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fifth generation decendant of Chen Wangding, Chen Youben simplified
the original forms into sets which have come to be known as the "New
Style" (Xinjia). Chen Youben's nephew, Chen Jingbing, created a
variation of the New Style which is known as the "Small Frame" (Xiaojia)
or "Zhaobao" form. All of these styles have survived to the present.
The Yang style of Taijiquan is a variation of the original Chen
style. The forms which were passed down from the Yang style founder,
Yang Luzhan have undergone many modifications since his time. Yang
Luzhan's sons were very proficient martial artists and each, in turn,
modified their father's art. The most commonly seen variation of the
form found today comes from the version taught by Yang Luzhan's
grandson, Yang Zhengfu. It was Yang Zhengfu who first popularized
his family's Art and taught it openly. Yang Zhengfu's form is
characterizes by open and extended postures. Most of the modern
variations of the Yang style, as well as the standardized Mainland
Chinese versions of Taijiquan are based on his variation of the
Yang form.
Yang Luzhan's student, Wu Yuxiang combined Yang's form with the
Zhaobao form which he learned from Chen Jingping to create the Wu
style. This style features higher stances and compact, circular
movements. His nephew's student, Hao Weizhen was a famous
practitioner of the style, so the style is sometimes refered to as the
Hao Style. Hao Weizhen taught his style to Sun Ludang, who combined
his knowledge of Xingyiquan and Baguazhang to create his own
Yang Luzhan had another student named Zhuan You (or Juan You),
who in turn taught the style to his son Wu Jianchuan (or Jianquan).
This modification of the Yang style is usually refered to as the
Wu Jianchuan (or Jianquan) style. This form's movements are smaller
and the stance is higher than the popular Yang style.
In summary, the major styles of traditional Taijiquan are the
Chen, Yang, Wu, Wu Jianchuan (or Jianquan) and Sun. All other "styles"
are variations of the above.
Non-martial Taiji variants.
There are modified forms of Taiji which are devoted mostly to health
enhancement and relaxation. The movements retain the flavor of
Taijiquan, but are often simplified.
16.39) Historical European Martial Arts
(Contributors:
Kirk Lawson - lawson@dayton.net
Jason Couch - jason-couch@comcast.net
Paul Wagner - galloglaigh@hotmail.com
Stephen Hand - shand@ssg.com.au
Topi Mikkola - tmikkola@cc.hut.fi
Mark Rector - rmarkrector@yahoo.com
Eli Steenput - ulfberth@yahoo.com)
Intro:
Historical European Martial Arts groups are dedicated to re-creating
the lost martial arts of Europe. Different groups embrace styles and
weapons of particular periods, which range from the Middle Ages to
the Industrial Revolution, although the majority focus on the
Renaissance era. These arts are re-created by intensely studying and
then practicing the techniques illustrated in various period
instructional manuals.
Origin: Medieval and Renaissance Europe
History:
Masters of defense are known to have taught the martial arts in
Europe as early as the 12th Century. These masters wrote, and often
illustrated, training manuals to pass on their skills and techniques;
the oldest known existent copy dates to the 13th century.
Some writings are cryptic lines intended only for those students
already initiated into the particular fight system; some are more
accessible descriptions and illustrations intended to attract new
students; and yet others are the distillation of the essential fight
principles extracted from the teacher's years of experience.
Unfortunately, these writings are almost all that is left to the
practitioner, as intact martial systems have not survived the
passage of time.
Although certain sports such as fencing, archery, singlestick,
boxing, and folk wrestling have retained portions of these skills,
much martial knowledge was lost due to the changed focus of military
science, the ever-fickle philosophies and fashions of personal
self-defense, and the rules imposed by the evolution into sporting
activities.
