Ziranmen Fighting Fundamentals

Ziranmen (Natural Style) is a Northen Style Internal Martial Art that developed in the 19th Century. It is based off natural, or spontaneous reactions, rather than set patterns or forms. It combines physical training, qigong, meditation and combat techniques. The main principle of Ziranmen is to overwhelm the opponent by attacking continuously, using every part of the body to strike. Ziranmen make use of four fundamental techniques: Tun (contraction), Tu (expansion), Fu (floating) and Chen (sinking). These techniques are generally expressed through movement of the spine. Ziranmen is also noted for its footwork (bu fa), which involves moving lightly on the balls of the feet and enables sudden changes of direction. Ziranmen became the precursor to modern day Sanda and was one of the first styles of mixed martial arts incorporating elements of Shaolin Gong Fu, Taiji, Bagua, Xing Yi and other disciplines.