I have been teaching Baguazhang for many years, and some students and disciples often ask me: Does Baguazhang have internal strength? How to practice internal strength? How to improve it? Now I will talk about this question with you based on my more than 30 years of practice experience.
When it comes to internal strength, the first thing that comes to mind is often standing, sitting in meditation, Yijinjing, Xisuijing, etc. Are these internal strengths? I think so. Traditional martial arts have a long history and many schools. Each school has its own unique skills. In a broad sense, whether it is static or dynamic skills, as long as it is a skill that “trains the inside”, it can be called “internal strength”. This is different from the “external strength” that focuses on “external”.
I practice Cheng’s Baguazhang. There is no “internal strength” in this Baguazhang, but this does not mean that there is no “internal strength”.
Many Baguazhang masters have never lost in the competition with masters of Xingyi and Taiji, and Baguazhang is known as one of the three major internal martial arts together with Taiji and Xingyi. Therefore, the internal strength and power of Baguazhang objectively exist, but most of the predecessors do not talk about it.
On the tombstone of Dong Haichuan, the founder of Baguazhang, in Wan’an Cemetery in Beijing, there is such a record: “He did many great deeds in his life. He first learned boxing skills when he was young, gathered his experiences in the south, refined the tricks of winning by flashing, adopted the method of refining spirit and guiding qi, and created the turning palm, which was first taught in the capital.” According to this text, Baguazhang was originally called “turning palm”, which is the skill of refining spirit and guiding qi. Some predecessors believe that “turning palm” is closely related to the Taoist “turning Tianzun” method, and the “turning Tianzun” method is the Taoist internal cultivation method, which is actually the “internal strength” of Taoism. Now it is called “turning palm”, that is, “circling turning palm”, which is what we usually call “walking pile”. Therefore, turning the palm (walking in a stance) is the core of Baguazhang practice. Through practice, practitioners can go deeper step by step to achieve the purpose of internal strength training and advancement, and finally practice both inside and outside to achieve the state of unity between man and nature.
Walking in circles and turning the palms are all known by Baguazhang practitioners, so how can we practice real kung fu from it? Combining the experience of practicing Baguazhang in recent years, I will talk to you about my personal experience.
Generally speaking, the practice of Baguazhang can be divided into three levels, or three stages. The first is to return to the whole form from scattered and disordered, the second is to change from the whole form to loose and sinking, and the third is to change from loose and sinking to emptiness and spirit.
1, Returning to the whole form from scattered and disordered
When I was a teenager, I practiced the Shaolin boxing that was popular in the local area, the boxing and weapons of the Shaolin Yanqingmen, and the free-hand fighting of sparring. In the process of practicing Shaolin boxing, I received guidance and teaching from many local Shaolin Yanqingmen masters, and practiced solid basic martial arts skills, and at the same time had a deeper understanding of traditional martial arts. This laid a solid foundation for practicing Baguazhang in the future.
After practicing Shaolin boxing for many years, I gradually developed a strong interest in internal boxing, especially Baguazhang. My learning also started from books and videos. In 1999, I started practicing according to Baguazhang videos and books. After a period of time, I initially “mastered” the fixed eight palms, eight big palms and the practice of hand exercises. This made me more fascinated by Baguazhang. But looking back, what I thought I “mastered” at that time was actually just some Baguazhang movements. I didn’t get into body movements and strength at all, let alone any “internal strength”. Because I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child, I have a good foundation in stretching muscles and bones. My body may not be as stiff and scattered as that of ordinary beginners, but it is really not a complete shape, let alone kung fu.
To this day, I still have to thank “Wuhun” magazine. It was it that allowed me to find my Baguazhang mentor and it also allowed me to embark on the smooth road of Baguazhang practice. In 2000, I published my information in the “Friends of Wuhun” in the third issue of “Wuhun”. I didn’t expect to receive a letter from Mr. Zhang Tiesheng in early April. Thus, I established contact with Mr. Zhang, and finally became his disciple in 2006.
I clearly remember that on March 23, 2001, I met my mentor in Changxindian, Beijing. My mentor took me to practice in the woods by the Yongding River, and showed me how to practice the single, double, and three palms. This was the first time I experienced the charm of traditional Baguazhang.
