Combat Shili and its Integration with Friction Stepping
(Beginner's Yiquan Health Dance Included)

Welcome to the Advanced Yiquan Study. Don’t feel pressured by the term “Combat Shili”—even if your focus is primarily on health, every aspect of Yiquan training is rooted in health practice first.

If your goal is to follow the full 7-step Yiquan program, this course is essential. It completes the first three steps and creates the bridge to the remaining four. Zhanzhuang develops stillness, Basic Shili trains hand and arm movement, and Basic Friction Stepping builds strength and control in the legs and feet.

By the end of this course, you’ll progress to whole-body movement—combining Advanced Shili with Friction Stepping—while maintaining full-body integration. Your footwork will be prepared for Pushing Hands practice, your internal power and vitality will be further awakened, and you’ll be ready to advance into Yiquan Fali (force-releasing) training.

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English or Spanish subtitles have not been added to the videos. The narration is English. 

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Prerequisites:

A. Must have enough practice with Parallel-step Zhanzhuang (Basic Zhanzhuang course).

B. Must have enough practice with Combat-step Zhanzhuang (Advanced Zhanzhuang course).

C. Must have enough practice with Parallel-step Shili (Basic Shili course).

D. Must have enough practice with Friction Stepping (Basic Stepping course).

E. NO martial art experience needed.

Yiquan martial art system consists of 7 steps of training. 

zhanzhuang cheng bao stance standing meditation exercise son gao demo yiquan force testing friction steps
Zhanzhuang (First Step)

As the fundamental of Yiquan, Zhanzhuang can be solely applied to improving a great range of health issues, especially chronic conditions.

(why does Zhanzhuang heal?)

yiquan zhanzhuang footsteps mocabu

Zhanzhuang can be divided into two categories based on the type of footsteps: 

A. Parallel-step stances (introduced in Basic Zhanzhang Course

B. Combat-step stances (introduced in Advanced Zhanzhuang Course). 

Shili (Second Step)

Exactly like Zhanzhuang, Shili can be divided into two categories: 

A. Parallel-step Shili (Basic Shili course).

B. Combat-step Shili (introduced in this  course). 

Friction Stepping (Third Step)

Friction Stepping is the root of Yiquan footwork, giving you practical stepping skills that carry directly into sparring and daily practice. In the course of  Basic Friction Stepping, you’ll discover this time-tested method in a clear and accessible way.

From this course, you’ll then take the next step forward—learning how to blend Combat Shili with Friction Stepping. This powerful integration, often called Advanced Friction Stepping, will unlock whole-body coordination and bring your practice to a new level.

This course covers what may be the most challenging material in the Yiquan program. Once you’ve done these practices well, the path ahead will feel clearer and the following studies will come with greater ease.

Characteristics of  

 

  is a special exercise. It’s aerobic, very gentle, and doesn’t require much movement. No warm-ups before the exercise or ending routines are required. What you need is just a place (either indoor or outdoor) with good air circulation.   has a large number of postures (stances are the technical term), but there is only one basic posture which can be transformed into all other postures. So, when you master the one posture, it’s only a matter of time to master all of them. From this perspective,   is not a complex skill to learn.

 

The  training time of   can be adjusted by oneself. In general, practitioners start from 5 minutes and increase progressively up to one hour. However, a 5-min   has health benefits, too. So   is quite accessible since no minimum “dose” of time is required. In fact, men, women, seniors, juniors, the weak or strong, all can practice   according to their own situation at their preferred time and place.

 

There are usually four stages of the   learning process and there are various reactions during beginning stages of  .

03

Healing aspect of  

In general,   can correct and build a stronger body. With   postures, young men with hunchbacks can be corrected. Dysfunctional feet, knees, or legs can be fixed to a great extent. The middle-aged suffering from back/shoulder/neck/muscle pain, hemorrhoids, insomnia, bad digestion, etc., can expect to get rid of those with consistent practice of   over time.

