Pigua quan

 (劈掛拳, Chop-hanging fist), also known as Piguaquan, Piguazhang (劈掛掌, Chop-hanging palm) or Hikaken in japanese, is a style of Chinese martial arts that features explosive, long-range sweeping actions that generate speed through the hips and arms, to produce powerful strikes, with the intent of confusing the opponent with constant motion.

The style is named from the movement of the hands during an offensive; the downward movement of the hand is referred to as ‘Pi’, while the upward movement is referred to as 'Qua'. As the name suggests, Pi Qua Quan is the circular motion of the hand, much like a windmill. A fist is seldom used; instead, much of the offensive comes from the hands relaxed with fingers extended, being used in a manner resembling a whip. The moves are smooth and flexible, yet the offenses are sharp and heavy, that demand a great degree of flexibility from the practitioner.

Sometimes accused of being an impractical martial art because of the exaggerated nature of its open moves, Pi Qua Quan’s value lies in its simplicity and its ease to master. It is sometimes taught alongside Ba Ji Quan, and the two forms are thought to have been a single art before diverging some centuries ago.

Pi Qua Quan Practitioners

 * Helena Douglas

Trivia

 * As a testament to the complementary nature of the Pi Qua Quan and Ba Ji Quan styles, there is a proverb that goes: "When pigua is added to baji, gods and demons will all be terrified. When baji is added to pigua, heroes will sigh knowing they are no match against it." (八極參劈掛，神鬼都害怕. 劈掛參八極，英雄嘆莫及).
 * It's suitiable that Helena uses Pi Qua Quan, and her half-sister Kokoro uses Ba Ji Quan, as the two martial arts are related, and could be called "sister martial arts".