The Bajiquan (or the Eight Infinite Fist style) is the martial art of choice for bodyguards in China today, and is also used by the Chinese special forces. It is a direct style which teaches a person to defeat an attacker quickly, and, importantly for bodyguarding application, without evading to either side of the attack. This makes it ideal for close protection work in that it allows the bodyguard to quickly close down angles of attack on the person being protected while simultaneously increasing the distance between the attacker and the person being protected.
This art is a close-range style that uses all eight locations of the body (head, shoulders, elbows, hands, feet, buttocks, hips, and knees) to deliver heavy, fight-stopping strikes. A main feature of this style is its discharge of energy, which works very much like the energy of a landslide.
Bajiquan, often referred to simply as Baji, is taught along with Piqua zhang (or the Splitting Deflecting Palm Style). Piqua zhang is a style which teaches primarily palm strikes. The jins taught in Piqua are long and continuous. Its movements are wide and circular, the total opposite of Bajiquan. The two styles complement each other: Baji is a linear, close-quarters style; Piqua is a soft, circular, and long-range style. In modern times, extensive influence from Piqua can be seen in Baji's own forms, which alternate between soft fluid movements and bursts of heavy application of power.