Notes on chinese martial arts. Part 3.

This was part of disscussion in one of Facebook groups. Planned to make a proper article based on those notes, but it would take quite a work, so finally decided to publish it in original form.

So with traditional chinese martial arts we have situation that even if they are very good in a way, they were created for fighting in conditions different from present day sports formats, and they are just not good for this. But this means, that basically practicing them you will not have opportunity for regular testing your skill in conditions for which they were designed, so your perception of your skill and your ideas about fighting might be illusions.

Of course people might practice some of such styles, just because they like practicing it, learning it. But if you are serious about seeking the truth, you should not deceive yourself, you should understand things like: you cannot be sure about something, if you are not testing it, you cannot really understand it, until you put it in practice and find the actual meaning. You don't want to do it? O.K., but then you just need to accept that you will not be able to understand some aspect in depth. This is the situation when people do some traditional style and they go to modern competitions, expecting that what they learned should work there, because "this is such great martial art which I learned"... Probably with this lack of knowledge even if they were shifted back in time, and actually fought in situation in which creator of the style fought, they still wouldn't do any better than at modern competition, as they don't have this kind of experience which founder had, and they don't even realize this.

So what to do?

Practicing those arts not caring too much about practical verification? Why not? Good option for many people who like to have some interesting hobby involving physical activity.

Choosing one of the modern combative sports instead? Why not. Very good option for those more interested in doing something, progress and skill level can be tested directly by fighting.

Now, is there a third way?

Many people practice traditional chinese martial arts, but they compete in some kind of sports sanda, and if they want to be successful, then need to do a lot of training from outside of their traditional style methodology. Actually kind of practicing two styles simultanously.

In yiquan we are going different way. Wang Xiangzhai started it, Yao Zongxun and others took it further. Not switching from traditional martial art to modern sport, but adapting the art to new times. Many people from traditional arts complain, that at competitions they cannot do joint locks, cannot attack vital points, the gloves are restricting them. Wang Xiangzhai made it for us much simpler, not caring too much about dianxue and qinna. Just issue power at the point of contact, hit and also affect opponent balance by any point where contact happens, following changes. Being ready and able to issue power with any part of body at any moment in any direction. Formless, without complex application techniques, just bang,bang, hit or issue power in a way which would affect opponent's balance.

Now, with such approach it became much easier to start regular sparrings and competing than in most other chinese arts, without need of making sacrifice of part of it.

Of course this will not look like "artificially made by man" moves from traditional forms. Would it look similar to boxing or kick boxing? Maybe in a way, except for pushing, pulling, projecting etc, which are not allowed in boxing and kick-boxing. Although this similarity to boxing would be rather in layman eyes. When yiquan practitioner is doing something which superficially is looking like a punch, quite similiar to boxing punches, actually it is much different - this is not just punch - inside there is multitude of jins (strengths/forces) ready to be used in multitudes of ways. This is hunyan li. Except of aspect of balance, it means multidirectional strength - anywhere, anytime, any direction. Looks like hitting with fist, but when situation changes, it can change into hitting with forearm, with strength being ready, or into pushing, or redirecting opponent's arm - anything being ready, and used according to
situation. Hunyuan li.

It's so beautifully simple idea of martial art. And it would so easily make full contact competitions, significantly different from existing formats. Not long rounds, but short fast bouts, as when "on the street" in situation when you want to finish as soons as possible, because otherwise more opponnents could approach. Small fight area. Moving out from it symbolizing falling down from traditional lei tai platform. Combine hitting with unbalancing opponent by any part of body where contact happens, throw him down or out of the fight area.

This is what actually my teacher teaches, training leads to this. Only we need more people interested in it, we need regular testing opportunity - competitions. When there will be more people doing this and seriously interested in it, there will be chance for developing the level of yiquan in combative aspect.

Of course not everybody practicing yiquan must be interested in this (or because of age, health and other limitations being able to do this actively), there might be other reasons for practicing yiquan than developing top level combative skills based on the yiquan principles.

Anyway, presently there are not many people who are practicing yiquan with such thoughts. Only when there will be more of them, you could think about serious testing/competing and some more people training yiquan in a way making it possible to present top level of combative skill.

At the moment I'm happy that at least a few yiquan beginners, and a few people from outside yiquan turned out to be brave enough to participate in our tui shou and light contact san shou competitions. Just first small steps.

Will continue.