Xing Yi and Wing Chun

[foolinthedeck]

thanks omar!
great reply, put things in perspective.

[StickyHands]

However, on street reality fighting/or self defense against one or multiple opponets, which would you recommend? Xingyi or Tai Chi?

[Muppet]

Unless you're fighting scrubs, sprinting

Basic tai chi training doesn't seem to have much in the way of footwork.

Hsing I's jockeying teaches you to be more mobile from the get go, so if you have enough maneuvering room, it may be a little better.

But of all the internal arts, bagua (e.g., nine palace) is probably the closest to letting you fight multiple opponents since evasive footwork is so heavily emphasized.

[StickyHands]

Gotcha. Thanks. But concering Xingyi, and how everyone else who practice overemphasizing, I thought it's a military art, and the only internal art to be battle tested. So wouldn't that mean they too are exposed to fighting multiple opponents at once?

[Muppet]

Well, what I'm telling you is a big fat guess.

For all I know, taiji may be perfectly fine for multiple opponents but based on what I've seen of its footwork, I can't imagine how it could possibly be suited for that situation.

As far as Hsing I's "battle tested" reputation goes, who knows?
Reliable info on Hsing I only seems to go back to the 1600s and so the only more or less concrete proof is effectiveness in a non-military context: Escort, body-guard, and bounty-hunting work.

But even if we take the stories at face value, it still doesn't prove it was reliable for a one-to-many scenario. When you're in battle, you're (hopefully) not trying to fight off an entire group alone.

Also, the person probably had the luxury of fighting armed, so that a one-hit-one kill was more likely.

Really hard to know what's possible, though. From what I hear, even today, there are Hsing I lineages where you're contractually obliged not to reveal anything outside of the basic exercises.

But these are the family lineages that continue to provide reliable bodyguards to top Communist party leaders, etc.

I'm sure some Bagua and Taiji lineages have something similar.

[HuangKaiVun]

Oh yeah, Hsing I is battle tested.

Actually, it's moves are pretty simple. Regardless of the lineage, the 5 elements basically amount to:

guard position
punch
uppercuts (block)
parry, then strike
push-pull.

These features work in real combat because of their simplicity.

Also, the Hsing I fighter can rotate to face multiple opponents if need be. The same can be true of any true kung fu stylist.


Taijiquan also fights well when applied properly, especially when one doesn't try to overcomplicate the combat applications.

[flaco]

xing i is a good start for you, although most good xing i practicioners also learn bagua, because one is no better than the other. my shifu is li tailiang, and he is very adept at all three internal arts. he will use his xing yi fist or power, combined with the superior bagua footwork, so all in all, if your chun is good, you might want something different like bagua, it will teach more circles, which are lacking from most wc, and it will help you beat a wc guy of your same skill level.
bagua circle walking is a superior form of footwork, so again, its up to you.you cant go wrong either way. i think what will really answer your question, is--- which art has a good master teaching it in your area.