In this comprehensive guide to foil technique, a fencing master and Olympic gold medalist offers an unsurpassed wealth of technical and tactical advice. Covers every facet of the game, from attack, defense, and deceit.

"The straight punch is the core of Jeet Kune Do."—Bruce Lee The straight lead was a key element in Bruce Lee's development of his own personal style. It was designed to be uncomplicated, economical, and brutally effective but is not as simple as it might seem. Bruce Lee once described it the most difficult move in the Jeet Kune Do arsenal. Lee developed JKD as a response to the shortcomings he found in traditional martial arts, but it also includes elements of Western combat systems that he found effective. It incorporates contributions ranging from Jack Dempsey's approach to boxing to the fencing style of Aldo Nadi. In The Straight Lead: The Core of Bruce Lee's Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, author Teri Tom describes the development of the straight punch in Western martial arts and describes Bruce Lee's refinement of the technique. It also offers a thorough instruction in the complexity and power of the move—showing martial artists of any discipline how to incorporate this devastating attack into their repertoire. With forewords by Shannon Lee Keasler and Ted Wong, chapters include: A Brief History of Straight Punching Evolution of Jeet Kune Do's Straight Lead The Stance Mechanics of the Straight Lead Footwork Why the Straight Lead? Application Speed Variations of the Straight Punch What Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do is Not Go to the Source An Interview with Ted Wong

Johan Harmenberg had left his native Sweden because he had "given up" on serious competitive fencing. But when he came to MIT, he met an innovative coach - the late Eric Sollee. Scribbling on a napkin in a Cambridge bar, Eric, Johan, and the other MIT fencers sketched the "Three Conjectures" of a new fencing paradigm" - a way to force a more skillful opponent to play your game. On his return to Sweden, Johan developed it into an art and a science, then put it into effect with a vengeance. Despite being snubbed by the Swedish authorities because of his unorthodox style, he won the World Championship in 1977 and the Olympic Gold Medal in 1980. In this groundbreaking book, Johan reveals his methods, showing how to can neutralize the superior technique of even the best classical fencers. Plus Olympic Silver Medalist Bjorne Vaggoe adds his personal application of the new paradigm and Geoff Pingree tells how it was applied with stunning success at MIT.