Hsing I

Hsing I (also known as Xing Yi or Xing I) , along with Pa-Kua and Tai Chi, completes the triad of popular internal Chinese martial arts. Mind-Body Boxing (also known as Form and Will Boxing), was created by Ji Long Feng in the 17th century. Whereas Pa-Kua emphasizes circularity of movement, Hsing i takes a direct, linear approach to combat. From the five basic techniques of splitting, crushing, drilling, pounding and crossing, which are developed using both arms, the practitioner goes on to simulate the characteristics of twelve animals. Used in combination these techniques can produce a wide variety of attack and defense methods.

Hsing I and Pa Kua

It was the Hsing I master Kuo Yun-shen, fighting Tung Hai-ch’uan, an expert in Pa-Kua, that brought together an agreement between students of the two opposed styles (Mind - Body boxing being linear, Pa-Kua being circular). Unable to breach the circular defense of Tung, Kuo was finally beaten when the Pa-Kua master unexpectedly took the offense. Recognizing that both could learn from the other, the two agreed to have their students cross train.

Traditional training is largely concerned with the solo performance of forms that go back and forth in straight lines. Within these forms the fundamental techniques and combat principles can be found. The main methods of attack include the punch, an open palm strike and a ‘hammerhead’ (using the base of a closed fist to strike down upon the head, nose or shoulders of an opponent). These forms are done at speed, but without tension and the practitioner does not interrupt the flow of techniques, as seen in harder forms of kung fu, but rather techniques meld naturally into the next, a characteristic of the internal martial arts of China. That said, of Tai Chi, Pa-Kua and Mind - Body boxing, the latter requires the highest amount of overt energy to perform successfully.

Once basic techniques and coordination have been developed, a trainee progresses onto two man forms and a version of pushing hands. Two man forms are also set routines in which one or the other makes attacks or appropriate defenses, all done in a flow so that as one movement ends another begins. In this manner an overwhelming energy is developed. Failing the delivery of a knock out blow, pushing hands is also practiced, but this lacks the sensitivity of Tai Chi and is more concerned with overpowering an opponent.

In combat the art is most effective when employed directly so that the foe can be overcome in the shortest time possible. What it lacks in subtlety the art makes up for in sheer power. Successions of powerful attacks are made to weak points of the human anatomy to buckle the defender. Should the onslaught be withstood then the master relies on the application of joint locks to control his opponent and bring him to the floor when a coup de grace may be administered.

Bagua

Bagua Chuan, also known as Ba Gwa Chuan, Pa Kua Chuan or Eight Trigram Boxing, is a Chinese internal fighting method, sister to Xing I and Tai Chi. The eight trigrams are said to relate to the Eight Trigrams of the I-Ching (The Book of Changes), a famous treatise on divination that fascinated C.G. Jung. The name further refers to the Eight Directions of Movement studied.

The origins of the art are presently unknown, but the most common account given is that Tung Hai Chuan (1798 – 1879) learned the basics of the art from a Taoist monk before developing the system fully in Beijing. There he defeated a Hsing I expert, though not without difficulty, and the two masters agreed that their students should learn both arts to make them more rounded fighters, a practice that continues today along with the third addition of Tai Chi Chuan. So effective was this art that guards in the Imperial palace were required to perfect its techniques in order to be able to better protect the emperor.

Walking the Circle in Bagua

Training is conducted initially by the student walking in a tight circle, with his eyes and focus directed into the center (where his opponent would be). While ‘walking the circle’ as this practice is known, a series of techniques are executed, including twists and turns to walk in the opposite direction. The practitioner is never still and is in a constant state of fluid motion. Pair practice includes the popular Chinese exercise of pushing hands. Each style of Chinese martial art has its own form of pushing-hands practice, and that of this art is of medium intensity. Not as soft as Tai Chi, but not as forceful as Wing Chun. While pushing-hands practitioners maintain contact with one another’s forearms, thrusting forward to lightly strike the other or push him off balance. The receiver must learn to intuitively react to changes in pressure he feels on his forearms and redirect the energy. Initially this practice is done statically, but more advanced forms allow movement and sweeps.

As a fighting art the practitioner uses quick footwork to move around an opponent into a more advantageous position, either at his side or behind him, while avoiding or redirecting any attacks. Offensively the master uses low kicks and hand strikes to vulnerable parts of the body, combined with locks. The art functions best at close-quarters art and once a fight starts the practitioner maintains a close proximity to his opponent.