Taijiquan (太極拳) is the most popular Chinese martial art today, but very few practitioners of this elegant style have any of the legendary skills often attributed to old time masters like Yang Luchan (楊露禪) and others - once upon a time, taijiquan was known for its combat effectiveness, after all. Although reasons for this change no doubt include changes in society (laziness, lack of interest, mixing of styles, etc.), it is also likely that much important material has been kept "in the family" and not passed down to most practitioners - most glaring is the fact that Yang Luchan was famous for his spear prowess, but taiji spear is very rarely taught (or seen), if ever.
Ma Yueliang (馬岳樑), son-in-law of Wu Jianquan (吳鑒泉) and perhaps the most famous martial artist in Shanghai of his time, for various reasons revealed many sets and methods that are not well-known in other branches; notable are the original "fast form" (快拳) that he said he also saw the Yang family practice, a free-sparring method using a "S" moving pattern known as lancaihua (爛采花), and several spear routines (24 spear (二十四槍), 13 long spear (十三大槍), life-saving 3 spears (救命三槍)).
There also appears to be a cannon fist (十三炮捶) routine, several qigong methods (5 phases neigong (五行内功), 8 methods neigong (八式内功)), several sword routines (heaven and earth sword (乾坤劍), 7 star sword (七星劍), linking sword (連環劍), double swords (雙劍), partner sword (對劍)), as well as routines/methods similar to those in other styles of taijiquan (saber, sticky staff, various push hands methods, etc.).
As Wu style is an offshoot of Yang style, one would normally expect most material in the Wu style to have a similar counterpart in the Yang style (its direct parent style); today, perhaps someone does still retain such material, or else it may have been lost already.
Some Yang style lineages today do contain interesting, rarer material, such as the long form (太極長拳), which is performed faster than the slow form, as well as rare weapons, such as the halberd (戟). The various lineages, however, seem to have different rare material, making it difficult to discern the validity of each, which is often an underlying problem. Ma Yueliang himself noted that when he was young, he saw Yang Chengfu (楊澄甫) practice Yang style's fast form with his own eyes.
Showing posts with label Chinese Martial Arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese Martial Arts. Show all posts
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Baguazhang Survey (on YouTube)
As they say, a picture is often worth a thousand words, but how many words is a video worth? Although YouTube does not have everything and videos do tend to get deleted eventually, it does have a lot of videos, and I have selected a few videos to help show some of the differences between the many lineages of baguazhang. Unfortunately, it does seem that certain styles have a great many videos available, while others have hardly any at all.
Yin Style
Yin style baguazhang is in general the most archaic, with a strong Shaolin or luohanquan flavor (such as copious use of horse stance, bow stance, etc.). The first example of Yin style is that of Wang Shangzhi and his brother Wang Shangxin. Wang Shangzhi's baguazhang comes from his father Wang Fu, who learned from Yin Yuzhang (Yin Fu's 4th son) and He Zhongqi (Yin Fu's daughter's grandson).
A rather different flavor of Yin style is shown by the disciples of Gong Baozhai, who learned from his uncle Gong Baotian, a famous disciple of Yin Fu. Gong Baozhai's disciple Michael Guen performs the Yin Yang Palms below.
Liang Style
Liang style also absorbed the methods of other baguazhang masters, such as Liu Dekuan. Liang Zhenpu's disciple Guo Gumin learned much from Liu, including his 64 hands linear method, which is showed in its entirety below by Gao Jiwu, son of Gao Ziying, disciple of Guo.
Cheng Style
Cheng style is the most flowing and "taiji-like" of the bagua styles, and is the most well-known and recognizable of them. The late Si Zhen, disciple of Ma Deshan, who was a disciple of Cheng Tinghua's eldest son Cheng Youlong, demonstrates below.
Gao style is a substyle of Cheng that is quite different, yet looks quite similar on the outside to other Cheng lineages. Luo Dexiu, disciple of Hong Yixiang, who was Zhang Junfeng's disciple, demonstrates below.
Unfortunately, there is much that I was unable to find on YouTube; however, more will be added to this page if I find good examples.
Yin Style
Yin style baguazhang is in general the most archaic, with a strong Shaolin or luohanquan flavor (such as copious use of horse stance, bow stance, etc.). The first example of Yin style is that of Wang Shangzhi and his brother Wang Shangxin. Wang Shangzhi's baguazhang comes from his father Wang Fu, who learned from Yin Yuzhang (Yin Fu's 4th son) and He Zhongqi (Yin Fu's daughter's grandson).
A rather different flavor of Yin style is shown by the disciples of Gong Baozhai, who learned from his uncle Gong Baotian, a famous disciple of Yin Fu. Gong Baozhai's disciple Michael Guen performs the Yin Yang Palms below.
Liang Style
Liang style also absorbed the methods of other baguazhang masters, such as Liu Dekuan. Liang Zhenpu's disciple Guo Gumin learned much from Liu, including his 64 hands linear method, which is showed in its entirety below by Gao Jiwu, son of Gao Ziying, disciple of Guo.
Cheng Style
Cheng style is the most flowing and "taiji-like" of the bagua styles, and is the most well-known and recognizable of them. The late Si Zhen, disciple of Ma Deshan, who was a disciple of Cheng Tinghua's eldest son Cheng Youlong, demonstrates below.
Gao style is a substyle of Cheng that is quite different, yet looks quite similar on the outside to other Cheng lineages. Luo Dexiu, disciple of Hong Yixiang, who was Zhang Junfeng's disciple, demonstrates below.
Unfortunately, there is much that I was unable to find on YouTube; however, more will be added to this page if I find good examples.
Monday, April 26, 2010
A Vague Introduction to the Various Styles of Baguazhang
There are numerous styles of baguazhang existing today, but there are significant differences between them - in fact, often, it seems that there is more different than same. Nevertheless, there are a few similarities that all do share:
The fundamental practice of walking in a circle is most important for baguazhang practitioners of all lineages, although many lines have supplemented this practice with standing methods as well (such as the Cheng (程) style of Liu Bin (劉斌) and many Yin (尹) styles). The rare Fan (樊) style of baguazhang places somewhat less importance on the practice of walking than other lineages.
Fundamental palm techniques that are shared by most baguazhang lineages include the famous piercing palm (穿掌), but the methods and applications of this skill differ across the lineages. Another well-known skill is the 72 hidden kicks (七十二暗腿), but the exact contents of these techniques may differ from lineage to lineage.
Baguazhang has also always had a strong association with luohanquan; for example, Sun Lutang mentioned 18 lines of luohanquan in his Study of Bagua Boxing (八卦拳學) book. Also Sun learned Cheng style baguazhang, Yin style is more well-known for its luohanquan sets, although the other styles sometimes have a set or two of luohanquan as well.
Baguazhang is well-known for certain unique weapons in its repertoire, the most famous of which is the seven star rod, and thus many baguazhang lineages have 2-3 sets of this weapon, although the sets often differ significantly. Other weapons typical to baguazhang include the deer antler knives (鹿角刀), the judge pens (判官筆), and others.
