I was hoping to write up an intro to long fist but I found one here that is light-years beyond what I could write up. This is the most info on long fist that I’ve ever found on the web. Lots of good material here; some that still needs to be translated. Maybe one day I’ll get around to it. BTW, this looks to be based on Han Qing-tan’s material according to the sets they name.
I’m back to emphasizing long fist for a while. I enjoy the way that long fist restructures the body and it’s excellent for getting you in shape. There isn’t enough on long fist on the web IMO so I’m going to talk a bit more about it and the great benefits that training in the system can bring. So we’ll start with this intro to the training. Enjoy.
Chang Quan or long-style boxing is the general term for martial arts from Northern China (北派) that include Cha quan (查拳), flower boxing (华拳), Chinese boxing, paochui (cannon boxing (炮拳), Hong-family (洪拳), Fanji (弹腿) as well as Northern Shaolin (少林等拳).
The term, Chang quan, can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty (明朝, 1368-1644) when there was the first systematic classifications of different martial arts styles. Qi Jiguang (戚继光), a noted Ming general, wrote “A New Essay on the Arts of Wushu” (《纪效新书·拳经提要篇》): “The present type of martial arts includes the thirty two stances of the Zhao TaiChang Quan .” (古今拳家，宋太祖有三十二式长拳). Zhao Tai refers to the first emperor of the Song Dynasty (960-1127). In the same period, Cheng Chongdo, also discussed the difference between the long-style boxing and the short-style boxing. During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Wang Chen-nan’s (王宗岳) “Song of Thirteen Potentials ( 《十三势歌》), he mentioned that “ Long Fist is like a long river and the wide sea, flowing incessantly” (“长拳者如长江大海，滔滔不绝也。”). However, it is generally accepted that Wang was referring to the internatl martial art of Tai Chi rather than that ofChang Quan. During the Republican period (1911-1949), the various Northern styles was systematically taught under the banner of Chang Quan throughout China. Organizations such as the Chin Woo Association (精武) and schools used Chang Quan as a basis in their martial arts training. In the modern era, Chang quan nows refers to a synthetic style that pocesses the characteristics of a list of martial arts and its one of the main branches practiced in competitive Wushu.
Chang quan training includes forms (套路), weapons (兵器), grappling (擒拿), falls (摔法), self-defense (防身) and applications. Different schools emphasizes different forms. Exampes ofChang quan forms include: continous stepping (連步拳 ), basic form (功力拳), ten forms of bullet kicks (十路彈腿 ), one and two forms of ambush (一、二路埋伏) , ten character time (十字趟) , little tiger and swallow (小虎燕), cannon fist (砲拳),Cha quan (查拳) , Zhao Tai Chang Quan (太祖長拳為主), little Hong quan (小洪拳 ) and four forms running attacks (四路奔打). Weapons and weapon forms include staff (昆吾棍 ), seven star knife (七星刀), three ability sword (三才劍), dragon shape sword (龍形劍), Elder brother sword (昆吾劍), Qi men sword (戚門劍), Bagua knife (八卦刀), Thirteen Spears of the Yang Family (楊家十三槍).
The characteristics of Chang Quan are open wide and close tightly (大開大合), stretches naturally (舒展大方), center rules (中規中矩), simple and honest wins (簡捷樸實), use both legs (腿並用) and naturally hign applications (實用性高). Applications include hitting (打), falling (摔), holding (拿 ) and pivoting (軸). The breathing strategies should be long and deep like a flowing river; coming in waves without breaks (氣勢如長江大河般, 濤濤不絕). Training requires the combination of eye (眼 ), hand (手), body (身), steping (步 ) and technique (法). Applications requires the fist to shoot out like the stars (拳如流星) , the eyes and body looks alive (眼似電,腰如蛇行) and the stance must stick to the ground (步賽黏).
