The Anatomy of Martial Arts: An Illustrated Guide to the Muscles Used for Each Strike, Kick, and Throw

_The Anatomy of Martial Arts: An Illustrated Guide to the Muscles Used for Each Strike, Kick and Throw_ by Dr. Link and Chou is a great book for martial artists of all different schools.Since it is a very visual book, please use Amazon's "Look Inside" feature to check out some of the content.For each technique that is analyzed, the following information is included:- a drawing is provided showing the martial artist in the midst of the move with the muscles used in the technique shown in the drawing. Muscles that are static but still must provide strength and power are shown in blue, while muscles that must provided strength and power but move the martial artist's body (and hopefully their target's body too) during the technique are shown in red. As well, there are written lists of the static & dynamic muscles used for each technique- ratings on the importance of speed, power and accuracy, since some techniques focus more on speed, some on power, etc.- comments on the use of speed, power & accuracy in each technique, as well as general comments about how different techniques are modified or emphasized depending on the style and whether the practictioner and school are focusing on self-defense, fighting tournaments, etc.- recommended exercises to build strength for the muscles used- recommended exercises for flexibility beneficial or necessary for the technique- discussion of primary kinetic chains used for each techniqueThe last item I listed, primary kinetic chains, is huge and make the book notable all by itself. A kinetic chain is a path of movement that crosses multiple muscle groups and even limbs in the body. For instance, posterior & hip turn kinetic chains show up in a lot of hand strikes, and there are a fair number of kicks that don't work as well if a shoulder turn isn't done right during the kick. A martial artist who doesn't learn how to use kinetic chains in their techniques will be limited in how much power & strength they can develop.The authors concede there are some inherent limitations for what they can show on one page for compound movements such as throws, although they do their best for the throws they cover. And due to space limitations and the huge variety between different arts and even different schools of that within the same art, they can't cover every single martial arts technique that exists. The book is targeted towards Asian / Eastern open-hand styles, with a few weapons techniques from Asian / Eastern martial arts thrown in.The authors cover:- 12 hand strikes & blocks- 13 kicks- 9 throws- 6 groundwork techniques- 6 rolls and falls- 4 different weapons strikesThere are also three appendices describing some of the flexibility & strengthening exercises they recommend in more detail, and listing muscles alphabetically and by joint.Very good book.

As a martial arts instructor and practitioner for over 30 years I find this book a welcome addition to the knowledge base of techniques and procedures. This book is simple in its design. It takes fifty techniques, show the key muscle groups that are engaged during the technique and then show suggestions on how to strengthen and stretch these muscles. As stated at the beginning of this book, it assumes the reader already knows the technique and does not attempt to provide any instruction into the implementation of the technique. Any practitioner who reads this book and diligently practices the recommended exercises should find their techniques improving. I highly recommend this book to all martial arts practitioners. To diminish the importance of this book due to, as one reviewers puts it "non traditional" gis would be a real shame.

Although it pretty much delivers what it says; a guide to the muscles used for various punches etc, I cannot help but feel that this is a somewhat incomplete book. Apart from the diagram of a body performing, it gives some basic exercises to "strengthen core muscles" used in the techniques. However, it is at best superfluous, at worst lacking, as it does not examine the finer points of the technique, nor does it give any useful insight in the execution of it and which muscle groups that are used in the various steps of it.I've done both Taekwondo and Judo for 12-14 years myself, and have indeed thought about some of my techniques in a new way after flipping through this book, but I cannot give it 5 stars.(also, this might just be a pet peeve as my teachers have always stressed the traditional ways, but it really really bugs me to see ANY martial artist in a green/purple/multicolored gi)

I'm not only a martial arts instructor and USA national coach, but a Human Movement Specialist as well and this book fits in great

If your envolved in exercise or in a style of martial arts this book will be a great insight for you. I've always been interested at how the body works and this books has helped me understand the different muscle groups involved and what exercises are needed to strengthen those muscle groups. You could be your own physical therapist (to a certain extent). So, when I train I can focus on those muscle groups and also feel for what is weak in my body so I can make those parts of the body stronger. This book is a wealth of information no matter how basic.Gus J.

There's a lot of good information in this book, and it's well-constructed, well-organized, and offers plenty of visual aids. But for anyone who's had an opportunity to practice martial arts for more than a few months, this book is not technically enough.The writers do readers (who I assume to be experienced martial artists) a great service by reminding them of the incalculable and subtle damage one can inflict on one's body through rigorous martial arts practice (such as arthritis). What would be a greater service is if the writers suggest exercises and stretches and lifestyles that would best support a healthy aging of a martial arts body.The writers also provide useful exercises for martial artists to practice. But exercises by themselves aren't terribly useful or instructive -- what would be better is a routine or a regiment for different levels of martial artists. Also, different martial arts emphasize different parts of the body as well as different mentalities -- and the writers ignore this.What's really useful in this book is the clear distinction in the pictures between static and dynamic muscles -- this will help martial artists improve their technique greatly by increasing their body awareness.