--- product_id: 7346164 title: "Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist" price: "€ 58.27" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/7346164-bruce-lee-the-evolution-of-a-martial-artist store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist **Price:** € 58.27 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist - **How much does it cost?** € 58.27 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/7346164-bruce-lee-the-evolution-of-a-martial-artist) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Tracing Bruce Lee’s path from wing chun student to jeet kune do founder, this biography chronicles Lee’s physical journey—from Hong Kong to Seattle to Oakland to Los Angeles and back again to Hong Kong—as well as his voyage of self-discovery and actualization. The book draws on numerous conversations with Bruce Lee’s childhood classmates, former students, and family friends, offering a unique insight into the life of the legendary martial artist. It also offers a wealth of rare and unique photos, letters, and personal writings courtesy of Lee’s wife, Linda Lee Cadwell, and his daughter Shannon. As they learn about his progression in martial arts techniques and training methods, readers will also discover how Bruce Lee’s personal philosophy of continuously adapting to the changing conditions of the moment can be applied to life. Review: The One to Start With - This is a fantastic book! Tommy Gong traces Bruce Lee's evolution as a Martial Artist from his Wing Chun roots (at age 13) in China, through his different "phases" upon moving to America (Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles), clearly highlighting the techniques and training methods Bruce Lee incorporated, developed - and often discarded - along the way. After guiding the reader through the various phases of JKD, the author then outlines the core techniques, which, I feel, is as good a place to start as any, if you want to know what JKD fighting is really like. But Tommy Gong also discusses the philosophical side of Bruce and how he tried to incorporate his personal beliefs into his system of Martial Arts. Martial Arts is as much a way of looking at life, dealing with the world and facing our own fears and limitations, as it is about fighting and Bruce Lee was constantly aware of this, as Tommy Gong shows us. There are six Appendices, One of which is an interesting discussion of Biomechanics, applied to JKD, written by 3 experts in the field. Another appendix is an overview of Bruce's personal library. One of Bruce's most ardent beliefs is that we never stop learning, growing and changing and that adhering rigidly to any style or system inhibits our growth as Martial Artists and as Human Beings. I hope this volume will go a long way toward clearing up many of the misconceptions surrounding Jeet Kune Do, since the author provides many quotes and excerpts from Bruce himself as well as his widow, Linda and JKD instructors like Ted Wong, who apparently logged more training hours with Bruce than anyone else. There are lots of great photos and illustrations (many I'd never seen before), taken from various sources, including private collections, and they complement the text wonderfully, sometimes demonstrating techniques, sometimes illustrating concepts. I also like the brief "biographies" of Bruce's friend and students, such as Ted Wong and Allan Joe. They help to capture the feel of the time and places Bruce was teaching and developing his art. For me, Tommy Gong's book clarified so many points and answered so many questions about the techniques (both evolution and execution)of JKD. I've always known that Bruce's art developed through the years, but this book pins it down and shows which of the main techniques developed during which period and how they differed from previous "versions". If you are a long-time fan of Bruce Lee and JKD, this is well worth adding to your library. If you are looking for a place to begin learning about Bruce Lee or his art, I recommend starting with this book, to get an overview of the history and development of JKD. This is one book I will be reading and re-reading. Review: A Remarkable Achievement - I just finished reading Bruce Lee, the Evolution of a Martial Artist, by Tommy Gong. This is such a good book for any martial artist interested in Lee and his systems of fighting. He was Chinese and American from the get-go, born in San Francisco. In fact, his Chinese name, Jun Fan (pronounced fawn) means protector of San Francisco. However his youth was spent in Hong Kong, where he became a child movie star, and studied Wing Chun, a southern style of Kung Fu, with Yip Man. The book shows how Lee incorporated elements of Kung Fu and Western forms of fighting, i.e., fencing, boxing, and so on, on his path toward mastery of the martial arts, at a time when everyone else viewed different Asian and Western systems as walled-off from each other. It also shows that there was much more to Bruce Lee than just acting or fighting. He studied Asian and Western philosophy, reading constantly, and analyzing films of great fighters like Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and so on. His influence was widespread, partly because of the different people he trained at times, for example, Joe Lewis, the great Karate champion. I knew Bruce in Oakland, and this book really captures his great drive for excellence and self-improvement. