prior to training.

The family of Bruce Lee wishes to acknowledge:

The dedication of John Little, whose passion for the art and philosophy of Bruce Lee has inspired this publication, and who has spent countless hours researching, studying, annotating, and organizing Bruce Lees prolific writings, photos, memorabilia and gathering the recollections of friends and students.