Straight punches

[MaartenSFS]

True, but one of my biggest problems with making my art work was that a lot of the techniques simply weren't working against the boxers. Only after a lot of thought and experimentation did I develop the right combinations to make them land. But when they were successful I could see the "HOLY SHIT!" and "WTF!" look in their eyes.

They just can't deal with these powerful attacks from strange angles and completely different combinations. It's only made me more confident in my chosen art. It isn't the only one out there that works, but it works well. If everyone did the same thing it would get old fast..

My master taught me all of these things, but I had to leave before I had a chance to battle-test everything. Thankfully, I had many opportunities to get my arse handed to me by him and watch him spar with others (and he sends me video clips), so it was only a matter of replication and then settling into my own groove. The past three months with the boxers has been exactly what I needed to put an exclamation point on ten years of training in China. I hope to continue until the summer (also still studying a last bit of Tuishou), after which I'll probably be moving to a new region of China, but with my focus finally on adventuring, my goals in martial arts having been accomplished.

[MaartenSFS]

Do you train Beng Chuan

- both on the head level and chest level, or only on the chest level?
- both on the leading arm and back arm, or only the leading arm?
- only 1 punch for each step, 2, 3, ... punches for each step, or many steps for each punch?
- above your opponent's arm, or below his arm?
- through your opponent's "front door", through his "side door", or both?
- with different set up? What are those possible set up?

I don't think of Bengquan as a specific technique, but as a Jin. Being tall I mostly punch the face with my lead hand, but sometimes punch the body with the right when using combinations. I have found that this works very well. With the lead I punch with one step or sometimes without, or after a flurry of attacks, each whilst stepping. I generally punch through or from above the front door.

I have found that this combination works best; lead hand backhand to their left, lead hand Baiquan to their right, rear hand Bengquan to the torso. For a lead hand I have found that a chain punch with the last being a Bengquan works best, or just randomly throwing one in a flurry of attacks. With the lead hand my target is always the face (for a Bengquan). I call this lead hand Bengquan a Chuanquan (piercing/penetrating fist).

[Taste of Death]

Jack Dempsey recommended putting a bit of body weight behind the jab, in a way that some have compared to xingyi.

With Dempsey's falling step one puts all of one's weight on the front foot while in xingyi the weight is more on the back leg but xingyi and yiquan both use a falling step.

[middleway]

Do you train Beng Chuan

- both on the head level and chest level, or only on the chest level?
- both on the leading arm and back arm, or only the leading arm?
- only 1 punch for each step, 2, 3, ... punches for each step, or many steps for each punch?
- above your opponent's arm, or below his arm?
- through your opponent's "front door", through his "side door", or both?
- with different set up? What are those possible set up?

Yes to all of course! But that becomes clear when we realize that Beng isn't really just a punch. The punch is just for the form. It is better described as one of the 5 unique ways that Xing Yi uses and develops the body and should be viewed within that context IMO. I can use the 'Beng' body method to kick, to throw, to elbow, to knee ... as well as to punch. With this context in mind a huge array of options and tactics become available.

It is also worth considering that, as i trained it, hidden inside Beng is a very tight spiral in the arm. This means that from the first inch to the last, the power is there and no matter where along that length the opponent tries to stop it they will be met with the same force. If someone uses Beng by 'throwing' a punch, it is not Beng to me and looses its unique functionality.

thanks.

[MaartenSFS]

Those are good points as well, though in my opinion a good kick requires its own specialised training and is probably more influenced by the footwork than the Bengquan.

[Taste of Death]

The kick is delivered like you are trying to climb up the opponent's shin. It is like dragon stepping. Or it is placed behind their lead foot and you lock their leg with your leg after banging the side of their knee with the front of yours.

[mrtoes]

I like straight punches for anything that's not a short range hook. Beng chuan is my strongest punch, though as middleway says there is nothing linear about the power delivery (dual deep spirals from hand to foot crossing through the center). I've changed the way I originally leant it and no longer drive with the hip at all. I feel the classic straight right to the gut goes best with a setup. I also really like zuan chuan especially as many people are taller than me. Pi chuan is nice and can be used at short range without windup off the lead hand but I'm not very good at applying it. I don't really need footwork or weight shift for any of those.

[MaartenSFS]

The first kick sounds like a Guadifeng (from XYLHQ). Simple, but effective.

Other kicks need their own power-generating methods, though, I'd say. Side kick, back kick and front push kick, in my experience are almost the same and there are special training methods to be able create Fajin-like power for them.

[Rhen]

If you wanna learn to fight, take up boxing- Robert W. Smith

[klonk]

Compare and contrast:

Beng's gross movement is a forward drive. Admittedly, there are complexities involved within it, as noted above, spirally nuances.

Western boxing's straight/cross right is driven by a rotation that has the rear heel come off the ground. That is so, at least, in my idea of how it should be thrown. The gross motion is rotary though there is a forward component.

Boxing's famous one-two is a forward impulse followed by a rotational one. Time it really well and they flow into each other.