Jiang Faming talks about Liu Dian Ban Pole (Six-and-a-Half Pole)
  ----Nan Pai Gun Fa (Pole Method) That I Comprehend
    Pole is one of the important weapons, in traditional Chinese Kung-fu. Generally speaking, pole and boxing will be learned at the same time, since the basis of pole is the same as boxing indeed. Pole is the extension of your hands actually, so the Pole method is evaluation of features of fist and pole. Since the routine of pole is completely hitting the opponent with taking advantage of the force by component, it is defter, quicker and more powerful than boxing. The old saying "boxing will be stronger made by youth, but poling is actually more powerful taken by the aged" expresses the same idea.
     Among Southern Style Kung-fu, Yu Jia Pole in Fujian Province, Ba Gua (Eight Diagrams) Pole and Liu Dian Ban (Six and a half Points) Pole in Guangdong Province have got great reputations and influence. There are no big differences among all the kinds of routines of Poles, but there is a different parlance with different comprehension of its routines. I had learned Hong Quan (Hong Clan Boxing) and Shuang Tou Ba Gua (Double-headed Eight Diagrams) Pole from a local mentor. Besides Liu Dian Ban (Six and a Half Points) Pole, I learned Bai Mei (White Eyebrow), Long Xing (Dragon Style) and Wing Chun from Mr. Xiao Tingxun in 1980s. From my those experiences, I think that you should grasp the features of Pole and focus on some basic techniques of pole, such as Quan (Circling), Dian (Pointing), Qiang  (Piercing), Tiao (Stirring up), Chou (Taking out), Tan (Flipping), Ge (cutting), Xiao(chopping) apart from strength-enhancing exercises
   (1)Quan (Circling)
There are Left, Righ, Up, Down, Front, and Back Circling in the routines of Pole. Circling doesn't simply mean to ward off your opponent's pole by circling only but focuses on neutralizing the attack by your opponent. Circling can take effect on both inside and outside of the pole. When your opponent thrusts at your chest with his pole, you can revolve your waist and "circle" upward your pole, then make the piercing action following it so that you can neutralize his attack. Further, you can take advantage of the momentum of "piercing" to counterattack. That is the point of circling your pole.
    (2) Dian (Pointing)
    Dian means that you point and touch some part of your opponent accurately. The force of Dian is forward from up to down not like Qiang (spear) thrusting directly straight ahead. Dian is often used to attack your opponent's Zhong San Lu (three middle parts) and Xia San Lu (three lower parts). It is thrusting for several times continuously within one second making extremely rapid actions just like a chicken pecking at rice making your opponent rattled. It acts on the downside by the end of your pole. When you exercise Dian, you should energize your legs, hands, waist, breast and back, and should make exactly Yin Shou Yang Chu. These four Chinese words mean that when you use your pole, draw in your Yin Jin around your wrist and draw out your Yang Jin outwards, Embed your breast, and extend your back, then your pole making Dian can be quick and powerful with "Yi Chu Yi Ru, Yi Shang Yi Xia" (Which means one is out and positive and the other is in and negative, one is above and the other is underside.) Your Yin Jin and Yang Jin are "Yi Chu Yi Ru, Yi Shang Yi Xia" indeed making your Yin and Yang associated and cooperated with each other. Dian acting is often used with Tiao in succession. For example, when you Dian your opponent's front hand or private part, he will block your pole with his one or escape, in a moment you change your Yin Jin and Yang Jin to "Tiao Pi" by exchanging force and borrowing force, you can hit him directly, or you can settle the force of his pole with revolving your waist and thrust at him directly. So when you exercise Dian, revolve the Ying and Yang and exchange up, down, left and fight, thus you can master Dian.
