In Vietnam, there are many martial arts schools which possess excellent Xa quyen techniques. Master Dang Tam Thuan at the Binh Dinh Gia martial arts training centre for young talents in Hanoi said that the martial art schools in the north, such as the Nam Hong Son and Son Dong Khong Dong, and the masters in the northern mountainous areas of Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang and Lang Son have very unique Xa quyen exercises. In the central region, Xa quyen is famous for the Binh Dinh Martial Arts. Also, the martial arts schools in the south have developed Xa quyen very strongly.

According to the opinion of the martial arts researchers, the snake is considered a sacred animal species which has special capacities that other animals do not have. When the snake lies to watch for prey it is motionless like a dead snake, but it snatches the prey very quickly with strict movements. The snake has specific offensive skills including pecking, snapping, ejecting venom, biting the prey, tightening the prey with its body and whisking its tail to beat the prey. All of these skills are included in the Xa quyen offensive techniques which are cleverly applied in three elements called Than phap, Thu phap and Bo phap. 

The strength of Xa quyen is the sudden attack using the palm and fingertips like the pecking movement of the snake. Xa quyen uses both hands as two heads of the snake to peck, thrust, slash, stab, parry, snatch, drag and tie the opponent. It has some fighting ways with fingers, such as “Xa vuong xuat dong” (using the index finger and middle finger as the snake’s tongue pointing ahead while the other fingers are tight and targeted at the weak points of the opponent’s body like the eyes and throat), “Thanh xa toa thu” (arranging the fingers as the raising head of a cobra and the arm stretches ahead targeted at the eyes and throat of the opponent), and “Thuy xa thuong dieu” (thrusting five fingertips into the throat and armpit of the opponent). Therefore, Xa quyen disciples must diligently practice the movements of Thu chi phap (fingers), Thiet xa chuong (hands), Bich ho cong (palm) and Nhuyen cot cong (tendon and bone of the wrist).

So far, Xa quyen exercises are mostly passed down orally and over hundreds of years they have fallen into oblivion. Each exercise is studied and developed by a school. However, compared with other martial arts genres, Xa quyen requires higher techniques, such as the “firmness in flexibility”, “movement in calmness”, flexible Than phap, agileness, versatility, keen eyes, swift-handedness, quick attack and defence. The tendon, muscle, bone and joint exercises and the martial arts postures imitating the posture of the snake are suitable to the small but agile physique of the Asian people in general and the Vietnamese people in particular.

With postures full of artistic characteristics, Xa quyen is a unique part of the traditional Vietnamese martial arts schools. The dissemination of Xa quyen and the exchange of the martial arts schools are needed to preserve these unique martial arts exercises.