Yiquan martial arts was invented by Grandmaster Wang Xiangzhai (1886-1893). As a sickly boy, in the Shen District, Hebei Province, he started to train Chinese Gongfu style Xingyi Quan with the very famous master Guo Yunshen. Guo Yunshen is supposed to have taken a special liking to hil and to have shown him the special postures which had made him into such a strong fighter, and which Wang later used as the basis of Yiquan. Following almost ten years of training with the Yunshen, Wang started to travel China training with many famous Kungfu masters. He trained White Crane in the South, Taiji in the Centre, Baki in the North and a series of other styles including chinese swword. Following a challenge, after blocking the first shot Wang hit back causing instant death in one shot. He was put into prison as it was expected that such a great kunfgu practitioner should be ableo to defend himself without causing death.

Following his release from prison, Wang moved to Beijing. He had trained and thought a lot and had come to the conclusion that too much emphasis was put on form training in Kungfu and not enough on the real power and practical skill. He formed Yiquan taking Xing = Form out of Xingyiquan. In order to establish Yiquan he ran an open challenge, much like the Gracies did in the nineties with Gracie Jiujitsu. This he did through an advert in the Beijing papers inviting fighter to come to exchange their views on Kungfu. It wass stated as a condition of the challenge that one of his four senior students would have to be beaten befor eh e himself would fight. None ever were. From this time Wang's school of boxing came to be called Dachengquan or Great Achievment Boxing. Especially at the end of his life Wang insisted that the name revert to Yiquan = Intention boxing as he felt that this better reflected the essence of hig Kungfu. Due to its success in challenges Yiquan was learnt by fighters from Japan and Hong Kong. A Japanese school based primarily on Yi Quan was formed called Taikiken. Names: YiQuan, DachengQuan, Ilquan, Taikiken Origin: Beijing Most active masters: Yao Chengrong, Cui Fushan, Wang, Yao Chenguaung, Cui Ruibin YiQuan is based on Neigong and QiGong training. This means that the practitioner must hold some static stances for long periods of time. The hope is that the stabiliser muscles will start to become coordinated permitting the body to issue its united power in any direction and at any time. The second form of training is based on slow exercises rather like Taiji Forms. These aime to mobilise the force which the practitioner has started to gather in static exerciises. It is important that the practitioner always supports any movement of either his hand or legs with his whole body. The third part is stepping. There are three basic forms of this: (1) Very Slow steppping: The steps are small; the objective always being to be able to retreat or change direction. A practioner should always focus on instantly being able to withdraw the foot which he is about to place his weight on. This greatly improves kicking and changing directions. It can be compared to rope and jumping exercies in external martial arts. (2) Big steps which have as objective to bring th practitioner off balance and feel all his weight fall as the lead foot makes contact with the ground. (3) Combination or fighting footsteps: footsteps are joined with combinations of punches and low kicks. They are practised either running or at relatively high speed with a partner using pads to receive hits. (4) Push hands: a cross between swimming in wrestling and sticky hands in WingChun; practitioners have to maintain a permanent resistance in their arms to stop their opponent entering while at the same time trying to open their oppent up for pushes and punches. This also increases body strength and muscle dramatically. (5) Sparring: Similar to boxing sparring but generally with MMA Gloves as grabs and hold and push techniques may be used as well. Kicks are or are not permitted based on previous agreement. (6) Stick Training: Using the stick with the whole power of the body comes naturally as a result of all the previous training.