Bagua

[Hideout]

Jeeze, I'm surprised to not see any bagua topics in here, are any of you interested in it? I know I am looking for a teacher so I can start learning it.

[rubybeetle]

I'm interested, however, there are no schools around here.
I found a cool site to check out, it has a link for schools, but it seems limited.

http://www.pakua.org/

[parise]

Can someone explain to me what bagua is about? I have never heard of it.

[rubybeetle]

I know so little about bagua, I couldn't do it justice. I found great article that might help though: http://www.shenwu.com/bagua.htm

The circle walking training is supposed to have a profound effect on your health. Here's another link: http://www.energyarts.com/cms/index.php?id=54

[Nimzo-Larsen Attack]

Bagua is a very obscure art. Its hard to learn self defense using it. I once met a huckster who was Han (that’s Mandarin for Chinese….) who didn’t know jack about Bagua yet claimed he was a master. He taught nothing but Qi Gong…

I’m into Tong Bei Pigua so I know a little something about the palm…and even I find Bagua to be complex and mysterious …

Its defiantly and art that takes years of study to obtain a solid martial prowess. Such is the way of Daoist arts

[disgruntled]

have you ever studied Bagua?

[Nimzo-Larsen Attack]

No but I have twenty odd years in martial arts: Tong Bei Pigua (my main art) and Aikido (2nd Dan)

Its important to remember Bagua is a strategy rather than an art. (Hence so many styles of Bagua) An art based on the circle using some very advanced footwork. Against a skilled/experienced opponent, few that I have seen can do Bagua martially…

With the current MMA craze, arts such as Bagua are misunderstood.

A lot of arts base their strategy off of the manipulation of the opponent’s tempo in a fight. Bagua, from what I know is one of them. (as is Aikido) These arts study applications based on exploiting the opponent when his tempo is out of whack.. Throws are momentum based ( I.e. they require the opponent to be moving instead of your standard Judo type throws (which are sophisticated in themselves but are more "tempo stationary" in application ) Striking attacks ( palm, punch or kick etc etc…) in these arts entail the opponent moving into the attack or the opposite direction for maximum shearing/whiplash effect.

The real Gung Fu (high achievement) of these arts is learning all the incidentals that pull off the desired effect of tempo manipulation. An example, using a punch kick combination to produce a set up for a joint lock or momentum throw …this might entail dancing on the edge of the opponents bubble and constantly retrograding till he responses to a fake, moves the wrong way, telegraphs an attack etc etc….

Most learn Bagua techniques, few learn the strategy (its like knowing how the chess pieces move but not mastering the strategy of chess…) These arts are not really conducive to sport fighting (as are a lot of traditional arts).
Who wants to pay money to see a guy continually back up, move side to side, disengage then reengaged only to do it all over and over again if he hasn’t achieved the desired effect? Most MMA organizations have rules against avoiding contact (not coming forward to press the attack etc...)

The world is not a cage…..A fight is not a race, what matters is to be “metaphysically small” to circumvent the opponents applications and to be the last one standing. Not to say sport fighting isn't great. I love it. MMA has also defined a lot of martial truths in what is effective and what isn't. Watch the better MMA fighters, they manipulate thier opponents tempo big time...just in a different manner than a person doing Aikido or Bagua would do because they use different applications

[disgruntled]

cool, thanks that clear some things up... + rep

[hurgoll]

Originally Posted by rubybeetle

I know so little about bagua, I couldn't do it justice. I found great article that might help though: http://www.shenwu.com/bagua.htm

The circle walking training is supposed to have a profound effect on your health. Here's another link: http://www.energyarts.com/cms/index.php?id=54

The second link didn't work for me, but the main site of energyarts was pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.

Now if I could unblock some of my energy channels.