Monday, November 16, 2009
Featured Baguazhang Article 11-2009
Excerpt:
By doing baguazhang, a practitioner gets to walk in that style's creator's shoes; to see through his mind whether it be Gao, Chen, Yin, Fu, Cheng, Wang and others....
By doing baguazhang, a practitioner gets to walk in that style's creator's shoes; to see through his mind whether it be Gao, Chen, Yin, Fu, Cheng, Wang and others....
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Featured Baguazhang Article 5-2009
Amazing Chinese Swordmaking article
Taiwanese Swordmaker Rekindles a Legacy
Drawing inspiration from martial arts novels and mysticism
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Featured Baguazhang Article 4-2008
Excerpt:
The art of bagua circle walking dates back hundreds of years when Daoists would walk in circles to calm their mind as a form of meditation. The early Daoists repeated a mantra while walking the circle slowly with relaxed, comfortable and natural body movements.What is a Bagua Circle?
Read more...
Monday, November 17, 2008
Featured Baguazhang Article 11-17-2008
Changing in a Spinning World.
Read more...
Excerpt:
At Real Taiji we gaze at one hand during circular Bagua forms. There are exceptions, but generally the hand is our focus. This seems like a fitting place for our gaze and intent, seeing as how Baguazhang translates to Eight Trigram Palms. Our palms are our weapons as well as an extension of our center.
Focusing our intent and gaze on our hands we direct our Qi to our palms. Our intent is realized through the palms....Read more...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Featured Baguazhang Article 10-16-2008
Deer Horn Knives
by Tong Yang
Excerpt:
The most well recognized name in English would be Deerhorn Knives but they are also known by a whole host of other names as well. In Chinese they are Zi Wu Yuan Yang Yue
or Ba Gua Yuan Yang Yue, as is written in Chinese characters at the top of this page. This is hard to translate correctly, that is to convey the meaning while trying to translate the characters into English words.
by Tong Yang
Excerpt:
The most well recognized name in English would be Deerhorn Knives but they are also known by a whole host of other names as well. In Chinese they are Zi Wu Yuan Yang Yue
or Ba Gua Yuan Yang Yue, as is written in Chinese characters at the top of this page. This is hard to translate correctly, that is to convey the meaning while trying to translate the characters into English words.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Featured Baguzhang Article 9-5-2008
OK, its not really Baguazhang but great article for internal artists, take the time, read it, stand around.
Excerpt:
Zhan Zhuang - foundation of Internal Martial Arts
by Karel KoskubaExcerpt:
Most Internal Martial Arts use some form of standing practice as foundation training (and Taijiquan is no exception in this regard). These standing exercises are usually called Zhan Zhuang (pole standing); sometimes they are called 'standing Qigong'. I think it's fair to say that most students are baffled by them. They are supposed to be good for you but most students find them difficult to understand, boring and painful. Yet they are supposed to relax you and help you to 'accumulate Qi'.
In this article I shall try to outline my theory that should explain, from western perspective, why these exercises are so important both for Internal Martial Arts and Qigong, how this western view correlates with the traditional Qi view and give training advice on how to practice them. In writing this article I have drawn upon my experience from Taijiquan, Yiquan and information from medical postural rehabilitation research and sports science.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Featured Baguazhang Article 7-3-2008
Art of the Chinese sword
by Philip Tom
The medieval Chinese dynasties saw great advances in metallurgy. Some, like the ability to produce cast iron, were far ahead of such technology in the Europe. Others, like the mastery of efficient, large-scale steel production, enabled the Tang and Song dynasties to become major military powers in east Asia.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Featured Baguazhang Article 6-17-2008
The Martial Arts Master Who Has Lived in Three Centuries
He is a legendary man whose life has crossed three centuries. Born in the 19th year of Emperor Guangxu's Reign of the Qing Dynasty (1893), he is 114 years old. His name is Lu Zijian and he lives in Chongqing City, Sichuan Province, China. Despite his age, he is healthy and lithe. Once considered one of the top three gong fu masters, Lu is adept at martial arts and can still move a young man of around 150 pounds 15 feet away with just one push.