 

  is the best option for the weak or elderly as   can gradually and constantly enhance their immune system – the human body’s own defense mechanisms. According to Dr. Yu’s clinical experimentation and tests, many kinds of chronic diseases such as chronic tracheitis, chronic gastroenteritis, chronic hepatitis, cardiopathy, high blood pressure(hypertension), neurasthenic, chronic rheumatoid arthritis and similar rheumatoid arthritis, adipoma, goiter, etc., may obtain unbelievable beneficial effects after   practice.

 

We only listed some of the health applications of  . There are more. Every day practitioners are discovering new benefits of this amazing exercise.

 

04

Why can   cure diseases?

 

  is not only standing still. It is not only meditation, either. The system of   training is a combination of physical and mental aspects. The physical and mental activities are not separate from each other in this exercise. Hence, both the physiological and psychological functions of the body are cumulatively strengthened. Why   heals is a huge topic. Dr. Yu had written many books about it. In this article, we are going to focus on how   is able to nourish the blood. We will talk more in our blog posts.

 

During  , the body is held relatively unchanged in correct structures and there is constant contraction and loosening between muscles and bones. This will mobilize blood vessels, which promotes blood circulation. Dr. Yu listed the following figures in the book of “  and Search of Wu” (Yu Yongnian, 2005, Shanxi Science and Technology Press).

 

After one hour of   the composition of the blood may sensibly change:

  1. up to 1520 000 additional erythrocytes (red blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
  2. up to 3650 additional hem leukocytes (white blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
  3. up to 3.2 gram of additional hemoglobin per cm3 of blood.

 

Red blood cells are able to carry oxygen so efficiently because of the hemoglobin they contain. Increase of hemoglobin can directly impact the quantity of oxygen. With this additional amount of oxygen brought to the organ systems, one will be in a special state of relaxation and wellbeing.  This is why   has particularly good results in treating neurasthenia, arthritis, angina, cirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

 

 

 

05

Recommended for special people

The most important characteristic of   as a healing method is that there is no side-effect. From the medicine point of view, there are not so many optional exercises for people who are too weak to sit or stand and people with special diseases i.e., cardiovascular diseases.   is the best option for those people. There are lying-down postures, supported postures, sitting postures, standing postures, practitioners can choose appropriate postures and control the physical effort precisely by the time of practicing.

To conclude, with thousands of years of development and the support of Yiquan martial artists and medical professionals in the last 100 years,   has brought together the essence of Chinese well-being philosophies and western sciences as a mature, thorough and complete method of health maintenance and improvement. If you want to know more about   as a healing method, reading Dr. Yu’s books is a good start. Here are three recommendations:

< Zhan Zhuang and The Search of Wu > (Chinese, English versions)

<Zhan Zhuang: The Art of Nourishing Life> (Chinese, English, French versions)

< Zhan Zhuang and Dao De Jing> (Chinese version)

 

Course Curriculum

Characteristics of  

 

  is a special exercise. It’s aerobic, very gentle, and doesn’t require much movement. No warm-ups before the exercise or ending routines are required. What you need is just a place (either indoor or outdoor) with good air circulation.   has a large number of postures (stances are the technical term), but there is only one basic posture which can be transformed into all other postures. So, when you master the one posture, it’s only a matter of time to master all of them. From this perspective,   is not a complex skill to learn.

 

The  training time of   can be adjusted by oneself. In general, practitioners start from 5 minutes and increase progressively up to one hour. However, a 5-min   has health benefits, too. So   is quite accessible since no minimum “dose” of time is required. In fact, men, women, seniors, juniors, the weak or strong, all can practice   according to their own situation at their preferred time and place.

 

There are usually four stages of the   learning process and there are various reactions during beginning stages of  .

03

Healing aspect of  

In general,   can correct and build a stronger body. With   postures, young men with hunchbacks can be corrected. Dysfunctional feet, knees, or legs can be fixed to a great extent. The middle-aged suffering from back/shoulder/neck/muscle pain, hemorrhoids, insomnia, bad digestion, etc., can expect to get rid of those with consistent practice of   over time.

