The historical origin of Baguazhang—a model of traditional martial arts to strengthen the body

The historical origin of Baguazhang can be regarded as a model of traditional martial arts, and it can also strengthen the body!

Baguazhang is a kind of boxing or routine name. It is a kind of boxing that integrates offensive and defensive techniques and guiding methods into walking around in a circle. It was originally called “Zhuan Zhang” and later called “Bagua Zhang”. It is also called “Bagua Zhuan Zhang”, “You Shen Bagua Zhang”, “Rubbing Bagua Zhang”, “Yin Yang Bagua Zhang” and “Bagua Lianhuan Zhang”.

1. The origin of Baguazhang is confusing

There have always been many different opinions about the origin of Baguazhang, and it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false.

One of the old sayings is that Baguazhang is renamed from Baguaquan.

The second old saying is that Baguazhang is renamed from Yin Yang Ba Pan Zhang.

The third old saying is that Baguazhang was founded by Zhang Sanfeng.

The fourth old saying is that Baguazhang comes from Baguaism.

The prototype of Baguazhang is the turning palm, which was created by Dong Haichuan. Dong Haichuan practiced martial arts since he was a child and traveled around Wu, Yue, and Bashu. Inspired by a Taoist practice method in southeastern Zhejiang – “Turning the Heavenly Lord”, Dong Haichuan combined the palm method with the turning circle and called it the turning palm. There are eight types of turning palms, namely: Baguazhang starting style, Yin-Yang fish palm, soft ball palm, sinking palm, monkey palm, finger-to-the-sky palm, moon-holding palm, and Tai Chi palm.

The turning palm shows its combat value and fitness effect in social practice, which conforms to the essence of martial arts and the needs of contemporary people. With the joint efforts of martial arts masters, the turning palm has evolved into the Baguazhang school.

2. Baguazhang features unique techniques

Baguazhang has the saying of “three treasures”:

The first treasure is the offensive and defensive strategy. Baguazhang is different from other boxing styles in that it moves straight back and forth. Instead, it imitates the movement of celestial bodies in the universe to achieve a longevity movement of heaven and earth in harmony. It is a true unity of man and nature.

And use the circle movement as the attack and defense strategy, such as walking and turning when facing a strong opponent, avoiding the straight and hitting the side, no fixed style, no fixed posture, shadow and invisible, escaping and changing shadows, taking advantage of opportunities, turning back and attacking, etc. are all superior and superb strategies that other boxing styles do not have.

Folk sayings: “Xingyi kills people in three years”, “Taiji stays at home for ten years”, “Bagua travels the world in six years”, are true expressions of practitioners of Xingyi, Taiji and Bagua, and the attack and defense strategies of the three boxing styles are different. Xingyi is in the middle, Xingyi is evolved from the opening, closing and launching (also called blocking, grabbing and stabbing) of Yue family spearmanship, and the trajectory of action is straight and straight, mainly cutting the middle gate, so it is called “Xingyi is in the middle”.

Taiji is mainly based on defense and avoidance, no attack and no block, and borrowing force to hit force, to empty the attack distance, wait for the opponent’s old force to be exhausted and the new force to be released, and then strike in the same direction, which is called “Taiji hollow”.

In Baguazhang, the idea and strategy of Baguazhang is to “change in the middle”. I change the middle gate from time to time, so that the opponent has no “gate” to attack. When facing strong, I turn around, there is no fixed form, the whole body is round, everywhere is empty, the famous Dantian is closed, and the six combinations burst out.

The second treasure is the internal strength (internal strength). Baguazhang is a boxing style that cultivates both internal and external skills. All movements are inseparable from the use of “intention, qi, and force”. The so-called intention is the thought or what you want to do, the so-called qi is the flow of qi generated by breathing in the body, and the so-called force is the conscious use of strength.

When practicing Baguazhang for the first time, you should learn to use force habitually, change rigid force into clever force, and use the least force to send the palm to the desired position.

The two words “strength and qi” explain that both sides use not only force but also qi in fighting, but the force is expressed on the outside and the qi is in the inside. The waist is the core of the conversion of qi and force. Qi runs through the rotation force of the waist, the forward force of the shoulder, and the striking force of the palm. The power of Baguazhang depends not only on the sufficient internal energy, but also on the posture. A good posture can ensure the dynamic balance of the body’s center of gravity and facilitate the explosion of internal strength. The third treasure is the attack and defense techniques. The principles of Baguazhang techniques can be summarized in four words: eight essentials and nine theories.

Baguazhang techniques are different from Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. Taijiquan requires loose knees, round crotch, and open hips, focusing on maintaining the body’s virtual and real changes. Xingyiquan requires buckling knees and hips, focusing on keeping the body simple and bright, and exerting full strength. Baguazhang requires buckling knees and hips, focusing on keeping the steps like wading through mud, the body like twisting ropes, and the rotation like grinding.

The second treasure is the superb and comprehensive Baguazhang techniques, which are rich in connotation, varied in techniques, linked in moves, linked in styles, and endless in movement and change. There are 749 palm techniques and 636 leg techniques, which are beyond the reach and cannot be surpassed by other types of boxing. Baguazhang has the forms of single training, pair training and free fighting.

According to the records of old boxing manuals, Baguazhang boxing system still has 18 Luohan hands, 72 hidden kicks, 72 leg cutting, and Bagua free fighting, but it is rarely taught now. All the weapons in the Bagua system include knives, spears, swords, halberds, etc. The training method still reflects the characteristics of changing with the movement, the weapon follows the body, the body changes with the steps, and the postures are connected. In addition, there are short double weapons such as mandarin duck axe, chicken claw sharp, wind and fire wheel, judge’s pen, which are relatively rare in other boxing styles.

3. The unique fitness charm of Baguazhang

According to the research on the fitness mechanism and fitness effect of Baguazhang, based on the simplified revolution and rotation operation mechanism of fitness Baguazhang and combined with medical theory, it is pointed out that Baguazhang “can cure diseases and prevent diseases.”

Whether it is from the exercise method, exercise frequency, exercise intensity, or exercise duration and gradual principle, as long as certain exercise methods and principles are mastered and regular practice is practiced, it will help improve physical fitness.

The traditional way of keeping in good health in Baguazhang is believed that Baguazhang can help alleviate the “three highs” and mental problems of the human body through the overall exercise of posture, breathing and mind, combined with the traditional health theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements.

Many practitioners have found through the operation mechanism of the eight palm techniques of Baguazhang that each palm has a twisting waist posture throughout, and plays a mainstay role.

According to the record of the six qi host and guest in the third chapter of “Treatise on Injury and Miscellaneous Diseases”, the waist of a person is the most important, and the waist is the residence of the kidney. The kidney stores the innate essence, is the root of the yin and yang of the internal organs, and is the source of life. The power of Baguazhang comes from the hands and is dominated by the waist, which not only meets the common requirement of martial arts “practicing skills requires practicing the waist” but also caters to people’s desire for health.

Although Baguazhang has obvious fitness effects, it lacks scientific evidence. As we all know, synthesis is creation and transfer is breakthrough.

In the context of rapid technological progress, Baguazhang should take the lead, use advanced science and technology, do a good job in its own scientific research, integrate sports human science, sports medicine and other fields, improve the scientific research of Baguazhang, establish a scientific, rigorous and reasonable quantitative practice method, and promote Baguazhang to better serve human health and international communication.

IV. Conclusion

From ancient times to the present, the development of martial arts has proved this point. No matter which school or boxing style, only by constantly breaking the rules and regulations and constantly breaking the old and establishing the new can there be a way out and can it radiate infinite vitality and extensive social influence.