denny Schools Periods & Styles book

Wújí Quán "No Extremity (Chaos/Void) Boxing" * Wújí Quán* Shíbā Luóhàn Shì "No Extremity (Chaos/Void) Boxing's 18 Luohan Postures" The 18 Luohan Postures are one of the core exercises of the Wuji Quan system. These postures can be done individually as Zhan Zhuang, or linked into a form. Each posture has it's own "key word" character giving insight into the energy and function of the posture. Along with the "key word" each posture also has it's own sound which helps to focus and control the energy of the posture. Also each posture has it's own set of associated exercises including those done with equipment such as posts, bean bags, etc. The eighteen postures are done both softly and with tension depending on the goal and level of development. They function as a way of ingraining proper body mechanics, a form of Qigong, and also as a strengthening and conditioning routine allowing the body to become strong and resilient to both training and impact. This system is practiced in a few villages in the Cangzhou area of Hebei and in Tianjin. It is sometimes referred to as "Tianjin Wuji Quan" although it was introduced to Tianjin relatively recently (1930's), it became very popular there very quickly within a few years. Oral tradition on the origins of Wuji Quan vary, sometimes the art is associated with Yue Fei or Song dynasty royal guards. The farthest back the art can be traced is the Jiaqing period of the Qing dyasty (1796-1820) when Liu XianDao from the Wenzhou area of ...