| The Epoch Times | Sep 09, 2007 |
An elderly Chinese Tai Chi exponent shows off his moves. (Goh Chai Hin/AFP/Getty Images)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Featured Baguazhang Article 5-17-2008
San Ti Shi: "Three-Harmony" Standing Exercise
from : International Sun Tai Chi Assocation
site http://www.suntaichi.com/
San Ti Shi practice is critical to all neijia practices Bagua zhang, Xingi quan and Taiji quan (Tai Chi Chuan), This article is an excellent primer
excerpt:
The San Ti Shi is based on the stances used in the Xing Yi exercise which is said to have originated by General Yue Fei (1103-1142) of the Jin Dynasty or, according to authentic historical records, by Dai Longbang during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), who passed it on to Li Luoneng, a wushu master in Heibei Province. Using internal strength cultivated through this Xing Yi exercise, Li managed to conquer every single one of his adversaries in fighting contests and earned the nickname of Holy Fighter.
Click above for more...
from : International Sun Tai Chi Assocation
site http://www.suntaichi.com/
San Ti Shi practice is critical to all neijia practices Bagua zhang, Xingi quan and Taiji quan (Tai Chi Chuan), This article is an excellent primer
excerpt:
The San Ti Shi is based on the stances used in the Xing Yi exercise which is said to have originated by General Yue Fei (1103-1142) of the Jin Dynasty or, according to authentic historical records, by Dai Longbang during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), who passed it on to Li Luoneng, a wushu master in Heibei Province. Using internal strength cultivated through this Xing Yi exercise, Li managed to conquer every single one of his adversaries in fighting contests and earned the nickname of Holy Fighter.
Click above for more...
Monday, January 21, 2008
Featured Baguazhang Article 1-21-2008
He Jinbao Interview on Ying Style Bagua zhang
By Richard Miller
from : Great Lakes Wushu site http://greatlakeswushu.com/
A compelling interview with He Jinbao one of the leading practioners of Ying Style Bagua Zhang.
Click above for more...
Friday, January 11, 2008
Featured Baguazhang Article 1-11-2008
http://www.yinbagua.com/web/EightTrigrams.htm
By /www.yinbagua.com/
The three lines in the trigrams are used in many ways to represent the joints and areas of the body. All the trigrams are read from the bottom upward and if you picture a person standing with their arms straight up in the air and starting at the bottom you can relate the lines in trigrams to the major joints and areas of the body. The top line of the trigram represents the wrists, head, and hips. The middle line represents the elbows, torso, and knees. The bottom line represents the shoulders, legs, and ankles.
Click above for more...
By /www.yinbagua.com/
The three lines in the trigrams are used in many ways to represent the joints and areas of the body. All the trigrams are read from the bottom upward and if you picture a person standing with their arms straight up in the air and starting at the bottom you can relate the lines in trigrams to the major joints and areas of the body. The top line of the trigram represents the wrists, head, and hips. The middle line represents the elbows, torso, and knees. The bottom line represents the shoulders, legs, and ankles.
Click above for more...
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Featured Baguazhang Article 11-21-2007
Chinese Boxing Classics in Translation: Problems and Perils
By Brian Kennedy
Copyright © EJMAS 2002. All rights reserved
"Translation is like a woman: if she is faithful, she is not beautiful; if she is beautiful, she is not faithful." -- Russian proverb
That Russian proverb encapsulates the core problem facing any translator. When attempting to translate Chinese boxing classics or training manuals (quan pu) (see my "Introductory History of Xing Yi Training Manuals," http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_kennedy_1001.htm) from their original Chinese into English, that core problem is exacerbated by a number of other factors. Those factors are the topic of this article. Even if one never intends to do any translations, these factors are worth understanding. That way, as one reads English language translations of Chinese boxing classics or training manuals, one has a better understanding of why the translation may seem odd or disjointed, or was not quite what the reader had hoped for.
Click above for more...
