Being the disciple of Mr. Zhang Kuijin and Mr. Wang Zhendong, whose teachers were Mr. Li Wenxi and Mr. Li Xishun, Mr. Li Laoneng's grandsons. By the way, studying Xing Yi Quan for more than forty years until now, Mr. Zhang Yuling has been a real master of the famous school of Li Laoneng's Xing Yi Quan, and he has earned great reputation for his profound achievement. Following Mr. Zhang Yuling more than a decade, I would like to present the unique skill of him hereby to share the experience with all the readers.
1. What is so-called"70 percent feet attack and 30 percent hands attack"?
These words are usually understood to strike people to the ground by the strength of leg plus. However, Mr. Zhang said it is only a vivid saying. In order to strike the rival down to the ground during a combat, you should always attach importance to the harmony of legs, feet and the whole body and attack your opponent to make him lose his balance and tumble away. The power of the upper body should not be only for hands fighting. The percentages for the distribution of your feet and hands attacks may be not accurate, 60 percent to 40 percent or half to half or 40 percent to 60 percent will be also acceptable.
The people studying Xing Yi Quan usually think that Xing 15 Quan has no formula for step tracking. Mr. Zhang said it does have, but it is different from the others that are simply featured by forward kick, sideward and elastic ones. Those kicks will destroy the right frame of Xing Yi Quan, block your own strength as a whole to fight and give your rival's chances to hit you. The formula for the leg movements of Xing Yi Quan is hidden. The ways of legs attacks are abundance. You can kick with great power bursting out instantly when one of your legs is not raised above knee. As mentioned above, we cannot talk about only a part without thinking of the whole. We don't talk about leg movements separately otherwise it is not Xing Yi Quan anymore.
2. What is “fighting likes kissing”?
People studying xingyi Quan usually talk about the saying "fighting is like kissing". How to implement this saying in practice? Mr. Zhang said "kissing first and fighting later." "No matter you kiss him or he kisses you ahead, as long as you can get close to him, you can hit him out with the strength of your whole body." It requires excellent skill and well understanding of the key point.
Many people take Wu Xing Quan (Five Elements Boxing) as the rudimentary training of Xing Yi Quan. But they cannot strike their opponent out at all after practicing Wuxing Quan. Why? It is because in different stages people have different experiences. Wuxing Quan is the foundation of XingYi Quan indeed. It seems to be easy but actually
Hard to learn both of them well. The shape of its movement is seemingly easy but difficult in fact to create and burst one's internal power. Mr. Zhang said the power could not burst unless we abide by the rules. It is wrong to practice Beng (Punching) Quan or Pi (Cutting) Quan with the strength of hands and arms only. It should be kept in mind that Pi (Cutting), Beng (Punching), Zhuan (Drilling), Bao (Pounding) and Heng (A round movement down) are practiced with your whole body. The effects of them are totally different. All the movements of the Wu Xing Quan are all the same. But the master can burst great power while the beginners surely cannot. It is because of their understandings of the techniques are actually different a lot.
3. The understanding of "there will be no obstacle if you attack and advance bravely."
The words are widely thought to strike people simply like a moving bulldozer or a howling tank during a combat. But Mr. Zhang said any art of Quan includes great skills and strength, Xing I5 Quan is no exception. Strength and skills interpenetrate each other. If practicing Xing 15 Quan is like a tank and bulldozer, it would be very silly. By no means that Quan can be passed down for so many years.
Mr. Zhang said, when two are fighting each other, the whole body of any one is twisting, wrapping, drilling, turning and revolving continuously without any break. The strength from the upper and lower parts, front and behind as well as right and left are associated together there. Xing Yi Quan also emphasizes Yin and Yang (two opposite concepts in Taoism, water and fire, negative and positive, down and up etc.) and distinguishing the false and the truth. You can decide how to fight freely. You are not stoppable instead of attack like a tank. An attack made by you with real rush can hit you yourself out. If the key point is not clear for you, even though your are very skillful, it is still a waste of time. Only by following the masters and striving for understanding of the key points can you make great progress. It is useless to explain it word by word.
Xing Yi Quan is good for all to study, but we cannot study it blindly. Only by learning, practicing and experiencing can we learn this Quan well.
