Hi guys I am trying to get involved in this martial art as Taiji is not part of my karma. I never liked it. It wasn't meant for me. Personally I find bagua more in touch with yin & yang interaction and harmony. I'd like to know which of the bagua styles are better for a beginner like me. Second question: are there any good videos where I can get started? (I know videos are no good, but gee better a video than nothing). Thanks, Gerard.
Bagua styles aren't based on pre and post natal - that's more associated with the philosophy. Different bagua styles place emphasis on different animals, and lineage. If you live in a big city you've probably got more options for practicing, but as bagua is not very well-known, you might have to go with what is taught nearby. You could learn off a video but bagua is a very intensive style to learn. It's much better for you to learn with a real life teacher.
Anyone that is willing to teach me bagua in Brisbane area (Queensland). I will really appreciate it. Email: gerard@alexandria.cc
Bagua Hello everyone, Please could someone here tell me a little about bagua? I currently kickbox, which I'm sure is utterly different, but a friend asked me to join them at bagua classes. What would I expect bagua to be like? Any info gratefully received!
Like getting into a fight with an octopus on steroids, or a snake with six arms. It's all about close quarters fighting but it's not grappling. Instead, it's more about using your own body movement to unbalance and trap/guide the other person. Also, it's training stepping methods so you're able to attack from all directions, not straight on "mano-e-mano" as 95% of other martial arts train.
Thank you. That sounds interesting and certainly different. Is learning bagua much different from learning, say, something like wu shu? My friend went to a bagua seminar where the whole day was spent walking in a circle. So I'd presumed bagua would be more about harmony (or like tai chi) than fighting. I've seen a number of bagua videos advertised in Martial Arts Illustrated magazine, but it's hard to tell whether a particular video is any good. I also saw that Amazon had the odd one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004CN2R/ref=pd_ecs_v_h__b_a/026-9136495-9156415 Amazon also had a number of books too.
Bagua more about Harmony? My friend, Bagua is all about combat. it's one of the most effective forms of fighting around. very down to earth and brutal. make sure you find a good teacher who knows the usage not only the excersise. good luck.
Thank you OK, thanks a lot for the info. Although I'm sticking to my main style (kickboxing) I've found a ba gua seminar for beginners to attend, which I have been told would be a good introduction. We'll see what happens after that. From what I've read on MAP, I'm looking forward to starting to learn some ba gau - very curious! I'm lucky enough to have a Hsing-I teacher in my locality, but I have been told I need at least a year's chi kung practice before it's possible to study hsing-i. There are only so many things it's possible to focus on at a time, unfortunately, as I gather hsing-i is a very rare style. Thanks again for the info.
You have to have a good look around or be prepared to do a lot of practice if you want to learn bagua. Most teachers will make you walk in circles or do weird qigong exercises for months (at least) before showing you the basic forms. In a lot of ways it's a cultural/tradition thing - that you should show respect for the teacher and that you're "worthy" of him to transmit his knowledge to you. But sometimes the teacher just doesn't have a clue and after a few months you'll realise he actually doesn't know many forms/applications at all. Any teacher worth going to should be prepared to show you a little bagua himself. The internal tradition is a lot less formal than many external MA sifu/student hierarchies, so you should be comfortable enough to ask honest questions. Just ask if you're in a class and admit that you're curious as to how it's practiced at higher levels. Bagua forms practiced at a decent speed by someone who knows what he's doing is an amazing thing to watch.
Hello nzric, Yes, I think months of walking in circles beckon before I can progress ... I hope I can cope with this to learn ba gua. However, a year of qigong exercises before learning hsing-i is too much for me! One of the two is ample to practice, anyway, as I have a regular kickboxing class as it is. Many thanks for the tip - I'll ask for a demo. I browsed a good book in a bookshop at the weekend: "The Power of Internal Martial Arts: Combat Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I" by Frantzis. I might buy a copy before my seminar, as I have been advised that pre-reading will help.
