Bagua Circle Walking Pdf Merge: 円形歩法による八卦掌の応用と変化

A 4-hour online video training program dedicated to understanding the body mechanics inside of 8-step bagua circle walking. Presented here by Wudang Daoist Swordsman Xia Chongyi, this video program approaches the practice of this unique footwork method from a whole new stance (pun intended), as he breaks down the stancework, the way each of the hips move, and how to adjust sizing and dimensions on the fly.

Xia has been studying bagua since 2001, under various instructors and styles. His focus now is on the merging of Wudang Taiyi Baguazhang principles with his Yin-derived dragon and phoenix practices. In this video series, Xia puts all styles aside, and focuses purely on the body mechanics. Teaching the method he has implemented to protect his knees for over 20 years of consistent training, Xia's focus on kinesiology will also allow him to transmit the most vital concepts of bagua circle walking via video.

Bagua Circle Walking Pdf Merge

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Baguazhang is considered to be the most circular and spiraling system of chinese martial arts (kungfu). Its defining characteristic is constant movement and change, and the ability to fight while being on the move. Where most martial arts engage with an opponent in a head-on fixed position, a bagua fighter can attack or defend while walking and changing direction constantly. The outstanding feature of baguazhang practice is circle walking. Bagua practitionerers will walk in circles during their practice and hold static postures while walking, and practice various martial techniques (palm changes) when changing direction on the circle. Baguazhang has developed into a very complex martial system including a full array of kicks, strikes, throws, grappling and the use of many weapons.

Baguazhang is the youngest of the three main Chinese internal martial arts (Neijia), the other two being Taiji Quan and Xing Yi Quan. It was created in the 19th century by Dong Haichuan who learned from daoist masters in the mountains of rural China. Dong Haichuan combined his martial arts knowledge with a form of Taoist meditative circle walking to create his new martial art. Baguazhang literally means the eight tri-gram palms, referring to the trigrams of the I-Ching (Book of Changes).

Common features of Baguazhang training are continuous motion, circular footwork, circular or spiralling body motion, complex internal mechanics and fa-jin (power release). The patient and persistent practice of baguazhang develops extreme core strength and supple and strong muscles and tendons. Baguazhang is an internal martial art (neijia) and an internal energy building method (neigung), where the emphasis is on the development of chi/qi. Circle walking while holding static postures is also an effective meditation method. The fighting charateristic of Baguazhang is the use of clever guerrilla-style tactics. The Bagua fighter uses evasive footwork to escape the opponents strong power and when the time is right the Bagua fighter counters with sudden, ferocious attack, using any part of the body. Footwork and body placement are used to disrupt and unbalance the opponent, creating an opening for an attack. Most martial arts rely on a firmly rooted stance from which to launch an attack, but a Bagua fighter maintains his/her rooting while in motion and can launch an attack at any time, surprising the opponent. Bagua strategy emphasizes constant change in response to the spontaneous and "live" quality of combat.

Dong Haichuan is widely credited as the founder of Baguazhang and most schools of Baguazhang place Dong Haichuan at the beginning of their lineage. He was born in 1797 in Zhu village, Ju Jia Wu Township, Wen An County, Hebei Province, China and died on the 25th of October 1882 in Beijing. Dong Haichuan was very private about his past and never told his students his exact history. As a child and young man he trained the martial arts of his village intensely. The arts were probably Shaolin-based. He was poor and often got into trouble, but throughout his youth he practised the martial arts diligently. At some point in his life he received extensive training from a Taoist monk (or monks) who taught him circle walking techniques. According to legend Dong Haichuan spent so much time walking around a tree that eventually the trees roots were exposed. Around 1864 Dong arrived in Beijing and he got a service job at the residence of the prince Su. He worked as a servant and waiter in the prince's household. Fearing prosecution for transgressions of his earlier days, he kept his fighting skills a secret from the public. During a crowded banquet, however, he caught people's attention by lightly maneuvering through the banquet-hall packed with guests, and even climbing walls, serving drink and food. The prince recognized that Dong Haichuan must be skilled in martial arts and asked him to perform for him and his guests. Not being able to refuse his master's wish, Dong Haichuan did as he was asked, impressing the crowd with his performance. The noble's personal bodyguard - a muslim by the name of Sha Hui-Tsu - saw his position threatened by Dong Haichuan and so he challenged him to a fight. Sha was soundly defeated. Prince Su later appointed Dong Haichuan as head of the bodyguards in the palace and as tax collector, basically the prince's hard man.

