Xingyiquan ( Hsing I Ch'uan)

The Snake is the ninth animal. The actions of the form, like the snake, coil, contracts, and curves. The practice focuses on gathering and dispeling, contracting and extending, as if coiling up and attacking with a sudden targeted movements. The main strike is a strike to the groin, and in grappling it is an ankle pick or a high crotch single leg takedown. Like a snake, advanced training ought to focus on sensing vibrations in opponents. Such an approach is useful with dealing with opponents who have great listening energy (ting jing) or move with almost unstoppable jing. Moving beyond the visual or the auditory and into a sense of touch that is vibrational in nature and less on actual touching.

While the moves of the Snake form often appear vigorous or forceful, the most effective approach involves smooth movements which are like a snake moving undetected through the grass. The classic texts all talk of movements that ought to be similar to a snake when it "disperses," "divides," or "parts" the grass. It combines the angular footwork of the Fire shape and the rising nature of the Water shape from the Five Fists when striking or lifting.

The main shape of the Snake form, which is characterized by the rising groin strike (or lift), imulates the Chinese character for Snake, and the movements follow the pattern of writing the character as well.

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:

• Dragon
• Tiger
  • Tiger Shockwave version
• Monkey
  • Monkey Shockwave version
• Horse
  • Horse Shockwave version
• Alligator
• Fighting Chicken
• Falcon
  • Falcon Shockwave version
• Swallow
• Snake
• T'ai (Roc)
  • T'ai (Roc) Shockwave version
• Eagle/Bear Combined (1) (2)
  • Eagle/Bear (3) Shockwave version
• Introduction to Xingyiquan page
• Overview of Hsing I Ch'uan page.