     (3) Qiang (Piercing)
     Qiang means that you thrust the tip of Pole straight ahead. The force of piercing can be whirly or not, but your hands should be straight during the action. You cannot simply and merely comprehend that you thrust ahead the tip of your pole only. As you should think about your opponent's counterattack when you attack him forwardly, your hands should hold your pole easily but not stiffly, your actions could be either open or close in cooperation with your waist circling and abdomen when you are energizing. For example, when you revolve backwards with your waist and abdomen moving, and make the piercing at your opponent's chest with your hands holding pole upward, don't energize your hands forwardly. While no reaction occurred, you can thrust your pole with more force. And at the moment he blocks your pole with his one making both two Poles touching each other, you will loose your waist at once and circle your pole, thus you can settle his pole in vain indeed. Energize your waist, abdomen, hands and legs at the same moment and make an action of piercing following the movement. This is the point of Piercing that contains both offence and defense in the same style.
    (4)Tiao (Stirring up)
     Tiao has got the meaning of raise upwards. But Tiao in routines of Pole focuses on Jie Li (taking advantage of your opponent's attack) very much. It will make extraordinary effect that you are making a moving to Jie Li and Tiao from up to down as well as from down to up, and hit downwards following the force with the opponent's attack and backing of his Pole. Tiao has strong continuity so the lower, middle and higher parts of your body must correspond to each other. Tiao usually means moving your Pole with the forces of your own steps upward and downwards as well as the force made by your own body moving up and down. You might hit downwards following this force making your opponent unprepared.
     (5)Chou (Taking out)
     Chou usually means that you block your opponent's pole left or fight with your pole. Besides, The movement of Chou may follow your opponent's attack and hit him in unconsciousness. For example, when you try to hit the opponent's head with your pole thwartwise, he Chou your pole with his one making two poles touching each other, you may back your front leg and foot, revolve your waist, Chou upwards following your opponent's Pole force, then hit his elbow of the front arm and make him unable to attack. When you Chou your pole, you should be taking out both Pole with your waist's action and energize the end of Pole, then Chou back or Tan or hit following this force with the whirl force of your waist. Chou has strong awareness of offence and defense and it's easily used in practice.
     (6)Tan (flipping)
     Tan means spring out. Tan of Pole is usually formed when you energize your legs, waist, and hands at the front end of pole to produce the force of Tan. Tan is often coherent with Chou. Tan is quite fast and it'll get extraordinary effect when you use Tan to attack your opponent' s head.
     Ge usually means cleaving downwards. Besides utilizing the force of moving back of your hands to cleave your pole downwards and defend the lower part of your body, Ge has a more important function. You should move your pole forwards with a step ahead as moving a spear. It is one movement containing both attacking upwards and defending downwards as well as hitting and removing joined together. In order to master Ge, your hands must correspond to your waist and abdomen, and energize to an opposite direction as a whole.
     (8)Xiao (chopping)
     Xiao can be called shaving also. It means to hit with your pole appressed your opponent's attacking pole following its force. Its effects are making hitting and removing the attacking force made by your opponent as well as starting latter but attacking earlier. Xiao usually utilize the inertia produced at the moment when two poles touched to hit with your opponent in unconsciousness. Xiao is the easiest way to hit your opponent, especially at one of his hands ahead or his head. In order to master Xiao, your waist, eyes, hands and pole must correspond to each other and you should make a fast and an accurate hit. When you use Xiao, you should revolve your waist and move your hands at the same time and circle your pole upwards, then hit the opponent with aiming at his attacking pole following its force, and utilize the inertia produced at the moment when the two poles touched to hit one of your opponent's hands ahead and frontal head in his unconsciousness. The saying "the pole sounds hitting the opponent" means the same idea.
     All routines of pole discussed above dissertate circling and taking advantage of the opponent's attacking movement to hit. The basic skill using pole is the up, down, left, fight, front and back directions. Just like practicing Six Forces ("Liu Jin" in Chinese), Quan (Circling) of pole is basically like semicircle or oval but not a complete circle. I think that the parlance regarding "Liu Dian Ban (Six and a Half Points) "might be related to this six and a half semicircle.

Introduction of Nan Quan Techniques                   
 Poses
 I. Head
    Player's head should be kept facing the front with a straight neck. The consciousness must be absorbed in and maintaining calm and serious all the time. When the pugilist stays still, his eyes will watch forward or peep at his hands and steps at times. When his movement is started, his hands will act in association with his eyes all following his attention.