The actual material taught in each of the baguazhang lineages can differ greatly; for example:
Yin style: 64 palms, 18 luohanquan, tuituozhang, wuji staff, 18 intercepting saber, etc.
Cheng style: 8 mother palms, 8 x 8 animal palms, 5 phase kicks, deer horn knives, pointing way saber, etc.
Liang style: 8 old palms, 8 linking palms, 64 hands, chicken claw razors, copper maces, iron fan, etc.
The large difference in material may be the result of one or more of the following:
- Philosophical basis on the eight trigrams (八卦)
- Fundamental practice of walking in a circle
- Fundamental palm techniques
- Some kind of luohanquan (羅漢拳) or "arhat style" routines
- Unique bagua weapons like the seven star rod (七星竿)
- Lineage originating from Dong Haichuan (董海川), who taught baguazhang in the Forbidden City at the end of the Qing Dynasty
The fundamental practice of walking in a circle is most important for baguazhang practitioners of all lineages, although many lines have supplemented this practice with standing methods as well (such as the Cheng (程) style of Liu Bin (劉斌) and many Yin (尹) styles). The rare Fan (樊) style of baguazhang places somewhat less importance on the practice of walking than other lineages.
Fundamental palm techniques that are shared by most baguazhang lineages include the famous piercing palm (穿掌), but the methods and applications of this skill differ across the lineages. Another well-known skill is the 72 hidden kicks (七十二暗腿), but the exact contents of these techniques may differ from lineage to lineage.
Baguazhang has also always had a strong association with luohanquan; for example, Sun Lutang mentioned 18 lines of luohanquan in his Study of Bagua Boxing (八卦拳學) book. Also Sun learned Cheng style baguazhang, Yin style is more well-known for its luohanquan sets, although the other styles sometimes have a set or two of luohanquan as well.
Baguazhang is well-known for certain unique weapons in its repertoire, the most famous of which is the seven star rod, and thus many baguazhang lineages have 2-3 sets of this weapon, although the sets often differ significantly. Other weapons typical to baguazhang include the deer antler knives (鹿角刀), the judge pens (判官筆), and others.
The actual material taught in each of the baguazhang lineages can differ greatly; for example:
Yin style: 64 palms, 18 luohanquan, tuituozhang, wuji staff, 18 intercepting saber, etc.
Cheng style: 8 mother palms, 8 x 8 animal palms, 5 phase kicks, deer horn knives, pointing way saber, etc.
Liang style: 8 old palms, 8 linking palms, 64 hands, chicken claw razors, copper maces, iron fan, etc.
The large difference in material may be the result of one or more of the following:
- Dong Haichuan was said to have taught by word and not example
- Dong Haichuan may have changed his own material as he aged, thus teaching different material at different times of his life
- 2nd and 3rd generation practitioners added to and reorganized baguazhang's material, including influence from other styles like xingyiquan, taijiquan, and yingzhaoquan (eagle claw)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Zhang Style Chaquan: Chaquan #4
In the summer of 1998, I spent two months in Beijing, China, at the Normal University Foreign Languages Institute (首都師範大學外國語學院). Naturally being very interested in Chinese martial arts (even back then), I managed to learn with a few teachers, including the coach at the Normal University proper, who taught me Chaquan #4 (查拳四路).
Chaquan is a famous style of the "longfist" category - basically, it was one of the main styles that was the basis for the modern wushu changquan style (which is what Jet Li and other movie stars use onscreen). Chaquan is an elegant style with actual combat application, but it can be quite difficult to understand simply by watching. The system is quite large, including 10 forms of chaquan, 3 forms of huaquan (滑拳), 2 forms of tuiquan (腿拳) basic training, and many weapons forms.
Chaquan was once a very widespread style, with many practitioners in Shandong, Henan, and Shanghai. Although I have forgotten most of what I learned, doing some research, it seems that what I learned was from the Zhang style (張式), from Shandong.
The 72 movements of this long set, in 4 sections, are given in their entirety below.
預備勢 - Ready Posture
第一段 - Section 1
對拳 - Fists Together
上步對拳 - Step Forward, Fists Together
跨步引掌 - Rushing Step, Pull Palm
馬步撩推掌 - Horse Step, Uplifting Pushing Palm
彈腿擊掌 - Flicking Leg, Attacking Palm
虛步亮掌 - Empty Step, Flashing Palm
橫襠步亮掌 - Side Step Stance, Flashing Palm
歇步挑掌 - Resting Step, Raising Palm
並步衝拳 - Parallel Step, Rushing Fist
彈腿擊掌 - Flicking Leg, Attacking Palm
弓步插掌 - Bow Step, Inserting Palm
馬步掛掌 - Horse Step, Hooking Palm
虛步按掌 - Empty Step, Pressing Palm
獨立勢 - One-legged Posture
並步雙擺掌 - Parallel Step, Double Swinging Palms
跨步擊掌 - Rushing Step, Attacking Palm
弟二段 - Section 2
仆步 - Crouching Step
歇步擺掌 - Resting Step, Swinging Palms
並步托掌 - Parallel Step, Upholding Palm
仆步穿掌 - Falling Step, Piercing Palm
弓步撩掌 - Bow Step, Uplifting Palm
跳步彈腿 - Leaping Step, Flicking Leg
弓步架打 - Bow Step, Propping Hit
虛步屈肘 - Empty Step, Bending Elbow
轉身馬步架打 - Rotating Body Horse Step, Propping Hit
提膝雙擺掌 - Lift Knee, Double Swinging Palms
趨步劈打 - Hurrying Step, Chop Hit
弓步靠掌 - Bow Step, Leaning Palm
第三段 - Section 3
白鸖亮翅 - White Crane Flashes Wings
虛步亮掌 - Empty Step, Flashing Palm
獨立勢 - One-legged Posture
上步穿掌 - Step Forward, Piercing Palm
轉身騰空飛腳 - Rotate Body, Aerial Flying Kick
虛步亮掌 - Empty Step, Flashing Palm
弓步撩掌 - Bow Step, Uplifting Palm
墊步蹬腳 - Skipping Step, Kicking Leg
弓步劈打 - Bow Step, Chopping Hit
馬步托打 - Horse Step, Upholding Hit
歇步抓肩 - Resting Step, Seize Shoulder
馬步壓肘 - Horse Step, Press Elbow
弓步擊掌 - Bow Step, Attacking Palm
馬步架打 - Horse Step, Propping Hit
提膝挎肘 - Raise Knee, Carry Elbow
