Hsing-I Is A Soft Style

[riversidetaichi]

Here is a video clip on how Hsing-I is
supposed to be conceptualized and
practiced. The second vidoe is a demo.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I don’t much care what anyone calls Xingyiquan, hard, soft, internal, external I just know it hits like a truck and is not as linear as many people believe. As to Xingyiquan backing up, it does, but it attacks as it backs up (that is the goes forward when it backs up), in Xingyiquan attack is attack and attack is defense. I tend to go with my second sifu’s view of Xingyiquan which tends to be “shut up and train”. For some reason I tend to be a lot less tolerant of such discussion when they are about Xingyiquan. Baguazhang, taijiquan I tend to tolerate these much better, I tend to stay out of them, but they don’t bother me. But Xingyiquan to me is Xingyiquan, it is direct, it is not pretty, it is about attack and it has to be trained and it is far from as simple as it appears. Time on such categories is really, IMO, a waste of time when you are talking Xingyiquan.

My thought on this is that you really should not worry about categories like; soft/hard, internal/external, particularly don’t worry about internal/external since it is a false category that has much more to do with a political statement against the Qing government than martial arts.

The only thing I will say I do not agree with is your use of the word limp in the first video....Xingyiquan, is never ever limp. (Neither is Taijiquan or Baguazhang)

 

[oaktree]

a whip must have a coiled wind up motion
Using momentum it then releases forward giving it the power.
If you hold a whip loose without building any momentum or drack back
Your whip cracking will be limp and dead.
In santi you are coiled and ready to explode forward
The weight on the rear leg feels like a spring feels very different
Then baguazhang or taijiquan.

 

[riversidetaichi]

You are right that hsing-i, tai chi and ba gua are never limp. I was talking about the concept of the whip. The whip is limp not the style. I like your comments and appreciate your insight. You must have listened to the video a couple of times to catch the limp comment. It was a poor choice of words to use even though it wasn't in refference to the style itself. I can't stand limp performances personally. Any further critiques I would surely welcome.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Shut up and train is always a good motto!

 

[Xue Sheng]

Shut up and train is always a good motto!

My second Xingyiquan sifu has an attitude I appreciate

A quick story and then I will shut up and train something

When he first taught the class Santi Shi standing posture he went around and corrected our stance and then took a position in the front of the room in Santi. He then said “If you feel any joint pain, please let me know and I will help you correct your posture…..but if it is muscle pain…shut up and stand, I don’t want to hear it”

 

[Flying Crane]

My thought on this is that you really should not worry about categories like; soft/hard, internal/external, particularly don’t worry about internal/external since it is a false category that has much more to do with a political statement against the Qing government than martial arts.

My personal opinion is that it's a distinction that doesn't mean much, not nearly what people want it to mean. People get hung up on it and don't really even know what it means, and it's not an important distinction anyway.

Now shuddup and train something, would you!

 

[chinto]

like most styles I would say its hard and soft, and has internal and external. just a question of what parts are what!! either way its a very very effective and efficient style!

 

[Zero]

Now shuddup and train something!

I like this a lot, thnx to Xue and Flying Crane. This will become my stock response when next loosing an argument/discussion with Chris P or the likes, hehe.