The Path of Traditional Martial Arts

Thoughts and lectures about the spiritual side of the traditional martial arts.

Friday, March 13, 2026

EXTRA BAGGAGE

›
  by Phillip Starr When I ran my full-time martial arts school many years ago, I debated about hanging a sign outside the entrance to the t...
Thursday, March 12, 2026

CULTURE OR COMBAT?

›
  By Phillip Starr I believe that in order to truly understand a given martial discipline and perform it correctly, one must have a firm gr...
Wednesday, March 11, 2026

BEING COMMITTED

›
  by Phillip Starr Most of you are very much aware that the vast majority of martial arts practitioners give up and quit training for a var...
Tuesday, March 10, 2026

THE ART OF QUIN-NA

›
  by Phillip Starr Quin-Na ( 擒拿 ) is a Chinese term that means, “seize and hold/control”, and refers to a wide range of joint locking/twis...
Monday, March 9, 2026

THE ANALOGY OF THE CHAIN

›
  by Phillip Starr I often used the analogy of a chain to explain to my senior students how a proper martial art technique should feel and ...
Sunday, March 8, 2026

AN OLD SECRET TO LEARNING

›
  by Phillip Starr Have you ever learned a new form (or part of a form) only to find that with the coming of the sunrise, you've forgot...
Saturday, March 7, 2026

ABSORB WHAT IS USEFUL...

›
  by Phillip Starr One of the very worst pieces of advice ever given to the martial arts community at large came from the lips of Bruce Lee...
›
Home
View web version

About Me

My photo
Phillip Starr
Liuzhou, Guangxi Province, China
I began training in the martial arts in 1956. My primary art is Yiliquan kung-fu, which I developed after training with my teacher, Master W.C. Chen (a student of the legendary Zhang Zhaodong). I am also a yudansha of Kyokushin karate, and a certified instructor of the Pekiti-Tersia arnis system. I was the first kung-fu stylist to become a U.S. National Champion under the auspices of the USKA (United States Karate Assn) in 1976. In 1992 I came out of retirement to become U.S. National Champion once again. From 1991-95 I was the National Chairman for the AAU Chinese Martial Arts Division, which became the largest kung-fu organization in the nation. I have authored five books to date; The Making Of A Butterfly, Martial Mechanics, Martial Maneuvers, Hidden Hands, and Developing Jin. I lived in China for 3 yrs.,in the bowels of the dragon...Liuzhou City, Guangxi Province, China. and have now returned to Omaha, NE. where I continue to write and teach traditional Chinese martial arts.
View my complete profile
Powered by Blogger.