Welcome to Gaia! ::

I recently began a study on this interesting branch of the three internal martial arts the Chinese refer to as the Neijiaquan. As a taijiquan practitioner, it seemed logical that I begin to learn the sister arts of it as well. It's slow-going, as my training resources are limited to my own knowledge of internal mechanics and the few resources I am capable of tracking down on the net.

I was struck by its directness. The following video demonstrates the art's basic forms (all motions in traditional xingyiquan are based upon five different movements, modified per situation.)

Youtube : Xing Yi Quan

As you can see, the art appears to share very little in common with its sisters taijiquan and baguazhang. I'm slowly grasping the nuances of the art, the ways in which it is related, thanks largely to my taijiquan knowledge. It is fascinating. History and information in later posts, just wanted to share!

Aye, in that movie it was the fighting style practiced by the evil version of Law. The good version of him practiced baguazhang, considered by most practitioners to be the polar opposite of xingyiquan.

I loved that movie ... very impressive fight sequences ...

Chopping

The first motion of xingyiquan, which I am presently in the process of studying is called Chopping (in English. There is no word in our language that really translates the Chinese term properly.)

As a motion its initial purpose defied me, seeming only to be a strike followed by a shift back in to stance. However, having worked it exclusively for a week now I think I begin to understand. The purpose of the first fist motion is not, in fact, necessarily a strike, but rather an inside deflection against a straight punch (or, which a little modification, a kick). The hand motion that follows seems to suggest that you then apprehend the offending limb from your opponent and pull it down and toward your forward hip. Then, stepping forward, you drive the outside of your other palm (knife hand for you karate guys and gals) right into the juncture where their shoulder and torso meet. The direction they are traveling, plus their lack of balance, plus the force you apply using such a narrow part of your hand seems likely to me to either severely damage the ligaments and musculature at minimum, with the maximum result being that you separate the shoulder (dislocate, that is) from its socket. Effectively, using this motion, you "Chop" their arm off. I imagine that with proper qi application it will be possible to also disrupt the armpit meridian, which can lead to severe heart problems for the target.

Cannon Fist (Snapping)

The third motion of xingyiquan translates from Chinese to English roughly as "cannon fist", though it is also known as Snapping (again, no proper English word for the concept.)

This motion, when I first began its study, seemed largely reminiscent on the punches of more linear arts such as kyokushin karate. Simple straight punches are directed toward the core of the opponent as you advance upon them. However, the form associated with the snapping motion is more important than the strike itself, which I am learning can be coupled easily with both Chopping and Drilling. The punch is simply taught as part of this form so that you know how to do it.

More important are the footwork and directional changes of the art. Each straight punch is delivered with a snapping motion of the rear leg forward, creating a powerful twist of the hips. The lead leg is always the same, without the characteristic stance changes of xingyiquan, though it can be right or left. When performing this form, I could feel the inherent power of the movement. It sets the qi reeling, yanking the power strongly from the ground and twisting it up from the feet, through the legs and dan tien (center of mass), and into the core where it can be fired out through the striking appendage. The angle of the shoulders is also critical. Most arts teach the practitioner not to drop the shoulder, but in xingyiquan it seems critical to help generate significant enough force to impart damage.

Also of interest is the directional change of this form. The snapping form, like the others, is performed on a straight line. At the end of this line, you must turn about and come back. (Note that this is for the form's purposes only; if you were to travel in a straight, predictable line in a real fight, the opponent would mop the floor with you!) It incorporates a forearm block on the rotation of the feet and hips, a distracting forward kick, and a strange low cross-kneed stance the steps forward into a push. Also, unlike the other motions I have learned thus far, snapping closes its form with a retreating strike, rather than just the customary closure motion.

In format, snapping seems to be less about the varied strikes it incorporates and more about the ways of moving that it promotes, and in practicing it I am slowly but surely feeling my musculature develop the memory of it.

They also share a unique format of motion and footwork. There are a great many similarities between the two arts. Wing Chun also appears to borrow some things from baguazhan and taijiquan, the sister arts of xingyiquan. Indeed, it could be argued that Wing Chun is an ultimate combination of those three forms that also utilizes techniques from several external arts!