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| Baguazhang | ||
| 8 trigrams palm | ||
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8 trigrams palm
Baguazhang
(8 trigrams palm)
is a
very challenging internal martial art.
It
addresses the experience of combat
in a different way to taijiquan with
multiple opponents in mind at all
times.
The student avoids direct confrontation by circling around the opponent or by
encouraging the attacker to circle around them.
Change
Baguazhang uses insights from the
I Ching and is based on the principle of
change.
Our class practices
the Jiang style of baguazhang.
The founder of baguazhang (Dong Haichuan) was a bodyguard in
the Imperial court.
Kung fu
Baguazhang was designed to be an advanced
kung fu method.
The art contains many of the same
fighting skills as
taijiquan
(supreme ultimate fist), and a whole lot more
besides...
It is a highly unusual martial art
famous for its fast, evasive footwork and effectiveness against
multiple
opponents.
Your body emulates animal movements and changes continually.
Baguazhang is unlike and
superior to the other arts I learned.
(Robert Smith)
Eligibility
Baguazhang is not an entry-level martial art.
It is not suitable for new starters.
Practicing baguazhang without the prerequisite foundation skills is
reckless and dangerous.
There is a significant risk of injury because the joints are not
strong enough and the body is not
flexible enough.
Our terms are dictated by the insurance company policy requirement
and are not negotiable.
A 2nd method
Once a student has passed taijiquan
1st dan they may ask to study baguazhang if they want to.
Foundation skills
Certain skills must be attained by the student long before a
student can learn baguazhang:
• A wide variety of standing and moving
qigong exercises
• Skill with a less demanding
internal martial arts form
(i.e. taijiquan)
• A diverse grasp of
form applications; how they operate and
why
•
Internal biomechanics
• Thorough and
convincing combat skill
• Whole-body
movement
•
Stretching exercises
• Taoist Yoga
• Self-massage
• Sensitivity,
stickiness and pressure
• Excellent balance
• Impact/striking skill
• A good sense of jing
• Comprehensive knowledge of
shuai jiao
• Strong ability with the different aspects of
chin na
Shuai jiao & chin na
Shuai jiao and chin na are very important.
Given that baguazhang contains an enormous amount of shuai jiao and
chin na applications, there would be little purpose in learning
the Art
without the required foundation.
By learning a vast number of applications before even touching upon
baguazhang palm changes (form), the student already understands
range, reach and good
positioning.
It ensures that they will not
exaggerate their baguazhang in form or in
application.
One of the most difficult
skills in kung fu is the ability to change movements. This skill is a
primary aspect of forms. When you are swiftly and smoothly able to change
movements, your chances of defeating an opponent are greatly increased.
(Adam Hsu)
Shuai jiao combined
Baguazhang favours shuai jiao.
It is ideal against multiple attackers and perfectly suits the deft, speedy
footwork of baguazhang.
By combining unusual angles of attack,
chin na, jing, and shuai jiao, the baguazhang student employs a bewildering
method designed to take immediate advantage of the combat situation.
Application
Momentum and flow are used to overcome strength. The aim is to draw the
attacker out of their centre and off-balance.
Baguazhang trains the student to adapt, change and improvise.
There are no fixed techniques, with the exponent preferring to respond to
the demands of the moment rather than force an outcome.
Baguazhang is particularly effective for applying
chin na,
shuai jiao and
jing.
Students must be competent in all areas of
martial skill.
Spontaneity
Baguazhang is all about responding spontaneously and favourably to stimuli.
This cannot be achieved if you are standing in your
own way.
Fluidity, flow, softness and harmony are not possible when you are
self-conscious.
Baguazhang teaches a student how to
choose-without-choosing; to let the subconscious mind make decisions.
This will produce more powerful responses.
The application feels to have simply occurred, without force or
effort.
Palm changes
Students work through 3 levels of palm changes:
Fixed
Flowing/swimming dragon
Freeform
An immense amount of practice
over many years is required.
Sifu Waller
emphasises the 'swimming dragon' method.
Hard work
Baguazhang is not an easy martial art to learn.
The student must be prepared to endure long hours
of difficult training for
the duration of their baguazhang study.
The initial training is concerned with circle walking and palm changes;
gaining strength,
coordination, rhythm and balance.
Only later is the martial aspect addressed.
Deliberate practice
Hard work alone is not enough, though.
Simply working hard will not necessarily lead to progress.
It needs to be deliberate, focused improvement designed to improve your
practice by developing key skills outlined by
your instructor.
The student must implement corrections, study the recommended books,
undertake assignments and challenge their comfort
zone.
Classical baguazhang
We study the classic style of baguazhang.
There are circular palm changes but no linear forms.
Why learn baguazhang?
Baguazhang training encourages nimbleness and agility; it enlivens your martial skill.