In the late 19th Century a renewal of interest in these "lost" skills
emerged. This movement was led notably in Great Britain by a group of
fencers that included Egerton Castle ("Schools and Masters of
Defense"), Sir Alfred Hutton ("Old Swordplay", "Cold Steel"), and
Captain Matthey ("Paradoxes of Defense"). These Victorian gentlemen
not only collected antique arms and fencing texts, but also put their
research into practice in the fencing hall. Theirs was the last gasp
of swordsmanship practiced by men who still romantically viewed the
sword and the knowledge of its use as a necessity for the
well-dressed gentleman and of those men who believed the historical
texts offered very real and practical advice for contemporary
soldiers who were still expected to wield the lance, bayonet and
sword on the field of battle.
A burgeoning sporting safety equipment industry spurred the renewed
interest in combat sports. Some believe that exposure to classical
Asian martial arts through trade with Japan also influenced this
revival. This interest was often viewed with an eye toward sport, as
in the case of quarterstaff, or merely as a curiosity.
In the late 20th century interest in recovering the martial aspect of
these European martial arts again gained in popularity. Forces behind
the interest and research in this area included: medieval re-enactors
of various philosophies seeking to fight in a more authentic manner;
theatrical fight choreographers wishing to depict more authentic
combat on stage and screen; modern fencers exploring the more
combative roots of their sport; Western practitioners of Eastern
martial arts exploring their own cultural heritage, and to some
degree the public fascination with tales of European-style combat
such as those spun by J.R.R. Tolkien or the adventures fancifully
presented in role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons (tm) may
have helped pave the way for public interest and acceptance of the
combative value of these arts. Other possible motivations for the
resurgence of interest included: ethnic and nationalistic pride in
cultural heritage; the backlash against religious or spiritual
elements found in some non-Western martial arts; Self Defense; and
as a vehicle for establishing a connection to the past for some who
would otherwise be uninterested in Martial Arts.
There is no accepted "standard" naming convention for these clubs or
the martial arts that they practice. Some examples of school names
include "Fechtbuch Society," "School of Fence/Defence," "Historical
European Martial Arts (HEMA) schools/clubs/study
groups/associations," "Western Martial Arts," "Historical
Swordsmanship," "Academy of Arms," "Classical Fencing," etc. Most
will simply report that they practice "Western Martial Arts." The
trend is to select a name indicative of the focus of the organization
or to select a name that would have been appropriate for the school
during the period studied.
Description:
Historical fight manuals provide instruction in both armed and
unarmed combat: standing grappling, striking, ground grappling,
throwing, etc. Weapons instruction found in various manuals include
dagger, longsword, arming sword, spear, quarterstaff, polearm,
weapon and shield, club, cudgel, sabre (saber), smallsword, rapier,
two-weapon styles, and many more.
Illustrations for competing in judicial duels in particular show, in
addition to the expected sword illustrations, techniques for fighting
with hooked shields, polearms, and even techniques for the bizarre
domestic duel wherein a woman swings a rock in a veil at a man waist-
deep in a hole in the ground armed with a club.
Techniques and styles vary with time period and with location but
can cover unarmored, armored, mounted, afoot, differently armed, and
most other conceivable variations in combative circumstances.
While not addressed here in any detail, the civilian and sporting
elements of Western martial arts are also a valid area of study for
groups, including various pugilistic, wrestling, stickfighting, and
other martial styles that may have different origins than the
Medieval and Renaissance martial arts previously discussed.
There are a large number of Historical European Martial
Arts clubs, both small and large, including The British Federation,
Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica, the European
Historical Fencing Alliance, the Association for Historical Fencing
in the USA, the Australian Historical Swordplay Federation, The
Company of Maisters in Great Britain, The Academy of European
Medieval Martial Arts, The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts,
and the International Masters at Arms Federation. A web search on
the term "Fechtbuch," "Historical European Martial Arts", "Western
Martial Arts", "European Swordplay" and the like will net numerous
organizations and clubs.
Training:
Every society or club has its own curriculum, equipment, safety,
and training requirements. Some organizations offer simple guidance,
information exchange, and fellowship; others may offer a regulating
body to unite clubs in distant geographic locations. Since any
regular training is necessarily very local, most local groups set
their own standards regardless of affiliation.