 

  is the best option for the weak or elderly as   can gradually and constantly enhance their immune system – the human body’s own defense mechanisms. According to Dr. Yu’s clinical experimentation and tests, many kinds of chronic diseases such as chronic tracheitis, chronic gastroenteritis, chronic hepatitis, cardiopathy, high blood pressure(hypertension), neurasthenic, chronic rheumatoid arthritis and similar rheumatoid arthritis, adipoma, goiter, etc., may obtain unbelievable beneficial effects after   practice.

 

We only listed some of the health applications of  . There are more. Every day practitioners are discovering new benefits of this amazing exercise.

 

04

Why can   cure diseases?

 

  is not only standing still. It is not only meditation, either. The system of   training is a combination of physical and mental aspects. The physical and mental activities are not separate from each other in this exercise. Hence, both the physiological and psychological functions of the body are cumulatively strengthened. Why   heals is a huge topic. Dr. Yu had written many books about it. In this article, we are going to focus on how   is able to nourish the blood. We will talk more in our blog posts.

 

During  , the body is held relatively unchanged in correct structures and there is constant contraction and loosening between muscles and bones. This will mobilize blood vessels, which promotes blood circulation. Dr. Yu listed the following figures in the book of “  and Search of Wu” (Yu Yongnian, 2005, Shanxi Science and Technology Press).

 

After one hour of   the composition of the blood may sensibly change:

  1. up to 1520 000 additional erythrocytes (red blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
  2. up to 3650 additional hem leukocytes (white blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
  3. up to 3.2 gram of additional hemoglobin per cm3 of blood.

 

Red blood cells are able to carry oxygen so efficiently because of the hemoglobin they contain. Increase of hemoglobin can directly impact the quantity of oxygen. With this additional amount of oxygen brought to the organ systems, one will be in a special state of relaxation and wellbeing.  This is why   has particularly good results in treating neurasthenia, arthritis, angina, cirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

 

 

 

05

Recommended for special people

The most important characteristic of   as a healing method is that there is no side-effect. From the medicine point of view, there are not so many optional exercises for people who are too weak to sit or stand and people with special diseases i.e., cardiovascular diseases.   is the best option for those people. There are lying-down postures, supported postures, sitting postures, standing postures, practitioners can choose appropriate postures and control the physical effort precisely by the time of practicing.

To conclude, with thousands of years of development and the support of Yiquan martial artists and medical professionals in the last 100 years,   has brought together the essence of Chinese well-being philosophies and western sciences as a mature, thorough and complete method of health maintenance and improvement. If you want to know more about   as a healing method, reading Dr. Yu’s books is a good start. Here are three recommendations:

< Zhan Zhuang and The Search of Wu > (Chinese, English versions)

<Zhan Zhuang: The Art of Nourishing Life> (Chinese, English, French versions)

< Zhan Zhuang and Dao De Jing> (Chinese version)

 

Lesson 0: Course Intro

Lesson 1: An Advanced Friction Step

Lesson 2: Combat FU-AN Shili

Lesson 3: Combat PING-TUI Shili

Lesson 4: Combat KAI-HE Shili

Lesson 5: Combat GOU-GUA Shili 

Lesson 6: Combat FEN-GUA Shili

Lesson 7: Combat PI-GUA Shili

Lesson 8: Combat YAO-XUAN Shili 

Lesson 9: Bobbing Turtle Shili 

Lesson 10: Combat FU-AN Shili with Stepping

Lesson 11: Combat PING-TUI Shili with Stepping

Lesson 12: Combat KAI-HE Shili with Stepping

Lesson 13: Combat FEN-GUA Shili with Stepping

Lesson 14: Combat GOU-GUA Shili with Stepping

Lesson 15: Further Stepping

Lesson 16: Pre Health Dance

Characteristics of  

 

  is a special exercise. It’s aerobic, very gentle, and doesn’t require much movement. No warm-ups before the exercise or ending routines are required. What you need is just a place (either indoor or outdoor) with good air circulation.   has a large number of postures (stances are the technical term), but there is only one basic posture which can be transformed into all other postures. So, when you master the one posture, it’s only a matter of time to master all of them. From this perspective,   is not a complex skill to learn.

