This article presents a technique that uses rotor shorting rings to start the single-phase switched reluctance (SR) machine, from any rotor position, in a specified direction. It also outlines how the shorting rings enable starting of the machine. Transient finite-element analysis is used to illustrate the torque-producing mechanism from the aligned position using the rotor-mounted shorting rings. It is also used to determine the optimal stator and rotor pole arcs and shorting ring design for a 200-W prototype machine. An SR drive system incorporating rotor shorting rings is evaluated, and experimental results show the effectiveness of the technique.