弓步抱拳 - Bow Step, Embrace Fists
並步對拳 - Parallel Step, Fists Together
跳弓步頂肘 - Leaping Bow Step, Push Elbow
上步蓋掌 - Step Forward, Covering Palm
馬步架打 - Horse Step, Propping Hit
轉身掛掌 - Rotate Body, Grabbing Palm
弟四段 - Section 4
弓步雙推掌 - Bow Step, Double Pushing Palms
歇步捋手 - Resting Step, Pull Hand
退步擊掌 - Step Backwards, Attacking Palm
虛步按掌 - Empty Step, Press Palm
弓步衝拳 - Bow Step, Rushing Fist
上步拍腳 - Step Forward, Clap Foot
弓步橫掌 - Bot Step, Sideways Palm
歇步十字手 - Resting Step, Cross Hands
側踹腿 - Sideways Kicking Leg
弓步衝拳 - Bow Step, Rushing Fist
彈腿擊掌 - Flicking Leg, Attacking Palm
馬步推掌 - Horse Step, Pushing Palm
虛步按掌 - Empty Step, Pressing Palm
獨立勢 - One-legged Posture
上步穿掌 - Step Forward, Piercing Palm
轉身橫掌 - Rotate Body, Sideways Palm
並步舉掌 - Parallel Step, Raise Palms
踏步上衝拳 - Stamping Step, Upper Rushing Fist
單鞭勢 - Single Whip Posture
弓步按掌 - Bow Step, Pressing Palm
擊三拳 - Attacking Three Fists
並步擺拳 - Parallel Step, Swinging Fists
退步按掌 - Step Backwards, Press Palm
收勢 - Closing Posture
I only remember this set in pieces, but I will try to revive it if I can!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Seven Star Praying Mantis: Bengbu
Image courtesy Luc Viatour
Although I now mainly practice baguazhang and xingyiquan, in the past I tried many styles, such as changquan, taijiquan, chaquan, Choy Lee Fut, Hung Gar, zuiquan, and even a smattering of Wing Chun. Unfortunately, I have forgotten nearly all that I learned before... except for a single seven star praying mantis (七星螳螂拳; qixing tanglangquan) set, bengbu (崩步), whose 48 movements are given in their entirety below:
中平雙蓄勢 - Stable Preparatory Posture
跨虎斜補捶 - Straddle the Tiger Stance, Diagonal Capturing Fist
跨虎捕蟬式 - Straddle the Tiger Stance, Capture Cicada Posture
登山左插掌 - Dengshan Stance, Left Inserting Palm
登山右補捶 - Dengshan Stance, Right Capturing Fist
縱跳封統捶 - Leaping, Sealing Fist
入環右疊肘 - Ruhuan Stance, Elbow
入環右崩捶 - Ruhuan Stance, Backfist
背踢雙撥掌 - Back Kick, Double Releasing Palms
馬式雙封手 - Horse Stance, Double Sealing Hands
登山刁劈捶 - Dengshan Stance, Hammerfist
右勾摟采手 - Right Gou, Lou, Cai
跨虎番車式 - Straddle the Tiger Stance, Fanche
登山左插掌 - Dengshan Stance, Left Inserting Palm
登山右補捶 - Dengshan Stance, Right Capturing Fist
馬式雙封手 - Horse Stance, Double Sealing Hands
登山右腰斬 - Dengshan Stance, Right Waist Chop
馬式左崩捶 - Horse Stance, Left Backfist
提腿左刁手 - Raise Leg, Left Hook Hand
提腿反刁手 - Raise Leg, Reverse Hook Hand
馬式右劈軋 - Horse Stance, Right Chop and Crush
扭步左黏肘 - Wringing Step, Left Sticky Elbow
登山左拐肘 - Dengshan Stance, Left Capturing Elbow
登山右斜掌 - Dengshan Stance, Right Diagonal Palm
馬式正補捶 - Horse Stance, Forward Capturing Fist
雙刁左揪腿 - Double Hooks, Left Jiutui
雙刁右揪腿 - Double Hooks, Right Jiutui
跨虎反捆手 - Straddle the Tiger Stance, Reverse Capturing Hands
踢腿刁取眼 - Kicking Legs, Hooks to the Eyes
提腿雙擊掌 - Raise Leg, Double Attacking Palms
刁手反沖爪 - Hook Hands, Reverse Rushing Claws
拼腿上圈捶 - Parallel Legs, Upper Hook Fist
提腿下截捶 - Raise Leg, Lower Intercepting Fist
提腿上截捶 - Raise Leg, Upper Intercepting Fist
登山封齊掌 - Dengshan Stance, Sealing Together Palms
反封左措捶 - Reverse Sealing, Left Placing Fist
迎風右措捶 - Welcome the Wind, Right Placing Fist
挂手頂臍捶 - Sealing Hands, Top Navel Fist
吞塌右扇風 - Tunta Stance, Right Fan Wind
吞塌左扇風 - Tunta Stance, Left Fan Wind
吞塌右扇風 - Tunta Stance, Right Fan Wind
引針右腰斬 - Pull Needle, Right Waist Chop
登山左圈捶 - Dengshan Stance, Left Hook Fist
登山左崩捶 - Dengshan Stance, Left Backfist
七星左刁手 - Seven Star Left Hook Hand
七星右補捶 - Seven Star Right Capturing Fist
跨虎捕蟬式 - Straddle the Tiger Stance, Capture Cicada Posture
中平作收式 - Stable Ending Posture
The legendary founder of praying mantis, Wang Lang (王朗), was said to have created two sets - bengbu and bazhou (八肘), as well as a set of secret techniques called mishou (秘手). This version of bengbu comes down from the Hong Kong lineage of Luo Guangyu (羅光玉), and is a fun set that is a great introduction to the techniques of praying mantis:
The trademark mantis hands posture (捕蟬)
The trademark "rolling" punch with both arms (番車)
The trademark gou, lou, cai trapping hands (勾摟采)
The trademark mantis low kick to the Achilles tendon (揪腿)
A very strange and surprising kick that goes around from the back (背踢)
The set also contains most of the major seven star praying mantis stances, i.e.:
Horse stance (馬式)
Dengshan stance, i.e. bow stance (登山)
Tunta stance, i.e. low stance (吞塌)
One-legged stance (提腿)
Tiger straddling stance, i.e. empty stance (跨虎)
Ruhuan stance, i.e. entering ring stance (入環)
Seven star stance (七星)
The last two are peculiar to the seven star branch of praying mantis.
In general, praying mantis seems easier to understand "as-is" than some other northern Chinese martial arts, like chaquan. I do admit that I don't completely understand the form's applications, though - perhaps one day I will be able to follow up and learn some more of this very interesting style! It would also be interesting to compare with seven star praying mantis practitioners from mainland China as well.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Obituary: Baguazhang Master Si Zhen
Si Zhen (司珍), whose courtesy name (字) was Shangjie (尚傑), passed away on 2009.10.10 1:26 in Beijing. He was 84 years old. As disciple of Ma Deshan (馬德山), who was in turn disciple of Cheng Youlong (程有龍), eldest son of Cheng Tinghua (程廷華), Si Zhen represented orthodox Cheng style baguazhang in Beijing, and was well respected by the baguazhang community. Si Zhen's lineage is carried on by his top disciple, Kui Enfeng (奎恩鳳), courtesy name Shehao (社浩).
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
All About Ditangquan (地躺拳)
Ditangquan (地躺拳) is a style well-known for its spectacular acrobatics in wushu competitions, and is hardly even seen outside of modern wushu. But where did this athletic, exciting style come from?
