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Ba Gua Zhang
(By Ben Skywalker) (Return to Teachings)

These lessons were written by Tom-Liu Hong.


 * Ba Gua Zhang

Lesson One**

Ba Gua Zhang is an internal martial art that is designed to defend simultaneously against multiple opponents. It is made up of circling, coiling movements that allow the defender to evade one opponent and attack another; then immediately change to respond to the original attacker or even a third or fourth.

The Ba Gua practitioner moves with whirling, fluid grace, continuously maneuvering in quick arcing and flowing patterns.

If you have ever seen the animated series, Avatar the Last Airbender, the art of airbending is based on Ba Gua Zhang.

Since Ba Gua, like Tai Chi, is an internal martial art, it is also a form of Qigong. So, it shouldn't be practiced until you have some basic Qigong training. The same deep belly breathing techniques are used in Ba Gua.

Here are some Ba Gua essentials.

1. Relax, but do not become limp. 2. Round the back, but do not hunch. 3. Sink the Qi to the Dan Tian. 4. Slightly concave the chest. 5. Calm and prepare the mind. 6. Don't use excessive strength. 7. Breathe from the lower belly.

1. What kind of martial art is Ba Gua Zhang?

2. This means it is also a form of what?

3. What kind of movements make Ba Gua Zhang?


 * Lesson Two

Walking the Circle**

This is the most fundamental exercise of Ba Gua Zhang. It is essential that the Ba Gua practitioner fully understand circle-walking.

Begin by defining the circle. It is traditional to draw (or imagine) a circle eight feet in diameter. They often have a central reference point such as a tree in the center.

When walking in a clockwise direction, place the right foot forward; when walking counter-clockwise, the left foot leads. The lead foot is on the inner edge of the circle's boundary, and the rear foot is on the outer edge. The feet do not walk on the line of the circle, but along the edge.

Now drop your weight, so the lower body fully supports the upper. Bend at the knees and hold your weight in your rear leg so that the lead foot is "empty" - that is you may lift it off the ground without upsetting your balance. Push into the ground with the rear foot, simultaneously stretching the top of the head upward, as if it is being pulled up by a string.

Turn the upper torso to face the circle's center. Stretch the inner arm toward the center, palm forward, fingers pulled back and vertical, rounding the palm. Stretch the outer arm across the body, toward the center, as if guarding the ribs; "point" at the inner arm's elbow with the index finger. Strive to eliminate sharp angles from the body; concave the chest, and curve the arms as they stretch toward the circle's center.

Step forward with the lead foot to begin walking the circle, and use the forward legs to "pull" the hips forward. The feet move along the circle as if on two separate tracks, one just inside the circle and the other just outside.

As you walk, keep your knees close so that they brush together while stepping through each movement. Transfer weight to the lead foot only when ready to use it to pull the rear leg forward. Finally you must constantly reorient the upper body to the circle's center, changing the angles of the curved, stretched arms and palms continuously stretching outward.

In the material that follows you should master each section before moving on to the next.

Practice walking a real or imaginary circle as described in this exercise. You should continue to practice this until you can move around the circle naturally without feeling awkward in any way. Make a post about your progress in your introduction topic.


 * Lesson Three

Ba Gua Zhang Stances**

Ba Gua Zhang uses most of the basic stances from kungfu and other martial arts.

- Horse stance - Front stance - Tiger Stance - Empty stance - Crane stance - Lotus stance - Back step stance

Plus there are a few stances that are specific to Ba Gua Zhang.

Toe-in step: This is a special way to step, turn, and change direction when walking in Ba Gua Zhang practice. The foot that steps forward has the toes pointing inward (the ankle is turned inward as well) and travels forward on an inward curving path. Touch the ground with the ball of the foot first; the knees are bent and close together. The foot that makes the toe-in step should be close to the other foot, no farther apart than the width of your own foot, and can be closer than that if necessary.

The toe-in step in Ba Gua Zhang is normally performed as a gradual transfer of weight onto that foot, with the knee, hip, and upper body turning in the direction the toes are pointed. The toe-in step allows for a very fast yet stable change of direction and can be used in many different ways. It also helps the Qi to sink down into the Dan Tian.

