KCMO2NDTWIN
Sifu Starr has done it againg! Martial Mechanics is a stand alone work, that lives in any genre; thus making it a classic for the ages! Anyone exspousing to "work smarter, not harder" would grow by leaps and bounds. Martial Mechanics is suitable and highly recommended for all combat arts. I personally study Japanese bujutsu and have studied the Brazillian brand. I highly recommend this book to grapplers/submission wrestlers! If think I am bullshidoing you, go read chapters 8,10 and 11! As matter of fact be a blessing to someone and provide a copy of Martial Mechanics for them. I can promise you, they would be the better for it! Peace!

A good handbook whatever your stage
Martial Mechanics is a good introduction to martial arts basics, a good reminder of what's important for those who have trained awhile, and is good material to supplement the syllabus of teachers of the MAs. Sprinkled liberally with anecdotes and humor, the book is easy to read and contains many excellent photographs to illustrate the points being made. While written from an internal martial artist's slant, I found it easy enough to substitute my external training/practice and keep going (for example, when the idea of reverse breathing is mentioned). The material on posture and alignment equaling power, relaxation adding to speed, and how force is generated, are especially bright spots in the book. I would recommend this book to all practicing or aspiring martial artists.

important for serious students
I am afraid this book will not get the exposure it deserves because it is not flashy and does not promise quick fixes or ancient "secrets".

For a serious students of traditional martial arts, it is an important addition to your library, and should be refered to often. This information is important for beginners and long time practitioners.

If spinning heel kicks or tounament sparring are your thing, this book is probably not for you. If you want to survive an unprovked attack, study this book (and put in plenty of floor time at the dojo too!)

Excellent book, easy to understand
This book really gets down to the nuts and bolts of how our bodies move, and how to apply those movements to martial arts. It doesn't matter what style you train in, this book will apply to you.

It's easy to read and down to earth, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve their martial arts skills.

Outstanding!
A practitioner with more than 50 continuous years of martial arts training, Sifu Starr is the founder of Yiliquan kung-fu, an art that seamlessly merges China's three classical internal systems. He has trained not only in the Chinese arts of baixingquan, taijiquan, xingyiquan, and baguazhang, but also in Japanese judo and karate, and Filipino arnis. And, he's a member of Inside Kung-Fu magazine's prestigious Hall of Fame.

Clearly Sifu Starr has the knowledge, skills, and ability to articulate this important information very effectively. His book, Martial Mechanics, is a very well-written, interesting, and informative tome, one that I believe is an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to hit faster and more powerfully. Contents include principles of power, impact, speed, force, shock, stance, footwork, body rotation, body shift, breathing, spinal alignment, consolidation, overcoming inertia, combinations, density, and a whole lot more. Both hard (external) and soft (internal) dimensions are covered. The supplemental drills, such as learning how to use a candle, balloon, forging post, and heavy bag to augment your training, are a nice bonus as well.

Starr's writing is absolutely stellar, highly articulate yet pithy and unpretentious. There are no fancy foreign words to memorize or pointless pontificating to wade through. In fact, the tone is fantastic, with subtle and not-so-subtle humor throughout. The photos and illustrations are very clear, augmenting the text effectively. The book really is that good. In fact my only complaint is that there is no index to help me refer back to important topics quickly and easily. Consequently my copy is already crammed full of sticky notes, dog-eared, scribbled-on, and filled with highlighting.

Martial Mechanics really is a must read for any serious martial artist, particularly those who study predominantly striking arts such as kung fu, karate, taekwondo, muay Thai, or kickboxing.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults and Martial Arts Instruction; co-author of The Way of Kata and The Way of Black Belt