Part 5 reaches one hand backward and pushes the other forward and upward while turning, leaning, and bending one knee to look toward the opposite foot. Rotate the forearms, close the fists, draw them in, and change sides.
Left hand reaches back; right hand pushes forward
Looking Back Toward the Foot (Hui Tou Wang Zu Qu Xin Ji) starts with fists at the abdomen. Step the left foot out and lift the fists toward the ribs. On this side, the left hand reaches back toward the right heel while the right pushes forward, left, and upward. The body turns with those paths.
Left and right refer to your own sides, not the sides of the screen.
Steps 1–3: step out and lift the palm
- Prepare: continue from Part 4 with feet apart and fists at the abdomen.
- Step left: move the left foot left and lift the fists toward the ribs.
- Lift the left palm: open the left fist, palm up, and lift it below the left armpit.
The left hand will reach backward and the right will push forward. Identify their roles before the turn.
Steps 4–5: reach back, push forward, look back
- Reach back and press down: gradually point the left fingertips down and reach backward to the left, toward the right heel. At the same time, open the right fist into an upward-facing palm, lift it before the left chest, then turn it to press down.
- Push forward and upward, then look back: move the right palm in a semicircle near the left leg, forward-left and upward to slightly above the head. Turn left and lean forward while bending the left knee. The hands form a diagonal; look past the left shoulder toward the right heel.
The hands change together with the body. Do not turn the head first and arrange each hand afterward. A pictured range of turning or bending is not a universal target.
Steps 6–9: rotate, close fists, return to face forward
- Rotate the forearms: retain the current relationship of the body and arms while turning both forearms.
- Close the fists: change both palms into fists.
- Draw to the left waist: bring both fists there, palm sides up and facing each other. Straighten the left leg at the same time.
- Return to the abdomen: move both fists together to the abdomen and turn the body back to its original direction.
Steps 6–7 change the hands; steps 8–9 draw them in and return the body. Leaving the looking-back position has a sequence too.
Step 10: the other side and the finish
Reverse the directions: reach the right palm backward toward the left heel and push the left palm forward-right and upward. Turn right, bend the right knee, and look back past the right shoulder.
On this side too, rotate the forearms, close the fists, draw them to the right waist, then return to the abdomen. The manual counts both sides together. At the end of the part, draw the left foot back with fists at the abdomen.
How does this differ from Part 6?
Part 5 sends one hand forward and up and the other backward, together with turning, leaning, and bending one knee. Part 6 prepares crossed hands pressed down, then keeps the feet and hand position while turning. Check whether the hands are reaching in opposite directions or remain crossed below.
Remember the return as well as the turn
Rotate the forearms, close the fists, draw them to the waist on the same side, and straighten the bent leg. Then move the fists to the abdomen and face forward before changing sides.
Continue to Part 6, hand preparation and turns.
References and sources
- Babu Jingang Gong, Part 5: printed pages 68–83
Reference for Part 5 step numbers and wording. In this scan the PDF page count is 13 higher than the printed number; check the contents when using another scan.
- Illustrated Babu Jingang Gong, pages 19–22
Used to compare positions, routes, and grouping. Website diagrams were made separately; the guide’s photographs are not reproduced.
