Most people have heard of the term Martial Arts, and the assumption is often that this includes Kung-fu, Karate, and maybe a few other practices that are more familiar. One of the most interesting Martial Arts that you may not have heard a lot about is Ba Gua Zhang.
Literally translated, “Ba Gua” means “Eight Trigrams”. These are the symbols used to represent the ancient Book of Changes known as the I Ching. “Zhang” means “palm.”
The history of Ba Gua Zhang begins in China. Most lineages of Ba Gua trace back to Dong Hai Chuan who combined the practise of meditative Circle Walking he learned with Daoists with the Northern Chinese martial arts he trained in while growing up in Heibei, China. He took this newly formed martial art to Beijing in 1864, and was hired by a member of the royal family to teach martial arts in the palace, and thus the art of “Turning Palms”, the early name of Ba Gua, started to become more widely known.
William Aarvo Tucker is a Ba Gua Zhang teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In an interview, William describes his personal experience with Ba Gua Zhang:
What drew you to Ba Gua Zhang?
I had been doing Tai Chi for a few years in Taiwan. Considered a closely related Internal Art to Tai Chi, Bagua interested me, and when I saw an old teacher there I really liked the way he moved. It was definitely the most attractive kind of martial movement I had come across, and the strategic concepts made complete sense. I thought to myself, if I ever decide to learn something other than Tai Chi, that is exactly what I’d like to train in. Eventually, one of my martial arts friends that I used to spar with had been training privately with a Ba Gua teacher. He showed me what he was learning, and when his teacher decided he wanted to start a class, he invited me and some other martial artists in Taiwan to meet him. During that meeting he demonstrated the practice and application, talked about strategy and training concepts, and so began our training. In that initial group were some people who have since become well-known in the West for their writings and videos - Tim Cartmell and Marcus Brinkman.
How long have you been training? And do you practice every day?
I started my Ba Gua training in 1990 and yes, I try to practice every day. I either practice Ba Gua Zhang or Tai Chi.
There are several branches of Ba Gua Zhang. Can you tell us about them?
The different branches come from the various students of Dong Hai Chuan. Each had studied other martial arts before Ba Gua, and in fact most were accomplished martial artists. And so Dong trained them not in basics of punching and kicking and throwing, but in the core movement practice and concepts of Ba Gua which gave them an `upgrade’ to their skills. They then tended to incorporate whatever martial arts background they had into their Ba Gua, especially the basic training exercises, as they then taught people from beginners level. Those Ba Gua practitioners who continued to have contact developed along more similar lines. Others kept to themselves and developed differently. The other internal art, Xingyi, was a common influence on many lineages.
You mention circular movements and there is the element of circle walking. Can you explain the significance of the circle?
The circle element probably started with Daoist meditation practice. In Chinese culture the circle represents something that is perfect, whole, complete, and never ending. The circle walking practice has a sense of entering into something flowing and continuous, much like the orbit of the planets. It is complete and natural. It aids in the movements being continuous and meditative. There are no breaks. For example, if you picture a practice that goes in a straight line, at some point you have to stop and come back the same way you came. In a circle, it is constant, without stopping. On another level, the martial arts level, one of the things about training in a circular movement is that with every step there is a curve. You’re stepping at a slight angle. And that is part of most of the techniques. It is in this practice that we start to develop three of the main attributes of a Ba Gua practitioner: solidity, mobility and changeability
All the movements seem to have a descriptive name to them. Why, and where did they come from?
The names refer to images that are common in Chinese culture, sometimes from an ancient story, myth or poem. For example, in Bagua we have “White Snake Sticks out its Tongue”, and “Black Dragon Shakes its Tail”. If you don’t name something it’s far easier to forget it. So each movement was given a name that would reflect the nature of the move. And by each movement having a name, not only does the practitioner remember more easily, they are also linking the martial art to the literary and general culture.
There are several movements called Palm Changes. What is a Palm Change?
