I would like opinions on a local baguazhang instructor

[EFreethought]

Are there any bagua practitioners on the forum? I would like some opinions on a local baguazhang instructor whose website I recently came across.

 

https://baguakungfu.com/baguazhang/

https://baguakungfu.com/online-training/

 

 

 

[Taoist Texts]

he has some verbiage on dantian which is good. he is  gung-ho on shaolin and chen taichi which is pretty bad. All in all he is par for the course although overpriced. All you gonna learn is some external moves which is ok for starters.

[awaken]

I am not a Baguazhang instructor, but I have a Baguazhang certificate.
Evidence of learning Baguazhang thirty years ago.
But I've forgotten all about it. Only when practicing spontaneous Gong, there will be movements similar to Baguazhang.

 

我不是八卦掌教練，但是我有一張八卦掌的證書。
三十年前學過八卦掌的證據。
但是我已經忘光了。只有在練自發功的時候，會出現類似八卦掌的動作。

 

 

When practicing spontaneous gong to a certain level, movements similar to Tai Chi or Baguazhang will naturally appear.

 

練自發功到了某一個程度，就會自然出現類似太極或者八卦掌的動作。

Edited February 8, 2023 by awaken

[EFreethought]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Gerard]

Ask for a better teacher on this forum:

 

https://rumsoakedfist.org/viewforum.php?f=3&sid=8a74fabedfacf0c1812fa81545f615b5

 

or else do a forum search there for any instructors in Texas.

 

That man hasn't gone deep enough on this internal style.

 

FYI, circle walking and holding the eight mother palms is what you'll ever need + Foundation work (refer to He Jing Han's YouTube channel).

 

 

Good luck!

[Gerard]

When you attend your first class if your prospective teacher doesn't walk the circle like these two Ba Gua man, walk away and find someone else:

 

https://youtu.be/KxMWIW1W8rI

 

My teacher, a Water Ox.

 

 

https://youtu.be/uWjyBSbupn8

 

I like him, holding only one palm for many circles. Simple yet effective. 

 

 

This will deeply transform you into a new human being after several years of practice proving you put dedication  and full effort into it.

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by Gerard

[EFreethought]

14 hours ago, Gerard said:

When you attend your first class if your prospective teacher doesn't walk the circle like these two Ba Gua man, walk away and find someone else:

 

https://youtu.be/KxMWIW1W8rI

 

My teacher, a Water Ox.

 

 

https://youtu.be/uWjyBSbupn8

 

I like him, holding only one palm for many circles. Simple yet effective. 

 

 

This will deeply transform you into a new human being after several years of practice proving you put dedication  and full effort into it.

 

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

Recently I started meditating in horse stance. It's pretty shallow, but I am not flexible enough to go too much lower. I have worked up to 28 minutes.

 

One down side is that the muscles on the inside of my thighs are getting bigger. I already had big legs, so honestly it can sometimes make getting into and out of my car a bit uncomfortable. I hope I never need to fly on a plane again.

 

 

[寒月 Hanyue]

On 08/02/2023 at 8:14 AM, EFreethought said:

Are there any bagua practitioners on the forum? I would like some opinions on a local baguazhang instructor whose website I recently came across.

 

https://baguakungfu.com/baguazhang/

https://baguakungfu.com/online-training/

 

 

 

I wouldn't bother with this teacher. Various red flags, it's expensive and something gives me the impression they might not teach very openly.

 

On 13/02/2023 at 5:16 AM, Gerard said:

When you attend your first class if your prospective teacher doesn't walk the circle like these two Ba Gua man, walk away and find someone else:

 

 

Generally I agree with Gerard regarding Bagua, but not this time. Sorry mate... Nothing wrong with the demos posted, but...

 

Not all schools of Bagua start turning/walking the circle the same way, or with the same emphasis or type of stepping. The above implies that anyone not stepping the way demonstrated is wrong, or at least not worth your time. That implication I disagree with.

 

Having learned both Cheng and Yin style approaches, and explored Ma Gui, I know which I personally got on with and found the most benefit from. It's not better or worse, or correct and incorrect. It is simply where a teacher (system) starts you off. Over time, I've become less a fan of some of the Cheng (there are variations) and Liang style approaches to the circle, but thats me.

 

Does the teacher have skill?

Do any of their students?

Do you like/enjoy the atmosphere of being around them?

 

These are the questions. Finding all three and count yourself lucky!

 

You can learn a lot from people even if you don't like them. It's just harder, and not as pleasant. You can also learn from someone with skill, even if others have not (maybe they aren't good students). Again it's harder, but at least the teacher has skill that lets you have a sense of the actual art. But can you grasp it!? If the teacher doesn't have skill, there's no point.

 

How do you know if the teacher has skill when starting out? Thats the paradox one of my old teachers would laugh about. New students (typically) simply don't know enough to discern either way. Such knowledge is sometimes learned the hard way.

[Taomeow]

I will leave opinions about his bagua performance to others, but since I'm a Chenster, I went to look at his Chen demo.  Couldn't help recognizing the guy in the demo.  It's Chen Yu, not the seller.  (Hi Chen Yu laoshi!  )  And I swear he can hold his own without the special effects superimposed on the video.   

 

I would look for a teacher who puts himself/herself in the demo of what they offer, not of someone else.   

Edited February 15, 2023 by Taomeow

[Gerard]

I see the actor Daniel Craig in the background of this video:

 

https://youtu.be/83aIPql7M_U

 

Maybe he is the mysterious Kuan Wang teacher. 

 

Other than that He Jinbao from the Xie Peiqi lineage (Yin style Ba Gua) is depicted in the video. 

 

Obviously there are several styles of this art and ways of stepping. I only provided two solid examples. good teachers are out there but it is hard to discern for a beginner; usually the fancier the method the less deep the Ba Gua passed on to you it will be. 
 

Those videos are awful, they only reveal poor skill.

 

There are phoney teachers out there like in anything else in life so the OP must take it into account, and this is a very good example.

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Gerard

[Gerard]

12 hours ago, 寒月 Hanyue said:

How do you know if the teacher has skill when starting out? Thats the paradox one of my old teachers would laugh about. New students (typically) simply don't know enough to discern either way. Such knowledge is sometimes learned the hard way.

 

The key points are regardless of Ba Gua styles, lineages and teachers:

 

1. Circle walking

2. Correct body alignment

3. Correct execution of kou bu (hook step, inwards) and bai bu (swing step, outwards) stepping. Whether is mud stepping or crane is irrelevant, even though the first is definitively more Yin than the latter

4. Integrated movement: Man placed between Heaven & Earth (Taoist trinity and one of the foundations of philosophy and medicine, of which this art is renowned for)

 

The test are accessories, some people focus on combat, others on form while others on healing and fitness. Yet there is another category: the ones that have connected with the original mind, the spirit, the real US. This group is a minority and it doesn't belong to any of the above categories; it just happens when you practice the art DEEPLY. 
 

What is practising Ba Gua deeply?

 

When emphasis is placed upon:

 

1. Doing foundation work. Refer to He Jing Han's teachings (youtube channel)

2. Focusing on the Eight Mother Palms 

3. Focusing on a single Palm for extended periods of time while walking many circles before changing direction; eg. 100 circles clockwise & 100 circles anti-clockwise

4. Integrating seated meditation in practice 

5. Celibacy/regulating jing emission. Difficult when being involved in a relationship

6. Diet

7, Lifestyle. Living in busy society vs living like a hermit or a monk; that is a fully commitment to the path of integrating Body & Mind