Xingyiquan

The first internal martial art I really got down to studying was Xingyiquan. I got up to my teacher's lineage's linking form for the Twelve Animals, but unfortunately after six months I had to stop. I was in the wind and needed to find a job; when I did find a job I had to undergo training, and eventually months turned to years. 

I still like the art though, even that I am training in something else. I was told later that my current teacher's teacher once said that it's really just the Five Fists that you need - the Twelve Animals just being to bilk more money out of students. I haven't verified whether he did really say this or whether the Five Fists is all you need, but what I can say for sure is that in the art I am currently learning they teach us to make just the one move work for you in all manner of situations. So perhaps taken in that context, just a couple fist forms is all you need. After all, Wing Chun has the Seven Stars and boxing has (I'm sorry if I don't remember correctly) ten punches. Yiquan meanwhile has no form at all; so perhaps we shouldn't obsess too much over the things we can do.

The following are some video clips I found on Youtube that made me think about the principles that we try to implement through the form. I hope you find them interesting too.