Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts Blog

The Key to Fighting with Baguazhang

bagua self-defense baguazhang Dec 09, 2008

I'm preparing a series of video lessons for the online school on baguazhang fighting. Bagua is a difficult art. It requires the same body mechanics as good tai chi, and like tai chi, bagua takes many years of practice to become proficient.

A Bagua fighter has three main goals -- uproot, unbalance, and control the opponent's center. It is really not much different than Chen Taiji, but it employs a few different methods.

For example, it is said that a Bagua fighter disappears in front of his opponent and suddenly he is behind the opponent. Of course, this makes some people think of magic, but physically, it's a matter of turning your opponent or change his positioning in some way so you are behind him.

Bagua fighting involves fast footwork, quick changes in direction, developing a "moving root," and most important--the key to bagua fighting--to capture and control your opponent's center.

This isn't necessarily as difficult as it sounds. You just need to be shown so you can begin ...

Internalizing Fighting Applications for Tai Chi, Xingyi, and Bagua

bagua self-defense fighting applications self-defense tai chi self-defense xingyi self-defense Oct 27, 2007

Working on forms is one of the foundations of a good martial art. Forms teach many things, including proper body mechanics, posture, balance and precision.

I once read a tai chi article by a guy who said if you practice the slow Yang form for 20 years, you'll be able to fight when a self defense situation arises.

No you won't. You'll be seriously injured or killed. That's what will happen.

If your practice is only on form, you're missing the heart of any internal art, which is self-defense. You must practice fighting applications in a way that helps you internalize them so that you can react without thinking.

Sparring is one way to do it, but let's face it. Sparring the tournament way limits your techniques. And you can't really use all the techniques of these arts against classmates because you can't drive your palm through their faces, break their elbows and wrists, dislocate their shoulders, twist their necks until they snap, throw them to the ground to smash their head, etc.

H...

One-Step Drills versus Reality

bagua self-defense self-defense Sep 04, 2007

I was reading a bagua book the other day, and there were photographs of a sequence showing one application against a jab. The person throwing the jab put his fist out there and held it while the defender went through a couple of techniques including a strike.

If you've ever fought someone who uses a jab, you know that they don't just hold it there for you. It flicks out quickly and then returns out of your range. It's very difficult to do very much in that short amount of time.

Too often in class, we do "one steps" in which the attacker does a punch or kick and lets us have our way with him (or her). And that's okay to learn concepts, but it isn't going to work in a real fight.

I was watching a video clip of a real "Bagua" fighting match in a Chinese tournament. There was very little Bagua happening. It was mostly using muscle to throw someone or using fists to hit their chests and stomachs.

There's a reason for that. Bagua is extremely difficult to use against a moving opponent wh...

1 2 3

Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts

The Key to Fighting with Baguazhang

Internalizing Fighting Applications for Tai Chi, Xingyi, and Bagua

One-Step Drills versus Reality

Author - Instructor

Stay connected with news and updates!

Two Step