Straight Lead. Teri Tom
Bustillo for allowing us to shoot photos at the IMB Academy
Denis Trantham at Westside Studio
And I am forever indebted to my “A” team:
Winnie Cheng, our photographer extraordinaire,
who saved the day with her camera and thoughtful eye.
John MacClean, a fine JKD instructor in his own right,
for posing for our instructional photos.
Bradford Akerman, my Mac guru.
Janice Parente, research expert and consigliere.
As with everything you touch, you have elevated the quality of this book.
Ted Wong, thank you for your time, your patience, and your good, good heart. No one has been more loyal to Bruce Lee. It is because of your integrity and persistence that his legacy will be preserved.
Wesley and Janice Tom. You’ve supported me through thick and thin (a lot of thin!) and provided me with enough opportunities for several lifetimes. Thank you. None of this would have been possible without your love.
F O R E W O R D
by Shannon Lee Keasler
I first heard about Teri Tom’s book when Ted Wong gave me a call and told me he had a student who had written a very good book on the Jeet Kune Do (JKD) straight lead and was interested in incorporating some pictures of my dad, quotations, and the like, into her manuscript. Ted had nothing but good things to say about Teri, and instinctively I knew that the book must be worthwhile.
Ted Wong has been a family friend and student of JKD since before I was born. He is my sifu, and when it comes to the preservation and truth of my father’s art, there is no one better—no one more dedicated, knowledgeable, or thoughtful. He is not driven by fame or fortune or accolades. He is simply an unfettered soul with a pure heart, a clear mind, and a steady body. If he says something is good, I know I can trust that.
After our first conversation about the book, Ted presented me with some sample chapters and information about Teri. After reading her sample pages (and ultimately the entire manuscript), I was impressed. Teri’s ability to deliver the information clearly and concisely was instantly gratifying. The depth of her research is remarkable and her insight into the subject matter sound. I knew right away that her grasp was solid and that she was, of course, a student of Ted’s. Reading her words has done my heart a lot of good. I am grateful for her writing ability. The text is fluid and well structured. It is a pleasure to read. Teri’s research acts as a solid base upon which her instruction in JKD can stand firmly and securely. Her scientific explanations are pure and perfectly Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. I am delighted.
Over the years, a lot of damage has been done to Bruce Lee’s art of Jeet Kune Do. Many people have done the art a disservice because they do not truly understand it. JKD is a scientific, physical, and philosophical art of individual combative expression that is, above all things, simple and direct. That bears repeating: simple and direct. JKD is not an amalgamation of many different arts. It is not mixed martial arts. It is not an accumulation of weapons, but rather a paring down and a focusing. To become sentient in your martial ways—to spring out of the void and return to the void with ferocity and collectedness—takes years of honing your skills, not the accumulation of an overloaded arsenal. Further, JKD is not a philosophy devoid of technique. One cannot divorce the science from the philosophy or divorce the techniques from the principles. There has been a lot of egregious misrepresentation and too much misinterpretation. And so, a book such as Teri’s that is designed to shed a true light on many important aspects of JKD, in particular the straight lead, fills me with hope and inspiration. This is a book that makes an effort to present its material fully and decisively, and succeeds in doing so. For this I am grateful.
In the months to come, Bruce Lee’s immediate family will be working to fully launch its nonprofit Bruce Lee Foundation for the preservation and proliferation of Bruce Lee’s legacy, philosophy, and art. This art we now call (as does Teri on the cover of her book) Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, as a way to more specifically delineate it as the authentic art of Bruce Lee as he taught it in his lifetime.1 In the near future, anyone seeking instruction will be able to find solid information and referrals on our Web site (www.bruceleefoundation.com). The Foundation will be doing a lot more in the years to come to further our aim of preservation. But right now, if you want to learn something about Bruce Lee’s art, you can read Bruce Lee’s own writings (available in several different publications) and you can read this book.
My thanks to Teri and to Ted for their hard work and their dedication to my father and his art.
In the spirit of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do ~
—Shannon Lee Keasler, April 2005
N O T E S
1 The trademark of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do® has only recently been recovered by the Bruce Lee Foundation after a lengthy legal battle. Its reclamation is one of the first steps in reversing over thirty years of damage to Bruce Lee’s art. For more information about the name, please see the final section of this book, entitled “Parting Shots.”
F O R E W O R D
by Ted Wong
Didn’t see it coming! That wasn’t an unusual thought for me when sparring with Bruce Lee. This punch was elemental, powerful, and fast—very fast. It was the straight lead, a punch absolutely basic to Lee’s contemporary martial art, Jeet Kune Do—or as he referred to it, scientific street fighting.
JKD’s discipline is one of specifics, the foundation of which Bruce Lee developed not only by deconstructing Eastern martial arts, but also by exploring the history of Western boxing and fencing. He scoured hundreds of books on the science of combat, the laws of physics, and the styles of Western fighting. The depth and intensity of his study can be witnessed in the copious notes, the underlined passages, and the wear and tear of the books that were his special sources of inspiration. In discovering the straight lead, Lee found a punch to serve as a keystone to his fighting form. And he found the straight lead’s impressive effectiveness described, most notably, in the writings of boxers Jack Dempsey and Jim Driscoll, and fencer Aldo Nadi.
The art of fencing held a particular resonance for Lee. The straight lead’s extension of the arm in a swift, direct movement operated as a line of attack comparable to fencing’s straight thrust— Western sword fencing, without the sword, was how Lee described it. Both moves convey the essential principle of his fighting form—the principle of interception. Jeet Kune Do, meaning “The Way of the Intercepting Fist,” is a perfected synthesis of Western fighting elements—and a discipline that has impacted all of martial arts.
Lee once asked me what was the most important thing in a fight. When, after a dozen tries, I still hadn’t found the answer, he told me it was adaptability—the ability to adjust, to find your feet when confronted with changing situations. He explained that the traditional martial arts, at which he was adept, had become lost in their traditions—traditions that proved too elaborate, too awkward, too slow when executed in real fighting situations. Lee adapted. He spent years experimenting. When he found an approach he liked, he submitted it to an empirical test—he’d find out if a punch or kick worked by doing it. If it didn’t operate properly, he would try again until all of it was right—the intent, the mechanics, and the speed at which it all comes together. The defining and refining of JKD evolved over time through Lee’s rigorous examination and physical effort. It represents Bruce Lee’s lasting legacy. To honor this legacy, JKD must be taught and learnt the right way —not any old way.
