FIVE ELEMENTS MARTIAL ARTS

The Five Elements, Five Phases, or Wu Xing/Wu Hsing, is a combat system taught at Imperial Combat Arts in Denver Colorado and also a fundamental part of the Wu Tang Martial Arts of Tai Chi (Taiji), H'sing I (Xing Yi) and Pakua (baqua). In ancient China, Taoist scholars developed a profound understanding of life based on minute observation of nature. They understood that everything in the Universe comes out of the ‘unnamable’ , the TAO, which manifests as the dual principles of Yin and Yang. 
Along with the law of Yin and Yang, the ancient Taoists observed a pattern of expression in nature that they interpreted as and named, the 5 Elements or 5 Phases. These elements, or energies, were described as Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water and were understood to be the prime energetic building blocks from which all material substance in the world is composed. Everywhere you look in this world, the elements are present in your vision, likewise your body is constantly in one of these states. The five energy states of the body are fundamental in several ancient martial arts as all techniques exist in these states. Mastering this ability allows one to fight all types of fighters from heavy relaxed grapplers, to fast and light fencers, and to change throughout these energies at will depending on the opponent.

EARTH ENERGY COMBAT

Earth energy is heavy and powerful often using the gravity of the Earth itself to pull down opponents and their strikes. The use of "dead weight" in fighting can be advantageous in grappling, take-downs, bring-downs and throwing. Its motion is primarily inward and centering, and its energy is stabilizing and conserving. 

WATER ENERGY COMBAT

Water is a fluid and circular elemental energy that flows force from one movement to the next. This is used to absorb the force sent into your own body or to channel and redirect an opponents force. Water energy can be highly effective in counters and throwing. Waters movement is primarily downward and outward.   

WOOD ENERGY COMBAT

Wood is strength and flexibility. It's elemental energies are used in rooting, twisting, and bouncing, as well as gripping, and torquing. These energies excel in joint manipulation, chin na, vital point grips, throws, striking, and captures. The motion of wood is one that seeks always to grow and expand.

FIRE ENERGY COMBAT

Fire energy is dynamic and relentless. In combat fire energy manifests itself as leaping, lunging, pinching, dynamic patterns, and fast flurries of striking. Fire energy is light and fast, therefore fire techniques require less power (than the heaver elements), but also much more speed, and often flurries or combos. The motion of fire is upward and inward.

METAL ENERGY COMBAT

Metal is unyielding strength and determination. Its martial power is accuracy, focus, toughening, and speed. Unarmed metal strikes use highly toughened single points of the body to destroy an opponents vulnerable vitals, much like a thrusting sword. Metal can also chop, cut, or smash with the accuracy and power of an axe or hammer.

BLENDING THE FIVE ELEMENTS

The study of the individual elements and their effectiveness in martial arts leads to their interaction with each other. A Wu H'sing master is able to shift between these states instantaneously to counter and overcome the energy state of the opponent. This ability makes fighting a Wu H'sing Master feel like fighting five martial artists in one body.

MASTERING THE CYCLES FOR COMBAT

The Elemental Cycles teach exactly what kinds of techniques will defeat others. For example if fighting a heavy wrestler, Wood techniques of painful gripping Chin Na or Metal Strikes to vitals will destroy their style. Whereas fighting a fast knife fighter different techniques are called for. Wu H'sing Masters adjust in real time to any style. 

TRAINING THE WU H'SING

Training to fight in real combat with Elemental Energies requires a lot of interaction with partners capable of using all kinds of techniques against you, so you can train the counter techniques. Training the 5 Elements at Imperial Combat Arts is a full martial study with, elemental strikes, throws, stances, chin na, ground-fighting, and weapons. Additionally to be able to cause damage with any of the Elemental hand weapons like the Flame Tongue, a fast lashing spear hand, you must possess a high level of toughening.   

FIVE ELEMENT TOUGHENING

Before students can begin toughening the elemental weapons they start from day one with General Toughening. This beginner level toughening is itself more advance than most arts and includes body conditioning, arm and leg toughening, break-falls, kick toughening, and bare knuckled fist toughening. This intensive toughening meets the demands of true combat, far from wrapping the hands and wearing boxing gloves for sport. ​Enter Page> Hand Toughening

FIVE ELEMENT DRILLS

Combat drills are an important part of all Imperial Combat Arts classes. Drills are used to incorporate elemental strikes, techniques, maneuvers, etc. into the body as a second nature reflex, as is required for battle. Five Element drills are done shadow boxing, vs partners, mitts, and bags. The intricate artwork painted on the floor of the school at Imperial Combat Arts is also designed to teach students how to use the Wu H'sing arts against opponents in all directions.

FIVE ELEMENT SETS

Sets are an effective and traditional part of teaching and learning the Five Elements. Each Element has its own unique strikes, blocks, throws, stance work, chin na, and weapon study. In addition there are different techniques by each energy vs each different energy. These sets teach 5 Elements fighters how transition to through each energy in combat, Wu H'sing Masters demonstrate the ability to break 5 sets of boards in one 3 second flurry, each set broken with a different elemental energy, including different stance and hand weapon.

