形意三手炮/Xingyi San Shou Pao – Xingyi’s Three Hand Pounding 

三手炮/San Shou Pao – Three Hand Pounding is one of the most basic of Xingyiquan’s choreographed Duilian. It consists of three hand methods, as the name makes clear:

•鑽拳/Zuan Quan – Drilling Fist

•裹拳/Guo Quan – Wrapping Fist

•踐拳/Jian Quan – Treading Fist

These three “hands” contain all possible applications of force, implicitly, & application of force in three spatial directions, explicitly.
The routine begins with two people facing each other at an appropriate distance, & then assuming San Ti Shi. One will initiate the routine by advancing to attack, the other will respond by retreating to defend.

•預備勢/Yubei Shi – Preparation Posture

Upper Hand & Lower Hand face each other in Left San Ti Shi

•第一換/Di Yi Huan – 1st Exchange

上手/Shang Shou – Upper Hand: The left hand drills up to Lower Hand’s wrist & presses down as the left foot Coiling Ring Steps to the outside of Lower Hand’s left leg, which is Drilling Fist. The right hand cover wraps Lower Hand’s left elbow, which is Wrapping Fist, & the left hand rises to reverse stance strike the face, which is Treading Fist.

下手/Xia Shou – Lower Hand: The left foot Dropping Steps back, the left hand withdraws to the Dantien, & the right hand rises into a Raising Intercepting Hand. Lower Hand is now in a right smooth stance San Ti Shi.

•第二換/Di Er Huan – 2nd Exchange

上手/Shang Shou – Upper Hand: The right hand drills up to Lower Hand’s wrist & presses down as the right foot Coiling Ring Steps to the outside of Lower Hand’s right leg. The left hand cover wraps Lower Hand’s right elbow, & the right hand rises to reverse stance strike the face.

下手/Xia Shou – Lower Hand: The right foot Dropping Steps back, the right hand withdraws to the Dantien, & the left hand rises into a Raising Intercepting Hand. Lower Hand is now in a left smooth stance San Ti Shi.



•第三換/Di San Huan – 3rd Exchange

上手/Shang Shou – Upper Hand: The left hand drills up to Lower Hand’s wrist & presses down as the left foot Coiling Ring Steps to the outside of Lower Hand’s left leg. The right hand cover wraps Lower Hand’s left elbow, & the left hand rises to reverse stance strike the face.

下手/Xia Shou – Lower Hand: The left foot Dropping Steps back, the left hand withdraws to the Dantien, & the right hand rises into a Raising Intercepting Hand. Lower Hand is now in a right smooth stance San Ti Shi.

•When reaching the limit of available space or upon completing a round of practice, Upper Hand & Lower Hand immediately reverse roles & return along the same path, continuing to exchange techniques as before. In this way, both partners play both roles many times over, & good command of the basic responses can be attained.