Working from texts written by the masters of old, these groups may
study techniques from earlier or later martial traditions to isolate
the evolution of technical details. Perhaps most important, groups
network with other re-creationists via the Internet to discuss
details, make contacts, and arrange workshops and seminars to assist
in re-creating the particular art they study. In addition to the
input from others studying the same or related material, modern and
historical combat sports practitioners may also be consulted for
further technical comparisons.
16.40) Wing Chun
(Contributor: Marty Goldberg - gungfu@csd4.csd.uwm.edu)
Intro: One of the most popular forms of Gongfu.
Origin: China
History:
Wing Chun was an obscure and little known art until the mid twentieth
century. While multiple histories of the art do exist (some with only
minor discrepancies), the generally accepted version is thus:
he style traces its roots back over 250 years ago to the Southern
Shaolin Temple. At that time, the temple a was sanctuary to the
Chinese revolution that was trying to overthrow the ruling Manchu. A
classical martial arts system was taught in the temple which took
15-20 years to produce an efficient fighter.
Realizing they needed to produce efficent fighters at a faster pace,
five of China's grandmasters met to discuss the merits of each of the
various forms of gongfu. They chose the most efficient techniques,
theories and principles from the various styles and proceeded to
develop a training program that produced an efficent fighter in 5-7
years.
Before the program was put into practice, the Southern temple was
raided and destroyed. A lone nun, Ng Mui, was the only survivor who
knew the full system. She wandered the countryside, finally taking in
a young orphan girl and training her in the system. She named the
girl Yimm Wing Chun (which has been translated to mean Beautiful
Springtime, or Hope for the Future), and the two women set out
refining the system.
The system was passed down through the years, and eventually became
known as Wing Chun, in honor of the founder. The veil of secrecy
around the art was finally broken in the early 1950's when Grandmaster
Yip Man began teaching publicly in Hong Kong, and his students began
gaining noteriety for besting many systems and experienced opponents
in streetfights and "friendly" competitions. The art enjoyed even
more popularity when one of its students, Bruce Lee, began to enjoy
world wide fame.
Description:
Most important is the concept of not using force against force, which
allows a weak fighter to overcome stronger opponents. Generally, a
Wing Chun practitioner will seek to use his opponent's own force
against him. A great deal of training is put in to this area, and is
done with the cultivation of a concept called Contact Reflexes (see
"Training").
Also of importance are the use of several targeting ideas in Wing
Chun. The Mother Line is an imaginary pole running vertically through
the center of your body. From the Mother Line emanates the Center
Line, which is a vertical 3D grid that divides the body in to a right
half and a left half. Most of the vital points of the body are along
the Center Line, and it is this area that the Wing Chun student learns
to protect as well as work off of in his own offensive techniques.
Also emanating from the Mother Line is the Central Line. The Central
Line is seen as the shortest path between you and your opponent, which
is generally where most of the exchange is going to take place.
Because of this linear concept, most of the techniques seek to occupy
one of the two lines and take on a linear nature.
This leads to the expression of another very important concept in Wing
Chun: "Economy of Motion". The analogy of a mobile tank with a turret
(that of course shoots straight out of the cannon) is often used to
describe the linear concept.
Only two weapons are taught in the system, the Dragon Pole and the
Butterfly swords. These are generally taught only once the student
has a firm foundation in the system.
Training:
The way the art produces efficent and adaptble fighters in a
relatively short time is by sticking to several core principles and
constantly drilling them in to the student, as well as taking a very
generic approach to techniques. Instead of training a response to a
specific technique, the student practices guarding various zones about
the body and dealing genericly with whatever happens to be in that
zone. This allows for a minimum of technique for a maximum of
application, and for the use of automatic or "subconcious" responses.