Pan Qingfu (潘清福) and then-competitor Zhao Changjun (趙長軍) created the modern ditangquan together after the latter was rejected from the historic "White House Tour" of 1974 because his specialties were the monkey and drunken styles. As they believed that the original ditangquan was already lost, they "built" a new ditangquan using the drunken style as a base. As a result, modern ditangquan appears as something of a demonstration of fantastic acrobatics more than a martial art, and often features movements like the head flip (頭翻), pouncing tiger (撲虎), and tornado kick to fall.
Video of a young Zhao Changjun performing his ditangquan can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzubS_5dJww
In actuality, though, traditional ditangquan has in fact survived, and in various forms in both Taiwan and Mainland China.
In Taiwan, traditional ditangquan has been passed down via several old masters who escaped to the island during war. Of these, the most extensive ditangquan style is the digongquan (地功拳) passed down by Su Kegang (蘇克綱,名克剛,號起三) (1909-) from Qingdao City in Shandong Province, whose lineage is as follows: Li Ermiandazi (李二麵袋子) -> Liu Xiwei (劉希維) -> Su Kegang (蘇克綱).
His extensive digongquan curriculum consists the following:
Single Forms:
Linked Five Palms, with Extra Version and 2-Person Version (連五掌(附‧對打))
Kicking in Eight Directions (踢八方)
White Horse Descends Mountain (白馬下山)
Slippery Cart 1, 2, and 3 (滑車一，二，三段)
Drunken Style (醉拳)
Partner Forms:
Black Tiger Mountain (黑虎山)
Seizing Forgiveness Mountain (奪諒山)
Small Five Hands (小五手)
Hooking Parrying Fist (抅樓拳)
A video of the first form of Su Kegang's digongquan can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmpcuyKJpEI
A more thorough overview of Su Kegang's digongquan can be seen here:
Watching the above videos, one can see extensive hand and leg attacking movements; in fact, the first form has very few acrobatics at all! Later forms do show various acrobatics, however, including the drop-kick from one-handed cartwheel, scissors kick from spin-up, and kicking from arm stand back to standing.
In Mainland China, traditional ditangquan has survived as well; one notable example that has been described in literature is the ditangquan (also called "ground hopping stomping" (地踅卡) or "plum blossom falls to ground" (梅花落地)) as passed down within the Beijing style of chuojiaofanziquan (戳腳翻子拳). This lineage, passed down by Wu Binlou (吳斌樓), includes an extensive ditangquan curriculum in addition to its large chuojiao (戳腳) and fanziquan (翻子拳) curriculum:
Single Forms:
Son and Grandson Cinnabar (子孫丹)
Flying Scissors (飛剪)
Swallow Stuck (燕子卡)
Five Hopping Feet (五踅腳)
Golden Thread Hands (金絲手)
Small Eight Immortals (小八仙)
Drunken Eight Immortals (醉八仙)
Weapon Forms:
Rolling Dragon Saber (滾龍刀)
Ground Prone Whip (地躺鞭)
This style of ditangquan seems to favor some unique movements such as toad jumping (蛤蟆式); as a part of chuojiaofanziquan, it also mixes in the unique kicks of that style as well, such as mandarin duck kicking. The existence of weapon methods in this style is also very interesting.
This style of ditangquan seems to favor some unique movements such as toad jumping (蛤蟆式); as a part of chuojiaofanziquan, it also mixes in the unique kicks of that style as well, such as mandarin duck kicking. The existence of weapon methods in this style is also very interesting.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
New Baguazhang (and Xingyiquan) Discussion Board
So, I have started a new baguazhang (and xingyiquan) discussion board over here: http://baguazhang.proboards.com/
There are both English and Japanese sections; perhaps in the future I will add a Chinese section, but my Chinese is not really up to par (not sure if I can manage that). At present, the only members are me, myself, and I, so please go ahead and join! Feel free to be the first poster (there are some events listed, however).
The name of the board is Orthodox Baguazhang Research Society (正宗八卦掌研究社), and I hope it can serve to unite the various branches of orthodox baguazhang so that we can research together. (Orthodox, meaning verifiable lineages from Dong Haichuan - no home-grown bagua, please!)
There are both English and Japanese sections; perhaps in the future I will add a Chinese section, but my Chinese is not really up to par (not sure if I can manage that). At present, the only members are me, myself, and I, so please go ahead and join! Feel free to be the first poster (there are some events listed, however).
The name of the board is Orthodox Baguazhang Research Society (正宗八卦掌研究社), and I hope it can serve to unite the various branches of orthodox baguazhang so that we can research together. (Orthodox, meaning verifiable lineages from Dong Haichuan - no home-grown bagua, please!)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Liang Style Baguazhang Seminars in NYC
Tom Bisio, a respected teacher and practitioner of Chinese martial arts and traditional medicine based in New York City, is holding a series of (mostly) Liang style baguazhang seminars in the Big Apple itself! Details can be found here: http://www.newyorkinternalarts.com/martial.htm
The seminars appear to be concentrating on Liang style as passed down through Guo Gumin's (郭古民) disciple Gao Ziying (高子英) and then his son Gao Jiwu (高繼武), taught in monthly chunks of material, from foundational calisthenics, walking circles, the old eight palms, basic palms, elbows, kicks, locks, and throws, linear palms, linked palms, and even weapons. At $150 per seminar, this looks like a great opportunity for New Yorkers to learn substantial parts of the Liang baguazhang system, which is in general somewhat conservative and closed-door. (A bit of material from other styles is mixed in, notably the Tiangan (天干) exercises which come from Gao Yisheng (高義盛) style, as well as a few exercises from other styles, like crane stepping, which comes from Yin style.) Of particular interest are the weapon seminars, like the Bagua 64 Saber (六十四刀), which is normally quite hard to get teachers to teach you...
If people are hesitant to sign up for ALL the seminars (there are 20 planned altogether), I would recommend at least the following six, which cover core Liang style material:
Seminar 2: Fixed Posture Palms (定式八掌) - circle walking, of primary importance in baguazhang.
Seminar 6 and 7: Old Eight Palms (老八掌) - technical basis of baguazhang
Seminar 17 and 18: Bagua 64 Saber (六十四刀) - oversized saber, one of the representative weapons of baguazhang
Seminar 19: Bagua Rooster Claw Yin Yang Knife (鷄爪陰陽鴛鴦鋭) - unique weapon of baguazhang, said to be Dong Haichuan's (董海川) favorite weapon
In addition, the following six would be very nice as well:
Seminar 10: Elbow Methods - various elbow forms
Seminar 11: Throwing Methods
Seminar 12 and 13: 64 Hands (六十四手) - linear forms created by Liu Dekuan (劉德寬)
Seminar 15 and 16: Linking Palms (連環掌) - linking form, advanced version of old 8 palms
Of course, all courses would be even better, but...
There is of course additional material in Liang style baguazhang (such as swordplay, additional techniques, training methods, forms, etc.) - perhaps one could join Tom's regular class for some of that...
