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Chinese     Pinyin     Element

Splitting         Pi           Metal      Like an axe chopping up and over.
Drilling           Zuan     Water     Drilling forward horizontally like a geyser.
Pounding       Pào        Fire         Exploding outward like a cannon while blocking.
Crossing        Héng     Earth      Crossing across the line of attack while turning over.
Crushing        Beng      Wood     Arrows constantly exploding forward.

-    Xingyiquan – Wikipedia

WU HSING, THE 5 ELEMENTS – From Mike Patterson:
Wu Hsing can be called the Heart and Soul of Hsing I practice. These five seemingly simple actions are loaded with subtleties and require years of practice to perform them with total Mind/Body integration. Over the course of time they will teach the practitioner many things and can be directly related to many aspects of Five Element cosmology of traditional Chinese medicine. Pi Chuan (Metal) teaches the force of Splitting. Its power association is the axe. It corresponds to the Lung and Large Intestine meridians. Tsuan Chuan (Water) teaches the force of Drilling. Its power association is electricity. It corresponds to the Kidney and Urinary Bladder meridians. Peng Chuan (Wood) teaches the force of crushing. Its power association is the arrow. It corres ponds to the Liver and Gall Bladder meridians. Pao Chuan (Fire) teaches the force of Pounding. Its power association is the cannon. It corresponds to the Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium and San Jiao (triple warmer) meridians. Heng Chuan (Earth) teache s the force of Crossing. Its power association is the Bullet. It corresponds to the Spleen and Stomach meridians.

On Pi Chaun – Splitting Fist

Now, to actually perform the physical movements of the splitting fist, let’s start from the san ti and take it from there. From the san ti the right arm begins its wrapping by screwing the fist up and along the center line. The lead hand is drawn back slightly and rotates inward to cover center. The body is relaxed as energy is saved and the center line protected. The screwing fist follows center and drills up and along side the other arm. While all of this was happening the rear leg and hip were simultaneously closing to save energy also. The rear leg comes into the center and saves energy as it protects the groin. The body remains straight and does not lean heavily forward or to either side. This is bear in Pi chuan. The rear leg now leaves center and steps out into the center of the opponent (visualize if only doing the form). The screwing arm now rises, overturns and falls into the target thereby splitting its center. As the rear hand has now become the lead, the lead has now become the rear. You will end up in the san ti posture again. This is the eagle. An outside observer’s perception will end here. I must, however, go into more detail to explain the details of what happened in terms of requirements and structure so that you can appreciate what many would dismiss. As the rear leg goes forward it is in conjunction with the screwing, rising, overturning, and falling of the hand. As the lead had falls to split, power and balance is maintained by the rear hand as it pulls back to maintain tigers embrace and aid in the dragon body. Needless to say, for proper structure, as the lead foot steps and lands quickly one must establish a sound chicken leg and open the inner thigh. Only then can you issue power by establishing the dragon body. The requirements for bear shoulder and tiger embrace must also be fulfilled prior to the issuance of power. If any of these things are missing that I detailed in the first article of this series, then you will be unable to establish a sound structure and therefore be unable to issue internal power. You will be force to rely on physical strength. You will notice as I land and issue power my lead hand goes forward. Be careful not to allow the body to lean forward with the shoulder to make the lead arm go forward. The forward motion of the lead hand is generated by the sinking of the body and the dropping of the lead elbow as the dragon body is put in place. You should read the last sentence again. This is a very common mistake. I know this from personal experience. When you look at the photographs and read the explanation try to focus on the requirements and not so much the actual technical movements. There are several ways to do Pi chuan and the other fists. The important factor to consider is whether or not the movement is in harmony with the requirements. In the previous articles I have gone into very minute detail in terms of how the body should move when executing a particular fist or animal. Here I have purposely spared you from that type of reading and shall let the emphasis rest on the requirements and principles that I have already provided you with in this series of articles. I realize that this forces the reader to think a bit more. I hope that this burden will stimulate your thought processes. I find that that is how I learn the best.

http://www.jimdees.com/articles.html
Metal – Splitting Fist
Water – Drill Fist
Fire – Pounding Fist
Wood – Crushing Fist

Master Xun’s discourse on courtesy says, “Those whose view is life will inevitably die.”
This means the same as Wu Tzu’s “Those who are eager to live will die. On a field of battle, he who becomes absorbed in inevitable death will survive without trying to stay alive.”

Chuang Tzu’s chapter on belaboring the mind says, “Respond after sensing, move after being pressed.”

Sensing means being affected by feeling; it means the enemy’s murderous energy pierces your heart. Response means paying attention. This means that if you pay attention when an enemy’s killing energy makes an impact on your mind, then you can stop it before it sprouts. You strike out only when your opponent’s sword reaches your body; that way you can take advantage of the ending of the energy. This is also what is meant by the verse

Lu Shi’s sword
Responds to aggression,
Acts on sense,
Adapting endlessly,
Having no form.

Chuang Tzu’s chapter on the sword says, “A swordsman strikes out after the other but hits home before the other.”

The idea is to Read more…

One perspective:

“The more time a new boxer spends shadow boxing, the better he will get. If you put him immediately into sparring, he will get good — and stop.

“It’s better than doing nothing, definitely, better than just hitting a heavy bag, but what sparring tends to do is reward you for what you instinctively do already. And you tend not to be able to learn a new move. Because you’re under pressure not to lose, you see?

“Whereas, [if] the trainer’s working with focus mitts and the young man goes now from punching the air to hitting defined targets on the trainer’s body or on the trainer’s hands, it can become like an improvisational war… because his instinct now is working, his body mechanics are correct in the shadow boxing, and he’s under no threat of being knocked out if he does it wrong.”

– Roberto Sharpe

Me and Miles both think 52 blocks is fascinating. This talk about it and other things by Sifu Rudy is good good stuff.
Here is a Lulu book on Internal Kung Fu by him.

Look at how the guy on the right is holding his “sword” with his index finger and thumb, tilted all crazy back.
Wield as thou wilt, but…

I don’t think the jian and saber are evenly matched when the guy with the jian gets to make two moves for every one of the saber (which doesn’t get to apply power in this slo-mo), while meanwhile making unlikely dodges, does not show the jian well.
I mean these moves are just are not likely to be used in a fight.
The jian’s response to attacks should be more about cutting tendons and the neck as time cuts and thrusts, at least against heavier weapons.