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IronFlower Weapons Styles |
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Chi Kung & Tai Chi |
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Xing means the “form of something”. Everything that manifests, at the level of either energy or matter has in one way or another a form, a shape, a cohesion, a configuration; the form of a cup, the form of a thought, the forms of different species or animals. In this style, the body will take form when assuming a posture to attack or defend. Yi, in the context of the name, refers to the ability of the mind to create an idea and project it into the body, creating a functional physical form that is a way of moving, a fighting strategy, a fighting posture, or a kind of power. Xing Yi Quan calls for the student to be able to believe that his body will automatically do what the mind tells it. Without limitations, the body and mind connect to create fluid movement Branches
Xingyiquan has three main developmental branches:
However, the identification of three separate branches is tenuous because of the extensive cross-training that occurred across their lineages. This suggests that the branches did not evolve in isolation, thus diluting any major differences between them.
Schools of the Shanxi branch have a narrower stance, lighter footwork and tend to be more evasive. Schools of the Hebei branch emphasise powerful fist and palm strikes, with slightly different evasive footwork. Schools of the Henan branch are typically the most aggressive of the three.The Henan branch is known as the Muslim branch because it was handed down within the to which its founder, Ma Xueli, belonged. Henan branch is sometimes referred to by practitioners as Xinyi LiuHe Quan instead of simply Xingyiquan This may be attributed to the fact that the Muslim community of China was historically a very closed culture in order to protect themselves as a minority, thus retaining the older addition to the name of Xingyi. LiuHe means "Six Harmonies" and refers to the six harmonies of the body (hips, feet, knees, elbows etc.) that contribute to correct posture. This is not to be confused with the separate internal art Both the Shanxi and Hebei branches use a Twelve Animal system with Five Elements while the Henan branch uses Ten Animals. Depending on the lineage, it may or may not use Five Elements. Due to the historical complexity and vagueness of the lineages, it is uncertain which branch would constitute the "authentic" Xingyiquan.
In general, the training characteristics of northern styles put more focus on legwork, kicking and acrobatics. Some say this is because the northern Chinese were generally taller than those living in southern China, and such training takes advantage of their greater range of motion, especially in their legs. Others claim that the terrain of northern China is more suitable to kicking techniques, or that the cold of the northern Chinese winter caused the practitioner to emphasis leg techniques rather than hand skills. Still others suggest that jump kicking techniques were developed to fight Mongolian horseman who used "very short stirrups". Regardless of the reason, Northern styles exhibit a distinctively different flavour from the martial arts practised in the South. The influence of Northern styles can be found in traditional korean martial arts and their emphasis on high level kicks. Neijia in fiction
Five Element FormsXingyiquan uses to metaphorically represent five different states of combat. Also called the "Five Fists" or "Five Phases," the Five Elements are related to although the names do not literally correspond to the cosmological terms.
Xingyiquan practitioners use the Five Elements as an interpretative framework for reacting and responding to attacks. This follows the Five Element theory, a general combat formula which assumes at least three outcomes of a fight; the constructive, the neutral, and the destructive. Xingyiquan students train to react to and execute specific techniques in such a way that a desirable cycle will form based on the constructive, neutral and destructive interactions of Five Element theory. Where to aim, where to hit and with what technique—and how those motions should work defensively—is determined by what point of which cycle they see themselves in.
Each of the elements has variant applications that allow it to be used to defend against all of the elements (including itself), so any set sequences are entirely arbitrary, though the destructive cycle is often taught to beginners as it is easier to visualize and consists of easier applications. Some schools will teach the Five Elements before the Ten Animals because they are easier and shorter to learn.
The Five Elements of Xingyiquan |
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Splitting |
劈 |
Pī |
Metal |
Like an axe chopping up and over. |
Pounding |
炮 |
Pào |
Fire |
Exploding outward like a cannon while blocking. |
Drilling |
鑽 |
Zuān |
Water |
Drilling forward horizontally like a geyser. |
Crossing |
橫 |
Héng |
Earth |
Crossing across the line of attack while turning over. |
Crushing |
崩 |
Bēng |
Wood |
Arrows constantly exploding forward. |
It is perhaps unfortunate that the names used for the elements are used as fundamental names for applications of energy or jìn (勁), since it can be confusing to describe the "heng jin contained within pi quan". The jìn referred to by the five element names are not the only ones, there are many others.
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