Eight Trigrams Palm
Research conducted by Professor Kang Ge-Wu (a boxing brother of
Shifu Wen's, he was a student of Shifu Peng Qing) states that Bagua
Zhang was created by Dong Hai-Chuan in the 1850's. Bagua is the
youngest of the internal styles. In combat it stresses adaptation
to change, answering change with change. It uses a great variety
of attacking and defensive movements reflecting the philosophy of
the Taoist "Yi Jing" or Book of Changes. This book describes the
eight trigrams, a series of solid or broken lines which, when combined
into groups, can be used for divination. "Hardness and softness
assist each other, the eight trigrams influence each other"(Yi Jing.)
The result of combining different trigrams causes the change. In
this way the Bagua Zhang practitioner reflects their opponents'
movements, and overcome their attacks with technique, of either
hardness or softness, whichever is appropriate. The principle of
this form of boxing is "having movement as it's foundation and change
as it's method" The circular footwork is peculiar to this style
and enables the practitioner to change direction, angle or height
of attack with speed and fluidity. The circular walking is believed
to have developed from a Taoist moving meditation called "Rotating
in Worship of Heaven". Which uses the same circle walking and the
feeling of "stillness in moving" as well as the focus and clarity
of mind. The circle walking also develops the internal energy and
strengthens the body. Shifu Wen's Shifu Sha Guo-Sheng had various
masters including Jiang Rongqiao. |
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