Ba Gua Zhang Notes #2

Yesterday morning, I enjoyed another Ba Gua Zhang (Pa Kua Chang) lesson from Shifu Kent Howard at the Kodenkan Dojo in Chico this morning. I would be willing to carpool with martial artists from Redding, Anderson, Cottonwood, Red Bluff, or Corning (California) who would like to take this excellent baguazhang class on Sunday mornings from 9-10:30 am.

In the beginner's group, of which I am a member, we worked on the First Palm Change (Crouching Tiger) and the Double Palm Change (Snake Crawls Through the Hole, 360 Turn).

My notes:

Keep moving at all times
Turn the hands to the middle at the very end
Keep the weight in the back leg more
Walk like your sneaking up on someone
Attention to keeping feet closer
Flowing, turning, collapsing, coiling/uncoiling, evading, folding, untwisting
Index finger of forward hand points directly up to the sky
Push up from below with open hand using the legs and waist, not just the arms
Practice with arms rounded in front to work on fluidity with leg movements
Be sure to turn with the waist
Practice movements in linear as well as circular manner
Walk a smaller circle of about 6" in diameter, one full step from center of circle





Ba Gua Staff

I watched the Chen Pan-Ling Baguazhang staff form performed by his son Chen Yun-Ching. Shifu Howard told me that he studied this form.

Bagua Swimming Dragon Staff Form. Created by Chen Pan-Ling. Demonstration DVD by his son, Chen Yun-Ching. No. 1: Dragon Lifts His Head. No. 2: Dragon Emerges from the Sea. No. 3: Dragon Turns Its Body. No. 4: Dragon Looking Behind. No. 5: Dragon Shakes Its Tail. No. 6: Dragon Playing Roughly. No. 7: Dragon Rolls Over. No. 8: Dragon Displays Its Invincible Prowess. This a long staff set of 6:32 seconds. The staff is an eyebrow staff length.

Bagua Nine Posts Training

Professor Hermann Bohn, from the National Kaohsiung First University for Science and Technology, Taiwan, was kind enough to send me the following information about bagua training using a group of nine posts set into the ground.

"No, I don't have a research source for the 9 pole training, but I remember that I read somewhere about an American Bagua teacher, who had these posts. And of course, the Adam Hsü people should know more about.

It is the magic square of numbers (Luoshu 洛書) which looks a bit like this:

4 9 2

3 5 7

8 1 6

We start with one of the eight palms at the right side of 1, go to the left side of 2 and around, pass above 5 under 3, turn around to the right side of 4, circle it, pass again 5 at the left hand, get to the left side of 6, circle it, turn to the right side of 7, cirle there also, get to the lower side of 8, circle it, trun upward along the right side of 5 and finish at the right side of 9.

This is Shun, but there is also Ni, just the opposite direction, starting with the left side of 1. I'm sure you figure out the rest of the way.

First we do one palm on each post, then we add a 360° turn inbetween with the snake down. Then we do the second palm and so on and so on. Finally, you also could do one palm at any different post (leaving out 5 as the centre), connected with the snakes. And then the whole thing in Ni direction.

Striking is possible, but not necessarily the main point. IMO, it is all about flexible application of all palms in all directions, in such a way, that you confuse your self, letting natural reflexes emerge. A wonderful training, realy expanding the circle walk a whole lot."

Baguazhang Training Notes of Mike Garofalo

Baguazhang: Bibliography, Resources, Notes, Guides