Hsing-i Chuan for Health and Martial Power: Volume 1 San Ti and Pi Chuan

Hsing-i chuan (Xing yi quan, Shing yi chuan), like bagua (ba gua, pakua) and tai chi, is a internal martial art. Each of the three internal martial arts has their own distinct characteristics and flavor.

Hsing-i could be considered the most direct and yang practice of the internal martial arts, primary composed of five basic fist movements and a core standing practice called Santi.

This DVD training set was recorded live in Berkeley, California, and it covers the fundamentals of both San Ti—the core standing posture of hsing-i—and Pi Chuan or Chopping Fist.

San Ti—the trinity posture—is at the heart of the practice of hsing-i and its Five Elements. A common story about the best people in hsing-i describes how they were made to do San Ti for between one and three years before being allowed to learn anything else. San Ti cultivates five critical processes involving:

- the breath
- the legs and waist
- the arms
- unifying the connections within the practitioner both externally and internally.

Hsing-i’s Pi Chuan (Chopping/Splitting Fist) is the first moving technique in the system. It is linked to the metal element and positively affects the lungs. Pi Chuan's main focus is to make the spine extremely strong and the hands as hard as steel.