八极拳：刚猛爆裂，威震八方 | Baji Fist: Conquering with explosive strikes

八极拳，创始人已经不可考。现在文字记载的第一代传人，是清朝初年的“大枪王”吴钟。当时他受聘往河北省孟村镇教授拳术，并将所学传授给女儿吴荣。到了清末，这套拳法才闻名中国，现在已有三百年历史。

Baji Fist (literally Eight Extremities Fist) has a mysterious origin. The records say that one of the first practitioners was called Wu Zhong the Spear King, who lived in the early years of the Qing Dynasty. He was recruited in Mengcun Town in North China's Hebei Province and taught all his skills to his daughter Wu Rong. In the final years of the dynasty, it became popular around the country. It is more than 300 years old.

八极拳讲究冷脆快狠、刚猛爆裂，和轻柔内敛的太极拳刚好相互对应。“全身它是一股爆炸力，能够一招制胜的，就不出第二下。”八极拳名师王世泉说，“力起源于脚，主宰于腰，通过肩肘手，力发于四周，要打出一个整劲，整劲就是爆发力。”

Unlike the gentle Taichi, Baji Fist features explosive, short-range, swift and fierce strikes. "It emphasizes striking with a burst of power and ends the fight in no more than one round," says Wang Shiquan, a famous master of the art. "The force is generated from the feet and is pushed out through the waist. The shoulders, elbows and hands thrust it all around. The force should break out as a whole."

Wang Shiquan mediating beside a waterfall / CGTN photo

王世泉1948年生于北京，自幼酷爱武术。1965年随大师兄刘殿仕学习八极拳，后多次到天津拜访老师鲍有声，八极拳第七代传人。

Wang was born in 1948 in Beijing. He has loved practicing martial arts since he was little. In 1965, he began to learn Baji Fist with a senior fellow apprentice. Later, he went to Tianjing on several occasions to learn from Bao Yousheng, the 7th inheritor of the art.

“那时候我十五六岁。当时拜一个武术老师是很不容易的。”王世泉说。因为当时武术界比较封闭；而且武术被列入要破除的“四旧”，他们基本只能天没亮爬起来偷偷摸摸练。而且，好老师和好徒弟，是个双向选择的过程，碰到合适的十分难得。“不说技艺，先说做人 一定要具备武德。徒弟和师父互相负有责任。”

"I was 15. Kung-fu masters were hard to find then," says Wang. Martial art was an isolated field, and it was regarded as one of the "Four Olds" that the Cultural Revolution intended to destroy. They had to practice in secret before sunrise. It also took a lot of time to find good masters and pupils. "Virtue is more important than techniques. They have to take responsibility for each other."

Wang Shiquan performing Baji Fist / CGTN photo

“当时困难，草皮、草根、柳树芽这我都吃过，但饿也要坚持练，任何事都影响不了。”王世泉回忆说，“八极拳讲究的就是基础，当时老师要求我们蹲桩的时候，一蹲最起码得半个小时以上。夏天蚊子小咬都叮满了照样练，一直到最后收功。”

"Life was very hard. I even ate grass and willow bud when I was starving. But I continued practicing with an empty belly. Nothing could stop me." recalls Wang. "Basic techniques are the most important in Baji Fist. When we were practicing horse stance, we have to maintain the position for over half an hour. In the summer the mosquitoes sting all over us but we would never move."

这样练出来的功夫，就是时间的积累。“别人练不到的东西你练到了，别人没达到的功力你达到了，这就是功夫。”

Such Kung-fu relies on the time you put in it. "You practice what other people can't do and you reach the level where other people can't reach. That's your power."

Wang’s pupils practicing Baji Fist / CGTN photo

虽然八极拳起手投足无所不用其极，但绝不自持强勇。遇到强者全力以赴，遇到弱者点到为止。“练到最后就是一个‘和’字。”尊重对手，保持恭谦，这不仅是八极拳，也是王世泉眼中人生的一大要义。

Although Baji Fist is extremely aggressive, practitioners should never bully others. They must go all out facing a strong enemy, but never intentionally hurt a weaker one. "It's all about harmony in the end." 

For Wang, the motto is not only about Baji Fist, but also about life. Respect the rival and remain humble.

Wang's pupils practicing Baji Fist / CGTN photo

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