By Brian Kennedy
Copyright © EJMAS 2002. All rights reserved
"Translation is like a woman: if she is faithful, she is not beautiful; if she is beautiful, she is not faithful." -- Russian proverb
That Russian proverb encapsulates the core problem facing any translator. When attempting to translate Chinese boxing classics or training manuals (quan pu) (see my "Introductory History of Xing Yi Training Manuals," http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_kennedy_1001.htm) from their original Chinese into English, that core problem is exacerbated by a number of other factors. Those factors are the topic of this article. Even if one never intends to do any translations, these factors are worth understanding. That way, as one reads English language translations of Chinese boxing classics or training manuals, one has a better understanding of why the translation may seem odd or disjointed, or was not quite what the reader had hoped for.
Click above for more...
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Featured Baguazhang Article 11-7-2007
Bio of Fu Chen Sung
http://fu.style.wushu.googlepages.com
Fu Chen Sung (also known as Fu Qiankun, also written Fu Zhen Song) was born in MaPo village, Henan province, China. When he was eight years old, the village set up a martial arts school. They hired Chia Feng Ming (a top student of the founder of ba gua zhang, Grandmaster Dong Haichuan) and from the nearby Chen village, Chen Yanxi (an 8th generation disciple of tai chi). They would teach in a local field. After nine years Fu reached the stage "hands grasp the lively sparrow", which meant he could leap and capture a bird without hurting it. After this, he learnt the tai chi ball and then moved to Beijing, where he studied more ba gua with Ma Gui and Cheng Ting Hua, both first generation disciples of Dong Haichuan.
Click above for more...
http://fu.style.wushu.googlepages.com
Fu Chen Sung (also known as Fu Qiankun, also written Fu Zhen Song) was born in MaPo village, Henan province, China. When he was eight years old, the village set up a martial arts school. They hired Chia Feng Ming (a top student of the founder of ba gua zhang, Grandmaster Dong Haichuan) and from the nearby Chen village, Chen Yanxi (an 8th generation disciple of tai chi). They would teach in a local field. After nine years Fu reached the stage "hands grasp the lively sparrow", which meant he could leap and capture a bird without hurting it. After this, he learnt the tai chi ball and then moved to Beijing, where he studied more ba gua with Ma Gui and Cheng Ting Hua, both first generation disciples of Dong Haichuan.
Click above for more...
Friday, October 26, 2007
Featured Baguazhang Article 10-26-2007
What is Baguazhang?
from Beijing Bagua
from Beijing Bagua
Ba Gua Zhang is literally translated as Eight Trigram Palm. This style is one of the three Nei Jia Quan or internal styles of China. The other two styles are Xing Yi Quan and Taiji Quan. As with Xing Yi and Taiji, the practice of Bagua generates Qi (internal energy) for both health and combat purposes. Baguazhang uses palm techniques exclusively, and this is reflected in the name, Eight Trigram Palm. This makes Bagua distinct from Xing Yi and Taiji styles, both of which incorporate fist techniques.
Click above to read more...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Featured Baguazhang Article 10-9-2007
Recovering the Lost Meaning of the Yijing BA GUA
© 1999 Dr. Stephen L. Field
Trinity University
Speculations on the origin of the bagua line graphs fall into three categories. In the Xici (Great Commentary) two interpretations are given: either the trigrams appeared miraculously on the back of a mythical creature emerging from a river, or they were created by the legendary emperor, Fuxi, based upon his observation of the world. But the Shuogua (Trigram Explanation) chapter of the Ten Wings1 comes closest to the truth when it claims the trigrams developed in the practice of divination, for new research has determined that the solid and broken lines originated from bone and bronze records of the odd and even numbers of numerology.
Click above to read more...
© 1999 Dr. Stephen L. Field
Trinity University
Speculations on the origin of the bagua line graphs fall into three categories. In the Xici (Great Commentary) two interpretations are given: either the trigrams appeared miraculously on the back of a mythical creature emerging from a river, or they were created by the legendary emperor, Fuxi, based upon his observation of the world. But the Shuogua (Trigram Explanation) chapter of the Ten Wings1 comes closest to the truth when it claims the trigrams developed in the practice of divination, for new research has determined that the solid and broken lines originated from bone and bronze records of the odd and even numbers of numerology.