 II. Body
    1. The chest and the back
    There are two typical poses of the upper part of the Body----one is to lift the chest and tighten the back; the other is to constringe the chest and expand the back. The most popular branch of "Nan Quan" famous for its various Qiao Fa (the special methods for the arms' movement looked like many bridges) prefers to the frontal pose of lifting the chest and tightening the back. Another branch constringing the chest and expanding the back is good in combat or fighting. What should be paid attention to the latter pose is that the method should be performed within a reasonable extent. One should not act liking a hunchback.
     2.The waist and the crotch
     Taking advantage of moving the waist and crotch can help the pugilist to become more forceful. So Nan Quan's techniques require focusing on moving one's waist to speed up his movements and pressing on the crotch to make body stable.
     3.The abdomen and the buttock
     Do not put the abdomen forward or put the buttocks backward. Pugilist should tighten up his abdomen and buttocks in order to keep the body straight.
  III. The legs and the crura
     One should keep his legs and crura steady and place his center of gravity between two legs. He should move his legs speedily and firmly.
  V. The arms
     There a saying goes, "porrect arms cherish power; arms nearby defend body duly." Even though the two methods of the upper body are quite different, both of them prohibit one's shrugging the shoulders or raising the elbows too high making his movements stiff. Qiao Fa (a kind of method named bridging) is widely used in "Nan Quan." Take the "Quan Qiao" (circling bridging) for example, one's arms should be kept straight in front of the body, and then moved upright circles in proper size. When one is practicing another kind of Qiao Fa, "Pan Qiao" (setting up bridging), he should bend his arms into a circle staying at the height between head and waist. Obviously, the above two movements are relating to various circles. Working hard on them is beneficial not only to perform methods of hands and arms but also to master the fundamental skills of defense.
                                    

Huo Zhenqiu talks about Liu Dian Ban Pole(six-and–a-Half Pole)
    Being a part of Wing Chun Quan in Southern China, the style of Liu Dian Ban Pole was created by Master Huo Zhenqiu as well. His inspiration was from his father Master Huo Jundong's Pole skills and Mr. BaiChang's Thirteen Spear. Liu Dian Ban Pole can stop the actions of the opponents by some little movements. Once started instantly, all the movements of the style are continuous, skillful and fierce.
    The tracks of the Liu Dian Ban Pole of our system should be stepped and followed usually like riding a horse and making most of the motions either like a straight line or like the shape of a fan.
    We have got several ways to fight when we practice, like parrying to survive ("zou shen men"), going directly to the point ("ta zhong men") and going indirectly to the point ("zou pianfeng"). Its style is quick, artful, exact, fierce and unexpected. The formulas put into verse for the movements are: "Liang yi zhong shao can xiang chui xiao, di shui qiang ge zuuo gun tou, ban dian quan gun fu meng hu, liu dian ban gui shutiao long ". It means with the six and a half points called liang yi, shao can, chui xiao, di shui, qiang ge and zuo gun tou and the half point is that the pole moving along a circle be followed, Liu Dian Ban Pole Movements can defeat a strong and vigorous dragon.
