B.Y.T.C.- BeiJing YiQuan Training Center

B.Y.T.C. GONGFU MASTERS

YiQuan Master Wang YongXiang
YiQuan Master Wang YongLi
TaiJiQuan / TaiJiJian Master FuLiNa
YiQuan / TaiJiJian Master Sui
YiQuan / ZiRangQuan Master Davide De Santis

Per vedere la maestra Fulina in un video clip di movimenti liberi di Taiji e Taiji della spada Cliacca Qui

THE STYLE

Yiquan is essentially formless, containing no fixed sets of fighting movements or techniques. Instead, focus is put on developing ones natural movement and fighting abilities through a system of training methods and concepts, working to improve the perception of one's body, its movement, and of force. Another thing that sets yiquan apart from other eastern martial arts, is that traditional concepts, like Qi, meridians, dan tien etc. eventually were discarded to make place for new explanations and ideas rooted in Western science, medicine and psychology. Much of this came about due to one of Wang Xiangzhai's key philosophies, which was that yiquan was a science of martial arts, and that there always would be room for improvement. If new methods or explanations are found that help produce better results faster, they should be adopted.

In 1939 an invitation was published, by Wang, in a Beijing newspaper for all martial arts masters to come and exchange experiences and ideas, which usually ended up in comparing skills. If anyone was to fight with Wang, though, they would first have to defeat one of four students he had appointed to fight for him, which no one who answered the challenge did.

Yiquan seems to have been influenced by various other arts that Wang was exposed to, include Fujian hèquán and BaGuaZhang,.

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MAGAZINE

Master Davide De Santis was interviewed by one of the most famous Martail Arts magzine in Eoupe, the group of pictures below shows where the artical of Master Davide's life story was published.

CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS describes the enormous variety of martial arts styles originating in China. Kungfu(Chinese:功夫 Gōngfu),Wushu (Traditional Chinese 武術) and Kuoshu (guóshù 國術/国术) are popular Chinese terms that have become synonymous with Chinese martial arts abroad. Wushu and Kung fu have very different definitions which both describe not only the separate types of martial arts study that they embody, but as blanket Chinese terms not always referencing martial arts. Colloquially, kung fu (or gong fu) alludes to any individual accomplishment or cultivated skill. Wushu is a more precise term that refers to martial activities in general, and has also become the name for a modern sport similar to gymnastics involving the performance of adapted Chinese bare-handed and weapons forms (tàolù 套路) judged to a set of contemporary aesthetic criteria for points.

VIDEO MAESTRO DAVIDE DE SANTIS
CLICCA QUI per vedere un video delle riprese al Maestro Davide mentre si prepara ad esercizi di sport marziale per le riprese della Beijing TV 8

YIQUAN HISTOTY
Having learnt xingyiquan with Guo Yun Shen in his childhood, Wang XiangZhai became a skilled fighter, who spent years travelling all over China, meeting and comparing skills with masters of various styles of Kungfu.
In the middle of the 1920s, he came to the conclusion that xingyiquan too often was taught wrong, with too much emphasis on 'outer form', neglecting the essence of true martial power. And so he worked to return to what he felt was the true essence of the art using a different name, without the 'xing' (meaning form), and began teaching and practicing it accordingly.

NEIGONG also spelled nei kung or neigung , is any of a set of Chinese breathing and meditation disciplines associated with Daoism (Taoism) and especially the Chinese martial arts. Neigong practice is normally associated with the so called "Soft Style", "Internal" or Neijia 內家 Chinese martial arts, as opposed to the category known as Waigong 外功 or "external skill" which is historically associated with Shaolin or the so called "Hard Style", "External" or Wajia 外家 Chinese martial arts. Both have many different schools, disciplines and practices and in reality much cross over and sharing exists between the two and distinguishing precisely between them is the subject of much debate.

One clear differentiation worth considering is the Taoist quest for immortality or Return to the Source 一歸無極 as it is known to the Daoists themselves. This quest led them to develop many different and varied esoteric arts, including meditation techniques, ingestion of medicinal herbs, and also calisthenics for achieving and maintaining desired mental and physical states (of which Neigong practice is one). Some or all of these arts can be drawn upon by the Daoist adept to achieve the ultimate goal, which is to become at one with the Dao 道 and become an immortal or Cheng Xian 成仙 in Chinese. Neigong practice is closely associated with this culture and although some modern theorists and practitioners attempt to disassociate it from its original tradition, through doing so they can inadvertently lose much of the tradition’s rich colour and charm.

There is both martial and non-martial Neigong, one example of martial Neigong is the breathing and focus training utilised in some traditional TaiJi Quan (TaiChi Chuan) schools, or an example of non-martial Neigong is the discipline known as DaoYin.

ZHAN ZHUANG (站椿) lit. "standing like a tree" , sometimes called "standing like a post" or "post standing" is a method of training in many Chinese martial arts in which static postures are used for meditation, to develop patience, strength (particularly of the legs) and stamina; most often among the internal styles. Contrary to the most common notion of cardiovascular exercise necessitating vigorous movement, Western students may be surprised by the physical conditioning that zhan zhuang may provide. Postures used vary between martial arts and styles, with many schools using postures found within their own forms (though the basic structure and principles of zhan zhuang practice largely do not vary). Those unfamiliar to zhan zhuang can experience severe muscle fatigue and subsequent trembling at first. Later, once sufficient stamina and strength have been achieved the practicioner can use zhan zhuang to work on developing "Zhong Ding" or central equilibrium as well as sensitivity to specific areas of tension in the body. Some schools also use the practice as a way of purportedly removing blockages in Qi flow.

