Ted Wong
It is tough to know how to begin this foreword. After all, how does one capsulize in a few brief paragraphs the magnitude of what was given to me by a man such as Bruce Lee? [He was my mentor, my sifu, my personal advisor, and, most importantly, my close friend.] He gave me confidence in myself, he taught me how to relate to other people, he taught me about life, the world, my place in it, the nature of relationships, health, fitness (both physical and mental), spirituality, and, of course, he gave hundreds of hours of his time teaching me his martial art of jeet kune do.
Simply acknowledging the magnitude of the debt I owe Bruce Lee makes me realize how one-sided our relationship was. He was the giver and I the willing recipient of his gifts. Yes, he obviously considered me more than simply a student and I was proud—extremely proud—to be considered his close friend. And though I learned much, if not all, that I know about martial art directly from Bruce Lee, having had the tremendous privilege of spending close to six years in private study with him, it is the post-workout conversations, the in-car discourses during drives to bookstores and to martial arts supply stores, the laughter we shared over dim sum in our favorite Chinese restaurants, the family get-togethers and just general day-to-day experiences with him that I count among my most precious and redeeming time spent with him. For it is in witnessing firsthand how a person leads their life that one gains insight into another person’s character. And, based upon my observations (of which there were plenty), Bruce Lee’s character was pure platinum.
If you were fortunate enough to be his friend, there was no one as loyal and devoted as Bruce Lee. If you were down, he’d be the first one to try to cheer you up; if you needed money and he had it, he’d give it to you; if you were up, he’d remember stories and jokes that would lift you up even higher. Many words come to mind when I think about Bruce, but the two that come to mind most frequently are “great company.” I’ve never met a person who I’ve more enjoyed spending time with. Not only was it intellectually rewarding to spend time in his presence, it was an emotionally uplifting experience as well. My soul actually felt fortified at the end of a day spent with Bruce.
I was fortunate in being able to train and share life experiences with Bruce in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Hong Kong. I remember coming to visit him at this house in Bel Air after he had hurt his back in 1970 and he was forced to stay in bed for six months. However, during that time—and true to his philosophy of “turning a stumbling block into a stepping-stone”—Bruce didn’t complain or lament this apparently cruel twist of fate. Instead, he began to write—and his writings filled volumes (seven of them, in fact). I marveled then (and again now that I think about it) how productive and artistic he was—even while injured. Lesser human beings would simply have given up, but then Bruce Lee was never a lesser human being. He was always a great human being; an inspiration and role model for not only individuals of Chinese ancestry such as myself, but for ail individuals who value, as Bruce did, the potential of the human spirit for achievement and producing work of outstanding and enduring quality.
And while some of the combative beliefs, philosophy, and illustrations that Bruce committed to paper during this period of his convalescence became The Tao of jeet Kune Do, (Ohara Publications, 1975), many of them did not. And it is these other writings that have filled this book, in combination with some incredible never-before-seen written and photographic material of Bruce’s, that I believe have made this book, Jeet Kune Do: Bruce Lee’s Commentaries on the Martial Way, the definitive presentation of Bruce Lee’s way of martial art. Drawing from diverse and authentic source materials, with sections on combative techniques, training methodology, philosophy, motivational/inspirational beliefs, lesson plans, teaching/coaching strategies, as well as Bruce’s own comments on the historical development of his art, this is a book that deserves to be read, reread, studied, and poured over again and again not only by those who share a serious interest in the preservation and perpetuation of Bruce Lee’s art of jeet kune do, but to those who also seek to frame a more accurate picture of the true nature and character of Bruce Lee. This book accurately captures the essence of Bruce’s personality and beliefs on such a wide range of subjects that it is the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to what it was actually like to train privately with Bruce Lee.
I’m delighted to note both the quantity and caliber of the material that has been gathered together in this book by my good friend and Bruce Lee historian, John Little. I met John back in 1993, and since then we have forged a close friendship with many training sessions and discussions together. We both share a common interest and goal in the art and philosophy of jeet kune do. With tireless energy, John has spent tremendous amounts of hours over the last four years of his life in putting together this book. He has made many personal sacrifices while enduring financial hardships. He has sifted through, read, and studied some six thousand pages of Bruce’s notes and personal papers and has read, studied and interviewed many of Bruce’s original students and friends with an eye toward finally putting together a multi-volume book series that will perfectly clarify Bruce Lee’s “commentaries on the martial way.”
I consider John Little to be one of the foremost individuals in terms of his knowledge of this subject matter, and his sincerity, respect, and loyalty for preserving and perpetuating Bruce’s true teachings have given new insight into the art of jeet kune do. We are very fortunate to have John take up the task of editing Bruce’s materials for future generations to learn about Bruce Lee and his art. More importantly, John wants to promote Bruce not just as a great martial artist, but also as a philosopher and a pointer of truth.
A huge debt of thanks is also owed Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce’s wife of nine years and the lady that Bruce once told me was “directly responsible” for his success. Linda has always remained loyal to Bruce and was not only the mother of their two children, Brandon and Shannon, but, in my opinion, she is also the spiritual mother of jeet kune do for, without her entering his life and being the yin to his yang, Bruce would have had to work a nine-to-five job and thereby been deprived of the time necessary to create such a beautiful art and to share it with the world.
Jeet kune do is a unique martial art in that it is the first martial art that is not based solely upon tradition. Granted, jeet kune do has specific and distinguishing techniques and a core curriculum that Bruce thought important enough to teach to all of his students. However, this is viewed more as a “launching pad” from which the individual practitioner initiates his own exciting journey of self-discovery and self-expression. In fact, to truly ascend to the higher aspects of this art, one really has to do it on one’s own. What Bruce is offering us in the pages of this book and in the personal lessons he taught to those of us fortunate enough to have studied under him is a prescription for freedom—both in combat and in day-to-day life—and that prescription lies in the discovery that we already are free, we simply have to be willing to do the homework necessary to realize it.
When I hear people say “You shouldn’t bother to train like Bruce Lee did, nor to follow his teachings, because you don’t possess his attributes,” I realize that they’ve missed the point as to what Bruce Lee was all about. He would frequently tell us that he wasn’t anything “special,” but rather that he was simply a very dedicated trainer. Bruce was so good because he made himself so good. He practiced all the time and then looked for ways to make his practicing even more efficient. If you only work out twenty minutes a day, or three days a week—I mean, if that’s all you’re willing to commit to your jeet kune do training—then, yes, it would be impossible for you to obtain attributes similar to Bruce’s because he practiced long and hard for every inch of progress he made. Don’t expect Bruce Lee-like results, unless you’re willing to put in Bruce Lee-like hours to obtain them.
I know that the more I practice what Bruce taught me, the better I become at it—and the same is true for anybody who applies what they read in this book. I always looked up to Bruce Lee for his work ethic. And even now, if I find myself sitting around not wanting to train, my memory is jogged by an image of Bruce
