Product Description

This book presents the advanced techniques. Chapters include hand techniques, attacks with kicks, counters, tactics. Fully illustrated BEST SELLER!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10887 in Books
• Published on: 1977-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Customer Reviews

A good martial arts book that everyone should own!
Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is Bruce Lee's and M. Uyehara's, "Bruce Lee's Fighting Method; Volume 4: Advanced Techniques." This book is a direct continuation of the previous volume and will continue where that one left off.

As is stated in the introduction to this and the other three volumes in the series, Bruce Lee never intended for these books to be published. However, since his untimely passing, his wife Linda decided that she would allow them to be published. Something we should all be thankful for.

What I will attempt to do in this review is to give you a well-rounded grasp of what Bruce has written and demonstrated for you in this series of books. Although nothing can replace the value of a qualified and competent instructor, a well written book can still provide you with a wealth of knowledge if you know how to realize it and obtain it.

12. Hand Techniques for Offense; Part One:

a. Set-up your primary attacks first.
b. Your primary attacks should be indirect attacks rather than direct attacks.
c. Basic principles involved in utilizing hand techniques effectively.
d. You should always be studying your opponent.
e. How to effectively utilize the Leading Finger Jab.
f. How to effectively utilize the Leading Straight Right.
g. How to effectively utilize the Leading Punch to the Body.
h. How to effectively utilize the Leading Straight Left Punch.

13. Hand Techniques for Offense; Part Two:

a. How to effectively utilize the Straight Left to the Body.
b. How to effectively utilize the Lead Jab.
c. How to effectively utilize the Backfist.
d. How to effectively utilize the Hook Punch.
e. How to effectively utilize the Uppercut.

14. Attacks with Kicks:

a. How to effectively utilize the Side Kick to the lead shin and/or knee.
b. How to effectively utilize the Leading Side Kick.
c. How to effectively utilize the Roundhouse (Hook) Kick.
d. How to effectively utilize the Turning Back (Spin) Kick.
e. How to effectively utilize the Turning Wheel or Hook (Sweep) Kick.

15. Defense and Counter:

a. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Lead Finger Jab.
b. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Leading Side Kick to the shin or knee.
c. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Roundhouse (Hook) Kick.
d. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Turning Back (Spin) Kick.
e. How to effectively counterattack utilizing the Leading Right.

16. Attributes and Tactics:

a. Discusses the importance of speed, attitude and tactics.

Like any well written book, as much as you can learn from this book by reading it, you can learn just as much if not more by reading between the lines. I particularly enjoyed the simplicity of what Bruce was trying to relay throughout this and pretty much all of his books. What may work well for one person, may not work at all for another. Therefore, you as an individual needs to research the techniques that are out there and find those that work best for you and use them. Remember, there are no superior martial arts, only superior martial artists.

Bruce Lee
If you like martial arts , than it's a great book and you can better unerstand Bruce Lee.

