“Bagua” was first seen in the Book of Changes: “Two yin and yang give birth to four images, and four images give birth to eight trigrams.” The eight trigrams originally refer to eight directions, namely north, south, east, west, northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast. Baguazhang is mainly based on palm techniques, and its basic content is eight palms, which is consistent with the number of eight trigrams. When practicing, it is required to walk in a circle with swinging steps to reach all eight directions, instead of going in a line or walking in four corners like general boxing, so it is called “Baguazhang”.
The currently popular Baguazhang was taught by Dong Haichuan (1796-1882) in Beijing. Baguazhang is a boxing technique that mainly changes palm techniques and walks and turns. It integrates martial arts with guiding breathing, and cultivates both inside and outside. It not only has the function of strengthening the body, but also can exercise the skills of attack, defense and fighting. It is loved by the general public and enjoys a good reputation in the martial arts world.
The movement characteristics of Baguazhang are: one walk, two look, three sit, and four flip. These characteristics provide the necessary training conditions for developing the shortcuts and flexibility of the body, especially the strength of the lower limbs. Baguazhang uses “mud wading step”, “circle walking”, “stance training” and other skills as the entry foundation, twisting and turning as the basic movement form, and the change of palm method as the main means of attack.
Basic skills of Baguazhang – mud wading step
First practice straight mud wading step, practice circle wading step after the wading step is stable; then learn to stand in Bagua stance, and then learn palm.
Mud wading step should start from not being able to wade out, practice to wade out and be stable. Mud wading step is conducive to the sinking of qi, and mainly practices the horizontal movement of the center of gravity. It is more difficult than the straight horizontal movement of Xingyi, because it has to walk in a circle, and the center of gravity of the human body has to move on a horizontal circle. After practicing Bagua step well, you will naturally integrate it, and it will not be difficult to move the center of gravity horizontally in different directions.
It can move the center of gravity horizontally in one direction and transfer the whole weight to one point, so as to obtain a good striking effect.
Standing and walking, guarding the center inside and focusing on the eight essentials outside, the body moves but the mind does not change, like a floating wood on the water, flowing in one breath.
Walking in the mud step is like walking normally, but the body is still in the shape of three folds like the three-body posture. Walking in circles with the foundation of the mud step will have twice the result with half the effort. The practice method of the mud step is:
- Keep the body upright, relax, sink the shoulders and drop the elbows, hold the chest and pull the back, etc.;
- Press the palms down to the dantian, as if pressing a floating wood in the water;
- Bend the knees and squat to a suitable height;
- Put the center of gravity on the left hip, push the ground with the right foot, and step forward;
- The center of gravity of the left and right hips is exchanged, and walk straight forward;
- Rub the knees and shins, and the soles of the feet rise and fall flat.
Don’t seek speed when practicing for the first time. The Bagua step looks chic and elegant, but it is actually steady and strong. To achieve this requirement, you must proceed step by step. After becoming proficient, you can move freely. Slow practice is different from discontinuous practice. It is like flowing clouds and running water. Although it is slow, it is continuous. It is necessary to break the form but not the intention. The intention is broken but the spirit is connected.
Press your hands down and focus on Dantian. After a long time, you will feel a sense of agitation. Your knees will have the intention of pushing up. Your feet are like walking in the mud. When you lift, it is like pulling your legs out of the mud. When you fall, it has the intention of stepping on the ground. The center of gravity is changed in time. After a long time of practice, you will feel relaxed and free. It will be easier to master it if you practice on the circle.
Basic skills of Baguazhang – walking in circles
Walking in circles unifies basic skills and the highest level of kung fu into a very simple, rich and profound training method. It is a method that combines the unique strength and body skills of Bagua.
In the continuous circling and turning, you can still relax your body, keep your mind quiet and comfortable, and then seek movement in stillness to achieve concentration without chaos. It can produce a vortex that allows practitioners to amplify, mix and control it. Natural energy communicates with the world through itself. This twisting effect produces spiral energy waves according to the practitioner’s mind. At the same time, this energy can also drive its shape and qi in turn. In the advanced stage, this vortex can soar to the sky and sink to the ground at the same time, and produce amazing killing and destructive effects.
Rotation is the best way to exert power. No matter it is as hard as steel or as soft as water, once it rotates, it will produce infinite power. The rotation of steel is certainly not easy to approach. The whirlwind caused by the rotation of air is also extremely powerful. The vortex caused by the rotation of water is even more terrifying.
The body rotates in circles like a flow, blocking and counterattacking at the same time. The spherical or arc shape can withstand stronger pressure, and can also actively convert or deflect energy through spirals. To master this technique, it is necessary to use intention rather than force to complete it.
