For various reasons yesterday was a bit of a cruddy day, so when I got home I downloaded the Jet Li movie “The One” as some much needed diversion.
The plot involves Li fighting a bad version of himself from an alternate dimension. What was interesting was that the good Li used Ba gua (Pa-kua) as a fighting style, while the bad version uses a more linear punching style that I think is Hsing-I, but might be something like leopard style, so apologies if I get that wrong. There is a rather nice moment in the final showdown where good Li has been trading punches with bad Li and decides to switch to Ba gua. Here is a clip of the sequence.
Of particular interest is the move around 2:11. This “under the arm” move utilizes the motion I describe for the turn from the closed step as detailed in my book, a move similar in principle to the Kuk Sool Won technique against wrist grabs (also in the book)
If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.The Books
