Martial Mechanics: Maximum Results with Minimum Effort in the Practice of the Martial Arts
by Phillip Starr
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Book Summary Information
Author: Phillip StarrEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-03-25
ISBN: 1583942114
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Blue Snake Books
Book Reviews of Martial Mechanics: Maximum Results with Minimum Effort in the Practice of the Martial Arts
Book Review: Solid Basics of Speed and Power - Use This Book to Become More Effective!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Martial Mechanics: Maximum Results with Minimum Effort in the Practice of the Martial Arts" by Phillip Starr is a simple book about complex topics. When I say simple, I mean that Starr has simplified these topics to make them easier to understand and incorporate into your training.
Starr has been practicing martial arts for more than a half century, and his studies include Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, Taijiquan, Shao-lin Kung Fu, Kyokushinkai karate, and Filipino arnis. Something common to these arts, and all martial arts, are the physics and kinesiology of movement. Starr explains the science behind martial art techniques and provides a guide for developing more speed and power. In short, he explains how to make your techniques more effective.
As I stated, Starr simplified his instruction to make it easier for the reader to understand the concepts he describes. He did a very good job at explaining, and the accompanying photographs and diagrams are clear and illustrate what he is teaching.
Right up front, Starr tells the reader that this book does not contain any "silver bullets" or "secret techniques." This book is about principles upon which traditional martial arts are based and how you can utilize the principles to make your own techniques faster, stronger, and more effective.
Some of the topics Starr covers include: principles of power, types of impact, speed, stance, footwork, breathing, spinal alignment, and combining all components into a technique. Starr also includes additional chapters on topics such as strength, density, blocking, and training exercises and equipment. Some of these chapters are very short, and don't provide everything Starr knows on the topic for sure. (Starr is one of those people who has probably forgotten more than most people ever learn, and to put all of his knowledge in a book would be a tomb that many could not carry.) Even though short, each chapter does contain practical advice and something each martial artist could use in their own training.
I don't think this book will be appreciated by those that are only interested in all flash without much bang. It seems some of the martial arts today have gotten away from the basics that made them fighting arts for more flashy tournament spectacles. Some have thrown out the traditional for more physical training to compensate for body mechanics. This is too bad, because the traditional arts have so much more to offer than sometimes taught. The basic principles Starr teaches in this book are some of those "gems" that are sometimes ignored but should be the foundation of training.
I recommend this book to all martial artists that want to further incorporate traditional principles of speed and power into their training to make what they do more effective.
Reviewed by Alain Burrese, author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks and the dvds: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer. Alain Also wrote a series of articles called Lessons From The Apprentice.
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Summary of Martial Mechanics: Maximum Results with Minimum Effort in the Practice of the Martial Arts
Interest in a wide range of martial arts grows exponentially each year, but few practitioners understand the scientific forces that underlie these arts. The originators of ancient traditional systems intuitively grasped the body mechanics behind their disciplines, and thus were capable of generating uncanny striking force. Contemporary students, on the other hand, often fail to achieve the high levels of technical proficiency they desire because they are unaware of these laws and how they work in a martial arts context.Drawing on the author?s decades of experience as both student and teacher, Martial Mechanics explains, in humorous, easy-to-understand language, how physics and kinesiology affect martial arts techniques and how readers can best utilize them to make them faster, more powerful, and hence more effective in actual combat. Featuring black-and-white photographs throughout, Martial Mechanics is written for both internal and external martial artists, mixed martial arts practitioners with an interest in competition or self-defense, students of kung fu, karate, taekwondo, muay thai boxing, kickboxing, wing chun, and more. Even many of the traditional grappling arts utilize certain striking techniques, and their disciples as well can improve their percussive skills with this practical guide.
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