Baguazhang is one of the major "internal" (a.k.a. Nčijiā) Chinese martial arts. Bagua zhang literally means "eight trigram palm," referring to the trigrams of the I Ching (Yijing), one of the canons of Taoism.
The creation of Baguazhang, as a formalised martial art, is attributed to Dong Haichuan (董海川) in the early 19th century, who apparently learned from Taoist, and possibly Buddhist, masters in the mountains of rural China.
There is evidence to suggest a synthesis of several pre-existing martial arts taught and practiced in the region in which he lived, combined with Taoist circle walking. Dong Haichuan taught for many years in Beijing, eventually earning patronage by the Imperial court.
The creation of Baguazhang, as a formalised martial art, is attributed to Dong Haichuan (董海川) in the early 19th century, who apparently learned from Taoist, and possibly Buddhist, masters in the mountains of rural China.
There is evidence to suggest a synthesis of several pre-existing martial arts taught and practiced in the region in which he lived, combined with Taoist circle walking. Dong Haichuan taught for many years in Beijing, eventually earning patronage by the Imperial court.
Famous disciples of Dong to become teachers were Yin Fu (尹福), Cheng Tinghua (程廷華), Song Changrong (宋長榮), Liu Fengchun (劉鳳春), Ma Weiqi (馬維棋), Liang Zhenpu(梁振蒲) and Liu Dekuan (刘德宽). Although they were all students of the same teacher, their methods of training and expressions of palm techniques differed. The Cheng and Liu styles are said to specialize in "Pushing" the palms, Yin style is known for "Threading" the palms, Song's followers practice "Plum Flower" (梅花 Mei Hua) palm technique and Ma style palms are known as "Hammers." Some of Dong Haichuan's students, including Cheng Tinghua, participated in the Boxer Rebellion.
In general, most Bagua practitioners practice either the Yin (尹), Cheng (程), or Liang (梁) styles of Baguazhang, although Fan (樊), Shi (史), Liu (劉), Fu (傅), and other styles also exist. (The Liu style is a special case, in that it is rarely practiced alone, but as a complement to other styles.)
Of all of Dong Haichuan's students, Yin Fu studied with him the longest. Some practitioners of the Yin style say that Yin was the only disciple to learn both the entire Bagua fighting and healing systems of Dong Haichuan.
Ba
Gua Zhang is recognized as one of the three
orthodox "internal" styles of
Chinese martial art (the other two being
Xing Yi Quan and Tai Ji Quan). Ba Gua
literally translates to Eight trigrams.
These trigrams are symbols which are used to
represent all natural phenomena as described
in the ancient Chinese text of divination,
the Book of Changes (Yi Jing). Zhang means
palm and designates Ba Gua Zhang as a style
of martial art, which emphasizes the use of
the open hand in preference to the closed
fist. Ba Gua Zhang, as a martial art, is
based on the theory of continuously changing
in response to the situation at hand in
order to overcome an opponent with skill
rather than brute force.
Although
there are several theories as to the Origins
of Ba Gua Zhang, recent and exhaustive
research by martial scholars in Mainland
China conclude without reasonable doubt that
the Art is the creation of a single
individual, Dong Hai Chuan. Dong was born in
Wen An County, Hebei Province about 1813.
Dong practiced local martial arts (which
reportedly relied heavily upon the use of
open hand palm techniques) from his youth
and gained some notoriety as a skilled
fighter. At about 40 years of age, Dong left
home and traveled southward. At
some point during his travels, Dong became a
member of the Chuan Zhen (Complete Truth)
sect of Daoism. The Daoists of this sect
practiced a method of walking in a circle
white reciting certain mantras. The practice
was designed to quiet the mind and focus the
intent as a prelude to enlightenment. Dong
later combined the circle walking mechanics
with the martial arts he had mastered in his
youth to create a new style based on
mobility and the ability to apply techniques
while in constant motion (heretofore unknown
in the history of Chinese martial arts).
