Drunken Fist

Zui Quan (Traditional and Simplified Chinese: 醉拳; pinyin: Zuì Quán, literally Drunken Fist, also known as Drunken Boxing or Drunkard's Boxing) is a traditional Chinese martial art concept as well as a classification of Wushu form. It is a category of techniques, forms and fighting philosophy that appear to imitate a drunkard's movements.^[1] The postures are created by momentum and weight of the body, and imitation is generally through staggering and certain type of fluidity in the movements. It is considered to be among the more difficult wushu styles to learn due to the need for powerful joints and fingers. Zui Quan is sometimes called Zuijiuquan (醉酒拳, literally "Drunken Alcohol Fist").

Zui Quan Within Chinese Martial Arts

Many Traditional Chinese Martial Arts utilize drunken techniques and fighting philosophy within forms and techniques. For example:

• Some lineages of Choi Lei Fut contain "drunken" forms. CLF drunken technique teaches feints, explosive power generation, swaying motions and various other distraction techniques.^[2][3]
• Monkey Kung Fu contains a variation of monkey style called "drunken monkey" which involves "a lot of throat, eye and groin strikes as well as tumbling and falling techniques. It incorporates a lot of false steps to give the appearance it is defenseless and uses a lot of off balance strikes. The practitioner waddles, takes very faltering steps and sometimes fall to the ground and lies prone while waiting the opponent to approach at which time a devastating attack is launched at the knees or groin areas of the opponent."

Performance Wushu contains several exhibition forms called "Drunken" forms that bear no actual connection to the forms found in Traditional Chinese Martial Arts. ^[4]

[edit] Zui Quan in Mixed and non-Chinese Styles

Shaolin-Do teaches Drunken forms beginning at the first degree blackbelt level.^[5] It has not been verified whether or not Shaolin Do is a Chinese, Japanese or Indonesian style, or a mix of these and/or other arts.

[edit] Zui Quan Practiced as a Style in Modern Times

[edit] Description

'Drunken Boxing' techniques are based on the legend of the 'The Eight Immortals'.^[6] Each of the techniques in the Drunken Set demonstrate an attribute of one of the Immortals. These "elements" from all eight Immortals' styles are combined to form an effective fighting art.^[7]

Drunken boxing includes techniques contained in other kung-fu style and applies its deceptive philosophy.^[8] As the pugilist staggers about, he or she is concentrating on creating momentum and avoiding attacks with the style's trademark unorthodox adaptive moves; for example, if someone is going to push the pugilist, he or she rolls over his arms and hits him, and sometimes sinks his or her weight upon him, according to the situation.