 

The  training time of   can be adjusted by oneself. In general, practitioners start from 5 minutes and increase progressively up to one hour. However, a 5-min   has health benefits, too. So   is quite accessible since no minimum “dose” of time is required. In fact, men, women, seniors, juniors, the weak or strong, all can practice   according to their own situation at their preferred time and place.

 

There are usually four stages of the   learning process and there are various reactions during beginning stages of  .

03

Healing aspect of  

In general,   can correct and build a stronger body. With   postures, young men with hunchbacks can be corrected. Dysfunctional feet, knees, or legs can be fixed to a great extent. The middle-aged suffering from back/shoulder/neck/muscle pain, hemorrhoids, insomnia, bad digestion, etc., can expect to get rid of those with consistent practice of   over time.

 

  is the best option for the weak or elderly as   can gradually and constantly enhance their immune system – the human body’s own defense mechanisms. According to Dr. Yu’s clinical experimentation and tests, many kinds of chronic diseases such as chronic tracheitis, chronic gastroenteritis, chronic hepatitis, cardiopathy, high blood pressure(hypertension), neurasthenic, chronic rheumatoid arthritis and similar rheumatoid arthritis, adipoma, goiter, etc., may obtain unbelievable beneficial effects after   practice.

 

We only listed some of the health applications of  . There are more. Every day practitioners are discovering new benefits of this amazing exercise.

 

04

Why can   cure diseases?

 

  is not only standing still. It is not only meditation, either. The system of   training is a combination of physical and mental aspects. The physical and mental activities are not separate from each other in this exercise. Hence, both the physiological and psychological functions of the body are cumulatively strengthened. Why   heals is a huge topic. Dr. Yu had written many books about it. In this article, we are going to focus on how   is able to nourish the blood. We will talk more in our blog posts.

 

During  , the body is held relatively unchanged in correct structures and there is constant contraction and loosening between muscles and bones. This will mobilize blood vessels, which promotes blood circulation. Dr. Yu listed the following figures in the book of “  and Search of Wu” (Yu Yongnian, 2005, Shanxi Science and Technology Press).

 

After one hour of   the composition of the blood may sensibly change:

  1. up to 1520 000 additional erythrocytes (red blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
  2. up to 3650 additional hem leukocytes (white blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
  3. up to 3.2 gram of additional hemoglobin per cm3 of blood.

 

Red blood cells are able to carry oxygen so efficiently because of the hemoglobin they contain. Increase of hemoglobin can directly impact the quantity of oxygen. With this additional amount of oxygen brought to the organ systems, one will be in a special state of relaxation and wellbeing.  This is why   has particularly good results in treating neurasthenia, arthritis, angina, cirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

 

 

 

05

Recommended for special people

The most important characteristic of   as a healing method is that there is no side-effect. From the medicine point of view, there are not so many optional exercises for people who are too weak to sit or stand and people with special diseases i.e., cardiovascular diseases.   is the best option for those people. There are lying-down postures, supported postures, sitting postures, standing postures, practitioners can choose appropriate postures and control the physical effort precisely by the time of practicing.

To conclude, with thousands of years of development and the support of Yiquan martial artists and medical professionals in the last 100 years,   has brought together the essence of Chinese well-being philosophies and western sciences as a mature, thorough and complete method of health maintenance and improvement. If you want to know more about   as a healing method, reading Dr. Yu’s books is a good start. Here are three recommendations:

< Zhan Zhuang and The Search of Wu > (Chinese, English versions)

<Zhan Zhuang: The Art of Nourishing Life> (Chinese, English, French versions)

< Zhan Zhuang and Dao De Jing> (Chinese version)

 

Characteristics of  

 

  is a special exercise. It’s aerobic, very gentle, and doesn’t require much movement. No warm-ups before the exercise or ending routines are required. What you need is just a place (either indoor or outdoor) with good air circulation.   has a large number of postures (stances are the technical term), but there is only one basic posture which can be transformed into all other postures. So, when you master the one posture, it’s only a matter of time to master all of them. From this perspective,   is not a complex skill to learn.

