Posture

Fu Hu Zhuang 伏虎桩

fú hǔ zhuāng

“Subduing the tiger” — the lowest and most demanding combat posture in Yiquan. A large stance (about 60–70 cm), the front heel empty, knees bent, the seat settling; palms on the inside of the knees, fingers pointing down; weight 30/70 — here the system standard applies, unlike in Xiang Long Zhuang. Sense and purpose: (1) strong legs for atypical fighting positions — Yao Chengguang names Fu Hu and Xiang Long in one breath for this; (2) explicitly the building of force for large steps in every direction — the posture is thus the reservoir of power for the third Mocabu stage, the large step; (3) a resistance that works back: where Hunyuan Zhuang embraces a motionless tree, this posture holds down an animal that breaks out tirelessly in every direction — which makes the Mo Jin dialogical, every direction an answer to an attempted escape; (4) and with it the search for force travels from the arm into the whole body: left and right here is not an opening of the arms as in Hunyuan Zhuang but a movement of the whole body, with opening and closing taking place between the legs. The maxim: 神意足，不求形骸似 — let the spirit-intent be full; outward likeness of form is not required (Bo Jiacong). It is the counterpart in the Buddhist pairing 降龙伏虎; a Buddhist name, with the imagery transmitted from Shaolin wall paintings.

The deepest stance in the curriculum

Fu Hu Zhuang (伏虎桩), “subduing the tiger”, is the deepest and most demanding combat posture in the curriculum. The difference from the upright basic stances can be read off the images: where Hunyuan Zhuang embraces a tree, this stance holds down an animal — one that fights back.

What it is for

Leg strength for atypical fighting situations. The tersest statement of purpose names it in the same breath as its counterpart: Fu Hu Zhuang and Xiang Long Zhuang — strong legs for atypical combat situations. Both stand in the curriculum after the four upright basic stances and before the one-legged stance. Their shared task is depth: force from a position in which the legs carry what uprightness otherwise handles.

The engine for the long step. The purpose points explicitly forward, to footwork: developing power for long steps in all directions. The stance is therefore not an end in itself but the power reserve for the third stage of Mocabu. Anyone who wants the wide, explosive step must first be able to carry the deep position.

A resistance that works back

This is the real didactic step beyond the basic stances: the image (Yi) here is not a resting object. A tree stands still; a tiger does not. The imagined resistance works back, and the posture has to answer it rather than merely brace against it.

⚠️ The deep stances are among the exercises where the contraindications of Zhan Zhuang are most likely to apply. They are demanding and load the knees considerably; judging them against your own level belongs in instruction, not on a reference page.