BaGua has certainly proliferated. First coming
to light in the early 1800's it has spread like wildfire through
the Chinese martial arts community. Derived from creator Tung Hai
Chuan's original 18 students, most of them high level martial artists
to begin with, it has now developed into over 150 families, styles
and versions. Some are "generic", some are "interpretive". There's
also been the effect arising from the fact that many BaGua teachers
in the past were essentially Xing Yi experts with some BaGua training.
But
most people agree that the two main streams of BaGua come from Tung's
most active students Yin Fu ("thin Yin") and "Spectacles" Cheng
Ting-Hua.
Yin
Fu was by far the more active teacher. And many people claim to
teach the Yin Fu system in different staves of completion. Truth
to tell BaGua is such a transformational art that no one probably
teaches the original system exactly as Master Yin Fu did.
Yin
had the most students of the first generation of teachers. One of
these was a general, Kung Bao Tien; himself a well-respected martial
artist and a swords play expert. Among his students an outstanding
and world-famous student was Liu Yun Chiao, the founder of Wu Tan
organization in Taiwan and instructor of such luminaries as Adam
Hsu (Hsu Chi), Su Yu Chang and Tony Yang (Yang Shu-Ton ).
The
system handed down to Liu Yun Chiao was amazingly complete for pure
BaGua training. It is known as Chuan Lin (Penetrate or "thread"
the Forest) or, more recently, as Kung Style BaGua (after General
Kung).
A
partial curriculum of this form of BaGua includes:
BASIC
LEG MOVEMENTS
Standing Twist Stance
Square Walking Circle
Walking
ARM
TRAINING
Four Hands: Circle, Drill, Thrust and Penetrate
Four Hands 3 Levels
BASIC
WALKING
Three Levels: High, Middle, Low
Inside and Outside Turning
BASIC
CHI KUNG
Standing
Linear Walking with Bai Bu and Kou Bu
FOUR
HAND LINEAR TRAINING
One step for each of the Three Levels
INTERMEDIATE
CIRCLE WALKING
With Four Hands
With Coiling Arms
PARTNER
PRACTICE
Stationary Four Hands
Linear Four Hands
Circling Four Hands
Three Changes Partner Style
Linked Coiling Arms
EIGHT
INTERNAL PALMS
Standing
Walking
KAI
MEN (LIANG YI) FORM
Four animals: Dragon, Bear, Snake, Swallow
POST
TRAINING LEVEL ONE
Single Post
EIGHT
CIRCLING PALM CHANGES
POST
TRAINING LEVEL TWO
Two Posts
PARTNER
KAI MEN
LINKED
PALMS CONTINUAL CHANGE SET
POST
TRAINING LEVEL THREE
3-9 Posts
ELK
HORN KNIVES
JUDGE'S
NEEDLES
There
are a few notable aspects to this form of BaGua rarely seen elsewhere.
First is the Square Walking. Second is the use of the Posts not
to avoid but to touch for tactility training. Third is the unusual
fact that there are two distinct "paths" for training. Since Yin
Fu was a LuoHan master before beginning BaGua he developed two methods.
One uses a series of three sets to teach people already versed in
the martial arts. The other uses Internal Palms and completely other
sets to create the "pure" BaGua student.
Truly
a challenging but rewarding approach.
Adam Hsu's Bagua Tapes