    The formula of the Liu Dian Ban Pole, or the Six-and-a-Half Pole is as follows:
    1. Opening(Kai Gun Li)  2.Diao Ma Ge pole  3. Diao Ma Quan pole 4. Zuo Ma Qiang Pole 5. Diao Ma Ge pole  6. Chou Tan pole  7. Di Shui pole 8. Ge pole 9. Diao Ma Di Liang Yi pole lO. Diao Ma Quan pole ll. Zuo Ma Qiang pole 12. Diao Ma Ge pole 13. Chou Tan pole          14. Di Shui pole 15. Ge pole 16.Di Liang Yi pole 17. Quan pole 18. Qiang pole 19. Ge pole               20. Chou Tan pole 21.Di Shui pole 22. Ge pole 23. Chui Xiao pole 24. Shao Can pole 25. Chui Xiao pole 26. Shao Can pole   27. Chui Xiao pole 28. Shao Can pole 29. Zuo Gui Ma Zuo pole tou 30. You Gui Ma Zuo pole tou  31.Zui Gui Ma Zuo pole tou 32. Diao Ma Di Liang Yi pole  33. Quan pole 34. Qiang pole 35. Ge pole  36. Tui Ma Liang Yi pole(three times, right, left and 37. End (Shou Gun Li)  End of the formula

 

E-Mei Yu Nv Quan
Yu Nv Quan (Jade Virgin Boxing) is said to be created by a Taoist nun. Her viewpoint is that "since a man is strong by nature, a woman would not fight and conquer him by force merely. While being weak in body, she should fight mainly with skill", stressing that fighting should be happened while shifting stance and changing positions dexterously. She must not fight directly with Jia (Withstanding), Ge (Putting up), Zhe (Obstructing) and Lan (Blocking), but should insist on conquering her opponent before his one of his movements completed. This is a totally different boxing training theory. She simplified the complicated fighting between a man and a woman to a short principle. The female fighter should prejudge the position shifting by her opponent rather than focus on how he uses his hands or feet, and make her own corresponding position shifting in advance. This theory expresses the meaning that "all methods sum up to one method, inversely one method turns out to be all methods". The opponent's attack will be in vain in case you are fight away from where he is intending to hit. The basis leading the aforementioned movements is that "your position as well as your body will have to be the main target that your opponent is going to catch and attack"; "no matter which movement he uses, you are the final target". His direct or indirect attack certainly aims where you are. Therefore, if you move away a little bit in advance, his attack will surely go by the board. Furthermore, a so-called "Shan" (Dodging and Attacking) skill can be used. This skill is to "counterattack where your opponent's attack comes from when his action or fisting is missed and yours is being solid making any movement taken by him turning out to be useless". When attack happens, he has to move forward for a valid attack and be entering into a valid defense range of yours at the same time. If only you may get out of your original position and hit him where he is, at least neither you nor him could hit each other. Ding (topping) skill can also be used here, which "starts hitting the opponent in his midway while his movement couldn't be repealed." You should conquer him before your opponent completes the position shifting required by his attacking. In this way, no matter what movement the opponent uses, he will be beaten back in certain. This is the distillate of Yu Nv Quan as the most commonly applied principle and theory in practice.
Contents
(Yu Nv’s self-defense)
   The content includes the theory, Rules of Xin Jie (self-understanding), a Secret of offense plus defense Cross, techniques including Ten-foot and Eight-hand positive as well as negative applications, the Methods of Sword, Spear, Pole, Hairpin (Yu Niu thorn), Anlian Kung-fu and Soft flapping skill as well as seventy-two external forms and Kaoshen (pressing close to each other) skill.
  The aforementioned contents are the self-defense of the disciples who have cultivated Kung-fu themselves according to the infinitely merciful gods. The system aims for better cultivating, keeping strong and self-defense rather than surpassing others or winning a fighting. It should be used at the final moment as to self-effacing firstly and observing secondly in principle. Facing crisis and difficulty, you could do what you should do, and once you are doing your resistance, you have to seek winning the attack and sweeping away all the obstacles. It is not fit for you, any female person, to attack others on your initiative at the first stage. This initiative will be failed indeed since it has been against the original thought of the Yu Nv's self-defense.
    Origin of the Name Yu Nv Quan (Jade Virgin Boxing)
    The Record regarding Yu Nv Quan said that the founder, former being a Taoist nun, became a Buddhist later. She was good at fighting but not satisfying with existing miscellaneous Quan styles at that time, she had been creating a brand new one especially for women's self defense based on other styles' thoughts featuring of unique untouched fight. Relying on gods' supernatural power, she succeeded thirteen years later then obtained the successful result at last. Her disciples learning Kung-fu from her called it Yu Nv Quan. Some Peers honored it as E-Mei Quan. Afterwards some of her disciples went to E-Mei Mountain and combined the two names together as E-Mei Yu Nv Quan. This is the original process of its name.
   The founder stood aloof from the worldly affairs. She thought it could be used for entertainment or self-defense but not for any self-fame or namesake. Thus three commandments were set for all disciples:
     1. Never mention the name of the master.
     2. Never raise a competition with or fight others.
     3. Never show this Quan to the public.
     It is very clear that the former masters' names would last in vain forever without being mentioned by the latter masters. Practicing the Quan hided from other views, you will be safe through life.
