Applications Chin Na Applications Pa Kua Mother Palm Apps Hebei Hsing I - 12 Animals Wu Tai Chi 13 Methods
Chen Style Tai Chi Yang Style Tai Chi Pa Kua Hsing I - 5 Fists Single Whip in Tai Chi

12 Animals of (Hebei style) Xingyiquan: EAGLE / BEAR

Xingyiquan ( Hsing I Ch'uan)

The combined Eagle/Bear imitates an Eagle swooping down on its prey on one hand and on the other a Bear standing up displaying its ferociousness. It has the most unique footwork of all 12 animals, with the rear heel raised off the ground when crouching down like an Eagle combined with the shuffling, following step (common to many of the steps in Xingyi's Five Fists) when standing up like a Bear. This shuffle step I'm referring to is very common when practicing the Five Fists with the "Chicken" step.

The Eagle form often is characterized by a standing arm/elbow lock, while the Bear is often depicted as a powerful drilling fist. In this instance, the drilling action of the Bear form is used to perform a reverse arm drag, in order to perform a spiraling manipulation, and the Combined Eagle/Bear is used to perform an elbow lock on the ground. The knees are used to secure the elbow lock and trap their torso. The Eagle/Bear form is often thought to be a combination of the Earth and Water phases of the Five Fists.

The shapes of the Eagle and the Bear both emulate the shape of the Chinese character for Eagle and Bear respectively.

This Hebei style of Hsing-I Ch'uan (Xing Yi Quan) is organized using 12 Animals that group and teach the martial characteristics of particular actions.

Sample Applications from the 12 Animals:

Chiflow.com: Nei Jia (Internal) Kung Fu Martial Application Example

Hsing I (Xingyiquan) Eagle / Bear (2) take down (Jiang Rong Qiao style)

More About Hsing I Chuan (Xing Yi Quan)
Xingyi Resources: Mother Fists Video Series, Hsing I Books

About Nei Jia Kung Fu
The approach of Taijiquan, Xingyiquan and Baguazhang is to engage the opponent's aggression, maintain contact and exploit the weaknesses in the opponent's situation.
More About Nei Jia (Internal) Kung Fu

Tai Chi Chuan Overview Hsing I Chuan Overview Pa Kua Chang Overview Nei Jia Kung Fu Overview Yiquan

©2007 by Chiflow.com and Gerald A. Sharp chiflow.comSTORE PreviousNextTaijiquanBaguazhangXingyiquan