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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.”