Toe-out step: The toe-out step is another way to change direction while walking in Ba Gua Zhang, and it's as important as the toe-in step. The foot that steps forward has the toes pointing outward (the ankle turned outward as well) and travels forward on a curved outward path. Usually, you touch the ground with the ball of the foot first, then slide the foot a little farther, but in some cases, you touch down with the heel first and pivot the foot as it makes contact with the ground (this allows for a wider stance or for the step to be used as a way to hook an opponent's foot). Transfer your weight onto the toe-out foot, with the knee, hip, and upper body following the direction of the toes.

The toe-out step can be big or small and use various angles and distances, depending on the fighter's needs. In fighting, the toe-out step is used to go around an opponent to avoid direct attack. It can also be used as a curved step with which to change angles, enabling you to get closer to an opponent's centerline to attack.

V Stance: This is a special stance often used in Ba Gua Zhang, which is formed by a toe-in step. Both feet pointed inward to form a V; the knees are bent and close together. The body weight is evenly distributed on both legs. In this stance training you compress and relax all the joints, open the lower back, and sink downward. This stance is for cultivating the spiraling energy that runs from the rooted feet, up the back of the legs, and up through the hips into the spinal cord. The energy continues travelling vertebra by vertebra up to the neck and head, while flowing sideways to the shoulders, through the opened shoulder blades, and out to the arms, palms, and fingertips. the arms are crosses, compressing and gathering energy, as you sink into a sitting position. The Dan Tian should be totally relaxed.

In Ba Gua Zhang practice, this position is almost always practiced with the weight transferring from one leg to the other because in a martial application, the toe-in step turns into a hooked step used to lock the opponent's foot while simultaneously applying a shoulder strike. This complete posture (upper and lower body) is often called Conceal the Flowers Under the Leaves to refer to an important concept in Ba Gua Zhang, which is hiding the compressed and coiled parts of the body before launching a sudden change or release of a hidden palm strike.

Ba Gua Zhang Scissors Stance: This is the trademark stance of the art of Ba Gua Zhang. In the scissors stance most of the body weight is on the back foot. The center of the crown (the Bai Hui) should always be in alignment with the bottom of the torso (the Hui Yin). You should maintain this straight vertical line, which travels all the way down through your central core, regardless of how many degrees or angles you twist sideways with your waist and hips.

Head: Hold your head upright, keeping your chin parallel to the floor. Chest and back: Relax the chest inward naturally, and keep the back rounded, yet straight and natural. Spine: Keep the spine straight. Shoulders: Relax and drop the shoulders. Arms: Extend both arms out from the shoulder blades. Elbows: Drop the elbows' strength reaches the heels of the hands. Hands and fingers: Spread the thumb outward and extend the forefinger. Keep the forefinger relaxed. This forms the Tiger's Mouth. Waist: The waist is relaxed and coils to the side. Hips: The hips are in a sitting position, while the buttocks are tilted slightly forward. The sacrum is flat and there is a crease where the legs join the torso. Legs, knees, and feet: The legs are close together, and the knees are bent and over the feet. The feet are flat on the ground - you should have the sensation of being rooted to the earth. Breathing: Breathe into the Dan Tian. Never hold your breath. Mind: You should be calm, clear-headed, and aware of your entire environment.

This posture is also called Green Dragon Stretches Its Claws. It is an opposite posture to Conceal the Flowers Under the Leaves (the V Stance). It opens up the body and spirals energy from the bottom of the back foot up to the palms.

Practice these steps and practice using them as you walk the circle. Practice until they feel natural. Post about your progress in your introduction topic.


 * Lesson Four

Ba Gua Zhang Palm Positions**

A wide variety of palm positions are used in training as well as in the movement practices of Ba Gua Zhang. In all these palm positions, the hands are stretched, open, and never tensed.

Dragon Claw Palm - In this position the hand is extended naturally, fingers slightly separated, thumb at such an angle that it could close like a mouth against fingers.

Thrusting Palm - In this position the hand is extended, palm up, fingers together, as though it could be used like a sword.

Pushing Out Palm - In this position the palm is used as if pushing something outward from the body, thumb aimed downward.

Yin Palm - In this position the palm is twisted inward so fingers are together and pointed downward.

Yang Palm - In this position the palm is cocked upward as if to stop someone.

Coiling Palm - In this position the hand is extended upward in front of you and twisted so the palm is facing toward the outside. Right palm will be facing toward the right, left palm will be facing toward the left.

Double Palm - In this position the hands are held in front of you, wrists together, and palms and fingers extended as though a ball could be balanced within them

Fist Palm - This is simply a fist with the thumb on the outside of the fingers.

Practice these palm positions until you can form them naturally. Make a post about your progress in your introduction topic.