Students start of by learning footwork and stepping methods, and circle walking. Then the eight basic palm positions and their associated palm changes (the eight mother palms)Then the eight main palm changes, with applicationsThe baguazhang swimming dragon form, with applicationsThe baguazhang sword form and spear form, with applications

Practitioners walk in a circle. While there is one style utilizing a linear style, true baguazhang is always walking in a circle. This is because Baguazhang is also known as a form of walking meditation. To emphasize this point, some practitioners will walk the circle around a tree or pole.

The broadsword is very useful as a Ba Gua practitioner's weapon because it is a medium length weapon which can also be very effectively used at short range. Ba Gua fighters are known for their skill at employing inside fighting tactics. Because the broadsword is a single edged weapon, the Ba Gua practitioner can put his hand, forearm, or body against the dull side and express power through the weapon while he is at a very close distance to the opponent. The Ba Gua practitioner uses quick, short blocking maneuvers and his footwork to get inside the opponent's weapon and then employs the circle walking footwork, or short power expression through the sword to cut the opponent.

In Park Bok Nam's system of Ba Gua there are a great number of fundamental drills and exercises the student will study in order to learn how to effectively control the broadsword. All of these exercises are first practiced statically, then with footwork, and then in various Ba Gua broadsword straight line and circle walking forms. In this article we will discuss just a few of these exercises as a brief introduction.

Once the student has transitioned through all of the various broadsword foundational exercises, he is then required to combine those exercises with footwork drills, both linear and circular. After the student shows a degree of skill in the coordination of the basic sword movements as they are combined with basic footwork, several different straight line and circle walking forms are taught. Next the student is taught a deeper level of Ba Gua broadsword application by embarking on circle walking "pole training" with the broadsword. Here the student learns how to employ circle walking footwork of various types (yin yang footwork, spirals, small circles, figure eights, etc. as described in The Fundamentals of Ba Gua Zhang, Volume II) with the broadsword in hand. Training with the broadsword while moving amongst the poles helps the student learn how to apply the broadsword methods in combination with circular footwork. The goal of this training is to teach the student how to remain constantly mobile while continuously cutting the opponent with the sword. Park says that once the broadsword is set in motion, it never stops. It always continues to flow.

In this section we will present two Ba Gua broadsword applications which exemplify some of the principles of motion and power generation which have been discussed previously in this article. The examples we have chosen are simple and straight forward. Ba Gua broadsword application, when combined with the various circle walking methods can become quite intricate and these techniques are beyond the scope of this article. Before these more advanced methods can be discussed it is imperative that the reader have experience with the advanced circle walking pole training as described in The Fundamentals of Pa Kua

At this point, as a variation to what is shown in the photographs, Park could begin to walk the circle to the opponent's left side while maintaining the pressure with his left hand on the back of the sword. The circle walking footwork would facilitate the sword slicing across the opponent's arms or neck, depending on how the sword was guide by the right hand. While walking the circle, the left hand will remain behind the sword to apply the cutting pressure. Also, by keeping the left hand on the back of the sword, Park would be ready to once again, at any time, execute the dragon back application of power to cut deeply into the opponent's flesh. For instance, one possibility is for Park to begin walking the circle after the application shown in photo 2, allowing the blade to slice across the front of the opponent's neck and around the left side. Once Park reached the opponent's flank, he could then turn into the opponent, execute the dragon back mechanic and slide up into the base of the opponent's skull, carving away the meat of the neck with the application of power and the flick of the right wrist. 2ff7e9595c