Martial Structure: How to Maximize Your Martial Arts Skills through Body Alignment, Movement, and Breathing

A guide to becoming faster, more powerful, and more effective in martial arts through correct body alignment and proper structure.

Drawing on decades of experience as both a student and a teacher, Phillip Starr follows up his authoritative Martial Mechanics and Martial Maneuvers with this thorough and accessible explanation of the principles of physical structure as they pertain to the human body and how these affect martial arts performance. Focusing on how physical posture affects not only physical abilities but also the mental condition, Starr emphasizes the importance of developing power without exerting unnecessary muscular force. Real martial skill does not require the development of large muscles or great strength, he demonstrates–it requires correct posture. He shows how anyone, regardless of size or strength, can learn to generate uncanny power with very little muscular effort through the enhanced stability achieved by maintaining correct alignment and proper structure. This is true for all martial disciplines, both internal and external schools, including karate, judo, taekwondo, and kung-fu. Abundantly illustrated throughout with photographs that provide step-by-step instructions, Martial Structure is essential for anyone wanting to understand how the laws of physics and biomechanics can be harnessed to make them faster, more powerful, and more effective in actual combat.