Click above to read more...
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Featured Baguazhang Article 9-29-2007
Intro to Baguazhang Eight-Diagram Palms
by Ted Mancuso
To many people Ba Gua is the most exotic martial art. It can also be one of the most confusing. Part of this confusion derives from the richness of the style. It came late (1860's) on the martial scene and folded many of Kung Fu's best ideas into a very small space. Ba Gua is a miniaturized martial art, almost a nano-art--not that the information is small, but that it is extremely compact. Studying Ba Gua can be like listening to a world famous teacher who is totally fascinating but whose ideas and words come so fast and brilliantly you are dazed rather than enlightened.
click above to read more...
by Ted Mancuso
To many people Ba Gua is the most exotic martial art. It can also be one of the most confusing. Part of this confusion derives from the richness of the style. It came late (1860's) on the martial scene and folded many of Kung Fu's best ideas into a very small space. Ba Gua is a miniaturized martial art, almost a nano-art--not that the information is small, but that it is extremely compact. Studying Ba Gua can be like listening to a world famous teacher who is totally fascinating but whose ideas and words come so fast and brilliantly you are dazed rather than enlightened.
click above to read more...
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Featured Baguazhang Article 9-7-2007
Baguazhang Eight-Diagram Palms Shadow Boxing
by Cardinal
"The power of the eight diagram palms knows no bounds -- the palms seem to strike even before the hands move. When the hand threads upward, it's like a hundred birds paying tribute to the phoenix; when it threads forward, it's like a tiger swooping downhill. Walking round and round, he is like a stray wild goose that has drifted from the flock;
click above to read more...
by Cardinal
"The power of the eight diagram palms knows no bounds -- the palms seem to strike even before the hands move. When the hand threads upward, it's like a hundred birds paying tribute to the phoenix; when it threads forward, it's like a tiger swooping downhill. Walking round and round, he is like a stray wild goose that has drifted from the flock;
click above to read more...
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Featured Baguazhang Article 8-31-2007
Eight Trigrams I Ching (Book of Changes)
Eight Gates to the Greater World
A Study by Michael P. Garofalo
Eight Gates to the Greater World
A Study by Michael P. Garofalo
Friday, August 24, 2007
Featured Baguazhang Article 8-24-2007
The Single Palm Change: Baguazhang's Fundamental Movement
by Mark Jensen -- Student
The principle training method used by the Baguazhang system is walking the circle. The student holds a static posture from the waist up, facing the center of the circle, while from the waist down they walk around in a circle. A practice session will start off by walking the circle in either the clockwise or the counterclockwise direction. Whichever direction is used, there must exist a way to change that direction and walk the other way. This is where the Single Palm Change comes into us
click above to read more...
by Mark Jensen -- Student
The principle training method used by the Baguazhang system is walking the circle. The student holds a static posture from the waist up, facing the center of the circle, while from the waist down they walk around in a circle. A practice session will start off by walking the circle in either the clockwise or the counterclockwise direction. Whichever direction is used, there must exist a way to change that direction and walk the other way. This is where the Single Palm Change comes into us
click above to read more...
Featured Baguazhang Article 8-17-2007
Thoughts on Learning Baguazhang
By Micheal Babin
Excerpt: "Good bagua, no matter what its style—and there are many—emphasises balance and relaxation (sung), the development of twisting strength and whole body power, as well as the use of the mind to create intent, both for healing and martial purposes. The solo aspect of its circular practice can be strangely beautiful, full of graceful twisting movement, sudden stops and changes of pace and direction, swooping and lifting actions, as well as explosive movements"
By Micheal Babin
Excerpt: "Good bagua, no matter what its style—and there are many—emphasises balance and relaxation (sung), the development of twisting strength and whole body power, as well as the use of the mind to create intent, both for healing and martial purposes. The solo aspect of its circular practice can be strangely beautiful, full of graceful twisting movement, sudden stops and changes of pace and direction, swooping and lifting actions, as well as explosive movements"
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