Much training time is spent cultivating "Contact Reflexes". The idea
is that at the moment you contact or "touch" your opponent, your body
automaticaly reads the direction, force, and often intent of the part
of the opponent's body you are contacting with and automatically
(subconciously) deals with it accordingly. This again lends itself to
the generic concept of zoning.
Contact Reflexes and the concept of not using force against force are
taught and cultivated through unique two man sensitivity drills called
Chi Sao.
The concepts of guarding and working off of these lines and zones are
learned throught the practice of the three forms Wing Chun students
learn, and which contain the techniques of the system: Shil Lum Tao,
Chum Kil, and Bil Jee.
Another unique aspect of the system is the use of the Mook Jong, or
wooden dummy, a wood log on a frame that has three "arms" and a "leg"
to simulate various possible positions of an opponent's limbs. A
wooden dummy form is taught to the student, that consists of 108
movements and is meant to introduce the student to various
applications of the system. It also serves to help the student perfect
his own skills.
Weapons training drills off the same generic ideas and concepts as the
open hand system (including the use of Contact Reflexes). Many of the
weapon movements are built off of or mimic the open hand moves (which
is the reverse process of Kali/Escrima/Arnis, where weapon movements
come first and open hand movements mimic these).
Sub-Styles:
Currently, there exist several known substyles of Wing Chun. Separate
from Yip Man are the various other lineages that descended from one of
Yip Man's teachers, Chan Wah Shun. These stem from the 11 or so other
disciples that Chan Wah Shun had before Yip Man.
Pan Nam Wing Chun (currently discussed here and in the martial arts
magazines) is currently up for debate, with some saying a totally
separate lineage, and others saying he's from Chan Wah Shun's lineage.
Red Boat Wing Chun is a form dating back from when the art resided on
the infamous Red Boat Opera Troup boat. Little is known about the
history of this art or its validity.
At the time of Yip Man's death in 1972, his lineage splintered in to
many sub-styles and lineages. Politics played into this splintering a
great deal, and provided much news in the martial arts community
throughout the 70's and 80's. By the time the late 80's/early 90's
rolled around, there were several main families in Yip Man's lineage.
To differentiate each lineage's unique style of the art, various
spellings or wordings of the art were copyrighted and trademarked
(phonetically, Wing Chun can be spelled either as Wing Chun, Wing
Tsun, Ving Tsun, or Ving Chun). These main families and spellings
are:
Wing Tsun -- Copyrighted and Trademarked by Grandmaster Leung Ting.
Used to describe the system he learned as Grandmaster Yip Man's last
direct student before his death. Governing body is the International
Wing Tsun Association, and the North American Section in the U.S.
(IWTA-NAS).
Traditional Wing Chun -- Copyrighted and Trademarked by Grandmaster
William Cheung. Used to describe a very different version of Wing
Chun he learned while living with Yip Man in the 1950's. Includes
different history of lineage as well. Governing body is the World
Wing Chun Kung Fu Association.
Ving Tsun - Used by other students of Yip Man, such as Moy Yat. This
spelling was considered the main one used by Grandmaster Yip Man as
well. It is also used by many of the other students, and was adopted
for use in one of the main Wing Chun associations in Hong Kong -- The
Ving Tsun Athletic Organization.
Wing Chun - General spelling used by just about all practitioners of
the art.
A World Wide listing of Wing Chun Kwoons (schools) is maintained by
Marty Goldberg (gungfu@csd4.csd.uwm.edu) and posted periodically to
rec.martial-arts. A mailing list (open to all students of Wing Chun)
is also maintained by Marty and Rob Gillespe at majordomo@efn.org
16.41) Wushu / Gongfu
(Contributors: Nick Doan - nickd@meaddata.com,
Alex Jackl - ajackl@avs.com)
Intro:
This is an almost impossible category. This label is attached to
almost any martial art that comes from China. It is the generic name
for literally hundreds of individual Chinese fighting arts. In
reality we should have an entry for each individual Gongfu style we
are interested in, but this would fill entire volumes. However, we
will do our best.