Chang quan training includes: movement (動), motionless (靜), stand up (起), fall (落), stay (立), stand up (站), shift (轉) , bend (折) , light (輕) , still (重) and speed (快). Those training are combined with focus (精), proper breathing (氣) and spirit (神). The hand techniques inChang quan includes: fist (拳), palm (掌), hook (勾) and claw (爪). There are eight basic stances: horse riding (騎馬式), climbing mountain (登山式), crouching tiger (伏虎式), sitting (坐盤式), solitary stand (獨立式), empty (玄機式 , 虛步), swallow (吞式) and unicorn (麒麟式). Leg techniques include: kicking (踢), stepping (蹬) , cutting (切), glidding (溜), inner (內) and outer (外). Applications include holding (提), grappling (拿), seals (封), shut (閉), come along (來), shout (叫), submit (順), dispatch (送), adhere (黏), sticky (粘) and control (邦).
Twenty Four Requirements (二十四要)
Four Strikes ( 四擊) - point ( 點), hit ( 打), fall ( 摔) and grapling ( 拿)
Eight Methods ( 八法) - Hand ( 手), eyes ( 眼), body * 身法), step ( 步), spirit (精神), chi ( 氣), strength ( 力) and merit ( 功 )
Twelve Rules ( 十二型) - movement (動), stillness (靜), getting up (起), falling down (落), stand (立), standing up (站), turning (轉), bending (折), lightness (輕), weight (重), quickness (快), slow (慢)，combination (合)
Together forms the twenty four requirements
Twelve Tricks (十二訣)
提、拿、封、閉、來、叫、順、送、黏、粘、邦、貼
『手眼身法步，
精神氣力功』Hand, eye, waist and stepping are combined with a clear mind and chi kung 『拳如流星，
眼似電；
腰如蛇行，
步賽黏』The fist shoots out like a meteor,
The eye stares out like electricity;
The waist moves like a snake,
Movement competes to stick to the ground.『精要充沛，
氣宜沈；
力要順達，
功宜純』Spirit can be sunddenly full,
The Chi must be properly sink
Strength must obey your reach,
Proper type of training for the proper type of effort.Twelve Shapes (十二形)
沉著、靈活、順挫、敏感、迅速、精神、克剛、閃移、快捷、定勢、整齊、準確。
「貓竄伏身意靜觀、狗閃體柔轉移連、兔滾四肢分長短、鷹翻聞簇雙翼換、
拳如流星乾坤撓、眼若閃電日月旋、腰如蛇行似錦索、腳賽鑽轉定方盤、
行如風動無形速、去如行固身得安、身似猿猴手足利、降似鷹鴿側翅遷。」Eight Areas to Hit and Eight Areas to Avoid Hitting (八打與八不打)
一、打眉頭雙眼；
二、打唇上人中；
三、打穿腮耳門；
四、打背後骨縫；
五、打協內肺腑；
六、打撩陰高骨；
七、打鶴膝虎脛；
八、打搓骨分筋。
以上乃八打。一、不打太陽為首；
二、不打對面鎖口；
三、不打雙風扇耳；
四、不打兩協太極；
五、不打中心兩壁；
六、不打兩腎對心；
七、不打尾閭封腑；
八 不打海底撩陰。
以上為八不打。Five Requirements and Five Combinations (五要與六合)
五要－手眼身法步之合一。
六合－手與足合、 肘與膝合、肩與胯合，為外三合。
心與意合、意與氣合、氣與力合，為內三合。Five Leisures Heart Combinations (五官合心)
耳與心合益聰、 目與心合益明、 口與心合益勇、 鼻與心合益力、 手與心合益疾。
Ethics(德性)
禮、讓、武、德、忍、耐、涵、養。
「禮禁於未然之前、法施於已然之後。」講求「禮門義路」之門規。
Other Sayings
「手是兩扇門、全憑腳打人。」
「手打三分、腳打七分。」
「拳打兩不知，出手不留情，留情不出手。」
「手眼身法步、心肝脾肺腎之內、外五行相克相合。氣隨手發於四梢（髮為血梢、牙為骨梢、指為筋梢、舌為肉梢），
動如猛虎，靜若處子。氣沉丹田，有形打形，無形打影，以拳之有形打之無形。」「趨避須眼快、左右見機行、趨從避中入、實自虛處生、功力雖制我、
隙開進莫停、勢猛君休懼、四兩撥千斤。」
4 responses so far ↓
1 tim // Dec 23, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Dude this is gold.