The seminars appear to be concentrating on Liang style as passed down through Guo Gumin's (郭古民) disciple Gao Ziying (高子英) and then his son Gao Jiwu (高繼武), taught in monthly chunks of material, from foundational calisthenics, walking circles, the old eight palms, basic palms, elbows, kicks, locks, and throws, linear palms, linked palms, and even weapons. At $150 per seminar, this looks like a great opportunity for New Yorkers to learn substantial parts of the Liang baguazhang system, which is in general somewhat conservative and closed-door. (A bit of material from other styles is mixed in, notably the Tiangan (天干) exercises which come from Gao Yisheng (高義盛) style, as well as a few exercises from other styles, like crane stepping, which comes from Yin style.) Of particular interest are the weapon seminars, like the Bagua 64 Saber (六十四刀), which is normally quite hard to get teachers to teach you...
If people are hesitant to sign up for ALL the seminars (there are 20 planned altogether), I would recommend at least the following six, which cover core Liang style material:
Seminar 2: Fixed Posture Palms (定式八掌) - circle walking, of primary importance in baguazhang.
Seminar 6 and 7: Old Eight Palms (老八掌) - technical basis of baguazhang
Seminar 17 and 18: Bagua 64 Saber (六十四刀) - oversized saber, one of the representative weapons of baguazhang
Seminar 19: Bagua Rooster Claw Yin Yang Knife (鷄爪陰陽鴛鴦鋭) - unique weapon of baguazhang, said to be Dong Haichuan's (董海川) favorite weapon
In addition, the following six would be very nice as well:
Seminar 10: Elbow Methods - various elbow forms
Seminar 11: Throwing Methods
Seminar 12 and 13: 64 Hands (六十四手) - linear forms created by Liu Dekuan (劉德寬)
Seminar 15 and 16: Linking Palms (連環掌) - linking form, advanced version of old 8 palms
Of course, all courses would be even better, but...
There is of course additional material in Liang style baguazhang (such as swordplay, additional techniques, training methods, forms, etc.) - perhaps one could join Tom's regular class for some of that...
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Liu Dekuan (1826-1911)
Liu Dekuan (劉德寛), whose style name was Jingyuan (敬遠), was born in Cangzhou, Hebei Province (河北滄州). In Cangzhou, Liu Dekuan learned Six Combinations Boxing (六合拳) from Li Fengyan (李鳳崗); in Beijing, he learned Yue Family Free Fighting (岳氏散手), today known as Eagle Claw Overturning Boxing (鷹爪翻子拳), from Liu Shijun (劉士俊). In the south, he also learned six lines of halberd (方天劃戟) methods. In Beijing, he also learned Baguazhang (八卦掌) from Dong Haichuan (董海川) and Taijiquan from Yang Luchan (楊露禪) (via Yang's son-in-law Xia Guoxun (夏國勛)).
In addition, in the 20th year of Guangxu (光緒二十年) (1894), Liu Dekuan, Liu Weixiang (劉維祥) (Guo Yunshen's (郭雲深) disciple of the Xingyi school), Cheng Tinghua (程廷華) (Dong Haichuan's disciple), Geng Jishan (耿繼善) (Liu Qilan's (劉奇蘭) disciple of the Xingyi school), and Li Cunyi (李存義) (also Liu Qilan's disciple) met in Beijing to combine the three families of Taiji, Bagua, and Xingyi into a single family, removing stylistic boundaries to study together and improve the arts. Through these exchanges, Liu Dekuan was able to further his study of Baguazhang and learn Xingyiquan as well.
As Liu Dekuan was well-versed in many styles and methods, he is an enigma in that a great many schools of martial arts are connected to him.
Liu Dekuan taught his taijiquan, which in modern times has been called "baguataijiquan" (八卦太極拳), to Cheng Youlong (程有龍) (Cheng Tinghua's eldest son), Guo Gumin (郭古民) (Liang Zhenpu's (梁振浦) disciple), and Wu Junshan (吳俊山) (Shi Jidong's (史計棟) disciple). Cheng Youlong taught Li Cunyi's disciple Guo Zhushan (郭鑄山) in his father's name. Guo Gumin taught Wu Yue (吳岳). Wu Junshan taught Zhang Xiangwu (張驤伍) of the Baji school, Fu Shuyun (傅淑雲) who later emigrated to Taiwan, He Fusheng (何福生), and Zhang Wenguang (張文廣) of the Cha school.
Liu Dekuan taught Six Combinations Boxing to Liu Caichen (劉彩臣) and Zhao Xinzhou (趙鑫州)； Liu Caichen in turn taught Ma Yuqing (馬玉清), Wu Zizhen (吳子珍) who later founded the Simin Martial Arts Society (四民武術社), and Yin Ruchuan (尹如川) who later emigrated to the United States. Zhao Xinzhou taught Wan Laisheng (萬籟聲) who later learned the Natural Style (自然門) from Du Xinwu (杜心五) (who was famous as a bodyguard of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山)) and Liu Hongjie (劉洪傑) who later joined the Bagua school.
The Bagua school in particular benefited greatly from Liu Dekuan's efforts, absorbing Liu's qinna (擒拿) methods, spear skills, halberd skills, and the 64 hands (六十四手). The 64 hands are a linear Baguazhang set of 8 lines of 8 techniques, based on Liu's rich experience in baguazhang as well as his experience in the other arts outlined above. Another method that is often attributed to him is the fighting body spear (戰身槍), a well-known Bagua spear set. Liu Dekuan taught his baguazhang methods to Guo Gumin, Cheng Youlong, and others, who in turn passed them on to others in the Bagua school.
In addition, in the 20th year of Guangxu (光緒二十年) (1894), Liu Dekuan, Liu Weixiang (劉維祥) (Guo Yunshen's (郭雲深) disciple of the Xingyi school), Cheng Tinghua (程廷華) (Dong Haichuan's disciple), Geng Jishan (耿繼善) (Liu Qilan's (劉奇蘭) disciple of the Xingyi school), and Li Cunyi (李存義) (also Liu Qilan's disciple) met in Beijing to combine the three families of Taiji, Bagua, and Xingyi into a single family, removing stylistic boundaries to study together and improve the arts. Through these exchanges, Liu Dekuan was able to further his study of Baguazhang and learn Xingyiquan as well.
As Liu Dekuan was well-versed in many styles and methods, he is an enigma in that a great many schools of martial arts are connected to him.
Liu Dekuan taught his taijiquan, which in modern times has been called "baguataijiquan" (八卦太極拳), to Cheng Youlong (程有龍) (Cheng Tinghua's eldest son), Guo Gumin (郭古民) (Liang Zhenpu's (梁振浦) disciple), and Wu Junshan (吳俊山) (Shi Jidong's (史計棟) disciple). Cheng Youlong taught Li Cunyi's disciple Guo Zhushan (郭鑄山) in his father's name. Guo Gumin taught Wu Yue (吳岳). Wu Junshan taught Zhang Xiangwu (張驤伍) of the Baji school, Fu Shuyun (傅淑雲) who later emigrated to Taiwan, He Fusheng (何福生), and Zhang Wenguang (張文廣) of the Cha school.
