Zui Quan
Zui Quan, Drunken Fist, also known as Drunken Boxing or Drunkard's Boxing) is a concept in traditional Kung Fu, as well as a classification of modern Wushu (sport) forms. Zui Quan is sometimes called Zuijiuquan "Drunken Alcohol Fist".
Concept
Drunken boxing also known as Drunken Fist, is a general name for all styles of Chinese martial arts that imitate the movements of a drunk person.It is an ancient style and its origins are mainly traced back to the Buddhist and Daoist religious communities. The Buddhist style is related to the Shaolin temple while the Daoist style is based on the Daoist tale of the drunken Eight Immortals. Zui quan has the most unusual body movements among all styles of Chinese martial arts. Hitting, grappling, locking, dodging, feinting, ground and aerial fighting and all other sophisticated methods of combat are incorporated.
Zui Quan is a category of techniques, forms and fighting philosophy that appear to imitate a drunkard's movements. The postures are created by momentum and weight of the body, and imitation is generally through staggering and certain type of fluidity in the movements. It is considered to be among the more difficult wushu styles to learn due to the need for powerful joints and fingers. While in fiction practitioners of Zui Quan are often portrayed as being actually intoxicated, Zui Quan techniques are highly acrobatic and skilled and require a great degree of balance and coordination, such that any person attempting to perform any Zui Quan techniques while intoxicated would be likely to injure themselves.
The Ma family of Honan also practiced and passed down a drunken system within their families art which is still being taught today, known as ba ying jiu quan or Eight Shadows Drunken (literally "wine") fist. It is made up of ten separate forms including six hand sets, Straight sword, Kwan Dao, Spear and a wooden man set.