Dong
Hai Chuan originally called his art
"Zhuan Zhang" (Turning Palm). In
his later years, Dong began to speak of the
Art in conjunction with the Eight Trigrams
(Ba Gua) theory espoused in the Book of
Changes (Yi Jing). When Dong began teaching
his Zhuan Zhang in Beijing, he accepted as
student only those who were already
accomplished practitioners of other martial
arts. Dong's teachings were limited to a few
"palm changes" executed while
walking the circle and his theory and
techniques of combat. His students took
Dong's forms and theories and combined them
with the martial arts they had studied
previously. The result is that each of
Dong's students ended up with different
interpretations of the Ba Gua Zhang art.
Most
of the various styles of Ba Gua Zhang found
today, can be traced back to one of several
of Dong Hai Chuan's original students. Among
these students, three individuals were
responsible for passing on the Art to the
greatest number of practitioners. One of
Dong's most famous students was a man named
Yin Fu. Yin studied with Dong longer than
any other and was one of the most respected
fighters in the country in his time (he was
the personal bodyguard to the Dowager
Empress, the highest prestige position of
its kind in the entire country). Yin Fu was
a master of Luo Han Quan, a Northern Chinese
"external" style of boxing, before
he began his long apprenticeship with Dong.
Another top student of Dong's was Chen Ting
Hua, originally a master of Shuai Jiao
(Chinese wrestling). Cheng taught a great
number of students in his time and
variations of his style are many. A third
student of Dong's who created his own Ba Gaa
Zhang variant was Liang Zhen Pu. Liang was
Dong's youngest student and was greatly
influenced by Dong's other disciples.
Although Ba Gua Zhang is a relatively new
form of martial art, it became famous
throughout China during its inventor's
lifetime, mainly because of its
effectiveness in combat and the high
prestige this afforded its practitioners.
The
basis of the various styles of Ba Gua Zhang,
and the practice all styles have in common,
is the circle walk. The practitioner
literally walks in a circle while holding
various static postures with the upper body
or while executing "palm changes"
(short patterns of movement or
"forms" which train the body
mechanics and methods of generating power
which form the basis of the styles' fighting
techniques).
All
styles have a variation of a form known as
the Single Palm Change. The Single Palm
Change is the most basic form and is the
nucleus of the remaining palm changes found
in the Art. Besides the Single Palm Change,
the other forms include the Double Palm
Change and the Eight Palm Changes (also
known variously as the Eight Mother Palms or
the Old Eight Palms).
These
forms make up the foundation of the art of
Ba Gua Zhang. Ba Gua Zhang movements have a
characteristic circular nature and there is
a great deal of body spinning, turning, and
rapid changes in direction. In addition to
the Single, Double and Eight Palm Changes,
most but not all styles of Ba Gua Zhang
include some variation of the Sixty-Four
Palms. The Sixty-Four Palms include forms
which teach the mechanics and sequence of
the specific fighting techniques included in
the style. These forms take the general
energies developed during the practice of
the Palm Changes and focus them into more
exact patterns of movement, which are
applied directly to a specific combat
technique. Ba Gua Zhang is an art based on
evasive footwork and a kind of guerilla
warfare strategy applied to personal combat.
A Ba Gua fighter relies on strategy and
skill, rather than the direct use of force
against force or brute strength, in
overcoming an opponent. The strategy
employed is aggressive in nature and
emphasizes constant change in response to
the spontaneous and "live" quality
of combat.
In
addition to the above forms and methods,
most styles of Ba Gua Zhang include various
two-person forms and drills as intermediate
steps between solo forms and the practice of
combat techniques. Although the techniques
of Ba Gua Zhang are many and various, they
all adhere to the above mentioned principles
of mobility and the skillful application of
force. Many styles of Ba Gua Zhang also
include the use of a variety of weapons,
ranging from the more standard types
(straight sword, broadsword, pear) to exotic
weapons, used exclusively by practitioners
of the Ba Gua Zhang arts.
Each
of Dong Hai Chuan's students developed their
own style of Ba Gua Zhang based on their
individual backgrounds and previous martial
training. Each style has its own specific
forms and techniques. In essence, all of the
different styles adhere to the basic
principles of Ba Gua Zhang while retaining
an individual flavor of their own. Most of
the styles in existence today can trace
their roots to either the Yin Fu, Cheng Ting
Hua, or Liang Zhen Pu variations.
Yin
Fu styles include a large number of
percussive techniques and fast striking
combinations (Yin Fu was said to "fight
like a tiger", moving in and knocking
his opponent to the ground swiftly like a
tiger pouncing on its prey). The forms
include many explosive movements and very
quick and evasive footwork.
