I began my studies in YiLiQuan in 1982. Phillip Starr was (and is) my teacher. The conversations revealed in this book are very similar to conversations I had with Sifu Starr in the early to mid 1980s. During my course of study in YiLi (and it is still on-going), it never occurred to me that what Sifu Starr was saying was simply a passing on of information that he had learned from his teacher. Funny thing is, I now pass on similar teachings to my students and never take credit for the information...I can finally grasp the branch that leads into the past for, who knows how many generations...The information that Phillip Starr imparted to me was, in almost all ways, the same information that his teacher, Chen Wing Chou, imparted to him...and the information that Sifu Chen passsed on to Sifu Starr goes as far back as Master Tai's teacher, and his teacher before him, etc.
This book is a real jewel in the martial arts literature in that it teaches through a dialogue between teacher and student.
Something every martial arts student can understand and relate to. Moreover, this book can be enjoyed by the non-martial artist, too. The philosophical aspects of traditional training are brought out and those ideas can be employed in anyone's daily life...
This is not a "how to" book...but it will enhance anyone's training because the lessons are not specific to one particular style of martial art...enjoy.

The book is a well written piece. The stories centered around the interaction between Chen and Sifu Starr are reminiscent of the insightful interaction that Sifu Starr shares with his current students. I highly recommend this book to the serious martial artist whether they practice kung-fu, karate, judo, etc. We all have one thing in common--we train in order to understand what it truly means to be virtuous.


Vincent Hardy