Zhang Sanfeng 13 forms

[LAOLONG]

Its only a theory i can't prove
But it may be a style of 12
Chinese zodiac animals
And Buddha 12+1=13
So its more a Chinese Buddhist
 Art maybe a shaolin art
And not a Taoist style

 

[LAOLONG]

 

 

[rideforever]

That LHBF Goose video looks very vague to me.  Perhaps it's all been lost.

[lifeforce]

.

Edited April 24, 2019 by lifeforce

[rideforever]

I'm quite into learning Scott Meredith's 12 animals XingYi, he emphasises the energy aspects of the movements uniquely, and also he is a bit crazy and has awesome music on his DVDs.   The XingYi animals seem to be in a more healthy and strong tradition that the above LHBF which seems to be a bit limp frankly, like an old man trying to remember what he saw once but doesn't really remember.

Also they seem pretty good for a good workout.

And from XingYi to LHBF, for me that seems a better plan as LHBF seems to have been lost.

 

 

[steve]

8 hours ago, NOONE said:

Its only a theory i can't prove
But it may be a style of 12
Chinese zodiac animals
And Buddha 12+1=13
So its more a Chinese Buddhist
 Art maybe a shaolin art
And not a Taoist style

 

 

I was taught that the martial methods came first, derived from necessity and practicality.

The philosophical overlay and specialization came later, be it xingyiquan, baguazhang, taijiquan, or others.

The lofty ideas of zodiac, Buddhism, heavenly mountains, and all of that, served as memory aids, elevated the status of practices, made them seem more legitimate or desirable to potential students and so forth.

I also can't prove this but it feels true to me.

 

Edited to add:

The number 13 comes from the combining of 8 methods and 5 directions - 

Peng, lu, ji, an, cai, lie, zhou, kao

Forward, back, left, right, center

Edited April 24, 2019 by steve

[OldDog]

From a Taiji perspective, I had learned the 13 forms as references to the steps (bu) and energies (jin) used in Taiji. But I suppose other traditions have their explanations.

 

I think the origins of many concepts and technics are lost to antiquity. One thing I have learned from Taiji is that the same outwardly apparent movements can have multiple applications. I have both seen and experienced (as in being on the receiving end ) this in the many variations on forms. I think this is why the same form may look significantly different from one master to the next.

 

Ultimately, good Taiji ... martial art ... I think is formless.

[LAOLONG]

3 hours ago, rideforever said:

I'm quite into learning Scott Meredith's 12 animals XingYi, he emphasises the energy aspects of the movements uniquely, and also he is a bit crazy and has awesome music on his DVDs.   The XingYi animals seem to be in a more healthy and strong tradition that the above LHBF which seems to be a bit limp frankly, like an old man trying to remember what he saw once but doesn't really remember.

Also they seem pretty good for a good workout.

And from XingYi to LHBF, for me that seems a better plan as LHBF seems to have been lost.

 

 

18 animals form

Scott jensen