I really think more and more that, for people out of the Chen village, taiji/xingyi/bagua are not going to happen without training in long fist basics as a _conditioning_ method for body connection.
I know that people say “you can’t go from external to internal” but let’s look at the facts:
Wang Peisheng who was _amazing_ was trained by his teacher in Luohan Shaolin simultaneous to his “internal” training.
A bunch of the bagua guys were Luohan guys.
Feng Zhiqiang was a Luohan guy prior to his Chen style. One of Feng’s top students, I’m told, came out of Baji.
Wang Xiangzhai spent time (I seem to remember) with some White Crane people.
And I think that one of the Chen teachers in the Bay Area (Tony Wong) was originally a Wing Chun guy with Ken Chung.
In fact, (and didn’t you blog about this before??) Chen style supposedly is an amalgamation of Shaolin, Shuaijiao (Mongolian wrestling) and Chinese medicine research. I.e. it has the silk reeling movement which is not in Shaolin.
SO…all that considered, why couldn’t a person do initial body conditioning in Shaolin or Baji, and then add the silk reeling motion?
I just think that unless a person has regular/daily access to a person teaching in the soft way, they are going to be unable to do it “only” in the soft way without some previous conditioning training.
And Feng, etc. are a damn powerful counterargument. Becauase let’s face it, if he and Wang are not exemplary Taiji, then …what is exemplary?
But what the hell do I know?
2 chessman71 // Dec 24, 2006 at 12:11 am
Tim,
I agree with almost everything you say. Your argument is well laid out.
Except that long fist and some other northern styles like baji do have silk reeling. It’s not only found in Chen style.
But yeah, long fist is an excellent foundation style or one to specialize in in it’s own right.
3 Casey // Dec 24, 2006 at 1:24 am
Actually, there is silk-reeling in Longfist too, though not as complex as Chen style. When you step forward and slide with the feet, rotate the waist and shoulders, deflect with one hand and punch with the other (using connected power accross the upper back), that all counts as Chansi-jin, I believe.
I’m very interested in what you call “restructuring the body.” I can see that Longfist forms will help with learning full body power-generation, use of the waist and relaxed upper body. Also, I think the forms are very good just in terms of making the legs and waist strong and flexible. Is this what you mean, or do you mean an even more profound type of restructuring?
Which Longfist form are you working on now? Would you say it has benefitted your Taiji, Bagua and other MA? I noticed Zhou Laoshi seems to put a lot of emphasis on connecting moves smoothly in Longfist. I guess this is to teach you to smoothly transition from one move to another in actual fighting? Do you think it really works this way? It does seem to synch with the idea of Longfist flowing ceaselessly like a powerful river.
4 Orz // Dec 25, 2006 at 2:25 pm
Something is lost in translation…
The translation of 『手眼身法步，精神氣力功』should be：Applications of CMA must be combined with the movements of body, hands, feet(stepping) and eyes; and combined with the essence, chi(not breathing), spirit, strength and gong(years of training) of Human(those practitioners) as well.
The translation of 『精要充沛，氣宜沈；力要順達，功宜純』should be：The essence needs to be profuse, the chi needs to be sinking, the strength needs to flow without obstruction(unhindered) to the points of attack, and the gong needs long diligent practice.
———————————-
There is no doubt that Taijiquan is definitely a mixed martial art. And it was not originated in Chenjiagou(Chen village) as I mentioned before. But Chansi-jin(纏絲勁) and Chousi-jin(抽絲勁) are unique to Taijiquan. The connotations of “Chan”(纏), “Chou”(抽), “Si”(絲) and “Jin”(勁) are quite deep and different from othere Chinese martial arts. Those are not just physical-trainings, but also will-training, consciousness-training and spirit-training. Compares with other external Chinese martial arts, Taijiquan is truely an advanced CMA.
Leave a Comment