Yiquan
Yiquan (Chinese:意拳; pinyin: Yìquán; Wade-Giles: I Ch'uan; lit. "Mind Boxing"), also known as dachengquan (Wade-Giles: Ta Ch'en Ch'uan; lit. "Great Achievement Boxing"), is a martial art system which was founded by the famous Chinese xingyiquan master, Wang Xiangzhai. Having learnt xingyiquan in his childhood, Wang Xiangzhai became a skilled fighter, who spent years travelling all over China, meeting and comparing skills with masters of various styles of kung fu. In the middle of the 1920s, he came to the conclusion that xingyiquan too often was taught wrong, with too much emphasis on 'outer form', neglecting the essence of true martial power. And so he worked to return to what he felt was the true essence of the art using a different name, without the 'xing' (meaning form), and began teaching and practicing it accordingly. Unlike most other martial arts, yiquan is essentially formless, containing no fixed sets of fighting movements or techniques. Instead, focus is put on developing ones natural movement and fighting abilities through a system of training methods and concepts, working to improve the perception of one's body, its movement, and of force. Another thing that sets yiquan apart from other eastern martial arts, is that traditional concepts, like qi, meridians, dan tien etc. eventually were discarded to make place for new explanations and ideas rooted in Western science, medicine and psychology. Much of this came about due to one of Wang Xiangzhai's key philosophies, which was that yiquan was a science of martial arts, and that there always would be room for improvement. If new methods or explanations are found that help produce better results faster, they should be adopted.
In 1939 an invitation was published, by Wang, in a Beijing newspaper for all martial arts masters to come and exchange experiences and ideas, which usually ended up in comparing skills. If anyone was to fight with Wang, though, they would first have to defeat one of four students he had appointed to fight for him, which no one who answered the challenge did.
Simple Overview
The actual training in yiquan can generally be divided into:
- Zhan zhuang – Motionless postures, where emphasis is put on relaxation, and working to improve perception of the body. Zhan zhuang can also be divided into two different types of postures; health postures and combat postures.
- Shi li – Slow moving exercises, trying to bring the sensations developed through zhan zhuang into movements.
- Moca bu – Shi li for the legs.
- Fa li – Exercises that teach the use of explosive force.
- Tui shou – (Pushing hands) Shi li with a partner.
- San shou – Free fighting practice. (Not to be confused with San Da)
Schools
One of the foremost people teaching modern yiquan is Yao Chengguang, son of Yao Zongxun, whom Wang Xiangzhai appointed to be his successor. See external links for more info.
External links
Categories: Chinese martial arts