Hsing-I Five Fists

Training Guide

Bruce Frantzis
Copyright © 2014 Bruce Frantzis
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 Beginning Pi Chuan or Chopping Fist

1 Beginning position: Your hands cup the lower tantien

ɲɲ Your stance is narrow.
ɲɲ Heels are close to each other, but don’t touch.
ɲɲ Your toes face 45° outward in either direction from your centerline.
ɲɲ Pay attention to keeping your armpits open from the beginning to the end of the movement.

2-3 The fist initially travels up the body’s centerline to the throat notch and mouth
ɲɲ In a circular manner, the left arm curls and your left hand forms a fist.
ɲɲ Continue to inwardly twist the fist.
ɲɲ As the left fist rises it maintains at least a fist’s distance from your torso on your centerline.
ɲɲ The right hand curls, gradually forms a fist and moves in a circle at your waist side.
ɲɲ The right hand knuckles facing upward, back of the hand facing downward.
ɲɲ Both hands move in coordination, so each fist reaches its end position at exactly the same
time and speed.

4 Then from your mouth your left fist projects forward on a straight line outward
ɲɲ Finish as far in front of you as you can go with your elbow bent, not straight or locked.
ɲɲ Your forward moving fist is driven primarily by the turning of your waist.
ɲɲ The left fist finishes at the height of your mouth or nose.

5 Right fist rises up and out along the centerline

ɲɲ Initially your left fist remains in space and does not retract towards your torso.
ɲɲ Your waist turns back toward the center to drive your lower hand upward.

6 The lower fist first arrives at the crook of your already extended arm.

7 Your weightless foot steps forward and your hands move in coordination with it
ɲɲ Both your hands should move in proportionate speed to each other. Your foot, waist and arm
movements should reach their final positions at the same time.
ɲɲ The up and down motions of your fists will reverse position doing 2 clear movements while
your weight continues to remain on your back leg and the other empty foot steps forward.
ɲɲ The foot stepping forward is propelled by the turning of your waist. The front foot lands
weightless touching the ground.
ɲɲ Weight remains on your rear leg in coordination with your next arm movements.

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 Beginning Pi Chuan or Chopping Fist
8 Legs, waist and arms now move in direct coordination with each other. Ideally
neither finishes their movement ahead or lags behind the other.
ɲɲ Both hands and legs internally tear against each other like gently tearing paper so the resul-
tant internal pressure is even and not jagged.
ɲɲ Both arms and hands twist inward and downward, gradually opening the hands until the fists
become open palms.
ɲɲ Upper hand goes down and forward. Lower hand goes down and backward. Lower hand fin-
ishes a fist size distance in front of the lower tan tien.
ɲɲ The body goes slightly forward as the hips sink into the legs. This should press the sole of the
foot strongly into the ground.
ɲɲ The front shin goes forward to tear against the back leg’s calf. This should root both your feet.
ɲɲ Leg and waist turning and the sinking of the hips should drive the movement and power of
the hands. The lower body drives the upper body, and not the other way around.
9-10 Both hands curl into fists, the top hand moving toward center line
ɲɲ Even though the hands pull closer to the body, there is no feeling of contracting or retreating.
ɲɲ The hand already at the lower tantien curls into a fist with knucles facing forward.
ɲɲ The extended hand moves downward toward the lower tantien and curls into a fist.

11 Body and fists rotate from the waist

ɲɲ The waist finishes turned 45 degrees.
ɲɲ The fists finish at the height of the hips.
ɲɲ This is the ending position for Pi Chuan on one side of the body.

12-18 From this position repeat steps (1 - 8) while stepping on the other side

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 Drilling Fist or Tsuan Chuan

1 Beginning Position: Final position of Left Chopping Fist

2-3 Opening the posture

ɲɲ Step forward as you did previously in Chopping Fist.
ɲɲ In coordination with your stepping let your arms drop and spreads sideward so in the final
position the center of your palms directly face each other.
ɲɲ Let the turning of your wait to 45 degrees move the arms and use the arms like a drill.

4-6 While bringing your feet together as you did in Chopping Fist, use your front leg,
the pulling of your tantien and the movement of the torso turning to lead and
power your hand movements:
ɲɲ The hand of the lead foot rises in a sideways circular manner until your lead hand is above your
head in front of you. Hands are continuously twisting the entire time.
ɲɲ The lead hand finishes with the palm facing down, ready to press down an opponent’s attack.
At the top the hand starts to curl into a fist on its way down.
ɲɲ The rear hand circles around your waist and moves inward, closes and forms a fist until the fist
finishes in front of your lower tantien with your knuckles facing the ground.
ɲɲ Your hands, while tracking your centerline, will reverse their up and down positions.
ɲɲ As the hands are moving the backward foot will begin to step forward. As it does so, the up
and down movement of your fists will arrive at the middle of your torso.

