Xin Yi Quan is an ancient style of the Chinese martial tradition created 750 years ago by general Yu Fei. Since then it has kept unaltered its martial features as for centuries (until 1940) it has been handed down within the narrow circle of the Muslim community.
Through the study of the 6 harmonies and the imitation of the movements of the 10 animals it enables to correctly work on the internal energy, by building a strong and elastic body and to develop the animal instinct and “flavour” orientated to real fighting. Xin Yi Quan involves an internal work, specific for the development of intent, of animal spirit and of wild instinct.
Feature of this style is the development of the “body of the dragon” and of the “animal spirit”.
The “body of the dragon” transforms the body in a spring in tension: the upper part is turned to one side, the lower part to the opposite. During attack, the spring stretches and the hit is released. In the following technique the upper part and the lower part of the body are wound in the opposite direction and so on in a stream of deadly and devastating techniques.
The “animal spirit” means to develop the ability to identification with the animal, to move and act as a wild animal. In Xin Yi Quan this way of moving is called the “animal flavour” and this is the “internal aspect of the art”, that can be transmitted by a master only.
Xin Yi draws inspiration from animals, who fight for survival only and do that in the wildest possible way. In Xin Yi you neither wait or withdraw, but you always attack in a direct, rapid and implacable way. The Xin Yi practitioner is the predator, his opponent the prey.
Each animal in Xin Yi infuses a special quality:
DRAGON, the “dragon waist” transforms the body in a spring in tension. It develops the torsion power of the waist
TIGER, the “tiger neck” helps develop the neck power, i.e. to be determined during attack
EAGLE, the “eagle claw” is the hand hitting like a talon and which “never comes back empty”. Together with the bear it has the most important quality: for the bear it is heaviness, for eagle it is lightness.
BEAR, the “bear back” develops the quality of heaviness; the attack has to be powerful and destructive as an enraged animal
ROOSTER, the “rooster legs”. The rooster is always balanced and always stepping forward, its legs are like deadly weapons.
SNAKE, the “suppleness of the snake”
MONKEY, the “agility of the monkey”, monkey hits cunning and agile
HAWK, the “swiftness of the hawk”, arms hit fast and swift like the wings of a hawk clutching the prey
SWALLOW, the “versatility of the swallow”. It flies down hedgehopping to the ground and flies back fast and swift
HORSE, the “power of the horse”. Its fists are as devastating as wild horse hoofs
THE SOUND OF THUNDER, it is the deep sound arising from the Dantian to terrify the adversary