Origin: China
History:
This is extremely controversial. Most of what appears here is a
summary of what has been learned from Sifu Benny Meng.
There are vague references of a King in China some thousands of years
ago who trained his men in techniques of hand-to-hand combat to use in
fighting against invading barbarians.
The first real references of an organized system of martial arts came
from a man named General Chin Na. He taught a form of combat to his
soldiers which most people believe developed into what is modern day
Chin-Na.
The first written record we have of Chinese martial arts is from a
Taoist acupuncturist from the 5th century. He describes combat
designed along the lines of an animal's movements and style.
Legend has it that a Bhuddist monk named Bohdiharma, also called
Damo, came acROSS the Tibetan Mountains to China. The Emperor of China
at the time was much impressed with the man, and gave him a temple
located in Henan - the famed Sui Lim Monastery (Shaolin Monastery).
Damo found that the monks there, while searching for spiritual
enlightenment, had neglected their physical bodies. He taught them
some exercises and drills that they adapted into fighting forms. This
became the famous Shaolin Gongfu system.
"Gongfu" means "skill and effort". It is used to describe anything
that a person nees to spend time training in and becoming skillful in.
(A chef can have good "gongfu".) The Chinese term that translates
into "military art" is "Wushu" Gongfu.
As all martial arts, Wushu in its early stages of development was
practiced primarily for self-defense and for aquiring basic needs. As
time progressed, innumerable people tempered and processed Wushu in
different ways. By China's Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), Wushu
had formed its basic patterns.
Intense military conflicts served as catalysts for the development of
Wushu. During China's Xia, Shang, and Zhou periods (2000BC to 771BC),
Wushu matured and formed complete systems of offense and defense, with
the emergence of bronze weapons in quantity. During the period of
Warring States (770BC to 221BC), the heads of states and government
advocated Wushu in their armies and kept Wushu masters for their own
puposes.
Military Wushu developed more systematically during the Tang and Song
dynaties (618 to 1279) and exhibitions of Wushu arts were held in the
armies as morale boosters and military exercises. In the Ming and Qing
dynasties, the general development of Wushu was at its height.
Military Wushu became more practical and meticulous and was
systematically classified and summarized . General Qi Jiguang of the
Ming Dynasty delved into Wushu study and wrote "A New Essay on Wushu
Arts", which became an important book in China's military literature.
The latter half of the 20th century has seen a great upswing in the
interest of Gongfu world wide. The introduction of Gongfu to the
Western world has seen to it that its development and popularity will
continue to grow.
Description:
Styles of Gongfu encompass both soft and hard, internal and external
techniques. They include grappling, striking, nerve-attack and much
weapons training.
The Shaolin styles encompass both Northern and Southern styles, and
therefore are the basis of the following outline.
I Shaolin Wushu styles
A. External Styles (Hard, Physical)
1. Northern
a. Northern Shaolin
b. Chang Quan (Long Fist)
c. Praying Mantis
d. Eagle Claw
e. Monkey
f. Drunken, et al
2. Southern
a. Southern Shaolin
b. Wing Chun
c. Five Animal System (Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Leopard, Crane)
d. Tiger and Crane Systems, et al
B. Internal Styles (Soft, Mental/Spiritual)
1. Taijiquan
2. Others (Bagua, Xingyi, et al)
Training:
II Shaolin Wushu Methods
A. Hard or External Styles
1. Stresses training and strengthening of the joints, bones,
and muscles
2. Requires rigorous body conditioning
3. Consists of positioning and movement of the limbs and body,
correct technique, muscular strength, speed, etc.
