Metal Martial Arts

Brian Kennedy & Elizabeth Guo

"Metal destroys wood, wood destroys earth, earth destroys water, water destroys fire and fire destroys metal; thus each of the five formed fists can conqueror and be conquered".Traditional teaching of Chinese martial arts

Metal and martial arts have long gone together. In modern times Mixed Martial Arts events like the UFC or PRIDE, have their contestants enter the ring to the ear shattering beat of some heavy metal tune. Beyond similar tastes in music, body piercings and tattoos are common to both heavy metal “head bangers” and to the “head bangers” who fight in full contact mixed martial arts events. But “metal and martial arts” is not just a recent phenomenon; in traditional Chinese martial arts there too has been a link between “metal” and “martial arts” albeit in a far different sense than metal music’s link with mixed martial arts.

Metal is one of the five “elements” or five “phases” that are a central part of traditional Chinese cosmology. In Chinese they are known as the wuxing and along with metal are wood, earth, fire and water. The wuxing are one of the fundamental ways of classifying things that has been a part of Chinese culture since very early on and the idea has much in common with classical Greek notions of the five elements of air, fire, water, earth and aether. The wushing are both the “stuff” of all reality as well as being the five basic processes through which all the things, the “ten thousand things” to put it in classical Chinese philosophical cant, of this world undergo change.

The wuxing concept figures in a whole range of traditional Chinese arts including traditional Chinese medicine, geomancy (fengshui), cooking, painting, fortune telling and martial arts. A good example of the latter is the use of the wushing concept in the traditional Chinese martial arts system known as Xingyiquan. Xingyiquan is a system of Chinese martial arts whose forte is hand strikes. The name literally means Form-Mind-Boxing. The implication of the name is that the mind gives rise to the “form” which the boxing takes. Put another way, the implication of the name is that the mind, more specifically the intent (“yi” in Chinese), is in harmony with the “form” (“xing” in Chinese) of the techniques. Xingyiquan, is one of the three major internal arts of China; the other two being baguazhang (8 Diagram Palm) and the well known taijiquan (Tai Chi Boxing).

Xingyiquan uses what they call the “5 Element Fist”, i.e. the “wuxing fists” as their core training method. The five fist forms are called splitting, drilling, crushing, pounding and crossing and the five fist are linked up to the wushing. Splitting, the first of the five fists, is metal. The image of metal being one of aggressiveness and strength, Xingyiquan teachers often tell their students that “metal fist is like an axe, rising and falling, breaking apart the opponent’ defense”. In contrast the next of the five fist is linked up with the water element of the wushing. It is flowing and soft and the idea is to dodge around the opponent’s attack. Next comes crushing fist which is tied to the element of wood, its “flavor” is being lively and aware and being able to react quickly to the opponent. Fourth is pounding fist which is linked to the element fire. The focus here is quick aggressiveness, charging in to cut off the opponent’s attack. The last of the five fists is crossing fist, which is the earth element. It is centered and calm and neutralizes the opponents attack.

Wuxing in Chinese martial arts is more than simply having five core movements, the concept of wuxing also carries with it the idea that each of the five core movements affects one of the five organ systems. In traditional Chinese medicine the wuxing idea also is used; for example there are five major organ systems or perhaps more accurately, five processes. In Xingyiquan each of these organ systems is strengthened by its corresponding fist form. Metal, which is splitting fist, strengthens the lung system. So what you have is a set of correspondences between the martial arts movement and the organ system.

Also too, the idea of the two cycles of wuxing figure into the idea’s use in martial arts. As the opening quote alludes to, in traditional Chinese thinking there is a cycle of creation and a cycle of destruction among the five elements. Metal for example overcomes wood (as an axe chops a tree), but in turn metal is overcome by fire (fire melting metal). This idea of mutual creation and destruction is carried over to the martial arts use of the wushing. Each of Xingyiquan’s five fists can conquer and be conquered by one of the other fist (see graphics).

So whether by music beats or by fist beats metal and martial arts go together.

Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Guo are the co-authors of Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals published by North Atlantic Books in 2005. They also are regular contributors to Classical Fighting Arts Magazine.

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