Xing Yi 形意拳 - 12 Animals 十二形 1-6 

Xing Yi 形意拳 - 12 Animals 十二形 1-6 - 形意拳十二形
I rarely find Xing Yi I like these days. Especially fundamentally important Xing Yi. Most teachers seems to be rather too old or for whatever reason lack to show some important basics in showing the basics. Means while they can show the fundamental movement, they cant show you whats inside,or how much is inside.
The Gentleman in the video is comparingly good, I wouldnt agree with everything he does from what I learned so far but his Animals are among the best I have seen.
I would love to display all 12 Animals from him,but he hasnt shown all. I am thinking of doing a second video of him with the other Animals he has shown but some would been missing.
--General Information:
According to Legend Xing Yi or Xin Yi at the time, was developed by the famous General Yue Fei of Song Dynasty. Its been said that he created Xin Yi on basics of the Spear he learned from the mystical teacher Zhu Tong.
If you compare the Divine Wang Bao Spear to Xinyi Liuhe you at least could find some arguments for it.
After Yue Fei died with the fall of the Song Dynasty, his art vanished for almost 200 years.
In the Ming Dynasty a man by name of Ji Longfeng, or somtimes called Ji Jike was said to have found a martial arts manual in a tomb, which described the Martial Arts of0 Xin Yi and Yue Fei as the Founder. A different story says that he developed Xinyi(called Xinyi Ba at the Temple) during his 10 year period at the Shaolin Temple.
Other sources even say he rebuild the majority of the Shaolin Martial Arts which were considered almost lost at the time.
In terms of the development of Xinyi two of his most important students were Cao Jiwu and Ma Xueli. Cao Jiwu would teach Dai Longbang and Dai Longbang would develop Dai Xinyi as an important branch of Xinyi/Xing Yi.
Ma Xueli would go on and create Xinyi Liuhe. Dai Longbangs son Dai Wenxiong would later go on and teach Li Luoneng who later would reformulate the Martial Arts to the one we know as Xing Yi.
--Technical Aspects:
Historically there were 10 Animals at first. Li Luoneng would expand them to 12 Animals. He was further credited with the invention of the 5 Elements Fists, which i am not sure of since Dai Family practices 5 Elements as well.
Nonetheless, in terms of teaching and learning, one starts with the 5 Elements as a Basic for understanding 5 fundamental forces and developing power and structure.
The next step are the 12 Animals, which even thouh already considered an intermeditate part of the art, teach 12 fundamentally skills and expand on the understanding of 5 Elements.
Timestamps:
1.Dragon 0:10
2.Tiger 0:29
3. Monkey 2. Version 01:28
4. Horse 02:02
5. Aligator 02:51
6. Chicken Standard Version 03:46
7. Chicken Alternate Version 04:13