Читать книгу Chinese Internal Boxing. Techniques of Hsing-I and Pa-Kua онлайн

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The most famous such match reportedly occurred in Peking between Kuo Yun-shen, the famed Hsing-i adept known as "the Divine Crushing Fist," and Tung Hai-ch'uan, the modern father of Pa-kua. Kuo tried unsuccessfully for two days to dent Tung's defense and on the third day was completely defeated by the Pa-kua master. The two became lifelong friends; indeed, so impressed were they with the art of the other that they signed a pact requiring students of each discipline to cross-train in the other. Thus, to this day, the systems are coupled, complementary, and taught together. In fact, the principles cited for Hsing-i in this book are equally applicable to Pa-kua.

Done correctly, Hsing-i strikes are extremely dangerous. That is why there is no sparring: if the punches are pulled or muted in any way, they are not Hsing-i. Thus, Western boxing and karaté cannot help the Hsing-i boxer to sharpen his skills. In this respect, Hsing-i is similar to the ancient forms of some Japanese martial arts, which have remained the same over the centuries because of their difficulty and intrinsically dangerous natures. If regulated, restricted, and made sportive, such arts, including Hsing-i and Pa-kua, lose their essence.