Circling organically combines the three aspects of “intention, qi, and force” together, and achieves a state of external movement and internal stillness in the continuous and flexible body movements, and the state of mind and qi following each other. The qi sinks and does not float, and returns to the dantian. After a long time of practice, the spirit and body can get the highest response. When fighting with an enemy, the powerful internal force generated is unstoppable, like electricity, and can put the enemy at a distance of ten feet in an instant. Because the frivolous air has been trained to calm the fire in the heart, the eyes can gradually become brighter, the mind is open, the eyes are shining, and the eyes can not blink. After that, as soon as the hands are moved, the eyes will be round and bright.
Turning in circles is caused by the posture. If the posture does not have the power to twist and turn, and you force yourself to go in circles, you have not got the key. When you go deep into the high level of Bagua, you will find that you have to turn. It is about twisting all parts of the body. When the posture of Baguaquan comes out, it will drive a driving force, forming a forward momentum and a twisting momentum. In fact, it is the force that is moving. At first, the body generates momentum, and later the whole momentum drives the body. To change the palm, you must master the momentum, and the body must follow the momentum.
Bagua is about change. To change, you need to shrink your center and twist it to the extreme. The smaller the center, the faster the change and the larger the range of change. Once the momentum is released, it is like a net.
At this time, you will feel that the palm rotation is not done by walking, but by the body. All the moves have rebound force. The body and footwork are all carried out in the rotation. The flexibility of the waist should be practiced to be like a dragon, almost coiled on a tree.
The advance and retreat of Bagua is to change the posture by slightly changing the body structure. For example, the waist is bent forward, the hips are sitting backward, and the twist is a whirlwind. Therefore, the body follows the momentum and the steps follow the body. It is not to step with the legs, but to use the whole body to drive the legs to move out.
Basic skills of Baguazhang – Zhuanggong
Both the fixed step Zhuanggong and Bagua circling Zhuanggong must be practiced. The agile body of Bagua is walked out, and the waist and leg skills required by Bagua are practiced.
Bagua fixed step pile training is the foundation of Bagua circle pile training. The first step of walking and turning is to set the pile (the body is in the center), followed by walking (step by step in the center), then hanging the palms to circle the pile (the body is facing the center), then single and double changes (stepping in the nine palaces), and then nine palaces to circle the pile (flying nine palaces). When standing in the pile, you must relax your shoulders and hold the armpits empty to realize the root strength.
Bagua pile, when static, is pile training, and when moving, is palm rotation. When you start to learn and practice, you should stand in the pile first, one is horse stance, and the other is palm rotation. Stand still, adjust your body, adjust your breath, and adjust your mind. When you start standing in the pile, your waist and legs will ache, and your heart will be restless and dry, and it will be difficult to persist. You must have perseverance to persevere.
Standing in the pile is the foundation and essence of Baguazhang. If you persist, you will feel particularly comfortable and energetic, and your feet will take root in the ground. As you stand, you will feel a kind of momentum and courage that can stand up to the sky and earth, and you will love standing more and more. Just like the physical state of waiting for the opponent to serve, the muscles are in a state of tension and tension, neither soft nor stiff, rich in support and elasticity. This state is what you need to have when standing in the Bagua pile, that is, you must have the consciousness of being eager to move and the consciousness of wanting to tear the opponent apart. After practicing for a period of time, the speed of suddenly starting to exert force will be very fast.
Turn the palm and walk in small steps, go down the middle plate, and extend the palm like an ox tongue. When walking and turning, stand the palm, and when using, pass the palm forward. When passing the palm, press the front hand first and then pass the back hand; when practicing, pass the palm under the elbow, and when using, pass it forward on the forearm. In theory, let it go naturally and set the form according to the situation.
The piles used for Bagua practice are wooden pillars. Practice one, three, five or nine piles in a circle, and practice various exercises between the piles. The spacing between the piles should be different. The difference is large when practicing for the first time, and the difference is small after long practice, so that the skill can be fully exercised. The eight palms can be practiced on the piles one by one. First practice the correction movements alone, then try them on the pile, strengthen the muscles and internal energy, and develop the habit of using the whole arm and then the whole body. All the Bagua routines are performed on this pile, including boxing, moves, internal strength, fighting methods, and body movements.
After long-term basic training, Baguazhang can achieve internal and external cultivation, physical and mental training, and the body is swift and agile like a dragon swimming in the sky, and the twisting, turning, walking and turning palms are infinite. The moves are combined with hardness and softness, kicking, hitting, throwing and grabbing are integrated. Twist, wrap, drill and flip, avoid the straight and hit the diagonal, circle and hit, and there is no end to the cycle.