Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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- moves & postures:
00:00 Form
00:41 1. Rooster Droops Wings
00:46 2. Big Dipper Descends to Guard Rooster
01:19 3. Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg
01:40 4. Rooster Stretches Wing and Thrusts to Side
02:11 5. Rooster Shadows Wing
02:17 6. Rooster Stretches Wing
02:34 7. Old Man Beats Hand Gong
02:53 8. Rooster Stretches Wing⁶
03:13 9. Rooster Raises Wing
03:28 10. Rooster Opens Wing
03:49 11. Playful Monkey Kicks
04:13 12. Big Dipper²
04:38 13. slap kick
05:10 14. Golden Rooster Turns Around
05:36 15. Golden Rooster Walks
06:59 16. Rooster Turns Wing
07:19 17. Big Dipper²
07:39 18,19. Monkey Kick & Big Dipper¹¹-¹²
08:26 20. Sea Dragon Rolls on Surface
09:45 21-24. 16-19
11:15 25. Shadow Wing⁵
11:38 26. Rooster Flaps Wings
12:01 27. Rooster Stretches Leg
12:21 28. Thrust to Side⁴
12:57 29-36. 5-12
15:35 37. Golden Rooster Flies and Kicks
16:01 38. Old Monk Carries Shoulder Pole
16:34 39. Big Dipper²
17:06 40. 2 Meteors Chase Sun and Moon
17:59 41. Big Dipper over Mountain
__________________
- "counterattack" strategy:
counterattack is combination of defense and attack. it is to take advantage and exploit opponent's move to advance from defense to attack. this is about 'timing' as it can be done at 4 time stages of opponent's attack:
tactic 17 - 'pre-attack counter':
"remove the firewood beneath the pot (釜底抽薪)" – at the onset of an attack, disrupt and suppress it by targeting a pivot part of the attacking limb. for example, hit his biceps or his shin, and so on.
tactic 18 - 'mid-attack counter':
"rest at ease while the host treats (以逸待劳)" – during an attack, opponent's guard shifts toward the attack, leaving other areas open. while defending, simultaneously launch concurrent counters to these open positions. for example, while you defend (block, parry, grab, or even dodge), simultaneously attack with your other hand or leg. minimalism in motion is to skip defense by dodging directly into counters; this, by combining defense and attack, saves your energy while wasting the opponent.
tactic 19 - 'end-attack counter':
"turn from guest into host (反客为主)" – when you defend an attack, you are in the closest range inside opponent's open guard; this is time to advance from defense to attack. for example, immediately following the defense of opponent's attack, target his head, torso, groins, his other limb, etc., whichever is closer.
tactic 20 - 'post-attack counter':
"remove the ladder after one climbs (上屋抽梯)" – after an attack, there is a vulnerable terminal phase. attack areas that are exposed due to opponent's move. for example, when he punches or kicks, let his body turn well, then target his exposed side.
these involve covered compact postures advancing into simultaneous or consequent combos of short-range moves. in this style, due to the close range, body shrinks to low-hight stances to be easier for you to cover and harder for the opponent to attack; thus, every attack is preceded by a dive to dodge the opponent's attack and get closer to his center. defense is done with simple short moves; dodge rather than parry and parry rather than block. counters are series of fast short-range attacks. these teach you to, while keeping your safety and energy, take the full advantage of any stage of opponent's attack in your favor before he manages to back off and recover guard. this is demonstration of the famous saying 'the best defense is attack.'
after you learn this style, you see that the previous styles confronted the opponent from a farther distance than the effective close range.
__________________
- history:
Ming dynasty (1368-1644):
after the Yuan dynasty, some Daoist concepts, like astrological notions, were introduced into Shaolin temple via outsider visitors. one of these was 7 stars, another name for the big dipper constellation. in martial arts it refers to any formation that resembles the shape of the big dipper, like the closed-guard formation of the arms in 'qixing quan' (7-star form). Shaolin monks developed qixing quan before the early 1600s by combining Shaolin xinyi ba style, which imitates daily and farming activities by using harmonious arm movements in small-frame stances, with rooster-imitating moves and the 7-star concept. these small-frame 7-star and rooster notions were also combined into the chang hu xinyi men form.
__________________
- note: there are various other forms and styles named 'xinyi quan' and 'qixing quan' in Chinese kung fu, and they are historically and technically different from Shaolin quan. these are just different styles with similar names.