Liu Dekuan taught Six Combinations Boxing to Liu Caichen (劉彩臣) and Zhao Xinzhou (趙鑫州)； Liu Caichen in turn taught Ma Yuqing (馬玉清), Wu Zizhen (吳子珍) who later founded the Simin Martial Arts Society (四民武術社), and Yin Ruchuan (尹如川) who later emigrated to the United States. Zhao Xinzhou taught Wan Laisheng (萬籟聲) who later learned the Natural Style (自然門) from Du Xinwu (杜心五) (who was famous as a bodyguard of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山)) and Liu Hongjie (劉洪傑) who later joined the Bagua school.
The Bagua school in particular benefited greatly from Liu Dekuan's efforts, absorbing Liu's qinna (擒拿) methods, spear skills, halberd skills, and the 64 hands (六十四手). The 64 hands are a linear Baguazhang set of 8 lines of 8 techniques, based on Liu's rich experience in baguazhang as well as his experience in the other arts outlined above. Another method that is often attributed to him is the fighting body spear (戰身槍), a well-known Bagua spear set. Liu Dekuan taught his baguazhang methods to Guo Gumin, Cheng Youlong, and others, who in turn passed them on to others in the Bagua school.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Lineage in Chinese Martial Arts
Baguazhang (八卦掌) master Cheng Tinghua (程廷華) was known for his friendliness and openness, and eventually taught baguazhang to many people, including Li Cunyi (李存義), Zhang Zhaodong (張兆東), Cheng Youlong (程有龍), Liu Bin (劉斌), and others. However, while Cheng Youlong (his eldest son) and Liu Bin are considered disciples of Cheng Tinghua, Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhaodong are considered disciples of Cheng Tinghua's master Dong Haichuan (董海川); in addition, Guo Zhushan (郭鑄山), who learned from Cheng Youlong, and Liu Zhenzong (劉振宗), who learned from Liu Bin, are considered disciples of Cheng Tinghua as well. Furthermore, Cheng Tinghua's second son Cheng Youxin (程有信), who was very young when Cheng Tinghua passed away, is also considered a disciple of his father, although he likely learned very little from him. What is going on?
Lineage has always been a characteristic feature of Chinese martial arts that remains important today as a partial method of determining a practitioner's authenticity; thus, it is useful to understand this somewhat complex idea. Basically, lineage consists of the following principles:
Sometimes, teacher and student are of similar age, and in such a situation, a normal master-disciple relationship is not possible. In this case, the teacher asks his own master to make the student a disciple.
Similarly, if the student is already a lineaged disciple of another art, the generation relationships must be preserved - for example, if a 2nd generation baguazhang teacher wants to teach a 2nd generation xingyiquan teacher, the teacher cannot become the student's master, because they would be of the same generation.
Some examples of this kind of disciple include Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhaodong, who were originally of the xingyiquan (形意拳) school. Although they learned from Cheng Tinghua, since the three were of the same generation (and sworn blood brothers), Cheng could not have made Li and Zhang his disciples; thus, Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhaodong are considered disciples of Dong Haichuan, although they most likely did not learn anything from Dong. Another example is that of Guo Zhushan - Cheng Tinghua's son Cheng Youlong taught Guo Zhushan, but Guo Zhushan was already a xingyiquan disciple of Li Cunyi, making them both the same generation (as Cheng Tinghua and Li Cunyi were sworn brothers). As a result, Cheng Youlong taught Guo Zhushan in his father's name, making him Guo a disciple of Cheng Tinghua.
Posthumous Disciple:
When a teacher wishes to make his student a disciple of his own master but his master has already passed away, the teacher can hold a special ceremony anyway, officially making the student an official member of the lineage.
One example of this kind of disciple is Liu Zhenzong, who was good friends with and learned baguazhang primarily from Liu Bin. As Cheng Tinghua had already passed away when Liu Bin wanted to make Liu Zhenzong an official member of the baguazhang lineage, he had Liu Zhenzong made into a disciple of Cheng Tinghua. Another example is Si Gentiao (司根條), who was a good friend of Dong's disciple Liang Zhenpu (梁振蒲). Although Liang had intended to ask Dong to take Si as his disciple, by the time Si reached Beijing, Dong had already passed away; as a result, Liang took Si to Dong's grave and held the ceremony to make Si a disciple of Dong, although his baguazhang came from Liang.
Familial Disciple:
In most cases, a parent-child relationship is also considered a master-disciple relationship as the Confucian master-disciple relationship is modeled after the father-son familiar relationship already. In some cases, even if the child in actuality principally learned from others (not the parent), they are still considered disciples of the parent.
Some examples of this kind of disciple include Cheng Youxin, who was the second son of Cheng Tinghua (Cheng Tinghua died when Cheng Youxin was but a child) and Yin Yuzhang, who was the fourth son of Yin Fu (Yin Fu died when Yin Yuzhang was young as well).
In some cases, a parent gives his child to another lineage member of the same generation to become the master of his child. This is one of the few cases in which a person may thus in a way hold more than one lineage.
An examples of this kind of disciple include Liu Xinghan (劉興漢), who was the son of Liu Zhenzong, but Liu Zhenzong asked Liu Bin to be his son's master, after teaching him as a child.
Although the special types of disciples are detailed above, it is in general silently acknowledged that the latter types of discipleship are inferior to the "standard" type of discipleship (of which the best would be the first disciple), as disciples of the latter types are often not well-known or not mentioned. In addition, much confusion occurs as certain disciples are said to be lineaged to a certain master, or another (for example, Zhang Zhaodong may be said to be Dong Haichuan's disciple or Cheng Tinghua's disciple). It is thus important to realize that lineage is not a simple question of "who taught who."
Lineage has always been a characteristic feature of Chinese martial arts that remains important today as a partial method of determining a practitioner's authenticity; thus, it is useful to understand this somewhat complex idea. Basically, lineage consists of the following principles:
- Lineage, at its most basic, is a formal teacher-student relationship similar to a father-son relationship
- Lineage also acts as an "entry point" to a formal school (or family)
- Lineage also preserves Confucian hierarchy, as per generations, as an extension of the father-son relationship that it emulates; a corollary of this rule is that actual parent-child relationships are automatically also equal to master-disciple relationships
- Lineage is principally singular; one can have only one master (i.e., one cannot have more than one lineage)
Participation in a special baishi (拝師) ceremony, the details of which differ greatly by lineage and by master, differentiates simple teacher-student relationships from the master-disciple relationship. Once a disciple is formally inducted into a particular lineage, the disciple has permission to learn from the master (or learn more than other students from the master), as well as having implicit permission to learn from other students of the same lineage.
In some cases, a disciple may not learn from his master at all, or may have never even met him; these special cases are in general a result of an effort to preserve Confucian senior-junior hierarchy. It may be useful to label special types of discipleship to simplify discourse, as elucidated below.
Honorary Disciple:Sometimes, teacher and student are of similar age, and in such a situation, a normal master-disciple relationship is not possible. In this case, the teacher asks his own master to make the student a disciple.
Similarly, if the student is already a lineaged disciple of another art, the generation relationships must be preserved - for example, if a 2nd generation baguazhang teacher wants to teach a 2nd generation xingyiquan teacher, the teacher cannot become the student's master, because they would be of the same generation.
