Does anybody know if the chinese martial art Xing Yi is really effective in an actual fight?

All martial arts were created for fighting. So yes it would obviously have benefits in self defence. But martial arts are learned so we don't have to fight. If that's what you want then go to a boxing club.

Does anybody know if the chinese martial art Xing Yi is really effective in an actual fight?
Of course all the martial arts are self defensive and is usually used for protection as per martial ethics. One should be perfect


in the said martial arts then only one can experience its effectiveness during actual fight. Martial arts is an art of fighting


may be Xing Yi where in movements are born out of mind dictating physique. One has to be of GYMNASTIC built physical


body.
Reply:I went to www.youtube.com and watched about 6 different clips. Here's what I have to say:





-I notice they leave their hands really low which leave head in wide open, perfect for haymaker (most common weapon use in street) which is worse thing to do.





-Their block require large long swing which mean it take more time than quick short straight punch.





-They use same attack repeatly and their form are too repeating, not a good thing against a smart fighter.





-Their punch (if that's what forward thrusting open palm are) are horrible! Very little force behind it and very slow and too repeative. Also it leave side wide open for a kick.





-They seems to rely on you leave your arm for them to counter. In actual fight people usually don't leave their arm linger around for you to counter.





-They seems to have some okay throw. but I wouldn't rely on their throw to end fight in most case.





So... you can decide for yourself. Personally I wouldn't take it.
Reply:Depends on your teacher. Like all chinese martial arts 99.9% of all teachers and schools are crap. CMAs have this problem along with aikido and TKD.





Most xing yi unfortunately IS like the videos that ninedemons saw on youtube. the crap posted on youtube is just ritualized dancing. Take that stuff and your *** WILL be handed to you in a fight.





HOWEVER- real xing yi, operates like a close range striking art (it looks like striking from grappling range). The concepts shown on youtube are just drills, the problem is that teachers teach these drills (often beginner level drills in a real fighting class) as the be all end all of the system. They focus too much on the forms and not on how to apply them.





Xing yi practitioners learn to develop power much similar to a boxer. From the legs, shoulders, body then the arm. However just learning these nancy boy drills that most teachers teach, you will not learn to apply this and will not be able to fight with the art.


The blocks and strikes you see on youtube are not the way you would block in xing yi. you are basically supposed to keep your arms close to your body at all times. and while palms are used, it is not with the arm fully extended. If you are learning that or seeing that it is wrong. xing yi is about breaking down (or through) your opponent's guard, this is never possible with an extended arm as you have less power.





xing yi is in fact a rare art, bieng such it might be easier to find a good teacher than most other cmas, but still most of the teachers unfortunately do teach the kind of crap you see on youtube. Go there to see what NOT to learn.





Depending on your goals, xing yi is a striking art, even though it is done at grappling range, I have a background in wrestling and because of the distance you strike at, xing yi actually combines very well with grappling and many strikes in xing yi can open your opponent to a lock, throw, etc. However finding a teacher that trains with resistance should be your primary goal.





If you are in doubt, or unable to find a good teacher then I would suggest a stlyle like muai thai because it is "self-tested" through competition. If you live in a big city, it would be easier to find one of these .1% teachers in CMAs, aikido or TKD but there are still loads of bad ones with false promises and false claims about thier "style".





You should go to www.bullshido.net and ask for specific school reccomendations or you can email me or any other member there and get some info on styles and such. CMAs are much harder to learn, not because they are, but because there are less good teachers out there. If you have doubts and it looks like ritualized dancing, run for the hills.





Yes, I spent 90% of the post shitting on crappy teachers. I pride myself on bieng the first to **** on a crappy cma teacher because they deserve it and shouldn't be teaching if they aren't going to do it right. same goes with aikido and tkd.
Reply:Xing Yi, though effective, is laborious and boring to learn for many. To be sure, it’s not a crowd-pleasing showy style. To most outsiders, the traditional Xing Yi forms all look too easy and repetitious with few variations and sure enough, the moves are simple enough to mimic superficially. However, it will take forever to master the myriad ways each move can be applied. Born of military ancestry, Xing Yi was meant to kill fast and punch through enemy frontlines in short order. Efficiency and practicality was the goal before it was refined into mind and body boxing of today. It's a very offensive minded martial art that doesn't fit many people's bill of self-defense, since you'll be hard pressed to find a purely defensive move in its repertoire from any of its sub-branches. Also, if you like pole arms, Xing Yi would be one of the best styles to pick up. Spear and halberd usage will melt seamlessly with your empty hand forms.





Here’s a small clip of some applications for a single type of Xing Yi basic punch “Pi.” http://www.hsing-i.com/pics/WPiApp.mpg
Reply:NO YOU WILL BE GROUNDED AND POUNDED EASILY


LEARN HOW TO WRESTLE
Reply:These Chinese arts were devised during wars, so yes, they would be effective and battle-tested (not something that can be said of most martial arts). During wars, the object of fighting was to kill. If you watch the youtube video, you can pick up the efficiency of the moves (low number of moves). There were no definite lines that differentiate defensive moves from offensive moves (the blocks also hit and the strikes also parry opponent's strikes). During war (way back then, at least), when armies charge at each other, combatants have to quickly finish off their opponents.