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Q: Could you briefly tell us the differences and similarities of the internal martial art styles of Xingyi, Bagua and Taiji?
A: There are many different styles of internal martial arts. Xingyi, Bagua and Taiji are the most essential ones since they have refined instructions and theory. Though they share same basic theory, the difference is on the techniques.

Xingyi is straight force with hardness; Bagua is horizontal force with a combination of soft and hard; Taiji is gentle force for melting attacks. These three can be combined and also complement each other.

Xingyiquan forms are simple but the content is very rich. The movements are compact and it also utilizes the combination of liuhe (three internal and three external coordinations). It is a complete li (strength) with a strong short force. It is hard and full of power.

Baguazhang contains hard and soft. With a very agile body and stepping you change movements and angles while walking. It requires continuous brisk steps, and the straight force always should be changed quickly to horizontal direction.

Taijiquan will help you have peaceful mind by its meditative function. The movements are gentle, slow and coherent, also agile, stable and sinking. The application of the forms is not aggressive but requires a quick sense of the attacks and to deal with them with your stable stance and skilful burst of jin (power).

Q: How about the strategies for self-defence for these three martial arts?
A: Xingyiquan suppresses attacks by hardness with quick short and straight power.

Baguazhang changes the directions agilely by turning the body and using circle-walking steps, at the same time you will be very close to your opponent like a snake entangling and sticking on his body. The agile turning can avoid the attacks and also enable you to hit the opponent abruptly.

Taijiquan suppresses hard force by softness, converts attacks without moving, and deflects a strong force by using very little energy (as in the saying “si liang bo qian jin“, often translated as “four ounces repel one thousand pounds”).

Theoretically speaking, soft represents vigour of life while hard represents death. In practice, soft can be quickly changed and transformed to various angles, and hard can only burst out but can not be changed to different angles.

Q: Is there any exercises you find especially important?
A: For Xingyi, I will suggest students to practice the five elements forms (Wu Xing Mu Quan, “five shapes mother fist”), standing meditation (zhan zhuang, “post standing”) and big spear (Tong Da Gan, “stabbing big pole”).

For Bagua, you should practice circle stepping, horizontal jin from the waist, cha zhang (stabbing palm in the sand), use your hands and palms to grasp and smack by practicing with sand bag.

For Taiji, you must practice breathing, rising-lowering, opening-closing, the round twist of your waist, legs and kua (the joint and surrounding area of the hip), 3-dimensional silk reeling jin, push-hand in pair, and enhance ting jin (listening sense), etc. You are not only required to practice hard but also to think and understand those relations between application and form.

Q: Anything else you would like to add concerning the practice of neijia style?
A: I had studied with master Pei Xi-Rong for more than 40 years, and there are some things I would like to share with practitioners.

I think in Chinese martial arts, no matter internal or external, both of them have two important functions — attack and self-defence, fitness and health. You should define your purpose and choose the most suitable way to train yourself accordingly.

If you are still young and fit, I would suggest you to start with Shao Lin Chang Quan (shaolin long fist) and some basic foundations of waist, legs and body. You will get great benefits from that no matter what style you are going to study in the future.

If you are going to study Xingyiquan, I would suggest you to focus on pi quan, which is the first and most important of the five elements. You have to practice gang jin (hard power) and make this jin quick, vibrating, penetrating, crisp, determined and complete.

If you will study Baguazhang, the most important practice will be circle stepping, the exchange between soft and hard jin, adding heng jin (horizontal jin) and the changes of angles and direction.

If you are a Taijiquan practitioner, you’d better understand the round feeling of Taiji and softness of jin.

Going through the above three different kinds of practice of jin and li, you could be able to integrate a complete qi, jin and li. It’s not easy to achieve a high skill in all of the three neijiaquan. But, if you can start your practice from some very basic but very important exercises, such as stances, da gan (long and big pole/spear), stepping, 5 elements, etc., and then with the form practice, I am sure it is very possible for you to reach a certain high level of internal martial arts. And also, it would be more efficient if you can find a good teacher.