My mentor asked me to practice the Baguazhang routines that I had learned by myself before. After the practice, my mentor told me earnestly that when learning Baguazhang, you should start with relaxation and softness, starting with the head. Only when the head is hung up can the shoulders be relaxed and the qi can flow smoothly. Only after the body is relaxed and the qi flows smoothly can the body be trained from scattered to complete, and the scattered qi in the body can be collected back to the Dantian. These words were completely different from my previous understanding of Baguazhang, which made me feel confused and difficult to understand at the time, so I didn’t believe it very much. But my teacher has profound skills and his techniques are much better than mine, there is no doubt about that, so after returning from Beijing, I followed my teacher’s instructions and practiced walking in circles and turning my palms every day with the lion catching the ball action to understand the key points of walking and turning in Baguazhang.
It is difficult to find the feeling when practicing for the first time. I didn’t feel anything at all in the beginning. Not only that, I also had common problems such as unstable feet, swaying left and right, and poor breathing. About one or two months later, one day when walking in circles, I suddenly felt that my shoulders relaxed after my head was raised, and my breathing became very natural and smooth in an instant. After finding the feeling, I practiced for a period of time and finally gradually understood what it meant to relax my shoulders and breathe smoothly. This kind of “understanding” is a kind of “epiphany”, and it is a physical “epiphany”. There was no sign before, but as I practiced more and more, I suddenly “got it”.
Later, I began to feel the qi flowing through my palms, and the fullness of my palms became more and more obvious. At first, it was swelling, then it was hot, and then it was sweating. After the waist is relaxed, the Qi sinks downward, and the feet become more and more stable. Then you can feel the five toes gripping the ground. When the two legs are walking, the virtual and real are clearly distinguished, one is loose and the other is tight. Over time, you will feel a natural and comfortable feeling. It is difficult to cover the crotch and close the knees, and it is also difficult to “feel”. After the head is straight, the neck is smooth, and the shoulders are relaxed, you have to relax the waist and hips to feel it. Straight inside and outside, and relaxed knees and hips are to cover the crotch and close the knees at all times. Closing the knees is a natural combination, not forced. Then the whole body is one, and the head leads the whole body to move. When you have done these, you have basically achieved the transition from scattered to neat.
2, Change from neat to loose
The predecessors often said that when practicing Baguazhang, “the first three years are like chasing trees, and the last three years are like chasing people.” This is a standard that Baguazhang is further pursued after practicing to a certain level; that is, the transition from neat to loose.
In the autumn of 2006, my master Bai Gong Yucai came to Yutian to teach us Baguazhang in person. Speaking of palm rotation and single palm change, the master said that the predecessors said that the first three years of people chasing trees refer to the initial training when the waist is not loose enough, and the palms are facing the tree; the last three years of trees chasing people actually refer to the waist being completely loosened as the kung fu progresses. In addition, your ancestor (referring to Wang Wenkui) often said that when practicing palm rotation, you must achieve “four opposites”, that is, “the middle section of the front hand index finger is facing the eyes, the front hand tiger’s mouth is facing the mouth, the back hand tiger’s mouth is facing the front hand elbow tip, and the back elbow tip is facing the navel”. This is kung fu, and it is also a yardstick to measure the progress of practicing Baguazhang. Then the master demonstrated palm rotation to us, saying that palm rotation is to seek relaxation at the beginning, and to find twisting power on the basis of stable footwork. At the beginning, slightly twist the waist, with the palms facing outward, not to stand the palms, but to relax the shoulders and waist. Afterwards, as the kung fu improves, stand up the two palms, with the outer edges of the palms facing outward, the waist continues to rotate inward, the hips move forward without moving, and the waist is relaxed and sunken, so that the outer shoulder is facing the crotch and the circle line, and the inner hand is facing the circle line behind the body, and the eyes look at the middle section of the inner hand index finger. This means that the waist is loose, the hips can be closed (Mr. Sun Lutang said that pulling the two hips as hard as possible is to close the hips) and sink (sinking means sitting), and the strength of the limbs must be very full and continuous, and they can move freely in practice and actual combat.
