Shaolin Kung Fu 7-star form (七星拳: qixing quan)
by monk De Yang
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- combat strategy:
this style teaches turning defense into offense. its main tactics are:
tactic 5 - "instead of beams, steal pillars (偷梁换柱)": to make defense act as offense, instead of defending against opponent's limbs, intercept him by targeting his vulnerable pivot parts. when he attacks with his hand or foot, instead of avoiding or blocking his arm or leg, suppress his move by hitting a sensitive pivot part of his arm or leg, like his biceps or his shin, or another vital part like his stomach, or unbalance him when he kicks by targeting his other, supporting leg.
tactic 6 - "turn from guest into host (反客为主)": normal logic is the attacker actively advances and attacks in advantage and the defender passively retreats and defends in disadvantage. when intercepting, reverse these, i.e., while in defensive guard, actively advance in advantage.
tactic 7 - "rest at ease for exhausted enemy (以逸待劳)": when advancing, it's hard to cover your body top-to-down, so shrink your body height with low stances while advancing. a smaller body profile is easier for you to defend and harder for the opponent to attack.
tactic 8 - "befriend far enemies, attack the neighbor (远交近攻)": while in defensive guard, target closer points, because short-range attacks are quicker, safer, and more successful. if the opponent puts part of his body close to you, target it as heavily as possible.
these involve short-range cover and counter moves while advancing or retreating.
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- history:
Ming dynasty (1368-1644):
after the Yuan dynasty, some Daoist concepts, like astrological notions, were introduced into Shaolin temple via outsider visitors. one of these was the astrological notion of the 7 stars, that is, another name for the big dipper constellation, which in Chinese martial arts refers to any formation that resembles the shape of the big dipper, like the closed-guard formation of the arms in 'qixing quan' (7-star form). Shaolin monks developed qixing quan sometime before the early 1600s by combining Shaolin xinyi ba style, which imitates daily and farming activities by using harmonious arm movements in small-frame stances, with rooster-imitating gestures, postures, and moves, and this 7-star concept. these small-frame 7-star and rooster notions were also combined into the chang hu xinyi men form.
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- note: there are various other forms and styles named 'qixing quan' or 'xinyi quan' in Chinese kung fu, and they are historically and technically different from Shaolin quan. these are just different styles with similar names.
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Shaolin Kung Fu tutorial:
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