Kung Fu - BaGua_Concepts-Tom_Bisio.V1.Ding-Shi

Tom Bisio is an expert in many styles of Asian Martial arts. His skills in Philippino stick fighting is very high. And his knowledge and abilities in the internal kung-fu styles of Hsing-I Chuan and especially Ba Gua Zhang are evident.

In this three-part series, he demonstrates the applications of Ba Gua Zhang of the Liang school. However, these applications are found throughout all schools of Ba Gua Zhang as well as Chen TaiChi Chuan. And they are useful chin-na techniques in whatever martial art that you practice.

Bagua Zhang Internal Power Training

Bagua Zhang (Ba gua chang/Pakua chang) is first and foremost an art of internal energy movement that embodies the eight primal energies that are encompassed by the eight trigrams of the I Chingi. According to Taoist thought, the eight energies correspond to the eight bodies of man, which are:

   Physical body
   Etheric/chi body
   Emotional body
   Mental body
   Psychic energy body
   Causal body (having to do with karma)
   Body of individuality (or your essence)
   Body of the Tao.

Each of these energetic bodies has a different energetic level of vibration. The basic bagua zhang internal power training consists of learning eight palm changes and combining them with walking, spinning and twisting arm movements, and constant changes of direction. Over time, these bagua zhang movements turn you into a swirling tornado with extremely rapid spiraling of the body and instantaneous changes of direction.
When instructing his students Dong Hai Chuan was noted as saying, "Training martial arts ceaselessly is inferior to walking the circle. In Ba Gua Zhang the circle walk practice is the font of all training." Ba Gua Zhang instructors instruct their students to walk the circle with the spirit, Qi, intent, and power concentrated on a single goal. This is similar to the Daoist method whereby one clears the mind with a single thought. Although Ba Gua Zhang's circle walk practice trains footwork to be used in fighting, it also shares the Daoist's goals of creating stillness in motion and developing the body internally.


Kung Fu - BaGua_Concepts-Tom_Bisio.V2.and Liang style Linear Ba Gua Zhang

In this second part of his three part series, Tom Bisio demonstrates the applications of the Liang style Linear Ba Gua Zhang. Although Ba Gua is usually practiced around a circle, the linear style was developed for the Chinese military because more soldiers could be fitted into a practice field if they were practicing in straight lines than if they were walking in circles. You can practice these methods in either straight lines or in circles.

These Ba Gua locking and throwing methods are found in all styles of Ba Gua, not just in the Liang style. And they can be applied to whatever kungfu that you presently practice.

The second video in this torrent is an instructional that teaches the Liang style Linear Ba Gua with applications. Like any instructional video, no matter how difficult it might appear at first viewing, merely by going slow and carefully learning one move at a time, the entire kungfu style can be made into your own set of special skills.

The internal styles of Tai Chi Chuan, Xin Yi Chuan and Ba Gua Zhang are practiced slowly so that one can reach a state of meditative awareness and relaxation. With relaxed power, your qi will circulate and total body power can be achieved to a much greater extent than is found in the external styles of kungfu. So, learn and practice slowly at first, and when you gain ability, speed will come naturally.


 
Swimming Body Ba Gua Chain Linking Form
(You Shen Ba Gua Lian Huan)
This advanced form links elements of the Lao Ba Zhang, the Elbow forms and the Sixty-Four Forms in a continuous unbroken sequence that emphasizes the eight directions. Ba Gua Lian Huan employs Ba Gua's unique swimming dragon body movement. Learn how to utilize the “Dragon Body” while moving fluidly with power and root, when applying Ba Gua techniques