B. Soft or Internal Styles
1. Stresses development of internal organs where "Qi" is
produced
2. Allows one to develop mental capability to call upon this
"Qi"
3. Concerned with breathing, poise, and tone of the core body
structures
C. Long or Northern Styles
1. Stresses Flexibility, quickness, agility, and balance
similar to the attributes of a trained and well-conditioned
gymnast
2. Uses many kicks along with hand techniques
3. Legs specialize in long-range tactics
D. Short or Southern
1. Stresses close-range tactics, power, and stability
2. Uses mostly hand techniques
Gongfu almost always seems to incorporate forms and routines. They
emphasize solo practice as well as group practice. (They even have
forms for two or more people). They train in multiple types of
weapons. There is also a great emphasis on sparring in the harder
styles, and sensitivity training in the soft styles.
Sub-Styles: see above
16.42) Xingyiquan (Hsing Yi Ch'uan)
(Contributor: William Breazeal - breazeal@tweedledee.ucsb.edu)
INTRODUCTION:
Xingyiquan is one of the three orthodox "internal" styles of
Chinese martial art (the other two being Taijiquan and Baguazhang).
"Xing" refers to form and "Yi" to the mind or intent.
"Quan" literally means fist and denotes a method of unarmed combat.
Xingyiquan is commonly refered to as "Form and Mind" or "Form and
Will" boxing. The name illustrates the strong emphasis placed on
motion being subordinate to mental control.
ORIGIN: Shanxi Province, China.
HISTORY:
The exact origins of Xingyiquan are unknown. The creation of the
Art is traditionally attributed to the famous general and patriot Yue
Fei (1103- 1141) of the Song Dynasty. There is, however, no historical
data to support this claim. The style was originally called "Xin Yi Liu
He Quan"(Heart Mind Six Harmonies Boxing). The Six Harmonies
refer to the Three Internal Harmonies (the heart or desire coordinates
with the intent; the intent coordinates with the qi or vital energy;
the qi coordinates with the strength), and the Three External
Harmonies (the shoulders coordinate with the hips; the elbows
coordinate with the knees and the hands coordinate with the feet).
The earliest reliable information we have makes reference to Ji Longfeng
(also known as Ji Jige) of Shanxi Province as being the
first to teach the art of Xin Yi Liu He Quan. Ji Longfeng was
active near the end of the Ming Dynasty (early 1600's) and was a
master of spear fighting (he had the reputation of possessing "divine"
skill with the spear). He is recorded as stating "I have protected
myself in violent times with my spear. Now that we are in a time of
"peace" and our weapons have all been destroyed, if I am unarmed and
meet the unexpected, how shall I defend myself?" In answer to his own
question, Ji Longfeng reportedly created a style of weaponless
combat based on his expertise with the spear. He refered to his art as
"Liu He," the Six Harmonies.
Ji Longfeng had two very famous students. One was from from Hebei
province and was named Cao Jiwu. The other was from Henan
Province and was named Ma Xueli. It was at this point in history
that the Xin Yi Liu He Quan (now also refered to as Xingyiquan)
divided into three related yet separate styles, the Shanxi,
Henan and Hebei schools. After spending 12 years studying
Xingyiquan with Ji Longfeng, Cao Jiwu entered the Imperial Martial
Examinations and placed first (this was the most prestigious honor one
could possibly win as a martial artist in old China, and assured the
victor a high government position). Cao passsed on his art to two
brothers, Dai Longbang and Dai Linbang.
Dai Longbang passed his Art on to Li Luoneng (also known as Li
Nengran). Li holds the distinction of being the greatest Xingyi Boxer in
the styles' history and one of the top Chinese boxers of all time. Li
Luoneng taught his art in his native Shanxi Province and also
taught a great number of students in Hebei Province (his duties as a
bodyguard involved escorting various members of wealthy families to
and from Hebei). Two of Li's most famous Shanxi students were Song
Shirong and Zhe Yizhai. His most famous Hebei student was the
formidable Guo Yunshen (who reportedly defeated all comers with his
"Beng Quan," a straight punch to the body). Guo Yunshen passed on
his art to Wang Fuyuan, Liu Qilan and Sun Ludang among others;
Liu Qilan passed on the Art to the most famous practitioners of
this century, including Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhangui (also known as
Zhang Zhaodong). There are many practitioners of all three
sub-systems active today, and Xingyiquan is still a popular and
well respected style of martial art in China.