    Heritage
    As the founder considered it has not been a revelation but humbled herself not to be called master, how dare the offspring disciples to call themselves masters. Thousand years passed, there was only one master being the founder and no one would have ventured to violate the great aspirations of merciful gods. The characteristic of a weaker frame determines that a woman cannot fight recklessly with her rigidity as a man. Instead, she should "fight if pable, otherwise run away" and defeat her opponent with the hit-and-run strategy in mobile warfare. "Never trench warfare but mobile one and to win cleverly". This doctrine is perfectly embodied in the fighting techniques of Yu Nv Quan (Jade Virgin Fisting) as follows:
     1.To put forward strength when in motion. In other types of boxing, one often positions his body still with a helping hand and foot or a tread on the footstep together with a twisted waist and forwarded hips when putting forward his strengths giving a "full strength of the body", while Yu Nv Quan puts these two kinds of force together combining the momentum resulting from the moving body suddenly coming to stop, to send out powerful force and energy and bring the human force to the utmost and the extreme. By the way, though a woman's energy and her strength as a whole may be much weaker than her male opponent, she still can gain an overwhelming advantage in part and in a split second.
    2.To defeat an opponent in motion. A female fighter should never stay in a certain position when fighting with an opponent. According to the basic idea of Yu Nv Quan, the position where her body stays will be the opponent's main target. Only by changing the position constantly, can one effectively dodge her opponent's attack and hit him at the same time. For example, one runs away from the position being attacked to foil in the opponent's attempt and strike the middle part of the body to intercept the coming attack. When striking the opponent, one can suddenly change her position halfway so her the opponent is not easy or nearly impossible to get a chance to strike back. And regardless of whether the opponent is hit or not, she should keep herself an arm' s length from the opponent in event that he may not follow her up and make her any effective attack in time and in the meantime she may leave herself enough room to change the position adequately.
    3. to attack the vital and vulnerable parts of the pponent's body. Yu Nv Quan puts its target mainly on an opponent' s eyes, as the eyes are the most vulnerable part of the body and even a weakest woman can hit them by using all of her force. Another reason is that not liking arms and feet having a 3600 scope of operation, the eyes are much more steady in quick attack. When attacked, the opponent can never turn his eyes to the afterbrain. All of that makes the eyes a vital part being more steady and easier to hit. So in the attack and defense process of Yu Nv Quan, the hands mostly aim at the eyes, whether her hitting is true or false.
    4. To relieve the besieged by besieging the other base of the besiegers ("Wei Wei Jiu Zhao"). In terms of self-defense, Yu Nv Quan boxer often uses the tactic of "Wei Wei Jiu Zhao" to relieve herself of danger, rather than fights or resists recklessly and confronts her opponent with force. For example, when the opponent strikes a fist in the stomach, one can stick her fingers out at his eyes to foil his attempt. If he sticks at his attack, his eyes will be jabbed. Otherwise he has to dodge the jab, and then his attack can never reach her body when both of them are at an arm's length. Furthermore, a finger extended always goes further than a fist clenched does. And when the opponent grabs her by the throat, she can use the same tactic to relieve herself of danger. It is always undesirable for a woman weaker than her male opponent to fight recklessly with rigidity.
    5. To gain mastery by striking only after her opponent attacking. According to Yu Nv Quan, the best moment to take an opponent down is when he is preparing for offense or already begin but not yet finish his attack, because at this time the opponent is in motion with a forming and irreversible trend. If one makes attack on him when he is half way in offense, he will have little chance to escape. Therefore, based on the theories of Yu Nv Quan, even if the opponent is not to attack, one should induce him to do this so that she can take advantage of the coming trend and defeat him when he is half way in offense. In the theory of Yu Nv Quan, the dodging technique of getting away from where being attacked while hitting back where the opponent's attack coming, and the fighting technique of hitting on the time of the front three-tenth of attacking movement both giving expression to this rule. By the means, one can "wait at her ease for an exhausted opponent" and "fight in a defensive way" to achieve the best result by using the least force. This is a desirable rule of fighting for a woman weaker than a man.