The historical origins of this martial art are thoroughly disputed (see under Lineage chart) and remain unclear. Modern xingyi originated from Dai Clan's liuhe xinyiquan, was heavily influenced by military spear techniques,[1] and was possibly also affected and shaped by other styles as well.
The word translates approximately to "Form-Intention Fist", or "Shape-Will Fist".[note 1] It is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power that's most often applied from a short range.
A practitioner of xingyi uses coordinated movements to generate bursts of power intended to overwhelm the opponent, simultaneously attacking and defending. Methods vary from school to school, but always include bare-handed fighting training (mostly in single movements/combinations and sometimes in forms) and the training of weapons usage with similar or identical body mechanics to that used for bare-handed intense fighting. The most basic notions of movement and body mechanics in the art were heavily influenced by the practice of staves and spears.
^Sun Lu Tang (2000). Xing Yi Quan Xue. Unique Publications. p. 3. ISBN0-86568-185-6.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).