编者按：洪拳，广东名拳之首，威震岭南百余年。影视作品的热潮虽使其在国内外一度兴盛，但缺乏深入理论研究，只是表面的繁荣；尤其是李连杰先生演绎的夸张动作，对洪拳发展造成了巨大破坏，误导了一些国际朋友，将李连杰的风格误以为真实洪拳。这种现象让洪拳界的智者感到忧虑，他们立即对洪拳进行深入挖掘与全面研究，以期有所建树。其中，武术家周至誌先生的文章，为洪拳提供了宏观把握，代表了先进水平，对于探索奥秘的武友而言，是满足愿望的良机。

“小成三年中，大成十年功”，不论何门武艺，都离不开刻苦和持恒，这就是南派称之为“功夫”的道理。林世荣先生在《虎鹤双形拳》的自序中说，“一道气力功夫诚易学难精”。古人云：“学武先求明师”，知其然且知其所以然，再加上力气并持恒，将之融会贯通，就是这个道理。

从扎马碌桥开始，洪家拳便是一门实实在在的情志力量，没有花巧可言。“讲桥马、蔡家快打”、“桥马佛家快打”，这些流行谚语更显示出桥手和马步不可或缺性。前辈们在桥马上投入三五年的苦工，这种情况普遍存在。在轻浮无力的马步下无法抵御一刮，在无力的桥手下无法抵御一压，那么怎能与人搏斗？通过练习和琢磨才能明白其中奥妙，便已进入洪家的殿堂。

内外五要中的bridge law包含着bridge and horse riding skills. The martial arts of the Hong family have an inner and outer five principles, which are also the fundamental principles of martial arts.

The five inner principles are "jing" (essence), "li" (force), "gu" (bone), "qi" (energy), and "shen" (spirit). These five elements are interrelated, serving as the foundation for physical training and spiritual cultivation in martial arts. They correspond to the five external forms: dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, and crane.

(1) Jing

Jing is the core principle that encompasses essence. It is essential for maintaining a healthy body and mind. A sufficient amount of jing can ensure that one's spirit is complete, leading to abundant energy; conversely, a deficiency in jing will result in exhaustion.

The concept of jing originates from prenatal essence inherited from parents and postnatal essence derived from food intake. Postnatal essence further transforms into true qi that nourishes organs and muscles. In turn, qi interacts with bone marrow to maintain balance between them. Excess or deficiency in either element can disrupt this equilibrium.

The practice of hawking involves exercising moderation while cultivating one's internal power through slow movements reminiscent of a serene hawk's state.

(2) Li

Li refers to strength born out of tendons and bones; stronger bones yield greater strength while weaker ones result in weakness. Thus, practicing li begins by stretching tendons to strengthen bones.

Force has both internal ("nei")and external ("wai")aspects expressed through hardness-softness duality. By establishing stability before mobilizing force using hardness-softness techniques transforming clumsiness into agility makes it possible for those naturally strong achieve tasks with ease...