CONTENTS Title Page Copyright Dedication Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Hard versus Soft Chapter 2: Going Straight The Cervical and Thoracic Vertebrae Round Out the Upper Back Chapter 3: The Tortoise Shell The Lumbar Area The Sacral Vertebrae and Coccyx The Tortoise Back Chapter 4: Sink! Swallow the Chest Drop the Shoulders Sink through the Weighted Knee Drop the Elbows Are Your Elbows Tucked? Punch through the Elbow Chapter 5: Level the Hips Moving from the One-Point Pucker Up! Structure and Martial Arts Movement Don’t Look Down! Use of the Kua Chapter 6: Hidden in Plain Sight Chapter 7: Anchor the Knees Positioning the Knee Anchoring the Knee Connecting with Your Toes Chapter 8: Opening the Nozzle Catching a Fly The Sword-Hand Chapter 9: Structure and Kicking Types of Kicks Driving the Kick Kick through the Hips Kick Recovery Combination Kicks Chapter 10: The Importance of Correct Breathing How to Perform Reverse Breathing Breathing and Balance Chapter 11: Breathing and Structure Don’t Expand Your Chest And Don’t Slump! Little Things Can Make a Lot of Difference Nice Tush, But … Leaning Chapter 12: Structure Impacts Impact Initial Impact Body Like a Hose Reaction Force It Doesn’t Have to End There! Chapter 13: It’s All in the Song Not Too Much, Not Too Little Song Song Is Alive Wuji Chapter 14: The Analogy of the Chain Chapter 15: Little Fingers and Toes Chapter 16: The Standing Postures When You Practice The First Posture The Second Posture The Third Posture But Wait, There’s More! Chapter 17: Now, Move It! Moving in a Forward-Weighted Stance Moving in a Back-Weighted Stance Adding Footwork Walking the Square Chapter 18: Using Training Equipment Proper Use of the Heavy Bag The Water Bag The Wooden Teacher Chapter 19: Mirror, Mirror Psychological States and Structure Structure and Everyday Life Chapter 20: Yi, Qi, and Structure No Matter What Shape Yi and Qi Chapter 21: Baby Steps About the Author Martial Structure How to Maximize Your Martial Arts Skills through Body Alignment, Movement, and Breathing Phillip Starr Copyright © 2018 by Phillip Starr. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without written permission of the publisher. For information contact Blue Snake Books c/o North Atlantic Books. Published by Blue Snake Books, an imprint of North Atlantic Books Berkeley, California Printed in Canada Cover design by Jasmine Hromjak Book design by Happenstance Type-O-Rama Martial Structure: How to Maximize Your Martial Arts Skills through Body Alignment, Movement, and Breathing is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature. North Atlantic Books’ publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, call 800-733-3000 or visit our websites at www.northatlanticbooks.com and www.bluesnakebooks.com. PLEASE NOTE: The creators and publishers of this book disclaim any liabilities for loss in connection with following any of the practices, exercises, and advice contained herein. To reduce the chance of injury or any other harm, the reader should consult a professional before undertaking this or any other martial arts, movement, meditative arts, health, or exercise program. The instructions and advice printed in this book are not in any way intended as a substitute for medical, mental, or emotional counseling with a licensed physician or healthcare provider. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Starr, Phillip, author. Title: Martial structure : how to maximize your martial arts skills through body alignment, movement, and breathing / Phillip Starr. Description: California : Blue Snake Books, 2018. Identifiers: LCCN 2018003927 (print) | LCCN 2018013271 (ebook) | ISBN 9781623172275 (e-book) | ISBN 9781623172268 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: Martial arts—Training. | BISAC: SPORTS & RECREATION / Martial Arts & Self-Defense. Classification: LCC GV1102.7.T7 (ebook) | LCC GV1102.7.T7 T73 2018 (print) | DDC 796.8071—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018003927 North Atlantic Books is committed to the protection of our environment. We partner with FSC-certified printers using soy-based inks and print on recycled paper whenever possible. For Hiro, who will carry on the legacy that my teacher bequeathed to me. Just as diligent students seek good teachers, so do teachers seek worthy pupils. I am truly blessed to have found such a wonderful friend and student. Preface In 2008 I authored Martial Mechanics: Maximum Results with Minimum Effort in the Practice of the Martial Arts as a guide to using certain laws of physics and biomechanics in the practice of martial arts. Over the years that have passed since that time, I have met a great many instructors of karate, taekwondo, and various forms of Chinese gong-fu who were astounded by many of the principles discussed in that book. This book is actually a sequel to that one, and it delves deeper into one very crucial aspect of percussive martial arts: proper body structure. This subject is frequently mentioned in various classical and very old gong-fu and taijiquan books and “songs,” but they have never really expounded on it. Without its application, biomechanics are of little use in maximizing the effectiveness of technique and movement. Proper structure remains one of the great “secrets” of traditional martial arts and is the main reason why the great masters of days gone by were able to do many of the things they did with seemingly little effort or strength. So if you’d like to learn their secrets, pull out your sweat towel, and let’s get to work! Acknowledgments I owe a big debt of thanks to Shawn Steiner, owner and chief instructor of Steiner’s Academy of Martial Arts, for providing me a facility in which to take photographs, and to Hiro Misawa and Dan Gregory, who so generously posed as models in the photos and assisted with the photography.