十二形練法/Shi’er Xing Lian Fa – Twelve Shapes Practice Method

•This selection from the Old Xingyi Manual presents another arrangement of the Twelve Shapes, their Selected Ideas, & important points of the Practice Method to keep in mind. Enjoy!•

龍、虎、猴、馬、鮀、雞、
鷹、熊、駘、蛇、鷂、燕。

Dragon, Tiger, Monkey, Horse, Alligator, Chicken,

Eagle, Bear, Tai, Snake, Sparrow Hawk, Swallow.

龍有搜骨之法、虎有撲食之勇、猴有蹬山之能、馬有跡蹄之功、鮀有浮水這靈、雞有欺闖之勇、鷹有捉拿之技、熊有豎項之力、駘有豎尾之才、蛇有撥草之巧、鷂有入林之精、燕有抄水之靈。

Dragon has the method of searching bones, Tiger the bravery to pounce on food, Monkey has the ability to tread the mountains, Horse has the skill of marking with hooves, Alligator skillfully floats on water, Chicken has the bravery to seize the advantage & rush, Eagle has the skill to seize & catch, Bear has the power of an erect neck, Tai has the talent of erecting it’s tail, Snake has the skill of parting the grass, Sparrow Hawk has the refinement of entering the forest, Swallow has the nimbleness to draw water.

束身而起，藏身而落，起如風，落如箭，打倒還嫌慢，起如箭，落如風，追風趕月不放松。論身法，不可前栽後仰，不可左斜右歪，往前一直而出，往後一直而落。論步法，寸步、快步、踐步不可缺。論足法，足起而鑽，足落而翻，不鑽不翻，以寸為先。肩要催肘，肘要催手。腰催胯，胯催膝，膝催足。肩催胯，胯催膝，膝催足，足催肩，肩催肘，肘催手。

Bind the body & rise, Conceal the body & fall, rise like the wind & fall like an arrow, casually knock down a critic as payback, rise like an arrow & fall like the wind, chase the wind to catch the moon doesn’t slacken. Discussing Body Method, it cannot but be that the front plants & the rear faces up, the left inclines & the right leans, in moving forward extend in a straight line, in moving backwards return in a straight line. Discussing Stepping Method, Inch Step, Quick Step, & Treading Step cannot be deficient. Discussing Foot Method, raising the foot is drilling, lowering the foot is overturning, when neither drilling not overturning, then use it to inch ahead. The shoulders urge the elbows, the elbows urge the hands, the waist urges the Kua, the Kua urges the knees, the knees urge the feet, the shoulders urge the Kua, the Kua urges the knees, the knees urge the feet, the feet urge the shoulders, the shoulders urge the elbows, & elbows urge the hands.