Fajing:

Issuing Power as Practiced in Bajiquan

and Northern Chinese Martial Arts Systems
By Tony Yang
, Robert A. Figler, Ph.D., and Andy Lianto
All photographs by Andy Lianto
Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2003, pp. 66-79.
Reprinted by Permission
"Traditional Northern Chinese Martial Arts are all Sons of the Same
Mother,"
- The late Liu Yun-qiao
Introduction - The ability to fa-jing (
), i.e. express effective explosive
power through the body is common to many of the martial arts systems
found in Northern China. This characteristic energy expression is most
commonly associated with such systems as xing yi, taijiquan and
baguazhang (
,
,
) and is developed in a very
systematic way of training. In the bajiquan (
) system taught by the
late Liu Yun-qiao
, fa-jing is mother's milk to all techniques and
applications. In this article we will address how power and fa-jing are
systematically trained for in the bajiquan/pigua zhang (
/
)
system currently being taught by Tony Yang, a formal student of the late
Liu Yun-qiao. It is important to note that many of the methods illustrated in
this article are common to many of the aforementioned Northern Chinese
systems.
The ability to delivery power and fa-jing is not an all-or-nothing
proposition. Almost every individual has some degree of power and fajing applying their martial art. However, the question is whether its
delivery is effective and if it can be delivered at a level where serious
damage can be inflicted upon an opponent. This energy/body property
can be best conceptualized along two continuums for training in the
martial arts: 1) ineffective to effective and 2) undeveloped to developed.
In the bajiquan system addressing three key areas systematically
develops this energy body property: 1) legs, 2) waist, and 3) arms.

Figure A-1

Figure A-2
Three Simple but Effective Fa-jing Exercises - To develop effective and
powerful fa-jing initially everything must start with the legs and the popular
horse stance (mabu
). The proper width of the horse stance is given
in Figure A-1 and the depth is given by A-2. This stance is critical for
generating power and developing the waist/kua ( ) area for the effective
transfer of power from the foot to the fist. Although difficult to infer from
the pictures, the upper body is held in a relatively relaxed state and the
fist itself is curled lightly and held hollow.

The first exercise develops punching power with fa-jing by punching from
a horse stance to a bow stance (
)and back to the horse with
alternating sides. This is illustrated in Figures B-1 through B-11. Initially
the practitioner moves from the horse to the bow and back to the horse in
relatively slow motion, making sure that movement is properly transferred
from the feet through the waist and out to the fist. No issuance of power is
used and the teacher must check proper alignment. After 10 or more
repetitions the exercises is performed fast and the fist is only tightened at
the moment it is extended. The leg, waist, and back arm also drive the
power of the forward thrusting fist. Breath is exhaled on the punch and
inhaled on returning to the horse stance position. Chan si jing (
) is
quite explicit in the feet and the waist. The instructor will often test the
bow stance by walking upon the back leg. However, the upper body must
remain relatively relaxed.
A second exercise consists of punching from the side and downward.
Metaphorically this is referred to as fire and water (
). This is illustrated
in Figures C-1 through C-12. The initial strike is aimed at the opponent's
eyes and needed to open up the waist area. Like fire, it rises; but the fajing strike is downward, like water and executed from a horse stance.
Again the initial set of repetitions is done slowly to check alignment and
full body extension. Additional repetitions are done faster and fa-jing is
used in the strike.
It is also important to note that each of these exercises can be done as a
two-man application. This is not recommended in the initial stages of
training because body alignment must be properly held and relaxation
must be present in the movements. In blocking the punches one quickly
learns the importance of chan si jing employed in defensive movements.
The exercise's application is illustrated in Figures D-1 through D-5.
The last exercise is to move from a horse stance to a bow stance while
simultaneously blocking in the direction of the movement and then
punching while returning to the initial horse stance. The twisting of the
waist and the pulling power of the arms in opposite directions is strongly
felt and trained for in these movements. Illustration of this movement is
found in Figures E-1 through E-13.
The Addition of Da Qiang Exercises - In conjunction with these exercises,
the da qiang (
) or big spear training is also used. The tapered spear
is generally twelve feet or longer and must not be excessively heavy (it