My fellow disciples also followed the practice, walking in the circle. At this time, the master came over and said to me: “Relax the outer shoulder, wrap the bottom hand inward, and close it. No matter how you twist, pay attention to loosen the outer shoulder. The strength of the front and back hands is connected.” Within two minutes, the old man walked to my senior brother again, and pierced through his armpit with a palm, and said: “If your shoulders are not loose, your armpits will be empty. You are asking for a beating! How can you cover your heart and close your strength if your outer shoulders are not loose? Look for it again and walk again.” “Get up, grab my ribs,” the master said to my senior brother again. Senior Brother Guo stood up and walked to the master, grabbing his left ribs with his right hand. At this time, the master lowered his shoulders, clamped the brother’s right hand with his big arm, wrapped the brother’s right elbow with his left palm, and twisted his waist slightly. The master cried out in pain. The master said: I told you to relax your shoulders and cover your elbows, and collapse your back hand and embrace your front elbow. Do you know why? This implies that one hand can separate the tendons and dislocate the bones, so you must relax your shoulders and elbows and cover your heart.
Later, during my own practice, I suddenly felt that my shoulder joint was dislocated, and there was a feeling of stretching, followed by the elbow joint, as if someone was stretching it, a kind of forward and backward force. At this time, I walked straight and sideways, relaxed my waist and sat on my hips, and the whole person was relaxing and sinking down, and the strength was in my feet. But this feeling is intermittent, and it cannot be like this all the time. It takes time to slowly realize the feeling. At this time, I began to increase my workload in practicing, practicing for more than three hours a day, and doing this every day for the next few months. Later, with continuous practice and understanding, this feeling gradually permeated throughout. Later, this feeling also appeared in the wrist and finger joints, and the stretching feeling became more and more obvious. Gradually, I felt that the palms were getting thicker and the arms were infinitely extending and getting longer. At this time, the head was lifted up and the waist and hips were relaxed and sank. The twisting power of the waist continued during the walking and turning, the whole body was in harmony, the mind was relaxed and the power was continuous.
In 2014, after I taught my own disciples, I did the palm rotation again, and I felt more delicate and subtle. Once I explained the single palm change to my disciples and demonstrated the waist twisting. When I was pulling the opponent’s arm, I felt that the power came from the ground, sitting on the hips and twisting the waist, and the arm power continued with the waist twisting. So the opponent lost his center of gravity and fell. Relaxation and sinking will generate power, and twisting the waist will make the power more continuous.
3, Relaxation and sinking to emptiness and spirit
The third stage is to gradually transform to emptiness and spirit on the basis of relaxation and sinking. To advance to this step, “planting” is the key. My master taught me the “pile planting” in 2013. It was not until the turn of spring and summer in 2015 that I realized that the method of walking in circles and turning palms is actually a “pile method” in action. “Pile planting” means that you have truly entered the realm of walking piles (deep roots lead to lush leaves, and solid and stable root joints lead to the virtual changes of the upper body). After “pile planting”, the internal energy flows more smoothly in the lower limbs, and the kung fu will gradually enter a higher level. This state is the state of unity of heaven, earth and man, where the human body is connected to the ground below and the internal energy stretches to the farthest and wide above, that is, the state of virtual changes and pure nature.
“One level of kung fu, one level of truth”, the words of the predecessors are indeed true. Looking back on my experience of practicing Baguazhang for so many years, I deeply feel that the practice and advancement of Baguazhang must be gradual and step-by-step. If you are impatient and eager for success, you will only have a haste and fail.
This is especially true in the practice of internal skills and internal strength. If you don’t have it in your body and can’t feel it, you have to look for it in the palm rotation. There is no other shortcut. It’s not that there are no techniques or secrets, but before you can practice and feel it, these are useless. Calm your mind, and follow the teacher’s instructions to move your palms in circles. You can gradually change your mind to body, and find the way to the inner strength of Baguazhang. After getting started, follow the three steps of returning from scattered to complete, from complete to loose and sinking, and from loose and sinking to emptiness and spirit. Practice step by step, and you will gradually enter the room and truly experience the mystery of the inner strength of Baguazhang.