 

The  training time of   can be adjusted by oneself. In general, practitioners start from 5 minutes and increase progressively up to one hour. However, a 5-min   has health benefits, too. So   is quite accessible since no minimum “dose” of time is required. In fact, men, women, seniors, juniors, the weak or strong, all can practice   according to their own situation at their preferred time and place.

 

There are usually four stages of the   learning process and there are various reactions during beginning stages of  .

03

Healing aspect of  

In general,   can correct and build a stronger body. With   postures, young men with hunchbacks can be corrected. Dysfunctional feet, knees, or legs can be fixed to a great extent. The middle-aged suffering from back/shoulder/neck/muscle pain, hemorrhoids, insomnia, bad digestion, etc., can expect to get rid of those with consistent practice of   over time.

 

  is the best option for the weak or elderly as   can gradually and constantly enhance their immune system – the human body’s own defense mechanisms. According to Dr. Yu’s clinical experimentation and tests, many kinds of chronic diseases such as chronic tracheitis, chronic gastroenteritis, chronic hepatitis, cardiopathy, high blood pressure(hypertension), neurasthenic, chronic rheumatoid arthritis and similar rheumatoid arthritis, adipoma, goiter, etc., may obtain unbelievable beneficial effects after   practice.

 

We only listed some of the health applications of  . There are more. Every day practitioners are discovering new benefits of this amazing exercise.

 

04

Why can   cure diseases?

 

  is not only standing still. It is not only meditation, either. The system of   training is a combination of physical and mental aspects. The physical and mental activities are not separate from each other in this exercise. Hence, both the physiological and psychological functions of the body are cumulatively strengthened. Why   heals is a huge topic. Dr. Yu had written many books about it. In this article, we are going to focus on how   is able to nourish the blood. We will talk more in our blog posts.

 

During  , the body is held relatively unchanged in correct structures and there is constant contraction and loosening between muscles and bones. This will mobilize blood vessels, which promotes blood circulation. Dr. Yu listed the following figures in the book of “  and Search of Wu” (Yu Yongnian, 2005, Shanxi Science and Technology Press).

 

After one hour of   the composition of the blood may sensibly change:

  1. up to 1520 000 additional erythrocytes (red blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
  2. up to 3650 additional hem leukocytes (white blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
  3. up to 3.2 gram of additional hemoglobin per cm3 of blood.

 

Red blood cells are able to carry oxygen so efficiently because of the hemoglobin they contain. Increase of hemoglobin can directly impact the quantity of oxygen. With this additional amount of oxygen brought to the organ systems, one will be in a special state of relaxation and wellbeing.  This is why   has particularly good results in treating neurasthenia, arthritis, angina, cirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

 

 

 

05

Recommended for special people

The most important characteristic of   as a healing method is that there is no side-effect. From the medicine point of view, there are not so many optional exercises for people who are too weak to sit or stand and people with special diseases i.e., cardiovascular diseases.   is the best option for those people. There are lying-down postures, supported postures, sitting postures, standing postures, practitioners can choose appropriate postures and control the physical effort precisely by the time of practicing.

To conclude, with thousands of years of development and the support of Yiquan martial artists and medical professionals in the last 100 years,   has brought together the essence of Chinese well-being philosophies and western sciences as a mature, thorough and complete method of health maintenance and improvement. If you want to know more about   as a healing method, reading Dr. Yu’s books is a good start. Here are three recommendations:

< Zhan Zhuang and The Search of Wu > (Chinese, English versions)

<Zhan Zhuang: The Art of Nourishing Life> (Chinese, English, French versions)

< Zhan Zhuang and Dao De Jing> (Chinese version)