形意五花炮/Xingyi Wu Hua Pao – Xingyi’s Five Flowers Pounding

五花炮/Wu Hua Pao – Five Flowers Pounding is a Xingyi Duilian from Shanxi, known for teaching effective application. The Five Flowers referred to in the title are another take on the five directions of emitting force, rising, falling, extending, contracting, & expanding, as exemplified by five strikes:

•鑽拳/Zuan Quan – Drilling Fist

•裹拳/Guo Quan – Wrapping Fist

•踐拳/Jian Quan – Treading Fist

•劈拳/Pi Quan – Chopping Fist

•反背拳/Fanbei Quan – Back Fist

Again, these five methods interconnect like the petals of a flower. Beyond that, they also express the potential movements & applications of force in three dimensional space  more fully, more clearly, than Five Phases Pounding does. It is obvious, painfully obvious, that a Back Fist is an “expanding open motion & force,” while that fact is less clear with Pao Quan.

•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.

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.

•第二換/Di Er Huan – 2nd Exchange

上手/Shang Shou – Upper Hand: The right hand directly rises from below, opening Lower Hand’s guard for a direct strike to the solar plexus, as the right foot Advance Steps, which is Treading Fist.

下手/Xia Shou – Lower Hand: The left foot Retreat Steps directly backward, slightly withdraws the right hand, & performs a Depressing Intercepting Hand. Lower Hand remains in a right smooth stance.

•第三換/Di San Huan – 3rd Exchange

上手/Shang Shou – Upper Hand: The right Standing Blocking Hand falls, performing a Pi Quan to the forearm of Lower Hand. As soon as the Pi Quan connects, Upper Hand’s takes an Advance Steps & performs a Back Fist toward Lower Hand’s right temple, cheek, or ear.

下手/Xia Shou – Lower Hand: The left foot retreat steps directly backward, & the right hand again rises into a Raising Intercepting Hand.

•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. Check out this postthis post, a translation of the Xingyiquan Encyclopedia entry for Fove Flower Pounding.