Iron Ball, Wooden Staff, Empty Hands: Understanding Structure, Flow, and Maneuver in Martial Arts

Caylor Adkins has over 50 years of rigorous training with a bias for studying realistic combat. He has always sought broadly based sources of martial arts understanding for himself and his students beyond his original training in Shotokan Karate. His criterion is that the ideas really work. Some of the sources in the book include:

* Ball and staff forms from Chinese masters

* Western boxing

* Russian Systema empty arm techniques

* Stick work from Balintawak Cuentada Escrima

* Experts in body structure and connection: medical physiologists, external martial arts styles, Ida Rolf structural integration, and Lu Wen Wei's four-center (tantien) model

* Chi flow models from internal martial arts styles


The goal of the book is to transmit Adkins martial arts understanding to improve the technique and combat ability of his readers. He uses basic techniques, forms, and combat drills in three complementary modalities (iron ball, wooden staff, and empty hands) to explain:

* Structure: integrating the whole body and spirit to hit harder with less wasted power

* Flow: using breathing, chi, and movement initiators to move quickly and efficiently

* Maneuver: defeating a dangerous opponent by understanding focus, critical edge, disruptive techniques, and centering