Some more seminar footage looking at some of the basic Xing Yi footwork methods. This type of step is often referred to as a Dragon Step as it appears in the Dragon (Long Xing) sequences of the twelve animals (she-er xing). The step makes use of the “dragon body” or twisting of the spine to allow the person to advance (or retreat) while minimising the area available for the opponent to strike.
Used effectively in close environments, such as a battlefield rank, the movement allows evasion without having to necessarily step around the opponent, rather slipping past the incoming strikes to counter simultaneously.