Ditangquan, (, literally "ground tumbling boxing") is a category of martial art that originated in the

Shandong Province Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizatio ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

during the Song Dynasty (960–1279).

History

According to the Quanzhou Ditangquan Fa style, a

Dishuquan Dog Kung Fu, i.e. Gǒuquán (), i.e. Dìshùquán (), is a martial arts style native to Fujian province China. While sharing many similar features to styles like Wuzuquan, Huzunquan, and many others from the same region, this southern style of ...

practitioner monk by the name of Hui Kai, a fellow of Sui Yue (also a

practitioner) from the White Lotus temple, taught the art of Ditangquan Fa (Ground sequences Canine Methods) to Zheng Yishan. Zheng Yishan taught very few students but the main proponent of the art was Zhuang Zishen.

Characteristics

The major characteristic of ditangquan is the ability to perform tumbles, falls, turns, leg skills, somersaults and aerial

acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...

using those techniques for both offense and defense. Since the time of its origin, this martial art has spread throughout

and has been incorporated into other martial arts styles. Although ditangquan exists as a traditional style, extant versions of it were unknown to the Chinese

modern wushu ''Wushu'' (), or ''Kung fu'', is a hard and soft and complete martial art, as well as a full-contact combat sport. It has a long history in reference to Chinese martial arts. It was developed in 1949 in an effort to standardize the practi ...

coaches and players of the 1970s; as a result, a "new" version of Ditangquan was created based on the tumbling techniques of monkey and drunken styles, but without the characteristic monkey or drunken movements.Where Wushu Went Wrong
, Origins of Modern Ditang. Today, traditional versions of Ditangquan can still be found included as parts of other styles, such as in chuojiao, or as separate martial arts, such as Fujian

góuquán Dog Kung Fu, i.e. Gǒuquán (), i.e. Dìshùquán (), is a martial arts style native to Fujian province China. While sharing many similar features to styles like Wuzuquan, Huzunquan, and many others from the same region, this southern style of C ...

(dog style); in the traditional styles, there is less emphasis on tumbling and more emphasis on attacking and defending while falling on the ground. In modern wushu, however, the "new" ditangquan remains a common style used in competition today.

Styles

Examples of the varieties of Ditangquan that now exist include, among others: * Moving-on-the-Ground Boxing (地行拳); * Plum Blossom Ground Tumbling Boxing (地躺梅花拳); *

Shaolin Earth Dragon Boxing Shaolin may refer to: * Shaolin Monastery, or Shaolin Temple, a Buddhist monastery in Henan province, China * Shaolin Kung Fu, a martial art associated with the monastery in Henan, China * Southern Shaolin Monastery, an alleged Buddhist monastery ...

(少林地龙拳); * Flying Dragon Ground Tumbling Boxing (飞龙地躺拳);

References

External links

Di Tang Ground Boxing 地趟
Chinese martial arts {{martialart-stub