5-7 Your front foot will take a giant step. Heel touching the floor, toes up.
ɲɲ Your descending fist will drive your lower hand (left in the picture) upward with a pulley-like
action.
ɲɲ Power in both hands will derive from your tantien projecting forward and your waist turning.
ɲɲ Your upper hand tracks your centerline (solar plexus, heart, throat notch, nose toward the
crown of the head). Your hand will pile drive to the height of your head like an upper cut.
ɲɲ The rear hand will descend down your centerline to your tantien.
ɲɲ Your back foot will be pulled off the ground as it follows the forward motion of your tantien
and torso.
ɲɲ Your back foot will be pulled forward to finish underneath your lower tantien. This will occur in
2 parts to accomplish different purposes.
ɲɲ Part 1: The rear foot moving mid-way forward will drive the hand higher and seamlessly create
a second double impact strike with your lead front hand.

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 Drilling Fist or Tsuan Chuan
ɲɲ Part 2: In the second half of the movement, the foot comes under the tantien. Turn the waist
half way backward to create a downward block or cover up from a potential attack. When a
hand is high opponents will commonly try to come underneath it.
ɲɲ Return your lower hand to your lower tantien to stabilize your balance.

7-18 From this position the sequence repeats steps (1-7) on the other side (7-12) then
repeats again on the beginning side (12-18)

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 Crushing Fist or Beng Chuan

1 Beginning position: final position of left Chopping or left Drilling Fist

1-3 The lead foot steps forward

ɲɲ The upper forearm first presses downward.
ɲɲ Your front hand seamlessly transits to an extending, twisting and penetrating punch.
ɲɲ Within crushing fist you ideally include two seamless punches with just the forward hand. The
first is a penetrating forward punch like a spear propelled by the step forward, the second
impact exerts a downward twisting pressure which crushes what the initial penetration has
laid bare.
ɲɲ Front arm bends but does not retract. Body moves forward without the punching hand re-
tracting.

4 Immediately after the fists are on top of each other, the foot of the underneath
arm takes a long step forward, heel weightless and toes up
ɲɲ The rear arm is projected forward to go underneath the punching forearm.
ɲɲ The lower forearm then rubs and attempts to expand upward underneath the upper punching
arm, as simultaneously the upper forearm presses down on the lower forearm.
ɲɲ The rubbing is powered by the back foot, waist and tantien moving forward.
ɲɲ This drives the bottom fist forward to do a penetrating and crushing punch.

5 The tantien moves forward yet more, this pulls your rear foot off the ground and
forward.
ɲɲ The rear foot moves forward to become parallel to the front foot without stepping past it.
ɲɲ The waist turning and rear foot coming forward drives the power of both arm movements.
ɲɲ This movement causes your punch to both increase its range and bring yet more energy into
your lead hand, ideally causing a double impact strike.
ɲɲ While extending your distance, your rear hand must twist stronger at your midriff to insure
that your body’s integration, coherence and balance is maintained.
ɲɲ The tantien continues to project forward as your foot hits the ground.

6 Complete your half step as your tantien moves forward to pull your rear foot
underneath it.
ɲɲ As you do so, emphasize the crushing aspect of a Crushing Fist double impact strike.

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 Crushing Fist or Beng Chuan

7-12 From this position repeat steps (1-6) on the other side (7-12)

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 Exploding Fist or Pao Chuan
Hsing I’s foundation as a martial art is based on its first three fists, Chopping, Drilling and Crushing. These
initially emphasize forward linear movement. The next two fists emphasize lateral, side-to-side movement.
This happens first using a stepping technique with Exploding Fist or Pao Chuan and later with both
stepping and hand techniques with Crossing Fist or Heng Chuan.

In general the initial set up and defensive half of Exploding Fist is considered a greater challenge than the
explosive and offensive punch at the end.

1 Begin from the final position of a Crushing Fist or Beng Chuan.

2 Step 45° with the left foot as you keep your rear foot rooted.
ɲɲ Make your step long. Finish with your heel touching the ground and toes pointing upward.
ɲɲ Use your lower hand at your lower tantien to anchor the primary upper hand.
ɲɲ Upper hand will twist outward as it rises up your centerline to block an attack.
ɲɲ Upper hand finishes its movement above your head.
ɲɲ It may either be done to propel an opponents away from you or suck them into you.

3 As you punch with your lower hand to the solar plexus, heart or throat
height, use your tantien, front leg and waist to pull you forward.
ɲɲ Do a half step with the rear foot so it ends up underneath your lower tantien.
ɲɲ Power your punch by the turning of your waist to the center. This is an outward expansion of
the lower tantien and your foot doing a half step.
ɲɲ Your blocking hand twists upward to open up an opponent to the lower punch.

4-5 Your torso now turns to face the opposite sidewards 45° angle.
ɲɲ Your lead foot steps forward slightly. Extend your rear leg to both power the turning of your
waist and your front foot moving to a new 45° angle.
ɲɲ Your front leg will twist to turn your toes so that they finish facing 45°.
ɲɲ As your weight shifts, your arms driven by your turn make a large arc as if throwing a net 45°
to the side.
ɲɲ Former punching arm rises to catch something coming in high in a circular movement. While
the lower arm descends to capture something coming in low on a downward arc.

