xing yi quan help

[UK MONK]

hi, i need some info on xing yi quan. for instance= how old is it, where did it originate, what does it mean when translated into english, how many forms are in this style, and any sort of information on this would be really helpful.

p.s if there's any vids online or websites please post the links. thanks

[Tao Of The Fist]

That's a very broad question, and you should be able to find out most of it on your own. However, to simplify, Xingyiquan is:

An internal martial art, with the oldest legitimate history being in the 1600's, and is credited to Marshall Yue Fei (with little historical evidence). It is likely to have originated in Shanxi province.

Xingyi has four main forms: Five Elements Fist, Five Elements Linked Form, Twelve Animals, and Two Person Set, along with various weapons forms.

But please, do the research yourself! At least start out on Wikipedia and follow the sources links... I promise you, it's very easy to find info on xingyiquan

[UK MONK]

Thanks for the information. this will give me somewhere to start. i asked the forum because i thought it would be a lot more reputable than wikipedia.

[Ray Pina]

hsing-I is a great style. If you begin to study it, my advice is forget about the element and animal names and try to understand the objective of each form.... each one is used to either create space, lift, press or collapse. Hsing-I's specialty is power generation. It's wonderful to combine its mechanics with another system.

[jack]

hi, i need some info on xing yi quan. for instance= how old is it, where did it originate, what does it mean when translated into english, how many forms are in this style, and any sort of information on this would be really helpful.

p.s if there's any vids online or websites please post the links. thanks

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/...ad.php?t=41393

Xing yi quan originated from ancient chinese spear fighting techniques. It transformed spear fighting into unarmed combat.

[chusauli]

In Xing Yi, first learn to stand properly. That will get you power. San Cai or San Ti is the key. Then learn each of the 5 element fists in detail. After that, you can learn the 12 animals easily. Most of the forms are repetitious and silly.

It doesn't take too long to learn everything, but just practice well.

[jack]

The San Cai or San Ti stance (三體式) looks kinda like a man holding a spear.

[KTS]

like is mentioned, the standing practice, that lovely brutal motionless exercise that our teachers make us do for 10+ minutes at a time is really the bread and butter of xingyi's foundation.

the structure you create from learning progressively finer points points of standing gets directly translated into your boxing and form work.

not many forms, just basic 5, a linking form, 12 animals, and some 2 person sets and weapons like staff or spear. practicing skills are more important than forms in xingyi.

it's quality makes up for it's lack of quantity. but u will find plenty of hidden elements in each movement that can keep you occupied for a long time.

find a teacher and check it out.

u asked for a clips, so..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld3ek8i9pT4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BOl6zpaxK8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIjaz5nckG4

im sure people can guess what school im from by the clips.

[Tao Of The Fist]

like is mentioned, the standing practice, that lovely brutal motionless exercise that our teachers make us do for 10+ minutes at a time is really the bread and butter of xingyi's foundation.

the structure you create from learning progressively finer points points of standing gets directly translated into your boxing and form work.

not many forms, just basic 5, a linking form, 12 animals, and some 2 person sets and weapons like staff or spear. practicing skills are more important than forms in xingyi.

it's quality makes up for it's lack of quantity. but u will find plenty of hidden elements in each movement that can keep you occupied for a long time.

find a teacher and check it out.

u asked for a clips, so..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld3ek8i9pT4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BOl6zpaxK8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIjaz5nckG4

im sure people can guess what school im from by the clips.

The beauty of Xingyiquan, of course, is it's simplicity in comparison to other styles. The whole combat essence is pretty much just to drive though your opponent.. However, never make the mistake of thinking simpler means easier. And yes, there is ALOT of standing practice, which is as tortuous as standing in an eskimo suit in Death Valley.. but it's all worth it.

[jack]

Indeed the standing practice & San Ti stance are as tortuous as standing in an eskimo suit in Death Valley.

But is there any way to replace them?

[dimethylsea]

Indeed the standing practice & San Ti stance are as tortuous as standing in an eskimo suit in Death Valley.

But is there any way to replace them?

There are ways to get around it sortof.. but what you make without them isn't xingyi

Kinda like.. "Can you make a cake without flour?"
"Well yes.. but then it's a torte!".

[jack]

There are ways to get around it sortof.. but what you make without them isn't xingyi

Kinda like.. "Can you make a cake without flour?"
"Well yes.. but then it's a torte!".

You can actually try replacing the standing practice & San Ti stance by the forward thrust spearing movement.

[dimethylsea]

But wouldn't that give you something more like Six Harmony Spear?

Again.. not that a flourless chocolate torte isn't mad tasty... but it's not a cake

Xingyi (hebei anyway) is all about standing. And holding piquan for umpteen breaths. Etc.

Again.. not that a spear thrust wouldn't make good martial arts... but would it have that xingyi flavor? I can't say as I think it would.

[Snake77]

IMO...Do yourself a favor and DO NOT skimp on San Ti. It is very important and the better your root and structure ecspecially with movement the better your xingyi will be.

[Tao Of The Fist]

IMO...Do yourself a favor and DO NOT skimp on San Ti. It is very important and the better your root and structure ecspecially with movement the better your xingyi will be.

San Ti and standing exercises are essential to the xingyi training, and actually to all of the internal martial arts. Your power should always come from your rooting in anything, which of course is what standing training prepares you for along with qi circulation. Yiquan (xingyi derivative) focuses extensively on this for that reason.

Oh, just a little tidbit of info for ya UK MONK: A simplified version of Xingyi was taught to soldiers during the Sino-Japanese War. This is significant in my opinion because it tells me a few things: One, it was easy enough to understand the basic concepts and apply them to REAL combat for the everyday soldier, and two, it didn't take a long time to learn because they didn't HAVE the time to learn complicated moves. In other words, XINGYI IS BATTLE TESTED AND PROVEN TO WORK AND SIMPLE WORKS BEST.

Tang Shou Tao founder Hong Yixiang and his teacher Zhang Junfeng taught Xingyiquan first out of the three neijia because they believed it taught the basics of IMA best, and takes less time to cultivate qi in and helps improve the bagua and taiji skills later.