Back Twirl - Wushu Spear

Back Twirl - Wushu Spear

The back twirl (liao qiang) is actually a technique for the wushu staff, but sometimes you will see it in spear forms. The front twirl (wu hua qiang) is a bit more complex than the back twirl. When you do the back twirl, the top of your spear only goes to the left and the right once. When you do the front twirl on the other hand, the right side of the movement is bigger. Find more wushu spear instructions at spear main.

Execution

  • Note: The thin end of your wushu spear is the "TOP" and the thick end is the "END".
  • Hold your spear in your right hand in front of your chest (thumb points up). Then put your left hand over your right hand so that the thumbs are crossed. The hands touch each other during the whole twirl.
  • Let the top of the spear fall backwards down on the right side of your body. The spear is held with the right HUKOU (hukou = the area between the pointer and the thumb). The left hand only supports the twirl and is held close on the right hand.
  • Pull the top of the spear forward-up and shift your hands slightly to your left at the same time. This way the end of the spear will move down very close to the left side of your head.
  • Now let the top of the spear fall down on your left side and when it points straight down, pull your hands slightly to the right side again, so that the end now passes on the right side of your head.
  • When the top of your wushu spear points straight up, you are at the beginning again.
  • The back twirls motion is only 2/3 of the front twirl's motion.

Advice

  • Keep your hands close together and close to the chest.
  • The spear has to twirl very close to the body. The further you twirl it from the body, the more likely you will hit your legs or your head. To practice keeping your wushu spear close, stand with your right shoulder on a wall and twirl the spear without letting the top or the end hit the wall. Then do the same thing with your left shoulder on a wall. The shoulder should always be about one inch from the wall.