Some examples of this kind of disciple include Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhaodong, who were originally of the xingyiquan (形意拳) school. Although they learned from Cheng Tinghua, since the three were of the same generation (and sworn blood brothers), Cheng could not have made Li and Zhang his disciples; thus, Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhaodong are considered disciples of Dong Haichuan, although they most likely did not learn anything from Dong. Another example is that of Guo Zhushan - Cheng Tinghua's son Cheng Youlong taught Guo Zhushan, but Guo Zhushan was already a xingyiquan disciple of Li Cunyi, making them both the same generation (as Cheng Tinghua and Li Cunyi were sworn brothers). As a result, Cheng Youlong taught Guo Zhushan in his father's name, making him Guo a disciple of Cheng Tinghua.
Posthumous Disciple:
When a teacher wishes to make his student a disciple of his own master but his master has already passed away, the teacher can hold a special ceremony anyway, officially making the student an official member of the lineage.
One example of this kind of disciple is Liu Zhenzong, who was good friends with and learned baguazhang primarily from Liu Bin. As Cheng Tinghua had already passed away when Liu Bin wanted to make Liu Zhenzong an official member of the baguazhang lineage, he had Liu Zhenzong made into a disciple of Cheng Tinghua. Another example is Si Gentiao (司根條), who was a good friend of Dong's disciple Liang Zhenpu (梁振蒲). Although Liang had intended to ask Dong to take Si as his disciple, by the time Si reached Beijing, Dong had already passed away; as a result, Liang took Si to Dong's grave and held the ceremony to make Si a disciple of Dong, although his baguazhang came from Liang.
Familial Disciple:
In most cases, a parent-child relationship is also considered a master-disciple relationship as the Confucian master-disciple relationship is modeled after the father-son familiar relationship already. In some cases, even if the child in actuality principally learned from others (not the parent), they are still considered disciples of the parent.
Some examples of this kind of disciple include Cheng Youxin, who was the second son of Cheng Tinghua (Cheng Tinghua died when Cheng Youxin was but a child) and Yin Yuzhang, who was the fourth son of Yin Fu (Yin Fu died when Yin Yuzhang was young as well).
In some cases, a parent gives his child to another lineage member of the same generation to become the master of his child. This is one of the few cases in which a person may thus in a way hold more than one lineage.
An examples of this kind of disciple include Liu Xinghan (劉興漢), who was the son of Liu Zhenzong, but Liu Zhenzong asked Liu Bin to be his son's master, after teaching him as a child.
Although the special types of disciples are detailed above, it is in general silently acknowledged that the latter types of discipleship are inferior to the "standard" type of discipleship (of which the best would be the first disciple), as disciples of the latter types are often not well-known or not mentioned. In addition, much confusion occurs as certain disciples are said to be lineaged to a certain master, or another (for example, Zhang Zhaodong may be said to be Dong Haichuan's disciple or Cheng Tinghua's disciple). It is thus important to realize that lineage is not a simple question of "who taught who."
Monday, December 1, 2008
Li Shao'an (1888-1977)
Li Mengrui (李夢瑞), whose style name was Shao'an (少庵), was a native of Nancaiyuan Village, Haiyang County, Shandong Province (山東省海陽縣南才苑村). When he was young, he moved to Beijing to study and work at Shandong Restaurant (山東飯館). At the age of 20, he became a disciple of 2nd generation baguazhang exponent Liang Zhenpu (梁振蒲). He later became sworn brothers with Li Wenbiao (李文彪) (Cheng Tinghua's (程廷華) disciple), Liu Dongchen (劉棟臣) (Yin Fu's (尹福) disciple), and Big Broadsword Wang Wu (大刀王五) (i.e. Wang Zhengyi (王正誼), Six Combinations Boxing disciple of Li Fengyan (李鳳崗)); of these, unfortunately, both Li Wenbiao and Wang Zhengyi were killed during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. Like his teacher Liang Zhenpu, Li Shao'an was good at Daishou (a special technique of the bagua school), so people called him Iron Arm Li #4 (鉄胳膞李四). In 1948 he returned to his hometown and worked as a farmer. Unfortunately, Li Shao'an never took disciples, although he sometimes taught others in the bagua school.
Li Shao'an, Guo Gumin (郭古民), and Li Ziming (李子鳴) were the most famous of Liang Zhenpu's disciples, and the three often trained and studied baguazhang together.
Li Shao'an, Guo Gumin (郭古民), and Li Ziming (李子鳴) were the most famous of Liang Zhenpu's disciples, and the three often trained and studied baguazhang together.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Spearplay in Baguazhang
The spear methods of baguazhang passed down from Dong Haichuan (董海川) are distinct and extraordinary. Although there are many spear methods within the art, many lineages of baguazhang have only preserved the spear skills partially; few are the lines that have kept them all.
Fighting Body Spear (戰身槍) - this spear set, passed down in various forms through the many baguazhang lineages, is a spear set utilizing a single-headed spear. Although each substyle of baguazhang seems to have a different version of this set, all are generally linear spear sets utilizing both right-handed and left-handed methods.
Double-headed Snake Spear (雙頭蛇) - this special spear has two spear heads and is characteristic to the baguazhang method. In general, methods using this spear are practiced while walking on the circle.
The spear methods of Yin Yang Bapanzhang (陰陽八盤掌) (which is said by some to be the baguazhang lineage of Liu Baozhen (劉寶珍), who learned from Dong) is also of the two-headed type, but there are only five techniques total, according to Ren Zhicheng (任志誠):
雙頭槍使世無雙 - Wielder of Double-headed Spear, Unequalled in this World
鳳凰展翅欲朝陽 - Phoenix Spreads Wings, Desiring to Face the Sun
左右鳳凰雙展翅 - Left Right Phoenix, Doubly Spreading Wings
青龍出水進下槍 - Azure Dragon Surfaces from Water, Advancing Low Spear
青龍翻身先掛下 - Azure Dragon Overturns Body, Initially Hangs Down
二郎擔山趕太陽 - Erlang Carries a Mountain, Pursuing the Great Sun
夜叉探海三環棒 - Night Devil Searches for Sea, Three Ringed Club
雙頭再翻劈砸槍 - Double-headed Again Overturns, Chopping Smashing Spear
左右勾開絆馬索 - Left Right Hook Open, Reined Horse's Ropes
老僧擔柴歸四方 - Old Monk Carries Firewood, Returns in Four Directions
太公釣魚陰陽手 - Great Duke Fishes, Yin Yang Hands
蒼龍歸海鎖口槍 - Blue Dragon Returns to Sea, Chained Mouth Spear
仙人指路三方進 - Immortal Points the Way, Three Directions Advancing
烏龍擺尾蓋下槍 - Black Dragon Swings Tail, Covering Low Spear
青龍抖甲左劈勢 - Azure Dragon Shakes Shell, Left Chopping Force
鐵扇閉門左右防 - Iron Fan Closes the Door, Left and Right Defending
偷步擺拿裏外進 - Stealing Step Swinging Clutching, Inside and Outside Advancing
雙蛇吐信不易防 - Double Snake Spits Tongue, Difficult to Defend
撩槍就使急進步 - Raising Spear Utilized Immediately, Hurrying Advancing Step
退步連環掛打強 - Retreating Step Continuous Rings, Hanging Hit Fiercly
要練手眼身法步 - Must Train Hands, Eyes, Body, Method, Steps
八卦第一雙頭槍 - Bagua Number One, Double Headed Spear
Another lineage of baguazhang still retaining the double-headed spear is the Cheng style line of Liu Bin (劉斌) in Beijing.
