I have many bruce lee books. There are no schools around were i live so i try to practice by myself. I have been doing it for 2 years now , but i know i will not master it by just doing it myself. I have seen results though, i am more aware, flexible , etc. I try to practice with my friends without them even knowing because they mess around and thorw punches at me sometimes and i just knock them away, but i would like to get better anyone have any ideas???

Find a friend who is willing to spar with you. Better yet, get at least two people who will spar with you on a regular basis, but not at the same time. Two people ensure that you will be able to adapt to changes in tactics.

yeah get a few mates, the more the better, who are willing to train at least 3 days a week for a few hours,
run for like 10 mins or more, do heaps of warming up, stretch lightly ''never force a stretch'',
then practice routine jabs, hooks, upper cuts, kicks, round kick, kick to nuts, side kick to knee, eye jabs ,knees, elbows etc

shadow spar, sparring against each other, never try to be the best when sparring, remember youre there to learn and so is your mate, buy a mouth guard, shin guards, gloves, etc a couple of boxing bags, maybe a sheild pad, focus mits etc,

keep to a routine but mix it up, warm up, stretch light, warm up, stretch more, practice all your techniques, in sets, shadow spar, punch, kick, knee, elbow, bags, practice on focus mits, etc, spar aginst each other, warm down, thank each training partner and look forward to the next night

oh and watch heaps of vids of fights, K1, UFC, PRIDE, buy them from amazon, sherdog or download them from kazza, that way you can see the techniques the pros use and see whats affective and whats not, learn from the pros, yes they arent in a street situation but judge for yourself on whats affective for the street and whats not.

back again lol, and try to keep it between you and your mates, some people are funny ''fuct'' if they know you train in an art or train to fight/defend etc, they may feel intimidated or insecure or feel that they have something to prove, they may try to fight you and your mates etc or provoke a fight, beleive me it happens, i have people wanna fight fight me just because i train in muay thai, etc etc

goodluck

One word ebay.

If you are planning on sparring invest in some sparring equipment inorder to keep things safe. I know they can be a bit pricey but you may find some good deals on ebay. You will need atleast two sets. The two most important items are a mouthpiece and a cup. Be sure to pick those up first. If you spar without headgear and gloves then keep the sparring light. Do not go all out. You'll be inviting injury. Then later you can purchase a set of headgear and gloves. Then after that you may want to invest in some shin guards, knee and elbow pads. If you're lucky someone may be selling all of their equipment at once.

As far as learning from books. Books can be a valuable learning tool. But sometimes you can't really get as much info from books. You may want to try buying a few JKD or MA training videos. Ebay usually has some good items up for bid at reasonable prices.

Good luck in your training.

I was in this situation to when I lived in butt f*ck nowhere. Me and my friends used to spar and grapple in the highschool weight room during wrestling season and then we'd use basements in the winter and backyards in the summer. There were some pretty bad injuries--ranging from bruises and cuts (what youd expect) all the way to a broken finger, a dislocated wrist, and I ended up with some nerve damage in my leg. I would suggest you dont go this route. Before you get some friends together, save up some cash and go take a first aid class. Look though some anatomy books at the library and get an idea what the body can take and what it cant. Then save up some money and go take a seminar somewhere close by (assuming your folks let you) and learn a little bit from soemone who knows what they are talking about. Or, I would suggest just taking a standard karate class or whatever in your area with a couple of friends untill you get the hang of it and then go back to the backyard brawls. Any knowledge is better than complete ignorance. I think you would get a lot further by taking a karate class and adjusting what you learn from it to match what Bruce talks about. Just dont **** around--a broken neck is a tough thing to bounce back from and if your the one who did it you might feel pretty ****ty and suddenly find yourself without friends!