The Path of Traditional Martial Arts

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

Monday, August 25, 2025

THE FUNCTIONS OF STANCE

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  by Phillip Starr For all the noise your teacher makes about your stances having to be exactly so, just what is/are the function(s) of sta...
Saturday, August 23, 2025

THE FIRST THING YOU LEARN

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  by Phillip Starr It was obvious that the young man was very excited about joining my martial arts school. He was all smiles as he asked...
Friday, August 22, 2025

COMMON SENSE

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  by Yang Xuangxing Sometimes we just have to use a little common sense. I have been, over the years, directed to certain websites that ar...
Thursday, August 21, 2025

COMBAT EFFECTIVE?

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  By Phillip Starr We hear it all the time; “That traditional martial arts guy would be easily beaten in an MMA match!”, and other more col...
Wednesday, August 20, 2025

BUT CAN YOU REALLY USE IT?

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  By Yang Xuangxing Okay, so now you've learned a staff, sword, or whatever form...and you're comfortable with it. Your teacher sa...
Tuesday, August 19, 2025

BUILDING REAL STRENGTH

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  by Yang Xuangxing Many poems have been written about how much we learn through the experience of pain and how little we actually learn fr...
Monday, August 18, 2025

BOWING TO THE FLOOR/MAT

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  by Yang Xuangxing I was at a large, national seminar/conference a while back and just as one of the classes was about to begin, one of th...
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About Me

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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.
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