by Phillip Starr
For some time, I debated about writing a book on something as basic as structure. Correct body structure has always been one of the most important aspects of the martial ways and although ideas about it vary a bit from one art or style to another, the essence is always the same. It was after I met sensei Akira Hino in Japan in late 2016 that I realized the need for such a book.
Most martial arts practitioners believe that their structure is as it should be but, having observed a great number of them over the years, I know that many of them are way off-base. We are all human beings and we’re all structured in the same way. Regardless of what art or style of an art we practice, certain structural rules must be followed if we are to have any hope of acquiring real power and stability.
Many martial artists execute their techniques and/or movements with way too much physical strength and strain. Too much is every bit as bad as too little. The secret to real power lies in correct structure, not in the strength of the large muscles of the body. This, I realized, is one of the secrets of the great masters of yesteryear; this is why they were able to emit such tremendous force and perform seemingly superhuman feats! The key is structure, which is something they rarely taught to their students; most students of those days learned by rote – by imitating – and most of them missed the point altogether.
They, in turn, passed on what they had “learned” to their own students and so on and so on…down through the generations to the present day. I determined that my new book, MARTIAL STRUCTURE, would openly reveal what has been missed or misunderstood for so many generations. It is my hope that you will apply the principles presented therein, and pass them on to your own students. Secrets such as these must never be lost…
MARTIAL STRUCTURE will be available in Aug. of this year, and you can pre-order and reserve your copy NOW! Available at fine bookstores and on Amazon.com I am available for seminars worldwide; contact me at: sifustarr@gmail.com.