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 Exploding Fist or Pao Chuan

6-7 You now will continue the circular arc of your arms until they arrive below your
waist.
ɲɲ Any circle has a mid-point between where it is rising and descending.
ɲɲ Elbows bent, your waist turns and continues the arc of your arms sidewards until it reaches
this mid-point.
ɲɲ Then several things happen together in a simultaneous coordinated way as your arms descend
to complete the 2nd half of the circle’s arc.
ɲɲ With the turning of your waist inward, pull your rear foot in to protect your groin and bend
your kwa to squat as if your were defending yourself from a groin, knee or shin kick.
ɲɲ Your open hands close into fists, with the emphasis not on the knuckles but the hammer edge
of the hand.
ɲɲ Your forward leg is now weightless, toes on the ground and heel off of it.
ɲɲ Your forward fist arcs passed your knee to finish at or near your groin.

8-11 You now step 45° to the side, leg empty and toes facing upwards.
ɲɲ The extended hand rises to do a vertical upper block to contact your opponent’s body as your
foot steps forward.
ɲɲ Your lower hand also rises to position itself for a strike to the side.
ɲɲ Take a half step forward with your rear foot with the waist turning forward.
ɲɲ Initially your upper fist stays near your head, as your forearm and elbow move to the side of
your torso.
ɲɲ After the upper arm is in motion, the lower fist is powered by the waist turning, the tantien
going forward and your foot completing its half step.
ɲɲ Complete an exploding punch 45° to the side.
ɲɲ Hands, feet and waist all move together and finish together.

12-18 From this position repeat steps (4-11) on the other side

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 Crossing Fist or Heng Chuan
This is the most physically intricate of Hsing I’s 5 element fists. In order to perform it, without getting
frustrated, it’s best to have advanced skill in the first 4 fists before learning this final fist. Give yourself time
because in the long term it will pay off. The Hsing I Mastery Program’s videos explain why in greater detail.

1 Beginning position: final position for a right Exploding Fist.

2-4 Front foot steps forward, as your back leg extends, waist turns 45° to the
opposite left side as you do a Crossing fist. This is the beginning position or
posture for Horizontal fist.
ɲɲ Your front foot will step forward to face exactly 45° to the side as you did when changing
directions in Exploding fist. Only the hand and waist work will be different. Simultaneously
coordinate so they finish together.
ɲɲ As you turn to 45°, your upper fist will twist and descend down your centerline to your tantien,
knuckles facing downward.
ɲɲ At the same time, your lower fist makes a horizontal outward circular arc to finish in front of
your chest on your centerline.
ɲɲ The power and movement of your upper hand moving is generated by your waist internally
turning in the opposite direction from the direction your hand moves.
ɲɲ This reverse waist turning drives both of your fists.
ɲɲ It is different from the first 4 Hsing I fists in that they do not move in the same direction.
ɲɲ Your fist makes a simultaneous forward and horizontal motion. This is difficult to understand
from words only but you are moving on two planes of movement at once. The Hsing I Mastery
Program shows and explains this method from multiple ways of understanding the technical
challenges of this unique kind of punch.
ɲɲ Your front left foot is now facing 45° to the right.

5-9 As your raised hand opens, the back of your hand starts making a circular
downward movement to the sides of your hips in a sweeping defense, before
your lower hand at the tantien starts rising upward.
ɲɲ Shift your weight slightly backward until by focusing on using your kwa to move your feet,
your front foot becomes sufficiently weightless to step with it.
ɲɲ Your front foot takes a full step forward and across the body 45°. Your toes finish facing the
opposite 45° angle.
ɲɲ The lower hand stays at your lower tantien to anchor the movement of your legs and hand.
ɲɲ The inside of your kwa curves as your waist begins turning towards your front foot.
ɲɲ Your hips go slightly forward and your waist turns toward the outside of your front foot. As
the turn continues this lifts your rear foot.
ɲɲ Simultaneously your falling hand completes its downward arc and hen moves in front of the
lower tantien.

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 Crossing Fist or Heng Chuan
ɲɲ The lower hand at the tantien at the same time begins to rise on the centerline of the body.

10-11 As your weight remains on your rooted forward foot, use the curving of your
hips and waist to cause your rear foot to take a half step forward and punch
or block with the upper arm.
ɲɲ As your waists turn it pulls your rear foot forward in a half step.
ɲɲ Left hand remains screwing into your lower tantien.
ɲɲ Right hand in a circular manner continues further to the side and then in the second half of its
circle returns at head height toward your centerline.
ɲɲ Center of your palm begins to twist and turn downward to press down your Qi or an oppo-
nent’s weapon.

12-18 From this position repeat steps (4-11) on the other side.

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