Customer Reviews

Fighting Science: The Laws of Physics for Martial Artists

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

There is nothing new under the sun, but what Martina Sprague has done in Fighting Science is articulate the principles of physics as applied to martial arts. The book is educational both for the martial artist and the science interested person in general.

The first chapter whets your appetite by discussing and comparing concepts and situations you may end up in both as a standup fighter and a grappler. Subsequent chapters explore physics in depth applied to martial arts, with a start in balance, followed by momentum and motion and how it translates into force. Next follows the exploration of speed and friction, which counteracts speed, and how to increase your power or decrease your opponent's power by manipulating the time during which your striking weapon impacts the target. An explanation of how to conserve energy by using your own and your opponent's movement to your advantage follows, which naturally leads to your ability to end a fight quickly. The last chapter talks about how physics helps a martial artist attain the focus he or she needs to accomplish board and brick breaking, as well as other astonishing feats.

Through its simple explanations and hundreds of practical exercises, the book adds to the excitement of teaching and learning, and shows how, with some scientific knowledge and a lot of dedication, it is possible for the average Joe to perform with the precision he or she needs to defeat an adversary both in competition and on the street. Definitely a worthwhile book.

Fighting Science is a wonderful, information crammed martial arts book that fills a much-needed void in the field. Author Martina Sprague clearly knows her stuff and passes on her knowledge in a simple and easy-to-understand language that even the science and math challenged among us can grasp at first read.

Even if you have been studying the martial arts for years, her explanations as to the science behind you favorite moves will have you exclaiming, "So that's why that technique works so well."

Perhaps more importantly, with a new understanding of the simple laws of physics that make a technique work and work well, you might discover the solution to a problem you've had with a particular punch, kick, or throw.

Her simple explanations as to the physics behind your movements, backed by hundreds of clear photos, will not only improve your techniques but will help you defeat your opponent, whether it's in the ring or in the street.

I highly recommend it.

Martina Sprague's book, Fighting Science, helps martial artists at all skill levels understand how the techniques work and how to make them work better. She helps fighters understand certain principles that they may have noticed but never quite identified (for example, a heavier fighter may not be as fast as a lighter fighter, but he's harder to stop once he gets going.) Sprague's book helps you understand what these principles are and how they apply. For example, she explains that a heavier fighter has more inertia to overcome to get started, but that heavier mass is harder to stop once it's moving. Then she gives tips on how to accommodate for this property.

Although I thought I knew a lot about martial arts, Sprague's book gave me even more insight into how fighters can get more from their training. I would recommend it to any martial artist interested in why and how the martial arts work, and to any martial artist who wants to get better.

Fighting Science has helped me understand why some techniques work and others don't. Understanding the physics behind the techniques takes a lot of the guesswork and experimentation out of my training. I used to wonder why my instructor insisted on doing some techniques a certain and now I know. I also know that there are better ways of doing a couple of things than what I learned in class. This book is an excellent investment for anyone who wants to know not only what works and what doesn't but why.

I bought this book expecting a little more. When I sat down to read it I realized that this book won't really alter anything I've been doing. I DO recommend it as a reference book or as something that will benefit the novice martial artist, therefore it got three stars because someone other than me can probably get something out of it. Sprague does tell the science behind some of the things, but if you are a veteran martial artist you probably know most of what is in here or are doing lots of the things this book mentions without knowing it. Then again, maybe I had good schooling or maybe I know more than the average Joe and don't know it. I doubt that though.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
Inexperienced - If you are a beginning martial artist, armchair warrior, want to know why certain things work, or want a reference book on techniques and how they work, this is worthwhile.

Experienced - If you are an experienced fighter/martial artist, of both stand-up and ground fighting, there is probably little you have to gain from this. If you know only one of those (stand-up or ground fighting) there might be a slight advantage in having this, but you could probably do better getting a book addressing those specific areas.

*NOTE: Although other people gave it 5 stars, be weary of Loren Christensen's review as he is also a Turtle Press author (people who made this book) and I see him giving 5 stars to other Turtle Press writers here on Amazon.com, I'm not bashing him, I liked Fighter's Fact Book, just be careful.

Most martial artists know that Miyamoto Musashi, arguably the greatest swordsman of all time, advocated quickness and power as superior to strength and speed. As a practitioner, I have known for years that sheer size and brute strength meant very little to accomplished martial artists, yet I never truly understood why. Having finished this excellent book, now I know.