Straightforward discussion of good and bad habits....
This is not a cure all book of splendor that will make your street sojourns safe as can be. What it happens to be is a terse condensing of terms and applications. However, this can be a blessing in disguise if you've ever really fought someone for whatever petty reasons. But as is usual, petty fights can't be won by might alone. Moreover, a brief self-defense type situation not asked for nor expected in the least, will never ever count on you being able to muster Earnie Shavers-esque punches via hours and hours of your prior chopping of wood and winding up and hitting a hanging truck tire with sledge hammer in hand. But such is the world of Archie Moore. Anywho, Bruce Lee's Vol. 4 "Advanced Techniques" will give you insights into not so much what works, but what will keep you in the fight for the long haul. Pointers I took to liking and appreciating were:
Side kick from a distance. Hook kicks aimed roughly a foot in front of an advancing target for maximum impact (a late straight or hook kick results in you being taken down or knocked stiff; watch muay thai to appreciate). Straight kicks to the groin when in close (the power comes from the bending and straightening of the knee as when kicking a soccerball). For punching, what I found illustrative were comments on when to throw body punches and how to punch in disengagements. Many fights end after an attacker relaxes to early, stays too close, and then abruptly tastes a big hook or wild uppercut when flatfooted. Hook when countering, uppercut when the hook gets suffocated, throw high, low, high, low and so on when putting together combinations. Be careful though when body punching a big strong opponent - you open your face all to easily to both compact and loose hooks. Lastly, if you are facing someone who is in the reverse stance (opposite lead hand forward), be very cautious of straight punching both upstairs and down. Of course, if your opponent doesn't do this, you should be able to no problem as it is your first and best option (you beat a lefty by evading the straight left, but to do so, you'll have to square up on occassion and unleash your own straight right). Lastly, speed and defensive measure can be vastly overrated - you might quickly escape backward only to be launched further (watch UFC competitors who smell knockouts! it isn't one punch, two punch, three........it is a literal assault coming straight at you with a fierceness you'll have to somehow disrupt). Use your speed only for direct attack or blocking, however, try not to feint hyperactively as this will leave you wide open eventually! Learn to block, roll the punch, sharply turn, and lastly, if you can, duck and parry a straight punch and follow naturally with a leaning blow to the opponents already commited waistline.
The book is lacking in elbow and knee offensives. Knees are really only good from the clinch, while elbows are good against someone who comes in uppercutting or letting loose lowline hooks with both hands. It also does not teach you any grappling, takedowns, shoots, or chokeholds. Learn those elsewhere - I prefer Ken Shamrock's 'Beyond the Lions Den' with its emphasis on submission wrestling and manuevers that translate to the street if need be.
Other aspects covered that should be paid attention to are: keeping initial combinations (opponent not dazed nor hurt) to 2 to 3 blows; keeping hands projected further outward when feeling stuck (rear hand can almost touch lead shoulder to make for new angles and lessening of muscle tension); lead jab thrown with knuckles in the verticle and rear heal almost leap frogging toward lead heal to make a power-V for torque in rotation); also relying less on bobbing and weaving against a stronger opponent (as is thought to be so fruitful) and looking more to the stop-hit and cover-counter-cover-counter approach (bob and weaving works somewhat at a distance, and can help to avoid becoming frozen in action). Lastly, I'll give a few hints from my own minor scrapes, mostly on what to avoid from the opponent:
1) Learn to stop or get away from rear shots. These include overhands, straights, thrusts, etc. Either jump straight back (chin down hands high), move to a side (again hands high), or jump forward at an angle (duck!). It is very easy to get overconfident with straight punches. The good news is, you opponent begins to open himself to his own weapon of choice - the rear straight! Once you start countering straight for straight, be preparred to duck and then uppercut in anticipation of the opponents tendancy to start trading straights. If you can collapse the gap, short hooks and body punching can become overwhelming to a once strident attacker.
2) Do not lunge in to far, called reaching, to land a straight body punch or blow to the head because if your opponent is well seasoned, you will get tagged repeatedly by hooks arriving in all directions. Thus, if your opponent starts getting desperate and throws long overhands, either step right in with two rapid one-two uppercuts; or, step back and let the attackers momentum shift them right into range for your wild hooks. One or two of these is plenty, but a third and forth can be sprung on them if they are stunned or cover excessively.
3) Long hooks and sharp, in-close body punching can be the only way to open up a stubborn defensive fighter. No matter the situation, if you do 3 daily exercises, your strength for self-defense becomes two-fold within a month or two - pushups, situps, and squats. And if you wish, shoulder presses and pullups.
Bruce Lee was a master. In a real boxing match, he may not have been big enough to tackle the heavyweight devision, crowned champ. But when there are no rules out on the street, and if your initial move or instictive reaction fails (groin kick, knee kick, side kick to sternum, carotid strike, eye jab) then it becomes imperative to have a reserve of strong boxing/kickboxing know-how. Thank goodness for people who devoted their lives to helping innocents withstand perilous circumstance. Maybe not as beautiful as Euclid's Elements Book 13, enlightening just the same.