Hsing I confusion

[African Tiger]

Say gang:

Sifu Carl and the gang at the Taoist Institute keep trying to get me to come over to the Internal Class.

But I'm worried that I'll get all confused, since the stances and theories etc, are vastly different from the Long Fist/Animal stances that I'm already learning.

Do I have a valid concern, or are there enough similarities between them to keep me from getting all screwed up?

[Felipe Bido]

Yes :D












Seriously, yes, you have a valid concern. The mechanics and alignments are very different.

[fa_jing]

With the usually low rear guard hand, how does Hsing-Yi deal with an opponent that throws combinations againt your head? Is there any evasive head action going on? Perhaps my question has invalid assumptions.

[diego]

Felipe didnt many of the hsingyi masters come into hsingyi after mastering lohan?, or was that bagua?.
Regardless isnt/wouldnt? say some longfist styles be a good say prepcourse before studying the internals?.

[Felipe Bido]

Fah_Jing, it's very uncommon to see a Xingyi player using a low rear guard when standing in a fighting pose. Generally you see a Hsing Yi player standing with both arms in front (Very much like a boxer), in a relaxed position, or in a San Ti stance with the rear hand close to the lead elbow. If the San Ti stance is used, it's very sure that the practicioner will change it while entering or evading (Or entering/evading, which is very common in XY)

What you see in the forms (The rear hand goin down while the lead attacks) is actually a grab/pull down, with simultaneous attack from the lead. You can see that specially in the Pi Quan and Zuan Quan strikes.

Diego, it was Bagua. And it was not only Lohan Shaolin. There were masters of other styles (Xingyi, Shuai Chiao) who practiced bagua, and added their own flavor.

[SifuAbel]

AT,

Unlike video tape, I don't beleive muscle memory is a static one use medium. I do several different styles, both internal and external. They only compliment each other.

When I reached my fifth year with my teacher he said I now had to start learning tai chi as part of the next step up. I asked why, he said simply that without a good internal balance I would not survive the coming external training. Sure enough, six months after starting tai chi, my stamina and breath control had doubled as well as my strength.

As far as fighting is concerned, its more up to your body to react and choose which movement to follow. The abstract shape of the situation governs which piece fits where. You may have a favorite or more naturally comfortable prediliction toward one or another style but you are not bound by the shape. One must be mutable and flow with the changes. The long, the short, the elusive, the sticky, the untouchable, the immovable, the light , the heavy, the up, the down, the straight, the circle. I don't know how many times you've heard it but , If you have to think about it, its too late.

OT- How will I recognize you at Dragonfest? :D