Sprague's tome helps us reach our full potential in the fighting arts, martial sports, and even in every day conditioning by successfully explaining in straightforward terms how the laws of physics can be applied to generating maximum power from martial technique. She describes how things like balance, momentum, rotational speed, friction, direction, impulse, and conservation of energy can work for or against us in executing striking, kicking, throwing, grappling, and joint manipulating techniques. That pretty much covers all the bases, huh? There are tons of great illustrations, summaries, and even quizzes to supplement the materials. This is an easy to read, easy to implement text that can only help you become a better martial artist.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

As the author of Fighting Science, I would like to comment on the review titled "Fight with questionable physics?" from Quasi-recluse. This book is not about fighting strategy primarily, but about applying the laws of physics to your martial art. It is important that information seekers in any area understand that failing to agree on a definition often leads to misunderstandings. For example, the reviewer states that the title of the book is a misnomer, and that the techniques are not about fighting, but more about tournament fighting. But that is only true if we define fighting ONLY as self-defense, and science ONLY as strategy. It is equally possible that fighting means karate, kung-fu, Thai-boxing, grappling, or modern wars. So if a person desires to buy a book that deals primarily with self-defense, he might be disappointed if he finds that the book is more about martial arts in general. The same is true regarding the word science. Science could mean tournament fighting tactics or street tactics, but it could equally much mean equations in physics. Whether or not the title is a misnomer therefore depends on the meaning you assign it based on what you are seeking. However, the meaning intended has been clarified through the subtitle: The Laws of Physics for Martial Artists.

The reviewer also states that he is more concerned with someone pummeling him than a person who trains in throws, grappling, or is flexible enough to kick to the head, and that he wouldn't teach his mom many of the techniques in the book. But the book is not about specific martial arts techniques; it is about the concepts of physics, which the reader is supposed to correlate to the techniques of his or her choosing. Although I have included a variety of examples from kickboxing, grappling, joint locks, throws, and demonstrations in breaking or other feats of power, the principles of physics are not limited to these techniques only. The book was not written primarily for somebody's mom in a self-defense scenario; it was equally much written for young and energetic karate people on the competition circuit in a multitude of arts and demonstrations, or for the everyday karate practitioner who practices for no other reason than his own enjoyment. And, yes, the models wear Thai-shorts in some of the photos, but they also wear karate gis, jeans, or long pants and T-shirts in other photos.

Regarding whether it is "better" to throw a strike to the chest or to the head, again, the reader must remember that it is not techniques we are talking about, but concepts of physics. There is a difference between being more powerful and being more effective. For example, a strike thrown straight out from the shoulder has the potential to be more powerful than a strike thrown at an angle upward or downward, because it allows the fighter to place his or her body mass behind the strike without running as great a risk of splitting the resultant force (it is still possible to throw an angled strike at full force and make up for lack of reach in other ways, but one must be aware of the pitfalls). This is not the same as saying that I suggest a person will be more effective if he strikes his opponent in the chest rather than the head (in fact, I don't even suggest that he strikes to the chest, that is an assumption the reviewer is making). But he could be more effective if his opponent were shorter than him, or was off balance and inadvertently brought his head to the level of the punch. If you are much shorter than your opponent or kneeling, you might also land a good blow to the groin if you strike straight out from the shoulder. It should therefore not be assumed that a strike straight from the shoulder always lands on the chest. Again, the intent of the book is not to teach techniques, but to show how one can correlate the concepts of physics to the martial arts, regardless of which art one studies. Avoiding assumptions and making an effort to determine the intent of the material in a book will help any reader collect more purposeful information.

Martina Sprague

It is great to see a book actually apply the science of physics to the martial arts. Many books attempt to claim they do by citing a couple of equations and formulas but fail to apply them to the movements and techniques demonstrated or examined. Martina Sprague has done a great job of applying the basics of physics to both striking and grappling styles. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for the a western scientific approach to understanding their style.

Here's the deal - I've been involved in martial arts for years. I'm not the best in the world, but I'm no slouch. I practice hard, learn well, and apply what I know in class and competition.

Still, I've wondered why a techniques sometimes rings like a bell but other times doesn't seem to work at all.

After reading this book I've been able to fine-tune my technique to a much greater extent. I kick harder, strike more forcefully, and am much better at absorbing blows. My peers have noticed - it's not just my imagination.

Plus, I've applied the concepts to improve my teaching. I can explain how and why something works in a clearer fashion. My students get better right along with me.

So, why not 5 stars? Because nothing's ever perfect!

If you're one of those guys who wasn't exactly thrilled with high school science, you might want to give it another try. Not the same class you took back then, but "Fighting Science: The Laws of Physics for Martial Artists." This 269-page book by Martina Sprague is reader-friendly and covers such topics as an introduction to fighting concepts, balance, momentum, direction, impulse, rotational speed and kinetic energy. Check it out. It's fun and you may just learn a thing or two.