must have flexible movement). A spear that is too heavy will constrain the
effective transfer of power from the feet through the waist to the tip of the
spear. These exercises are designed to extend the power of the
practitioner beyond the fist and help develop both power, fa-jing and open
hand movements. The generation of circular movement at the tip of the
spear is a general indicator of effective power transfer. The following are
three of twelve da qiang exercises that are employed early in the
practitioner's training. Other da qiang exercises also employ two-man
applications.
The first exercise is one in which the practitioner, in a horse stance, holds
the spear with both palms up and turns the spear over while rotating the
feet into a bow stance. This is illustrated in Figure F-1 through F-5. Breath
is also coordinated with exhaling done on the extension and inhaling on
the return. If properly done, one can literally feel the winding and
unwinding of the waist/dantian (
) area and the twisting and untwisting
of the arms and the legs. When the alignment is proper and relaxation
has been achieved, one then adds fa-jing expression when turning the
spear over and when returning the spear to the initial position.
The second exercise, punching with the da qiang, takes the first exercise
one step further by adding a punch after the spear has been turned over.
This exercise is illustrated in Figure G-1 through G-10. Extending the
spear with a punch also adds a strength dimension not found in the
previous exercise. Upon retrieval of the spear from its initial punch, one to
three spirals should be observed at the tip of the spear. Its dynamic
motion actually looks like a corkscrew. A proficient practitioner will also
produce a popping sound from the hands when the spear is punched out.
The tempo is medium and should not be done fast. This exercise is
particularly important for developing proper extension and fa-jing
punching power in the open hand form.
The last da qiang exercise is baji's version of pole shaking. Pole shaking
is found in both Yang and Chen's taijiquan (
,
) and
possibly in xing yi systems. In this exercise, illustrated by Figures H-1
through H-13, the practitioner takes a standing position with the spear tip
extended and positioned forward. The practitioner snaps the tip upward
while simultaneously inhaling and sinking into a horse stance. The pole is
held at a forty-five degree angle to the practitioner's body. When the tip of
the pole stops shaking, the practitioner exhales while extending the arms
and spear to form a ninety-degree angle with the body. While remaining
in the horse stance the practitioner slowly lowers the tip of the spear to

the ground. When it touches the ground, the practitioner snaps it upward,
remaining in the horse stance and simultaneously inhaling. The
sequences can be repeated out of the horse stance for five to ten
repetitions. This exercise develops the back and waist/dantain area and
can incorporate heng ha (
) breathing.
The Foundational Form - The last component of this training involves the
baji jia form (
). Prior to learning the form, the practitioner will begin
with single moving postures. Once this phase is completed, then the
actual posture training of the form can begin. There are approximately
forty-three movements to the form with a potential of twenty-four basic
postures that can be held for a count of eight breaths. When holding
these postures each breath is directed to a certain area of the body: 1)
head, 2) shoulders, 3) elbows, 4) hands or wrists, 5) tailbone, 6) hips or
kua, 7) knee, and 8) feet. This helps build power, structure, and alignment
in the body. It often takes many months to reach this goal and many
practitioners only hold three or four breaths with half the postures. Also,
after the breathing sets are complete, one last set is played with speed
and fa-jing expression in each of the major postures. The form with
transition movements is illustrated in Figure I-1 through I-56.
Putting it all Together - Developing power and fa-jing is a very rigorous
but systematic way of training. Fa-jing will not simply magically appear at
an effective level by simply doing the form. The traditional way of training,
as transmitted by the late Liu Yun-qiao would first have the student begin
a training session with some basic baji and pigua stationary movements
(often referred to as neigong [
] by today's practitioners). Upon
completion, the xiao baji form (
) and da qiang exercises would be
done alternatively with the last set of xiao baji played with fa-jing
expression. The fa-jing exercises, without a partner, would likely follow.
Later in the training a partner might be added. It would be required that
the practitioner practice this entire schedule three or four times a day,
seven days a week, for a minimum of three years. This is virtually
impossible to attain in today's modern world unless one completely
devotes their time and life to the practice of martial arts. However, it is this
training that produced the "invincible" warriors of China past and most
commonly found in the major traditional Northern systems of Chinese
martial arts.
Concluding Remarks - Many practitioners judge the effectiveness of a
general martial arts system by its ability to generate fighting skill in a

relatively short period of time (six months to a year). However, this is not
the only way to judge a martial art's prowess. Effective power and
conditioning along with fa-jing skill (explosive release of directed body
energy) is essential for utilizing and executing the advanced techniques
and applications of many traditional Chinese martial arts systems. Power
and fa-jing must be trained for and require many auxiliary exercises to
accompany form performance. Without this knowledge a practitioner's
training and system is incomplete and advanced forms become of little
use.
A system must have a way to develop the necessary conditioning and
alignment to deliver power and effective fa-jing. Bajiquan, along with
many other Northern Chinese systems incorporates this methodology at
the very initial stages of conditioning and development. An art may be
authentic in name or lineage but if it lacks this essential training and
conditioning component then the practitioner will be incomplete. It is
hoped that other traditional martial arts systems will reveal or make public
such methodology in hopes of preserving the true art of China's fighting
systems. To do less is to condemn the Chinese martial arts to the
screenplays of wildly exaggerated movies and to the pages of fantasy
driven martial arts comic books.