Ying Yee History
Legend has it that Ying-i was originally created by Yue Fei, whom many consider to have been China’s best general. It is often with speculation in China that, if China’s emperor had not become jealous of Yue Fei’s military prowess and popularity, and ordered him to commit suicide, Yue Fei would have stopped the Mongol invasion dead in its tracks. The story is that Yue Fei invented two martial arts for his troops to use in battle. For his enlisted men, he created eagle-claw boxing, and for his officers he invented the more powerful Ying-i, based upon spear technique, which accounts for the linear appearance of Ying-i’s movements.
Ying Yi is one of the three traditional Chinese forms of internal boxing, the other two being Tai Chi and Ba Gwa. Each of the three internal arts is a distinct style of boxing yet each shares with the other the fact that it is essentially a form of moving meditation. Each of the internal arts is actually a self-contained and complete system of exercise that is permeated with functions combining grappling and striking, and fact, through correct practice, is seen to be a superior system of self-defense.
There are many accounts concerning the history of Ying-i that are important to prospective students of the art in that they record the numerous Ying-i lineages. The closer the Ying-i teachings are to the original lineage material, the better they are for the student. Unlike practitioners of tai chi and, to a lesser extent Ba Gwa, the stronger Ying-i people did not and still do not attempt to teach their methods purely for health. Unlike Ba Gwa, Ying-i is not attractive to watch. Given Ying-i’s lack of aerobics, its poor self-promotion with reference to health benefits, it has always attracted a smaller number of students. Ying Yi has everything the other internal arts has, Chi Kung for health, Chi Kung for self defense, excellent balance of technique and an amazing philosophy with the five elements and linking the animals.
Ying i through diligent practice, becomes a part of your life. Self improvement on all levels physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual is the reason we trained in these arts.
After Yue Fei, the lineage moves through a variety of people. Usually one finds expanded stories about how the next heir is forced by the previous lineage holder to cultivate tremendous patience and persistence by undergoing severe hardships and tests of moral character. Only after the probable lineage heir endured these tests would the current lineage holder agree to first give small parcels of knowledge and, eventually, the full teachings, allowing the heir to acquire the whole system of knowledge, and thereby the capacity to pass it on.
Because Ying Yi gets little media reinforcements, you must motivate and sustain yourself to pass on this amazing ancient martial art. Progress will be slower than in the external arts, but still the skill you achieve comes from your mind and your internal organs, it will be deeper and will last longer.
In a down-to-earth society, this might seem a silly driving force to learn something so you'll never have to use it but Ying Yi is an internal art and as such it is more concerned with life health and creativity than with death competition or destruction.
Modern Ying-i emerged from northwestern China in the nineteenth century. It began with a man named Li, who successfully learned Ying-i not as a youth, but in middle age. finally, Li persuaded his teacher Dai Long Bang to fully impart his knowledge by having Dai’s mother plead his case. Many of the earlier Ying-i martial artists were illiterate people whose whole education was in how to acquire internal power normally beyond the reach of the most educated class. Ying-i people often ran convoy agencies, which, in the era before firearms, provided protection from assassination as well as security against bandits protecting valuable goods. Many Ying Yi masters have been known to work for the Emperor, and sometimes asked to teach their heirs.Indeed none of the internal arts has spirit free sparring which is a type of competitive fighting in which avoided is in learning the internal arts rather we boxed merely with ourselves and by learning the skill there is no need to contest. Internal boxing is essentially a method of transforming itself. The traditional doctrine discusses this process of change in terms of philosophy, and it is thought that one's original state is filled by a seed essence at birth and that this life essence is so transformed into intrinsic energy and further into vital spirit force through practice that one returns to the original state of emptiness.
Put simply the boxing is at once the tool and the product of this creative process. Because it is creative, it cannot lead to destruction. Sure enough, the old Masters met challenges. But more often than not they sent the Challenger away a friend, happy because he had been soundly defeated, educated but not seriously hurt.
Three clear schools of practicing Ying-i evolved over time, the Shanxi School,
the Hubei school, and the I Chuan school, there are many more schools of Ying
Yi, but they have been tainted by allowing many Ba Gwa Techniques taught at the
same time as the Ying Yi, or Tai Chi with the Ying Yi, but not pure Ying Yee.
I am sure that there are many more schools of Ying Yi that have been hidden for
centuries, never teaching outsiders to this day.
The most famous match reportedly occurred in Peking between the famed master adapt at the crushing fist technique of Ying yee and a very famous undefeated Ba Gwa Master. After the third day he was completely defeated by the Ba Gwa master the two became lifelong friends indeed so impressed were they with the art of the other that they signed the pact requiring the students of each discipline to cross train in the other. Done correctly Ying Yee strikes are extremely dangerous that is why there is no sparring. if the punches are pulled in any way they are not Ying Yee. If regulated restricted and made sport of such arts including Ying Yee Ba Gwa and tai chi will lose their essence. Ying Yi being a form of meditation, it requires strong dedication to regular practice in a peaceful place. When the silence releases its energy, a quiet mind is produced and your whole being becomes more active. A system relying totally on body mechanics remains at a low level of aerobics and underdeveloped fighting techniques. The Ying Yi student trains the mind even more than it does the body the mind wills and the body responds. For as the body is exercised dynamically an internal way it returns health benefits to both itself and the mind.
Element fist from Ying Yee
Splitting or Cutting Fist is associated with Metal.
It is used as a wedge with which to ‘split’ and deflect your opponent’s attack while simultaneously attacking. The mental image our practitioners concentrate on is that of an axe splitting a log.
Drilling Fist is associated with Water.
The image our practitioners concentrate on is that of water suddenly bursting through the dam and sweeping everything in its path.
Crushing Fist is associated with Wood.
The image our practitioners concentrate on is that of an arrow-hitting deep into its target.
Cannon Fist is associated with Fire.
The image our practitioners concentrate on is that of a flame suddenly leaping upwards explosively.
Crossing Fist is associated with Earth.
The image our practitioners concentrate on is that of a large rock rolling down a mountain.
Sifu Fiedler with more amazing techniques taught by Grand Master Chow
Much more to come
Sifu Dee