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Chaquan (Cha Family Boxing)

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A Shandong long-fist style tied to Chinese Muslims. Long reach, acrobatics, and ten rows of tantui kicks as the foundation of power.

Quick Facts

Masters & notable people
Country of OriginChina
RegionAsia
Primary FocusStriking
Contact LevelLight contact
Belt SystemNo grades

Character & Origin

StatusLiving, organized
LineageTraditional
Era of OriginEarly modern

Training

AttireTraditional dress
SparringLight contact
Role of WeaponsWeapons at the core
Role of FormsForms at the core

Who It Suits

Kids ProgrammesKids groups common
Senior FriendlySuitable with adaptation
Physical Demand3/5
Injury Risk2/5
Learning Curve4/5
Self-Defence Value3/5
Fitness Value4/5

Organisation & Competition

Grading SystemNo grades
Competition FormatForms
Weight ClassesNo
Olympic StatusNot Olympic
Estimated Practitioners10k–100k

What the style is built from

Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.

Hand strikesCore
KicksSignificant
Throws & takedownsMarginal
Ground fightingNot used
Locks & holdsMarginal
WeaponsSignificant

Catalogs & Databases for Chaquan (Cha Family Boxing)

👊 Techniques Database3 items
📖 Glossary of Terms3 items
👥 People & Masters3 items

About Chaquan (Cha Family Boxing)

Chaquan is a northern Chinese long-fist style from Shandong that is closely tied to Chinese Muslims, that is, to the Hui people, and through them to the Turkic populations of Central Asia. This link is visible in the style itself, and it is also the only thing about its origin that sources actually document. The account according to which the art was brought to the local population by a Turkic warrior named Zha Mi-Er at the end of the Ming dynasty is explicitly labeled a legend by the source; the style's name may derive from his name, but that too is presented only as a possibility, much like the explanation from the Turkic word for iron. The catalog has therefore removed the previously stated founder and the year 1590 from the fields. Technically, chaquan is a typical long-fist style: it works at long range, with sweeping stances and speed combined with power, and it also includes acrobatic elements in the jump. Its foundation consists of ten rows of kicks called tantui, on which power is built, and these are followed by ten longer forms of chaquan proper. As for weapons, the style trains the staff, saber, sword, spear, kwandao, and hook swords. Among modern masters, sources name Wang Ziping, renowned for his great strength, as well as Zhang Wenguang, Ma Jinbiao, and Liu Hongchi.

Similar styles

Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.

Wing ChunHung GarChoy Li FutIron Palm Kung FuSun Style Tai ChiNanquan (Southern Fist)