It makes your footwork smoother
It is sneaky and deceptive
It encourages spontaneity and improvisation
It's fun
It improves your spatial awareness
It works well against multiple opponents
It's hard
It challenges you physically and cognitively
Dirty bagua
Baguazhang is even more misleading than
taijiquan.
It offers the opponent no tangible frame of reference
with which to engage in combat.
The exponent aims to change continuously.
A response to your attack is a reaction to what
you were doing, not what you are
doing.
Feedback
Some feedback concerning
Sifu Waller's
baguazhang
lessons:
After some months of
questioning and reflecting on the true nature of internal martial arts I was
recently, along with a number of Sifu Waller’s students, given an energetic
and skilful introduction to the world of baguazhang. My first reaction was
it’s everything I thought it would be, and clearly so much more.
To be on the receiving end of an application of bagua from Sifu Waller is to
be permanently cured of any lingering doubts as to its effectiveness as a
profound martial skill. I certainly harboured those doubts coming as I do
from a background of predominantly external martial arts. (Where’s the
flamboyant stances, where’s the crack of the gi as you snap out a gyakuzuki???)
But as I gingerly picked myself up off the floor after a particularly
enlightening application from Sifu Waller those doubts have died away like
the echo of a scream from someone on the receiving end of ‘cavity press.’
As a general rule when Sifu Waller's remarks ‘Hey, this will make you
laugh!’ I have come to understand a particularly vigorous application is
approaching! It is in these applications that I am beginning to recognise
firstly the skill and depth of Sifu Waller's learning, and secondly how my
own learning skills and experience are woefully inadequate to the task of
learning bagua and taijiquan.
It’s certainly sobering when after all those years of training, facing Sifu
Waller I feel about as effective as an old lady throwing marshmallows.
Sifu Waller is constantly stressing relaxation. As I was reflecting on this
it occurred to me that watching Sifu Waller perform bagua is for me like
trying to read a book without my reading glasses. Once I learn to relax
everything will become a little clearer.
I feel very grateful to Sifu Waller for an introduction to a form of martial
arts that as I understand it is not that widely available to western
students in its authentic form. I feel he has generously presented us with a
wonderful opportunity.
It is also I suspect in my own case something of a double-edged sword. As
part of the Mc generation I am as guilty as anyone of wanting everything
now, and being very demanding in terms of my own needs, of looking straight
to the highest teaching and grasping after it. It’s interesting to reflect
after the introduction that this is clearly the opposite approach that is
required by a martial art like bagua, and then it follows that an
introduction to bagua at this time may simply be utterly beyond our
capabilities. As Adam Hsu says in his book, The Sword Polishers Record,
‘kung fu literally means time and hard work, there are no shortcuts.’
Certainly bagua cannot be seen, as perhaps it could be argued some other
aspects of martial arts are, as simply another medal to pin on the chest of
ego.
For those of us who’ve been involved in martial arts for some time, and have
some experience of Chinese arts and teachers, I feel we can be confident
that with Sifu Waller we have stumbled upon a treasure trove of authentic
Chinese martial arts. It’s tremendously exciting as the lineage and history
is abundantly clear in his approach. It struck me, the first time I saw Sifu
Waller demonstrate it, that 5000 years of
Chinese culture and history is somehow woven into the lethal beauty of
bagua.
(Graham)
I find the
syllabus is well-structured and offers carefully designed and
enjoyable exercises which aid application of the palm changes.
Learning the
purpose of each of the movements gives a real insight into overall strategy
of baguazhang.
In addition to creating an accessible website containing information
relevant to learning baguazhang, Sifu Waller also takes the time to
explain concepts in detail in class with the added benefit of being able to
demonstrate how these principles can be applied martially.
The emphasis on evasive movements in baguazhang has been particularly
helpful in overcoming my tendency to freeze-up during self-defence scenarios
and instead I'm learning to relax and respond.
Although the underlying principles are similar to taijiquan, baguazhang
feels very different. Adapting your mindset to take into account multiple
opponents is difficult but very rewarding from a martial perspective.
Baguazhang is proving to be a great opportunity to escape from the trappings of
individual techniques and instead concentrate on realistic improvisation of
self-defence applications in high-pressure situations. I particularly
appreciate the focus on deception and evasion.
(Dominic Hine)
Watching Sifu Waller perform his bagua was like watching a
cat hunting or
preparing for a fight. He had a single focus of attention to the exclusion
of everything else. And a raw power, just waiting to be unleashed should the
need arise. You were in no doubt about the outcome, if you were facing
him...
(Andy Urwin)
awareness change chin na i ching esoteric invisibility melee nimble shuai jiao spontaneity stealth unpredictability
Page created 31 July 1994
Last updated
15 September 2017
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