I found this article interesting about Bagua usage and freedom of expression. Ive been saying for a long time BaGua practitioner should be able to modify create and evolve their own personal expression of BaGua. But some individuals just too close minded to do so. Ren Wen Zhu says that tang ni bu was created by Dong Hai Quan and is not found in the original Bagua. Of course the Beijing people might possibly reply that Wen An’s Bagua is incomplete so let’s sidestep this thorny issue and instead inspect the technique. In Ren Wen Zhu’s training the bai and kou are treated the same as in Bagua. Of course without that how can we walk a circle? The big difference lies in the step. First of all, the foot must be raised three to five inches above the ground and returned in a heavy, stamping, though quiet, manner. After the student’s technique has improved, then he must work on increasing the speed. In the end, Ba Pan practitioners don’t walk but instead run the circle. These different techniques are clear trademarks separating Bagua from Ba Pan Zhang. In my opinion, the tang ni bu is extremely important to Bagua usage. If it is Dong Hai Quan’s own creation, then it is the development of a combat genius. Sadly this step is rarely performed correctly because we don’t use Kung Fu to fight anymore. Most unfortunately, the worst example of tang ni bu, found in China’s modern Wushu, is now starting to spread to foreign countries. Nowadays Bagua forms are always fixed regardless of the stylistic diversities of different branches. The higher generation Bagua masters, however, had the freedom to show personal interpretations and create their own sequences. Following that tradition, WenAn’s Ba Pan practitioners enjoy a lot more freedom in practicing the movements. Movements may be performed by themselves, linked together as short sequences, or stretched out into forms. Practitioners are free to compose their own forms while adhering to fundamental rules: the basic eight palms with the basic eight legs and the basic eight postures. And every single one of the basic eight grand postures supports seven subordinate postures: in other words, one plus seven postures equals eight movements. If we link all of them together it becomes a sixty-four movement form. As we all know, Bagua practice shows very few kicks but in actuality it does contain them. There’s a Chinese way to say it: “lots of an Tui,” or “hidden kicks.” But Ba Pan practice shows more kicking, or “ming tui” or “visible kicks.” Ba Pan Zhang actually pays special attention to the number of palm strikes and leg kicks which are used: “upper, how many palms; lower, how many legs.” In fact, most Kung Fu styles, not only Bagua, reveal fewer kicks than they actually employ. In Kung Fu, each single-leg and empty stance contains a potential kick.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 15:26:23 +0000
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