​Za Shi Chui:
Mixed Form Hammering / Unification Fist. A longer form combining the five phases with many of the animals in advancing and retreating.



 

​An Shen Pao:
Body Calming Canon. A two man form. It is much longer than the earlier two man forms and varies from style to style. The basic movements are pretty much the same as done in Song style. In Master Li's expression the contact is more constant and has more of the feeling of sticking and following associated with Taiji push hands.



Also the Xing Yi Dragon Sword is taught and the Linking Rotating Ring Spear as well as the Comprehensive Whip Stick Skill.

There is also Xingyi theory which teaches all of the important points to remember when developing your skill. Earlier I mentioned the six harmonies, another example is the six body styles: Chicken Leg, Dragon Body, Eagle Claw, Bear Shoulders, Tigers Embrace, and Thunder Sound. There are many more of these and they are very important.



Again I want to emphasize that many of these other forms are not necessary to the development of true skill in Xingyi. I have met many of Master Li's disciples who only concentrate on what I listed first. All of the real development of internal skill lies in a deep practice of those few things. I do enjoy the other forms and I think they have value but most of my practice concentrates on the first few, especially Tu Na Si Ba, Santi Shi and Pi Quan.



Although I deeply believe that to understand Xingyi you must be able to really apply the art in an actual fighting situation, I also believe that it is much more than that. At one point I was talking to some of the other disciples and they were exited to make two points. One was that, at it's highest level, Xingyi becomes an individual expression and each persons Xingyi will be different while still conforming to all of the classical rules. The other was that Xingyi is to be expressed in your own life. Not just when fighting. As an actor I understand how Xingyi can be expressed in art. If you asked me what I considered to be most important in acting I would say; the characters intent, (Yi) and how that intent leads to the action or form (Xing) that he takes. Human beings are composed of constantly changing states or phases, shifting from one to the other according to circumstance. The same as Xingyi teaches. If I can express that on stage in a way that the intent and the action are seamless then my work can be spontaneous and in the moment. No matter what you do in your life Xingyi becomes part of its expression and that is the great value of the art.

 

I would like to close this section with a quote from Guo Yunshen concerning training:  When practicing boxing arts, you must not have so much determination that it obstructs you. If you are obsessed with seeking to have strength, you will get jammed up by it. If you are obsessed with seeking to have energy, you will get clogged up by it. If you are obsessed with seeking to be heavy, it will weigh you down. If you are obsessed with seeking to be light, your spirit and energy will wander off. Therefore the way to go about these things is to practice the postures smoothly, and then naturally there will be strength. When there is neutrality within, it will naturally produce energy. When your spirit and intention return to your elixir field, your body will naturally be as heavy as Mt. Tai. When your spirit and energy merge into one and transform into emptiness, your body will naturally be light as a feather. Thus you must not obsessively seek, even though there may be something to be gained through the seeking. Look upon that something as if it is nothing, treating its substantiality as insubstantial. Neither forget about it nor assist it. Do not strive for it and you will hit the target. Do not fixate on it and you will obtain it. Being patient and balanced is all you need.