[Texian]

I've seen zui jiu quan plenty of times, being a practitioner of Chinese gong fu myself. I was taught the basic movements but didn't get to learn the actual basic form because of other training priorities (had to concentrate on other forms for competition). In the west the style is simply known as drunken style. It includes sword (zui jiu jian) and staff (zui jiu gun) forms as well as fist forms. The style relies on deception and broken rhythm in its application.

I once saw a match between a karateka and a zui jiu quan devotee. It was not a pretty sight. The karateka swept the floor with the drunken fighter. My assesement was that while the drunken fighter was more than familiar with his form, he was not proficient in its application. Thus, while he preoccupied himself with appearing drunk, the karate guy simply kicked his ass. This, I believe, illustrates what Bruce Lee meant by "the classical mess." I'm not saying the style, its approach or, its techniques are ineffective. On the contrary, it's effective if you know how to apply the techniques. The act of appearing drunk in training does three things. First, it helps the practitioner learn to relax his body while controlling it. Two, it introduces the student to the style's deceptive approach as the teacher (shifu) guides the student. Third, it helps the student naturally "psych out" his opponent. The style also illustrates the broken rhythm of an acual fight as the forms utilize broken rhythm or none at all.