Cheng
Ting Hua styles of Ba Gua Zhang include palm
changes which are done in a smooth and
flowing manner, with little display of overt
power (Cheng Ting Hua's movement was likened
to that of a dragon soaring in the clouds,
it is said each time he turned his body, his
opponent would fly away.) Popular variations
of this style include the Gao Yi Sheng
system, Dragon Style Ba Gua Zhang,
"Swimming Body" Ba Gua Zhang, the
Nine Palace System, JiangRong Qiao's style
(probably the most common form practiced
today) and the Sun Lu Tang style.
Liang
Zhen Pu's style can be viewed as a
combination of the Yin Fu and Cheng Ting Hua
styles. Liang’s student, Li Zi Ming,
popularized this style.
The
basic focus and function of all martial arts
is fighting. Since there are only so many
ways humans can move in a martial context
(strike, kick, push, pull, etc.), what
distinguishes one style of martial art from
another? Collections of techniques do not
make up a style, neither does mimicking the
movements of an animal, bug, or even another
person constitute a style of martial arts.
In the last analysis, a style of martial art
is distinct and recognizable as a coherent
system because it adheres to a set of
specific principles.
All styles
are based upon a set of fundamental
principles, and every movement, technique
and strategy applied or created must be in
alignment with the chosen principles of that
particular style. These principles define
and determine the nature of a style in two
major areas, namely, body use (Ti) and
application (Yung). The principles of a
style will determine how things are to be
done. For example, the principles of one
style may dictate that the muscles must be
tensed at impact when throwing a punch,
while another style's principles demand
total relaxation throughout the blow.
Practitioners of both styles are punching,
but there is a qualitative difference in
body use (i.e. different styles of
punching).
Just
as the principles of body use determine the
physicality of the practitioner and the
specific methods of moving and generating
power, the principles of application
determine the technique base as well as the
fighting strategies of a particular style.
The evolution of martial arts: styles have
always come about this way: A student of one
or more styles of martial art comes upon a
new principle or organizes a set of
principles in a unique way, based upon his
background, experience and personal bias.
The result is a new style of martial art. It
is new not because the founder added a few
techniques to his existing style, but rather
because he changed all that he had done
before to align with his newly understood
principles of body use and application.
The
founder of Ba Gua Zhang, Dong Hai Quan, was
an expert in a Northern Chinese style of
martial art akin to Long Fist, which
emphasized the use of the open hand.
Subsequently, Dong spent a number of years
living with a group of Daoists who practiced
a method of walking in a circular pattern
while chanting. The practice was used as a
means of reaching enlightenment. Dong later
combined the circular footwork and body
method learned from the Daoists with the
martial arts he studied in his youth to
create a new martial art, later to become
known as Ba Gua Zhang. Please note that the
Daoists taught Dong absolutely nothing of a
martial nature; what Dong acquired from the
Daoists were the principles of circular
footwork and a certain method of body use.
Dong modified the movements and techniques
of his original form of martial art around
these principles, thereby creating a new
style of martial art. It is very important
to understand that Ba Gua Zhang as a style
of martial art is not simply a collection of
forms and techniques, but rather an art
based on a set of unifying principles.
Dong
Hai Quan only taught established masters of
the martial arts; he accepted no beginners.
The training was designed to allow his
students (already masters of other martial
arts in their own right) to modify their
original arts in accordance with the
principles of Ba Gua Zhang. Because of the
diverse backgrounds of Dong's original
students, their resultant styles of Ba Gua
Zhang may differ greatly in terms of form
and technique, but all are truly styles of
Ba Gua Zhang as they adhere to the
underlying principles of body use and
application which define Ba Gua Zhang as a
unique style. There will always be room for
creativity within the Ba Gua Zhang arts. As
long as a movement or technique adheres to
the Fundamental principles of Ba Gua Zhang,
it is Ba Gua Zhang.
What
are the basic principles of Ba Gua Zhang? It
is helpful to divide the analysis into two
major categories: principles of body use
(with the primary emphasis on the ability to
generate power with the body as a coherent
Unit) and principles of application
BODY USE:
The
basic solo training in Ba Gua Zhang is
designed to teach the practitioner how to
control his or her momentum and timing in
order to generate power with the entire body
mass as a coherent unit. In the Chinese
martial arts, this type of power is referred
to as whole body power (Zheng Ti Jing).
