SHAOLIN KUNG FU: 7-star tactics (七星拳: qixing quan)

Описание: instructor: Wang Zhanyang
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combat strategy:

this style teaches "counterattack" tactics. countering is taking advantage and exploitation of opponent's move to launch an attack. countering can be done at 4 time stages of opponent's attack:

tactic 9 - 'pre-attack counter':
"remove the firewood beneath the pot (釜底抽薪)" – at the onset of an attack, disrupt and suppress it by targeting a pivot part of the attacking limb. for example, hit his biceps or his shin, and so on.

tactic 10 - 'mid-attack counter':
"be at ease while the host treats (以逸待劳)" – during an attack, opponent's guard shifts toward the attack, leaving other areas open. while defending, simultaneously launch concurrent counters to these open positions. for example, while you defend (block, parry, grab, or even dodge), simultaneously attack with your other hand or leg. minimalism in motion is to skip defense by dodging directly into counters; this, by combining defense and attack, saves your energy while wasting the opponent.

tactic 11 - 'post-attack counter':
"turn from guest into host (反客为主)" – when you defend an attack, you are in the closest range inside opponent's open guard; this is time to advance from defense to attack. for example, immediately following the defense of opponent's attack, target his head, torso, groins, etc., whichever is closer.

tactic 12 - 'after-attack counter':
"remove the ladder after one climbs (上屋抽梯)" – after an attack, there is a vulnerable terminal phase. attack areas that are exposed due to opponent's move. for example, when he punches or kicks, let him turn well, then target his exposed side.

these involve covered compact postures advancing into simultaneous or consequent combos of short-range moves. in this style, due to the close range, body shrinks to low-hight stances to be easier for you to cover and harder for the opponent to attack, and to get closer to opponent's center. defense is done with simple short moves; dodge rather than parry and parry rather than block. counters are series of fast short-range attacks. these teach you to, while keeping your safety and energy, take the full advantage of any stage of opponent's attack in your favor before he manages to back off and recover guard. this is demonstration of the famous saying 'the best defense is attack.'
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history:

Song dynasty (960-1279):
'chang hu xinyi men' was first created by monk Hui Wei (惠威) in the early 1100s. it first had about 36 postures. his disciple, monk Hai Zhou (海舟), increased it to about 66 postures.

Yuan dynasty (1279-1368):
in the late years of the dynasty, monk Jinnaluo (紧那罗) increased it to 72 and monk Zi An (子安) to 82 postures. monk Jue Xun (觉训) also improved it.

Ming dynasty (1368-1644):
monk Tong Xiang (通祥) improved the form.
meanwhile, 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.

Qing dynasty (1644-1912):
in the mid 1700s, monk Ji Ran (寂然) removed 28 repetitive postures from chang hu xinyi men form and added 30 new postures and it became about 84 postures in total.
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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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