Natural Shape of Will Boxing Course
Begins April 6, 2018 - see Schedule!
Xingyiquan 形意拳 is one of the big three internal martial arts of China.
Ziran Xingyiquan is the Daoqiquan expression of the art. Ziran means ‘Natural” and connotes that that arises without artificial restriction, something that is expressed authentically and freely without concern for thoughts of what it “should” be. Xing means “Form,” or “Shape” and Yi means “Intention,” “Will,” or “Thought.” The two terms can be combined to suggest harmony of the body (form) and mind (intention), on the one hand, and is commonly translated as Form-Intent Boxing.
It can be seen as a boxing method that expresses the will via the shape of the body, or Shape of Will Boxing. The Shape of the Will arises Naturally without restrictions or artificial forcing of forms or actions in the Li family Daoqiquan expression of Xingyiquan.
There are 5 movements of the body used to express the classic Five Qualities of traditional Chinese philosophy: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth. Think of them as Attitudes more than Feelings. Feeling can be a limiting descriptor, because each of us quickly, easily, and habitually thinks of joy, anger, fear, grief, and boredom as typical feelings. It becomes difficult to understand how to feel like “Metal.”
Zongshi Li, Longdao taught that they should be thought of as archetypal “Qualities.” Each Quality manifests in the body-mind as its own representative essence, creating the desired character of the body movement and powering it like an engine. Each image the mind creates can engage body movement patterns in radically different ways. Xingyiquan specializes in using image-attitudes to generate movement and power in the body for defence and offence.
While Liu Taijiquan players are acclaimed for being smooth and subtle in transforming throughout the Yin-Yang continuum, Ziran Xingyiquan players learn to move suddenly, spontaneously, from extreme Yin to extreme Yang as if only one state was possible: black or white – no grey. This creates gossamer-soft neutralizations and controls and cannonball-explosive strikes with no boot-up time in between. The larger the Yin-Yang gap, the greater the power-release potential.
There are only Five Movements, often called Fists, with a wide array of tactics and combinations. They should come and go “Naturally” and without thought as you react spontaneously to the situation. Ziran Xingyiquan is an elegant, powerful martial art that specializes in solving single combat problems decisively.
Prerequisites
Completion of the Daoqiquan Kung Fu Basics Course.
Uniform
School T-shirts, traditional, black Hanzifu (“Kung-Fu” uniforms) and indoor shoes are required.