DESCRIPTION:
The art is divided into two main systems, the Ten Animal and Five
Element respectively. The Five Element system is further divided into
two major branches, the Hebei and Shanxi styles. The Ten animal
style is closest to the original Xin Yi Liu He Quan in form and
practice. The movements in the forms are patterned after the spirit of
various animals in combat, including the Dragon, Tiger, Monkey, Horse,
Chicken, Hawk, Snake, Bear, Eagle and Swallow. The Five Element based
systems have five basic forms (including Splitting, Drilling,
Crushing, Pounding, and Crossing) as the foundation of the art. These
basic energies are later expanded into Twelve Animal forms which
include variations of the animal forms found in the Ten Animal styles
as well as two additional animals, the Tai (a mythical bird) and the
Tuo (a type of water lizard, akin to the aligator). Training in all
systems centers on repetitive practice of single movements which are
later combined into more complicated linked forms.
The direction of movement in Xingyiquan forms is predominately
linear. Practitioners "walk" through the forms coordinating the
motions of their entire bodies into one focused flow. The hands, feet
and torso all "arrive" together and the nose, front hand and front
foot are along one verticle line when viewed from the front (san jian
xiang jiao). The arms are held in front of the body and the
practitioner lines up his or her centerline with opponent's
centerline. A familiar adage of Xingyiquan is that "the hands do
not leave the (area of the) heart and the elbows do not leave the
ribs." There are few kicks in the style and the techniques are of a
predominately percussive nature. Great emphasis is placed upon the
ability to generate power with the whole body and focus it into one
pulse which is released in a sudden burst.
Xingyi is characteristically aggressive in nature and prefers to
move into the opponent with a decisive blow at the earliest
opportunity. The style prizes economy of motion and the concept of
simultaneous attack and defense. As the name of the style implies, the
form or "shape" of the movements is the outward, physical
manifestation of the "shape" of one's intent. A fundamental principle
underlying all styles of Xingyiquan is that the mind controls and
leads the movement of the body.
TRAINING:
Training in Henan (Ten Animal) Xin Yi Liu He Quan includes basic
movements designed to condition and develop the striking ability of
the "Seven Stars" (the head, shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees and
feet). From there the student will progress to learning the basic
animal forms. Form practice consists of repeating single movements
while walking foward in various straight line patterns. Later, the
single movements are combined into linked forms. The techniques are
relatively simple and straightforeward and rely on the ability to
generate force with almost any part of the body (the Seven Stars).
Also included at more advanced levels are weapons forms (including the
straight sword, staff and spear).
The Five Element based styles of Xingyiquan (Shanxi and Hebei)
traditionally begin training with stance keeping (Zhan Zhuang). The
fundamental posture is called "San Ti" (Three Bodies) or "San Cai"
(Three Powers, refering to heaven, earth and man). It is from this
posture that all of the movements in the style are created and most
teachers place great emphasis upon it. After stance keeping the
student begins to learn the Five Elements (Wu Xing). These are the
basic movements of the art and express all the possible combinations
of motion which produce percussive power. After a certain level of
proficiency is acquired in the practice of the Five Elements, the
student goes on to learn the Twelve Animal and linked forms. The
Twelve Animal forms are variations of the Five Elements expressed
through the format of the spirit of animals in combat. There are
several two-person combat forms which teach the student the correct
methods of attack and defense and the applications of the techniques
practiced in the solo forms. Five Element based styles also include
weapons training (the same weapons as the Henan styles).
SUBSTYLES:
As mentioned above, Xingyiquan is divided into three related yet
distinct styles: Henan Xin Yi Liu He Quan and Shanxi/Hebei
Xingyiquan.
Henan Xin Yi Liu He Quan is characterized by powerful swinging
movements of the arms and the ability to strike effectively with every
part of the body. This system is very powerful and aggressive in
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