Perhaps the most well-known variety of zhan zhuang training is the "horse stance" or ma bu 馬步.

Many styles, especially the internal styles, combine post standing with breathing training to develop whole body coordination for martial purposes. There are also said to be health benefits from such practice.

YiQuan is known for having discarded adherence to form as found in its parent art, XingYiQuan, in favour of what are claimed to be formless methods, including zhan zhuang. Most Yiquan teachers place emphasis on zhan zhuang as the penultimate NeiGong exercise, and divide it into two distinct categories: jianshen zhuang (health stances) and jiji zhuang (combat stances).

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TAOISM (DAOISM) is the English name referring to a variety of related Chinese philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread internationally. Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao ; namely, love, moderation, and humility. Taoist thought focuses on wuwei ("non-action"), spontaneity, humanism and emptiness.

The character Tao 道 (or Dao, depending on the romanisation scheme) means "path" or "way", but in Chinese religion and philosophy it has taken on more abstract meanings. Tao is rarely an object of worship, being treated more like the Central Asian concepts of atman and dharma, The word "Taoism" is used to translate different Chinese terms. Daojiao/Taochiao (道教 "teachings/religion of the Dao") refers to Daoism as a religion. Daojia/Taochia (道家 "school of the Dao") refers to the studies of scholars, or "philosophical" Daoism. However, most scholars have abandoned the dichotomy of "religious" and "philosophical" Daoism.

Master Davide De Santis and Chinese Buddhist Monk

Most traditional Chinese Taoists are polytheistic. Nature and ancestor spirits are also common in popular Taoism. Organized Taoism distinguishes its ritual activity from that of the folk religion, which some professional Taoists (Daoshi) view as debased. This sort of shamanism is eschewed for an emphasis on internal alchemy among the "elite" Taoists. Chinese alchemy, astrology, cuisine, several Chinese Martial Art , Chinese traditional medicine, Fengshui and many styles of QiGon breath training disciplines are intertwined with Taoism throughout history.

SPITITUALITY
Taoists believe that man is a microcosm for the universe. The body ties directly into the Chinese five elements. The five organs correlate with the five elements, the five directions and the seasons. Akin to the "neoplatonic maxim" of "as above, so below", Taoism posits that by understanding himself, man may gain knowledge of the universe.

In Taoism, even beyond Chinese folk religion, various rituals, exercises, and substances are said to positively affect one's physical health. They are also intended to align oneself spiritually with cosmic forces, or enable ecstatic spiritual journeys. These concepts seem basic to Taoism in its elite forms. Internal alchemy and various rituals are intended to extend life, even to the point of immortality. Immortals, their actions and their relationships with the gods and natural forces form a significant portion of Taoist mythology.

QIGONG
QiGong is an aspect of Traditional Chinese medicine involving the coordination of different breathing patterns with various physical postures and motions of the body. Qigong is mostly taught for health maintenance purposes, but there are also some who teach it as a therapeutic intervention. Various forms of traditional qigong are also widely taught in conjunction with Chinese martial arts, and are especially prevalent in the advanced training of what are known as the NEIJIA, or internal martial arts where the object is the full mobilization and proper coordination and direction of the energies of the body as they are applied to some target.

There are currently more than 3,300 different styles and schools of qigong. Qigong relies on the traditional Chinese belief that the body has something that might be described as an "energy field" generated and maintained by the natural respiration of the body, known as qi (this is analogous to Prana and Pranayama in Yoga). Qi means breath or gas in Chinese, and, by extension, the energy produced by breathing that keeps us alive; gong means work applied to a discipline or the resultant level of technique. Qigong is then "breath work" or the art of managing one's breathing in order to achieve and maintain good health, and (especially in the martial arts) to enhance the energy mobilization and stamina of the body in coordination with the physical process of respiration.

Attitudes toward the scientific basis (or lack of it) for qigong vary markedly. Most Western medical practitioners, many practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the Chinese government view qigong as a set of breathing and movement exercises, with possible benefits to health through stress reduction and exercise. Others see qigong in more metaphysical terms, claiming that breathing and movement exercises can help one tap the fundamental energies of the universe.

- BeiJin YiQuan Training Center -
EVENTS 2007

APRIL
(CHINA / BEIJING)
From 11 (Saturday) to 19 (Sunday)
Course of YIQUAN and TAIJI SWORD
(Master WangYong Xiang and Master FuLiNa)

NOVEMBER
(ITALY / MILAN)
From 1 (Thursday) to 4 (Sunday)
STAGE of Master FULINA (Intensive Courses of TaiJi Sword)

DECEMBER
(CHINA / BEIJING)
From 22 (Saturday) to 30 (Sunday)
Course of YIQUAN and TAIJI SWORD
(Master Wang YongXiang and Master FuLiNa)

DECEMBER / JANUARY
(CHINA / BEIJING)
From 29 (Saturday) to 6 January (2008)
Course of YIQUAN and TAIJI SWORD
(Master Wang YongXiang and Master FuLiNa)

For Further Information please contact to: yiquancenter@yiquancenter.com

e.mail
info@yiquancenter.net

Another B.Y.T.C.Website www.yiquancenter.net