Whole body power enables the practitioner to
issue force from any part of the body with
the support of all other parts. Each part of
the body coordinates with every other,
generating the maximum amount of power
available relative to the individual's size
and weight. Whole body power is applied in
all categories of Ba Gua Zhang techniques,
striking, kicking, grappling and throwing.
In
order to create whole body power in the Ba
Gua Zhang format, as well as to facilitate
the agile and evasive footwork utilized in
the Art, all styles of Ba Gua Zhang
emphasize complete physical relaxation,
correct skeletal alignment, natural
movements which are in harmony with the
body's inborn reflexes and inherent design
and that all movements are directed by the
intent.
It
is the fighting strategy of Ba Gua Zhang
which most sets it apart from all other
styles of martial art. Dong Hai Quan's
unique background and combat experience,
combined with his talent, resulted in a
strategy of personal combat that had
remained undiscovered in the preceding
millennia of martial development in China.
Basically, Ba Gua Zhang fighting theory
advocates the complete avoidance of opposing
power with power and adopts a kind of
guerilla warfare mentality. The Ba Gua Zhang
fighter continuously seeks to avoid the apex
of the opponent's force and attacks or
counterattacks from the opponent's weak
angles. By circling around and circumventing
incoming force and resistance, the Ba Gua
Zhang fighter applies his own whole body
power from a position of superiority This
strategy allows the smaller and weaker
fighter to apply maximum force from an angle
at which the larger and stronger opponent
cannot resist, effectively making the weaker
fighter more powerful at that moment (for
example, I have 10 units of total strength
and my opponent has 20. I attack with my
full 10 units of strength at an angle at
which my opponent is only able to use 5
units of his total strength. I am, at that
moment, literally twice as strong as my
opponent).
In
order to obtain a superior position, the Ba
Gua Zhang fighter applies the basic
strategies trained in the solo forms'
practice, that is, circling around the
opponent or rotating the opponent around
oneself. The result is the same in both
cases. The Ba Gua Zhang fighter avoids a
head to head confrontation with the
opponent's power and obtains a superior
position from which to attack. Along the
way, the opponent often becomes entangled in
the Ba G·ua Zhang fighter's limbs and loses
control of his center of balance (correctly
applied momentum overcomes brute strength
every time). This loss of balance causes a
commensurate loss of power and further
weakens the opponent, leaving him vulnerable
to the Ba Gun Zhang fighter's attack.
Finally, the relaxed physical and mental
state of the Ba Gua Zhang fighter makes it
possible for him to change and adapt as the
situation demands. His movements are
spontaneous and difficult to predict.
Fighters of all disciplines agree that the
unpredictable fighter is the hardest to beat
(especially when he circles behind you!).
Common Aspects: The practice of circle walking, or 'Turning the Circle', as it is sometimes called, is baguazhang's characteristic method of stance and movement training. Practitioners walk around the edge of a circle in various stances, facing the center, and periodically change direction as they execute forms. Students first learn flexibility through such exercises, then move on to more complex forms and internal power mechanics. The internal aspects of baguazhang are very similar to those of xingyi and tai chi.
Many distinctive styles of weapons are contained within baguazhang, including the uniquely crescent-shaped deerhorn knives, and the easily concealed "scholar's pen." Baguazhang is also known for practicing with extremely large weapons, such as the Bāguŕdāo (八卦刀), or 'Bagua Broadsword.'
Baguazhang contains an extremely wide variety of techniques, including various strikes, low kicks, joint techniques, throws, and distinctively circular footwork.
At
some point during his travels, Dong became a
member of the Chuan Zhen (Complete Truth)
sect of Daoism. The Daoists of this sect
practiced a method of walking in a circle
white reciting certain mantras. The practice
was designed to quiet the mind and focus the
intent as a prelude to enlightenment. Dong
later combined the circle walking mechanics
with the martial arts he had mastered in his
youth to create a new style based on
mobility and the ability to apply techniques
while in constant motion (heretofore unknown
in the history of Chinese martial arts).
