Hidden Hands: Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Martial Arts Forms

by Phillip Starr

The solo forms or sets of a martial art may appear to be merely flashy performances or rote exercises for conditioning, and because of this many students disregard this aspect of their training. True martial arts masters, however, know that the forms of a system actually contain all of the techniques and secrets of that system—if one knows how to look for them. Often called the “great books” of martial arts, forms are crucial for a deeper understanding of the art one practices.

In Hidden Hands , Phillip Starr provides detailed instruction in the art of reading martial arts by first mastering rudimentary “words” (individual techniques) and then moving on to simple “sentences” (combinations of techniques), the student will come to understand forms as ancient documents that contain the true essence of their art. Starr discusses different aspects of forms practice such as rhythm, timing, spirit, and performance, and presents specific guidelines for interpreting the movements of various forms. The book ends with the dissection and interpretation of a complete form. Containing examples from Chinese, Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean martial arts, Hidden Hands shows serious practitioners how to improve in any art and style.

Genres: Martial Arts

248 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2010

Reviews

[John Fredrickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book, with material drawn from numerous fighting styles. This is very impressive, but also a source of difficulty for the reader, most of whom would presumably know one or two styles.

What Starr does in general is to proffer advice to the reader for how to approach the analysis of forms to discern bunkai that have been secreted within. Some of this gets a little tedious, but the book does provide numerous examples from many different systems as to how one might see advanced techniques where ready but simplistic applications are a little too evident. This aspect of the book is a bit frustrating - the only real way to appreciate it would be to bring it into a dojo with a training partner, and work though some of the examples.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a useful reference for martial artists of any style who are looking to delve deeper into the raison d'etre and practical applications for forms. It gives a variety of examples from many styles, but leaves plenty of blanks for the reader to fill in through their own study and analysis of their own style's curriculum.