Introduction to Water Boxing, Part 6

In part 6 of my series of videos introducing water boxing, we look at how Xingyi Chuan fits into our approach. In addition to training Zhu Ji, we train the five old fists (beng chuan, zhuan chuan, pi chuan, pao chuan, and heng chuan) to focus on mechanics. When learning a form, it can sometimes be difficult to focus on the proper mechanics for a particular movement (or force or posture) because you’re often learning several movements and the transitions between those movements–all at the same time (sort of like a martial arts version of multi-tasking). Because a Xingyi fist like zhuan chuan has the same (or at least very similar) mechanics as some of the movements in the form, by practicing it as a drill we can concentrate solely on those mechanics and, ultimately, put those mechanics into the form. There’s a lot to learn from the mechanics of the five old fists, but perhaps the most important concept to get out of it in the beginning is yin/yang theory, including reprogramming your nervous system to think with and about the other side/half of your body, ultimately enabling the other side/half to be engaged naturally. You can also take this approach by just focusing on one movement in the form and drilling it over and over again.