NO SECRETS, NO SILVER BULLETS

 by Phillip Starr

If I just had a nickel for every poor soul who wasted time searching for a “martial arts silver bullet”; secret techniques or styles that could defeat all other forms...I'd be a very wealthy man. Although such fantasies don't exist and never have, there are plenty of hucksters out there who are more than willing to lay claim to possessing some “secret” knowledge and attract as many wannabe masters as possible so that they can separate them from their hard-earned money.

Certainly, there are principles that have long been forgotten or ignored and that's why I have written several books on them – so they won't be lost – but there are no “secrets”, per se. There are only basics that have been practiced and polished to an extremely fine degree.

Be very wary of anyone claiming to possess secret knowledge or skill with secret techniques or style of martial art. If they offer to teach you such things for a fee, you must run (do not walk) to the nearest exit! I have heard of “masters” (some who are quite well-known) who, for an extra fee, will happily teach students special forms or techniques that they allegedly learned as “closed door” disciples of their teachers (this is especially true of gong-fu stylists). Some of these “teachers” even offer to make you a special “closed door” disciple... if you can afford it.

Enter the world of internal Chinese styles and qigong... Let me begin by saying that simply standing in a particular position and waving your hands and arms around WILL NOT turn you into an invincible gong-fu master, help you learn to “master” the movement of your qi, or improve your health one whit. Learning from someone who promises such things will, however, assist you in losing weight (from your wallet). Qigong and learning how to emit qi (whether it is for healing or martial purposes) doesn't involve any kind of “magic” whatsoever.