Wudang basic fist

We translate Jibenquan as "Basic Fist" as this is the primary and most fundamental form for those looking to enter the martial arts, and understand the practice of martial skills in an education sense. Nonetheless, this form contains many physically demanding and stretching-intensive postures and sequences to endlessly heighten a body's physical prowess and coordination. Through aggressive stancework, internal momentum development, and muscular/ligament building conditioning, this form is a primary component to martial fitness and basic pugilistic concepts of driving strikes, throwing, parrying, entering, capturing, snapping force,  and evading. Additionally, the difficulty can be adjusted so those with no experience and those with expert skill will still find improvement in their abilities through this set.

The techniques and shapes in this form align to the eight directions with a heavy reliance on the east-west line for body movement, and the four corners for striking. The footwork adds to this an ability to strike while parrying and/or evading. Many techniques involve attacking the incoming strike's elbow and shoulder joint for leverage over larger opponents. The stance work applies uprooting through lines of attack crossing the defending position's center for throws and holds. Many of the martial techniques in this form are in defense of a punch or strike that is retracting back to a defensive position. Because of this, the footwork in quick, and constantly shifting with a Taijiquan mentality of moving through the stances while disengaging the opponent's attack.

When combined with the 36 Kicking Methods of Wudang, the Wudang Standing Postures practice, and the standing-stretching methods, a student can have a well-rounded exercise routine and martial skill set. If the student wishes to learn more advanced practices, the skills offered here offer a proper foundation for the later developments through the creation of structures and coordination improvements. This practice offers the conscious awareness of various forces to be dealt with in a martial scenario, while building the character necessary to apply martial arts in a physical and emotional sense. 

This form is made of 10 sections with each section varying  from one to six postures. Although many of the sections have repeated "theme" on both sides, it is important that regular practice includes proper drilling outside of the context of the form. Students should be aware of the variations in the repetitions, and meditate on the benefits of each version against the other. This mental preparation allows the student to understand the options of a situation, while recognizing the spontaneity of a confrontation; or in life.

This program is available in the Jiben Principles classes.