__________________
- moves & postures:
00:00 Form
00:41 1. Rooster Droops Wings
00:46 2. Big Dipper Descends to Guard Rooster
01:19 3. Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg
01:40 4. Rooster Stretches Wing and Thrusts to Side
02:11 5. Rooster Shadows Wing
02:17 6. Rooster Stretches Wing
02:34 7. Old Man Beats Hand Gong
02:53 8. Rooster Stretches Wing⁶
03:13 9. Rooster Raises Wing
03:28 10. Rooster Opens Wing
03:49 11. Playful Monkey Kicks
04:13 12. Big Dipper²
04:38 13. slap kick
05:10 14. Golden Rooster Turns Around
05:36 15. Golden Rooster Walks
06:59 16. Rooster Turns Wing
07:19 17. Big Dipper²
07:39 18,19. Monkey Kick & Big Dipper¹¹-¹²
08:26 20. Sea Dragon Rolls on Surface
09:45 21-24. 16-19
11:15 25. Shadow Wing⁵
11:38 26. Rooster Flaps Wings
12:01 27. Rooster Stretches Leg
12:21 28. Thrust to Side⁴
12:57 29-36. 5-12
15:35 37. Golden Rooster Flies and Kicks
16:01 38. Old Monk Carries Shoulder Pole
16:34 39. Big Dipper²
17:06 40. 2 Meteors Chase Sun and Moon
17:59 41. Big Dipper over Mountain
__________________
- "counterattack" strategy:
counterattack is combination of defense and attack. it is to take advantage and exploit opponent's move to advance from defense to attack. this is about 'timing' as it can be done at 4 time stages of opponent's attack:
tactic 17 - 'pre-attack counter':
"remove the firewood beneath the pot (釜底抽薪)" – at the onset of an attack, disrupt and suppress it by targeting a pivot part of the attacking limb. for example, hit his biceps or his shin, and so on.
tactic 18 - 'mid-attack counter':
"rest at ease while the host treats (以逸待劳)" – during an attack, opponent's guard shifts toward the attack, leaving other areas open. while defending, simultaneously launch concurrent counters to these open positions. for example, while you defend (block, parry, grab, or even dodge), simultaneously attack with your other hand or leg. minimalism in motion is to skip defense by dodging directly into counters; this, by combining defense and attack, saves your energy while wasting the opponent.
tactic 19 - 'end-attack counter':
"turn from guest into host (反客为主)" – when you defend an attack, you are in the closest range inside opponent's open guard; this is time to advance from defense to attack. for example, immediately following the defense of opponent's attack, target his head, torso, groins, his other limb, etc., whichever is closer.
tactic 20 - 'post-attack counter':
"remove the ladder after one climbs (上屋抽梯)" – after an attack, there is a vulnerable terminal phase. attack areas that are exposed due to opponent's move. for example, when he punches or kicks, let his body turn well, then target his exposed side.
these involve covered compact postures advancing into simultaneous or consequent combos of short-range moves. in this style, due to the close range, body shrinks to low-hight stances to be easier for you to cover and harder for the opponent to attack; thus, every attack is preceded by a dive to dodge the opponent's attack and get closer to his center. defense is done with simple short moves; dodge rather than parry and parry rather than block. counters are series of fast short-range attacks. these teach you to, while keeping your safety and energy, take the full advantage of any stage of opponent's attack in your favor before he manages to back off and recover guard. this is demonstration of the famous saying 'the best defense is attack.'
after you learn this style, you see that the previous styles confronted the opponent from a farther distance than the effective close range.
__________________
- history:
Ming dynasty (1368-1644):
after the Yuan dynasty, some Daoist concepts, like astrological notions, were introduced into Shaolin temple via outsider visitors. one of these was 7 stars, another name for the big dipper constellation. in martial arts it refers to any formation that resembles the shape of the big dipper, like the closed-guard formation of the arms in 'qixing quan' (7-star form). Shaolin monks developed qixing quan before the early 1600s by combining Shaolin xinyi ba style, which imitates daily and farming activities by using harmonious arm movements in small-frame stances, with rooster-imitating moves and the 7-star concept. these small-frame 7-star and rooster notions were also combined into the chang hu xinyi men form.
__________________
- note: there are various other forms and styles named 'xinyi quan' and 'qixing quan' in Chinese kung fu, and they are historically and technically different from Shaolin quan. these are just different styles with similar names.