FIVE ELEMENT FORMS

There are several forms that teach Five Element stance work, energies, and techniques. Moving through the energies requires full body dynamics and your intent to shift quickly. This ability is more complex than say moving from wrestling to fencing back and forth every couple seconds in a fight without getting partially stuck in the other energy. Wu H'sing forms help develop this tremendous ability at full speed. The development of the Wu H'sing is also trained in the forms learned in the Wu Tang Martial Arts of Tai Chi and Pakua.

FIVE ELEMENT EXERCISES

There are several traditional exercises that help develop the power, flow, and energies of the 5 Elements for combat. These exercises teach the powerful linked body dynamics, breath control, stance work, Chi Kung (Qigong), and techniques that make the Wu H'sing a legendary part of many Chinese Martial Arts. Imperial Combat Arts curriculum incorporates these advanced 5 Elements concepts into our intense student classes in a way that they can be used for real combat.

FIVE ELEMENT MATCHING

Imperial Wu Tang students develop a high level of matching ability both in the classic Wu Tang Martial Arts, and the high level Art of Grey Cloud. There are no rings or pads used in this matching. Imperial Combat Arts practitioners rely instead on their control, indomitable defenses, and body toughening to match each other without causing serious injury. 5 Element Matching is done vs multiple opponents, in all directions, and in all types of real world terrain.

FIVE ELEMENT MIND

5 Elements Masters fight from a state of dynamically changing energies as opposed to emotion or intellect like the Imperial 8 Animal Styles. Every technique they see or feel registers instantly as one of the 5 Elements and they respond with the fighting style that destroys it. Its rare for most fighters to fight from more than one or two elemental states. A Wu H'sing Master fights with five martial arts and changes through them with muscle memory and reflex. Fighting a Wu H'sing Master can feel like fighting 5 different opponents on one body. 

FIVE ELEMENTS IN PAKUA

PAKUA PHILOSOPHY: The 5 Elements are a significant part of Taoist Philosophy and fit into the study of the Pakua (Baqua) as seen in the photo above/left. 
PAKUA MARTIAL ARTS: Many Martial Arts use aspects of the 5 Elements as a significant part of their fighting style. Each of the Imperial Wu Tang Martial Arts taught at Imperial Combat Arts is based on the Taoist Philosophy of The Three Forces, The Eight Trigrams, and the 5 Elements. These arts are H'sing-I (Xing Yi). Tai Chi (Taiji), and Pakua (Bagua).

FIVE ELEMENTS IN H'SING I

H'sing-I uses the 5 Elements as the base of the art to represent 5 different states of combat. Earth represents Crossing, Water/Drilling, Wood/Crushing, Fire/Exploding, and Metal/Chopping. Though effective this use of the 5 Elements is much simpler than that of a full 5 Elements Fighting style like Wu H'sing Ch'uan, or the Mongolian Wu H'sing taught at Imperial Combat Arts, these complete arts have stances, throws, chin, na, weapons, grappling, and toughened hand weapons for each element. Enter Page> H'sing I Chuan

FIVE ELEMENTS IN TAI CHI

Many styles of Tai Chi Ch'uan use the 5 Elements to represent basic stepping patterns and directions. The Hidden Fist Form at Imperial Combat Arts is a large Tai Chi Form consisting of 331 moves. This form is divided into 5 sections, one section for each of the 5 Elements. This advanced form consists of high level Wu'sing techniques that are also trained at full combat speed. These techniques use the powerful study of the elements for throws, strikes, controls, and Chin Na.  Enter Page> Tai Chi Ch'uan

THE MONGOLIAN WU H'SING

The Mongolian Wu H'sing is a powerful and aggressive 5 Elements Martial Art that toughens the fists, arms, and legs extensively for combat. To train the Mongolian Wu H'sing requires extensive arm toughening, most people would bow out after the first crossing of arms. In this interpretation of 5 Elements Martial Arts there is a much more focus on force and muscular power applied to the concepts of the Wu H'sing. Also toughened fists are the only hand weapons as opposed to some of the open hand and fingertip strikes used in Wu Hsing Ch'uan.

FIVE ELEMENTS AND WEAPONS

Fighting with the 5 Elements transfers directly to weapons, every type of weapon demands one or two energies to wield masterfully. For example staff/stick fighting uses mostly Wood energy, straight sword is primarily Metal, the combat knife is Fire/Metal, and heavy crushing weapons are inherently Earth. Imperial Combat Arts is a weapon school, whether armed or unarmed. Our arts have both direct lineage to historical weapons used in martial arts, and to modern U.S. special forces weaponry and firearms. Enter Page> Weapon Training

FIVE ELEMENTS MEDITATIONS

These meditations are also an integral part of developing our Wu H'sing Martial Arts. During the Elemental Energy meditations students are immersed in nature, buried in the earth, entering caves, experiencing states of water, visiting great forests, climbing mountains etc. This meditation system helps students understand the elemental forces of nature.

FIVE ELEMENTS PHILOSOPHY 

The 5 Elements became well established in China during the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.- 220 C.E.) at this point the 5 Elements were applied to all types of fields such as meditation, medicine, music, feng shui (geomancy), astrology, military strategy, and martial arts. One of the many online courses available to all Imperial Combat Arts students is the Philosophy of the Wu H'sing, in all of the above categories, this massive elective course includes online testing as well as classroom exercises.