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,898,428 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #393 in Martial Artist Biographies #4,079 in Martial Arts (Books) #19,533 in Exercise & Fitness (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 95 Reviews | ## Images ![Bruce Lee: The Evolution of a Martial Artist - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61nhPs5tXWL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The One to Start With *by N***E on June 17, 2014* This is a fantastic book! Tommy Gong traces Bruce Lee's evolution as a Martial Artist from his Wing Chun roots (at age 13) in China, through his different "phases" upon moving to America (Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles), clearly highlighting the techniques and training methods Bruce Lee incorporated, developed - and often discarded - along the way. After guiding the reader through the various phases of JKD, the author then outlines the core techniques, which, I feel, is as good a place to start as any, if you want to know what JKD fighting is really like. But Tommy Gong also discusses the philosophical side of Bruce and how he tried to incorporate his personal beliefs into his system of Martial Arts. Martial Arts is as much a way of looking at life, dealing with the world and facing our own fears and limitations, as it is about fighting and Bruce Lee was constantly aware of this, as Tommy Gong shows us. There are six Appendices, One of which is an interesting discussion of Biomechanics, applied to JKD, written by 3 experts in the field. Another appendix is an overview of Bruce's personal library. One of Bruce's most ardent beliefs is that we never stop learning, growing and changing and that adhering rigidly to any style or system inhibits our growth as Martial Artists and as Human Beings. I hope this volume will go a long way toward clearing up many of the misconceptions surrounding Jeet Kune Do, since the author provides many quotes and excerpts from Bruce himself as well as his widow, Linda and JKD instructors like Ted Wong, who apparently logged more training hours with Bruce than anyone else. There are lots of great photos and illustrations (many I'd never seen before), taken from various sources, including private collections, and they complement the text wonderfully, sometimes demonstrating techniques, sometimes illustrating concepts. I also like the brief "biographies" of Bruce's friend and students, such as Ted Wong and Allan Joe. They help to capture the feel of the time and places Bruce was teaching and developing his art. For me, Tommy Gong's book clarified so many points and answered so many questions about the techniques (both evolution and execution)of JKD. I've always known that Bruce's art developed through the years, but this book pins it down and shows which of the main techniques developed during which period and how they differed from previous "versions". If you are a long-time fan of Bruce Lee and JKD, this is well worth adding to your library. If you are looking for a place to begin learning about Bruce Lee or his art, I recommend starting with this book, to get an overview of the history and development of JKD. This is one book I will be reading and re-reading. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Remarkable Achievement *by S***H on October 18, 2014* I just finished reading Bruce Lee, the Evolution of a Martial Artist, by Tommy Gong. This is such a good book for any martial artist interested in Lee and his systems of fighting. He was Chinese and American from the get-go, born in San Francisco. In fact, his Chinese name, Jun Fan (pronounced fawn) means protector of San Francisco. However his youth was spent in Hong Kong, where he became a child movie star, and studied Wing Chun, a southern style of Kung Fu, with Yip Man. The book shows how Lee incorporated elements of Kung Fu and Western forms of fighting, i.e., fencing, boxing, and so on, on his path toward mastery of the martial arts, at a time when everyone else viewed different Asian and Western systems as walled-off from each other. It also shows that there was much more to Bruce Lee than just acting or fighting. He studied Asian and Western philosophy, reading constantly, and analyzing films of great fighters like Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and so on. His influence was widespread, partly because of the different people he trained at times, for example, Joe Lewis, the great Karate champion. I knew Bruce in Oakland, and this book really captures his great drive for excellence and self-improvement. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bruce Lee, the Evolution of a Martial Artist- A pleasant surprise. *by N***R on June 3, 2014* When I first saw this book on Amazon I was skeptical. There are so many books on Jeet Kune Do and Bruce Lee, some good , and some bad. Then I saw that it was by Tommy Gong. I have had the opportunity to meet and talk with Tommy Gong a couple of times at JKD seminars and events, and I know that he is very knowledgeable. I just got my copy of the book today, and I must say that this is an outstanding book. It has to be the most in depth analysis of the evolution of Bruce Lee and his martial art ever written. I especially like Chapter 6, Comparison of Core Techniques. Thank You, Tommy Gong, for writing this book. It fills a void that most JKD books never even touch. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/7346164-bruce-lee-the-evolution-of-a-martial-artist](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/7346164-bruce-lee-the-evolution-of-a-martial-artist) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-09-10*