A palm change is a short sequence of movements performed while doing the circle walking, which usually end up making you change direction. There are eight different palm changes, and in each palm change there may be several movements. It really depends on the style. We don’t call them forms, but they are sequences of movements that train the core movement principles: coiling and uncoiling, expanding upwards and dropping the weight downwards, turning on an axis and in a circle.
There is also a practice set in the circle, which involves holding “postures” while walking. These are referred to as static postures or sometimes called “mother palms”. Like many things in Ba Gua Zhang, these postures have several purposes. They are meditative and they help develop body strength as well as a strong connection between the mind and body as it is in motion. Many martial arts has stance training where they hold still in a stance with the arms in a particular position. This is, again, to strengthen the body in a particular way. Ba Gua Zhang does this kind of training, but the body is not still. The body is in motion.
Are there weapons involved in Ba Gua Zhang?
Most Chinese martial arts include weapons training, and Ba Gua is no exception. Some of the weapons are from the battlefield, some adopt common implements used in daily life. I work mainly with sword, staff and long pole. Many schools of Ba Gua focus on just a few. Nowadays just storing them and having a space large enough to practice them is a challenge. Some of the functions they serve in the training can be substituted for by other means. The things they develop are extending your intention, coordination, building strength, and an increased range for strategic sense.
We noticed that a lot of the movements involve an open palm, as opposed to a closed fist. Is the open palm actually more powerful?
It isn’t that the fist is not used. That’s really partly a personal preference. All martial arts have palm strikes, either the edge of the hand, the palm, or the side of the hand. If you are striking with a closed fist you can easily injure your hand if you aren’t wearing gloves. That’s why gloves and tape are worn by boxers. Without protection it’s easy to break the small bones in the hand when striking. Ba Gua Zhang favors the palm traditionally, but we do use the fist as well.
What else sets Ba Gua Zhang apart form other styles of martial arts?
In practice the main distinctions are the spiral movement and Circle Walking. This is especially true in the Cheng Tinghua style - it has a strong emphasis on spiral movements. You don’t see that in any other martial arts that I know of, other than in Chen style Tai Chi. The Circle Walking combines martial arts with a slow meditative practice. The other special emphasis is on spontaneity. Circular and spiral movements are trained to the point where the movement principles are embodied and then one can develop spontaneously improvised movement. Change, which is at the heart of the name of the art, then finds an individual expression.
In fighting strategy, Ba Gua tries to avoid the apex of an opponent’s force, emphasizing mobility to constantly change position in response to the opponent, and using `whole body power’. This means applying the whole of my unified force to a vulnerable angle or part of the opponent. Circling to the rear of an opponent is another favored tactic.
Would you say Ba Gua Zhang is good for one’s health?
In a way it is similar to Tai Chi. It doesn’t have to be a practice where you are going all out and punching and kicking as hard as you can. There are gentle aspects that can be adapted to different levels of fitness and age. The full range of motion it works on is very good for developing a balanced fitness in the body. The movements in Ba Gua Zhang are symmetrical in that they’re done on both sides of the body equally. If you learn to punch from one side of your body, you’ll also learn to do it on the other side. All of it is really excellent for your health regardless if there is any interest in the martial application. I have had people start Ba Gua Zhang classes in their mid-60’s.
I certainly think so otherwise I wouldn’t do it. Saying that, on a basic level all exercise is good for one’s health. Some kinds are harder on certain parts of the body, either through excessive torque or impact. The full range of motion Ba Gua works on is very good for developing a balanced fitness in the body and a mindfulness in motion. All the movements are done equally on both sides and so that really helps with coordination. The good thing about Ba Gua is that it has a variety of practices, some vigorous, fast and strenuous, others gentle, flowing and meditative. I have young martial artists training with me and have had people in their mid-60’s take up Ba Gua. All of it is great for health whether or not you have any interest in the martial application.
To find out more about Ba Gua Zhang visit www.gravityandgrace.net
