Xingyi- Fighting timing principal

"See the gap but do not strike, see the Cross and strike;

"See the gap but do not stand*, see the Cross and stand* ."

Xingyiquan is a martial arts style built for close-distance fighting, so one or both participants may land a blow. This prioritizes both time and space throughout a fight.

Timing and distance, every millimeter/millisecond of it, counts.

Xingyi's speed was underappreciated for a long time. A way to increase your speed is to alter your position with respect to your opponent at the right moment and use the tactical aggression that is a favored Xingyiquan mindset, making it highly effective.

A strike's psychological and physical effects should be considered while planning one. That's a big part of tactical aggression,

In Xingyiquan, the sentence at the start of this article, "Don't strike when you see a gap, strike when you see the Cross, "states this idea.

At first glance, "Don't strike when you see a gap, strike when you see the 'Cross'; "seems to be split into two distinct concepts. It's two independent but related concepts that make up a single concept.

"Don't strike when you see a gap."

Avoid "feints," baits, and traps by not striking when you notice a gap (and by that, letting the opponent enter/get closer to you, allowing them to counter-strike); a gap can be a planned gap by your opponent.

"Strike when you see the Cross."

The first part of this statement implies that establishing contact with the opponent's front limb increases your chances of landing a sure hit. Once making contact, your opponent's attack will fail because of the attack's mechanical pattern's structure flaws, in addition to one of his limbs being already out there.

The second sentence at the start of this article, "See the gap but do not stand*, see the Cross and stand* ."

"Don't stand firm when you notice a gap."

Implies that since a gap might be a feint, a trap set by your opponent, you should not commit to an assault on such a gap or opening formed by the opponent.

"Stand firm when you see the Cross."

This means that you should completely commit to striking and using this opportunity after establishing contact with the cross and breaking the opponent's technique.

You can think about the two above sentences as the "ROI" of your attack:

The return ("ROI")-both psychological and physical, on surprise and heavier-than-expected strikes is enormous compared to directly engaging a prepared opponent. So when the opponent expects to attack, he misses and gets attacked by an instant counter & firm strike.

One of the reasons the various Xingyi Schools include a range of short, simple practice sets is that these ideas become much more evident during partner training. Work slowly from partner drills to slow sparring and then faster sparring to become more experienced with those ideas.

When employing Xingyi in a genuine physical confrontation, you'll need to practice your movements many times to get them perfect and ready for real conflict.

Remember that the ultimate manifestation of strategy in Chinese Martial Arts is to prevent potential adversaries from engaging in conflict with you.

Consider this idea in various situations (not only in physical conflict): "Don't strike when you see a gap, strike when you see the Cross'; don't stand firm when you see a gap, stand strong when you see the Cross."

*stand=stand your ground/attack

Stand your ground = "a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be, has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force, if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony."