Tao of Jeet Kune Do is one of the best books on martial arts. “Martial art philosophy” is the theme of this book titled “Tao of Jeet Kune Do” written by charismatic American martial artist, actor and director Bruce Lee. However, it must be added that the philosophy proposed by Lee in this book has been actually compiled by Gilbert Johnson, Dan Inosanto, and Linda the wife of Lee. And, so here is presenting a few important facts about this treatise based on the martial arts philosophy created by Bruce Lee that you need to know.

a. The “origins” of the Tao of Jeet Kune Do:

It was in year 1970 that Bruce Lee suffered a severe back injury during a regular practice session. On diagnosis it was found that the injury was serious, and therefore Lee was advised by the doctors to wear a “back brace” and completely avoid practicing martial arts for a minimum of six months. Now, being an extremely active man by nature Lee felt the need to make productive use of this free time, and so he decided to compile a “thesis”that would explain in detail the martial art system that he was developing, which he referred to as “Jeet Kune Do”. It was this compilation of  Lee’s philosophy that was eventually made into a book called “Tao of Jeet Kune Do”, which was published in 1975 post his death.

b. The “content” of the Tao of Jeet Kune Do:

A combination of “core set of writings and disparate notes” of Bruce Lee have been fused together to produce this wonderful “treatise” titled “Tao of Jeet Kune Do”.  Furthermore, this book basically explains in detail the “science and the philosophy” behind the development of a martial art system known as Jeet Kune Do. It also comprises of a number of “illustrations” drawn by Lee that serve as a back up to the interesting explanations provided. In addition, this book also discusses moves such as kicking, grappling, and striking that is commonly used in Jeet Kune Do.

c. The “contribution” of editing of Gilbert Johnson in compiling Tao Jeet Kune Do:

It was after the untimely death of Bruce Lee, that his wife Linda Lee Cadwell felt that all information that her husband had worked on with regards to Jeet Kune Do deserved to be made public. And so, she hired a couple of editors including Gilbert Johnson and Dan Inosanto and a few students of Lee to help produced this book on Lee’s martial art philosophy which was eventually titled “Tao of Jeet Kune Do”. According to an article written for the Black Belt magazine, Johnson was basically a martial artist as well as journalist who understood the basic principles of Jeet Kune Do, and hence  he was able to effectively help in creating and then publishing this book.

And so, if you either are a martial artist intending to learn Lee’s way of fighting or an enthusiast eager to understand its philosophy then Tao of Jeet Kune Do is a book worth a read.

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