Bajiquan
Bājíquán features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow strikes. It originated in Hebei Province in Northern China, but is also well-known in other places today, especially Taiwan. Its full name is kai men bajiquan, which means, "open gate eight extremities fist".
Today there are several families of bajiquan, including Han, Huo, Li, Wu and Wu-Tan.
Baji opens the opponent's arms forcibly and mount attacks at high, mid, and low levels of the body. It is most useful in close combat, as it focuses on elbow, knee, shoulder and hip strikes. When blocking an attack or nearing an opponent, bajiquan techniques emphasize striking major points of vulnerability, namely the thorax (trunk of the body), legs and neck.
The "six big ways of opening" are:
Ding: using the fist, elbow or shoulder to push forward and upward.
Bao: putting arms together as if hugging someone. It is usually followed by Pi (splitting).
Ti: elevating the knee to hit the thigh of the opponent, or elevating the foot to hit the shin of the opponent, etc.
Dan: using a single move.
Kua: using the hip.
Chan: entanglement with rotation around the wrist, elbow and shoulder.
There are eight weapons, including spear, sword, saber, staff), a long two-handed heavy blade, used by Generals sitting on their horses.
The major features of baji include elbow strikes, arm/fist punches, hip checks, and strikes with the shoulder. All techniques are executed with a short power, developed through training; among Chinese martial artists, baji is famous for its fast movements. Baji focuses on in-fighting, entering from a longer range with a distinctive charging step (zhenjiao).