Fighting Body Spear (戰身槍) - this spear set, passed down in various forms through the many baguazhang lineages, is a spear set utilizing a single-headed spear. Although each substyle of baguazhang seems to have a different version of this set, all are generally linear spear sets utilizing both right-handed and left-handed methods.
Double-headed Snake Spear (雙頭蛇) - this special spear has two spear heads and is characteristic to the baguazhang method. In general, methods using this spear are practiced while walking on the circle.
The spear methods of Yin Yang Bapanzhang (陰陽八盤掌) (which is said by some to be the baguazhang lineage of Liu Baozhen (劉寶珍), who learned from Dong) is also of the two-headed type, but there are only five techniques total, according to Ren Zhicheng (任志誠):
- Five Tigers Penetrating the Forest Spear (五虎穿林槍)
- Tiger Sitting Posture (虎坐式)
- Tiger Catching Posture (虎捕式)
- Azure Dragon Swings Head Posture (青龍擺頭式)
- Azure Dragon Twists Tail Posture (青龍絞尾式)
Liang style has many spear methods intact, with a version of Fighting Body Spear, Double-headed Snake Spear, Eight Spear (basic techniques), two-person sets, and so on.
The movements of the Double-Headed Snake Turning Spear set are given as a rather interesting poem, which is as follows:
Double-Headed Snake Turning Spear (雙頭蛇轉槍)雙頭槍使世無雙 - Wielder of Double-headed Spear, Unequalled in this World
鳳凰展翅欲朝陽 - Phoenix Spreads Wings, Desiring to Face the Sun
左右鳳凰雙展翅 - Left Right Phoenix, Doubly Spreading Wings
青龍出水進下槍 - Azure Dragon Surfaces from Water, Advancing Low Spear
青龍翻身先掛下 - Azure Dragon Overturns Body, Initially Hangs Down
二郎擔山趕太陽 - Erlang Carries a Mountain, Pursuing the Great Sun
夜叉探海三環棒 - Night Devil Searches for Sea, Three Ringed Club
雙頭再翻劈砸槍 - Double-headed Again Overturns, Chopping Smashing Spear
左右勾開絆馬索 - Left Right Hook Open, Reined Horse's Ropes
老僧擔柴歸四方 - Old Monk Carries Firewood, Returns in Four Directions
太公釣魚陰陽手 - Great Duke Fishes, Yin Yang Hands
蒼龍歸海鎖口槍 - Blue Dragon Returns to Sea, Chained Mouth Spear
仙人指路三方進 - Immortal Points the Way, Three Directions Advancing
烏龍擺尾蓋下槍 - Black Dragon Swings Tail, Covering Low Spear
青龍抖甲左劈勢 - Azure Dragon Shakes Shell, Left Chopping Force
鐵扇閉門左右防 - Iron Fan Closes the Door, Left and Right Defending
偷步擺拿裏外進 - Stealing Step Swinging Clutching, Inside and Outside Advancing
雙蛇吐信不易防 - Double Snake Spits Tongue, Difficult to Defend
撩槍就使急進步 - Raising Spear Utilized Immediately, Hurrying Advancing Step
退步連環掛打強 - Retreating Step Continuous Rings, Hanging Hit Fiercly
要練手眼身法步 - Must Train Hands, Eyes, Body, Method, Steps
八卦第一雙頭槍 - Bagua Number One, Double Headed Spear
Another lineage of baguazhang still retaining the double-headed spear is the Cheng style line of Liu Bin (劉斌) in Beijing.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
An Introduction to Baguazhang
Baguazhang (八卦掌), or "eight trigram palm," is a famous "internal" martial art centered in Beijing. Like the other internal martial arts of taijiquan and xingyiquan, baguazhang trains intrinsic energy, or "qi" (氣), and thus can be used effectively even in old age. Baguazhang is notable for several reasons:- Baguazhang is a Daoist martial art with unclear origins. Dong Haichuan (董海川), the expert who first made the style famous in Beijing, never made clear who or where he learned his skills from. Later historians have, however, pointed to likely influences such as the Longmen (Dragon Gate) branch of Quanzhen (Complete Reality) Daoism (道教全真龍門派), whose headquarters was the White Cloud Temple (白雲觀) in Beijing; one practice in particular, called Turning Heaven Veneration (轉天尊), has striking similarities to baguazhang's own circle walking practice.
- Philosophically, baguazhang is based on the "Eight Trigrams" (八卦) of the Book of Changes (易經), an ancient book of divination, philosophy, and cosmology. As such, each technique is related to one of the 8 trigrams or one of the 64 hexagrams; techniques most often come in groups of 8. The Eight Trigrams consist of a combination of three lines that can be either Yin (broken) or Yang (unbroken); the set of eight shown here are displayed in the Fu Xi (伏羲) post-heaven (後天) order, i.e. Qian (乾), Kan (坎), Gen (艮), Zhen (震), Xun (巽), Li (離), Kun (坤), Dui (兌). These specify various divisions of reality, such as in nature (heaven, water, mountains, thunder, wind, fire, earth, marshes) or directions (NW, N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W) (note that ancient Chinese drew compasses with south at top).
- Two (or three) generations of baguazhang experts, starting from Dong Haichuan in 1864, were employed by Prince Su (肅親王) as guards and teachers at Prince Su's mansion (肅王府) and eventually the Forbidden City (紫禁城) itself. In particular, Dong's first disciple Yin Fu (尹福) taught the Guangxu Emperor (光緒帝) his art, as well as using his art to escort and protect the Empress Dowager Cixi (慈安皇太后) during the Boxer Rebellion (義和團).
Technically, baguazhang is known for its ability to move quickly, using spiral power (螺旋勁) to attack with palms and hidden legs, and defeating multiple opponents at the same time. The repertoire of baguazhang is extensive, including strikes, throws, locks, 72 kicks, and a great arsenal of weaponry as well. Baguazhang weapons tend to be either oversized (such as huge swords) or extremely weird (such as strange, multi-pronged, multi-bladed weapons). Although baguazhang includes a great variety of methods and skills, its main training method is the enigmatic practice of walking in circles (走圏).
In pop culture, baguazhang has been referenced by popular cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender (airbending is based on baguazhang) and Naruto (The Hyuga (日向) family's style of Juken (柔拳) is obviously based on baguazhang), as well as unpopular non-cartoon TV shows like Black Sash (whose main character (played by Russel Wong) practiced and taught baguazhang). Real-life baguazhang, of course, is quite different from its pop culture derivations; one of the best examples is demonstrated here by Ma Chuanxu (馬傳旭), 4th generation inheritor of Liang style baguazhang (梁派八卦掌).
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