The first rule of baguazhang is to know the eight guiding principles. They are as follows:
1st-One top (or upholding)
The tip of the tongue is held to the roof of the mouth, pressing toward the teeth. This keeps the tongue out of danger from being bitten should the mouth be opened to get more oxygen while fighting, as well as helping to complete a TCM energetic circuit.
2nd- Two uprights
The head and body (and thus the heart) are held upright. Meaning the heart must be in the right state, only then will you gain true martial skill. Martial code states clearly that we practice for health and the ability to defend oneself, not to learn fighting to bully others.
-3rd Three points (or three tips)
When practicing the tip of the hand, the foot, and the nose are all in alignment. Where there is alignment there is uprightness. The three are then focused on the opponent or center of the circle.
-4th Four extremities
There is strength in the four extremities. One must be able to put strength into the four extremities. I take this to mean in martial arts strength in the hands and feet. But also looking at TCM:
The nails are the extremity of the tendons.
The teeth are the extremity of the bones.
The hair is the extremity of the blood.
The tongue is the extremity of the flesh.
-5th Five uniques
When moving or practicing the five major joints must be rounded to allow their unique uses, any of which can be used to defeat an opponent.
1-shoulders, 2-elbows, 3-wrists, 4-waist, 5-knees
-6th The six harmonies
-eyes and heart=where you look is where your thought is, and where your thinking is where your looking.
-waist and body=wherever the body turns the waist also must turn.
-hands and feet=one can’t put out a hand without the foot or a foot without a hand.
-7th Seven stars
Refers to stepping. When turning the circle seven star stepping is the basis for changing footwork. It also refers to the seven styles of attacking while turning the circle, the forms.
-8th The eight trigrams (or the Bagua)
Yin, Yang, and the eight trigrams. The eight animal systems.
Eight strengths: upper, lower, solid, hollow, attacking, retreating, left, and right. “To be used in the reverse of the situation” references having speed in your changing.
Here I introduce the basic elements of the snake system. I will be putting together some of my favorite snake combos in the coming weeks. I’ll try to also upload some run throughs of the applications as I am able.
Here I discuss using the rear hand to directly attack and open the opponent as opposed to the first two methods that address a more responsive role, responding to the opponent by rushing or withdrawing. Here we will initiate an attack in order to cause and utilize the response. Soft and leaning strikes are introduced as well as the method of turning the back.
In this clip I explain how the withdrawing attack method specializes in stepping and how that can be utilized based on the forms and direction changes of the bear system. Drilling these short combos can be beneficial to those new to the art as a way to get familiar with the different systems and strategies. Drilling these combos can also benefit more seasoned practitioners by giving them an idea of how to apply the art in real life situations.
Yin style Bagua is first a combative art. Unlike many traditional arts these days we study strictly for combative use. YSB contains no watered down flamboyance as is found in many other traditional arts in current times. Training of Yin style Bagua is strictly for self defense and is taught as it has been handed down to us from the practitioners who came before us.
Dong Hai Chuan passed down the art of Bagua to Yin Fu, his greatest and longest studied student, to whom this branch of Bagua is named for. Yin Style Bagua differs from other styles of Bagua in many ways. Yin Fu passed his art on to Men Baozhen, who in turn taught Xie Peiqi. Dr Xie trained He Jinbao fully in the combative aspects of this art. All these practitioners hailed from Beijing, where He Jinbao resides to this day. He Jinbao teaches workshop across the United States and Europe annually. There are many study groups in the States that train regularly and come together to attend these workshops throughout the years. ...
Last class focused on snakes entrapping and grasping methods. Entrapping is said to be like a hand cuff, not too tight but still holding fast. So a light but strong grip. Seems counter intuitive but this is obtainable with finger strength. A strong grip with a lot of pressure on the opponent will cause them to react as if in danger. Where as a lighter grip may not cause a immediate reaction from the opponent, or might not trigger a “danger” response.
Grasping is paired with seizing in the Lion system, different than how it’s looked at here in snake system. Even in the sense that it’s not exactly “paired” here in the snake system. With Lion system seizing and grasping are often refers to different sides of the same coin. Meaning an attack to control and subdue the opponent would be a seize, but the same technique applied faster or with more explosive force, causing damage to the opponent, would be considered a grasping attack.
With the Snake system grasping attacks, damage is...
It’s hard to get anything posted between classes, birthdays, and the holidays. It is most important to keep up on your personal training at home. I have been working more on reviewing Lion, Dragon, and Bear recently.
The few classes we’ve had in the past month have worked with snake shooting and starting some holding. We continue reviewing the first four attack methods and their new forms. At this point we have three shooting forms that have been broken down and drilled extensively. The strikes themselves are of the utmost importance to train. It is not as important to remember all of the various forms. It is far more important to really drill one or two forms until your blue in the face so to say. This year HJB stressed we need to know a couple forms to the point that we will never forget them, “make them yours” he said.
I take this to mean knowing the forms inside out and backwards. Drill the form as a whole, in smaller combos, change up the combos based on differences between ...
