These questions were encountered by me in the process of practicing Neijiaquan, or raised by my apprentices and students during the teaching process. Although the issues involved may be beyond the scope of Zhang Zhankui's Baguazhang, some issues may still be naive. However, I thought it would be helpful to beginners, so I compiled it. Some of the answers to these questions are for beginners, and some are for experienced practitioners. Therefore, the answers to these questions have a level that cannot be generalized. Academic problems are never-ending. The person I am tomorrow will deny the person I am today. This is just my understanding of this subject today. If there is any bias, I hope that experts at home and abroad will correct me.
1. What is Baguazhang?
Answer: It was first taught by Master Dong Haichuan. It uses twisting, walking and turning as the main movement and exercise form, uses Bagua Jin throughout, and uses vertical and horizontal corrections of palm techniques, body techniques and footwork. A boxing system that is a means of martial arts. Speaking more broadly, Baguazhang is actually a concept, not something that a certain sect can replace. As long as you have Bagua Jin, no matter what kind of weird movements you make, as long as they do not violate the principles of Bagua Zhang, you can call it Bagua Zhang. . Therefore, if you master the core of "seriousness and arbitrariness" of Baguazhang, you have basically mastered Baguazhang.
2. What are the movement characteristics of Baguazhang?
Answer: The movement characteristic of Baguazhang is to move around in a circle. Walking around in circles is the main form of exercise and training method of Baguazhang. Xingyiquan mostly follows straight lines and triangles (triangles are also variations of straight lines), because it has its own movement forms and training methods, and all of these are to adapt to its martial arts characteristics and methods. Baguazhang has its own fighting methods and characteristics, so only through the exercise method of walking around in circles can it be better mastered and used.
3. Is turning in circles the Baguazhang?
Answer: No. Only by strictly and correctly following the principles of Baguazhang, practicing it under the guidance of this principle, and realizing this principle can it be called Baguazhang. Otherwise, it will be no less than a blind donkey grinding.
4. What are the principles of Baguazhang?
Answer: It is the guiding principles and martial arts principles for training Bagua Jin.
5. What is Bagua Jin?
Answer: Bagua Jin is to develop the energy of the whole body and every part of the body by turning the palms, and then combine these four energies into one and practice it into one energy. That is to say, any action must possess these four powers at the same time.
6. What is the seriousness and casualness of Baguazhang?
Answer: The seriousness of Baguazhang is the practice principles and martial arts principles of Baguazhang. These principles must always run through the practice and martial arts of Baguazhang. They must not be exceeded in the slightest, otherwise it will be a mistake. This is the principle of difficulty in the "Book of Changes"; arbitrariness means that Baguazhang emphasizes strength but not moves. It does not matter the moves. It can be used regardless of Xingyiquan, Taijiquan, Tongbeiquan, long fist, or short punch. As long as it doesn't violate the principles, there is nothing wrong with even "shitting". This is also one of the reasons why today's Baguazhang routines are the same for everyone.
7. What are the reasons for the differences in Baguazhang among various schools?
Answer: Most of the people who practice Baguazhang are masters, so they are affected by previous practices. Second, due to different personal qualifications, Dong Gong taught students according to their aptitude and "taught each one his own skill", which resulted in large differences in the forms of Baguazhang among the various schools. The seriousness and casualness of Three Baguazhang are the fundamental reasons for the differences between the various schools of Baguazhang.
8. All Baguazhang schools say, "Although the forms are different, the principles are the same." So where is the principle?
Answer: I think it’s not about “qi”, but about energy, because the Bagua Jin is the same. They are all inseparable from the integration of the four forces of "rolling, drilling, and wrapping", and they are inseparable from the "vertical and horizontal correction" of strength.
9. What is the relationship between Bagua Zhang and the Book of Changes?
Answer: The Book of Changes cannot be studied without great wisdom. I said "wisdom" rather than "smartness". There is a huge difference between wisdom and intelligence. The "Book of Changes" can be said to be a universal truth, so it can also be said that it is related to Baguazhang. Baguazhang actually borrows the principle of yin and yang changes in Baguazhang to predict the combination of hardness and softness and the unpredictable changes of virtuality and reality. "One yin and one yang is called Tao", "yin and yang" refers to the positive and negative aspects of things, and "yin and yang change" refers to the changes in both positive and negative aspects of things, which is simple dialectics. There are six lines in Bagua, which looks at an object from six angles: up, down, front, left, and right. Then, its changes should also be viewed from six aspects. In this way, the understanding of the same thing will be more comprehensive and profound. There are also intricate changes in wrong hexagrams and comprehensive hexagrams, and at the same time it will be more complicated. Zhang Zhankui's Bagua Zhang adopts the theory of the five elements of Bagua, the changes of Yin and Yang, and the growth and decline of Yin and Yang. It is enough for us to know this simple dialectical relationship. If I say it doesn't matter, I mean don't use these things that most people can't understand to explain Baguazhang. Baguazhang is a martial art, that is, it specializes in the study of hitting people. We only need to study it from two perspectives: training methods and martial arts methods. That is enough. If we have to use the "Book of Changes" to explain, the "Tao of Alchemy" to explain, the "Huangdi Neijing" to explain, and the "Art of War" to explain, I am not saying that these things are bad, wrong or cannot be explained.
To explain using these subjects that modern people, especially young people, have little contact with, will inevitably give people the feeling of "using mystery to explain mystery". Then, we might as well use modern biological motion mechanics to explain, as long as you have studied junior high school physics , can understand it, and think it is "very scientific". For example, it’s like a Chinese who doesn’t understand foreign languages ??asks you to help explain an English article. You explain it to him in French, but he doesn’t understand. You explain it to him in German again and he doesn’t understand. I still don't understand. You have spoken to him countless times in countless languages ????that he does not understand. The result can only appear that you are knowledgeable. To this person, you are not speaking human words.
10. What is the relationship between Baguazhang and Qigong?
Answer: The word "Qigong" did not exist before. It is a term that has emerged recently. Baguazhang, like Tai Chi and Xingyi Quan, is called "Inner Boxing", which is due to their unique characteristic "internal strength". Therefore, they have "Although the forms are different, the principles are the same." "Also" statement. Internal strength is not “qigong”. However, Neijiaquan also attaches great importance to the training of internal strength. This is related to the fact that Neijiaquan has absorbed many methods of cultivating Taoism (whether Taoism, Buddhism or Confucianism). In fact, regardless of the skill of walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, it is inseparable from the skills of relaxation, tranquility, naturalness, breathing, and guidance. Therefore, the practice of meditation is helpful to the training of Baguazhang.
11. What are the conditions required to study Zhang Zhankui’s Baguazhang?
Answer: Not only to study Zhang’s Baguazhang, but also to study any kind of Baguazhang or Neijiaquan, or even any branch of knowledge, you need to have three conditions at the same time: one master and two wisdom. , three skills. The ancients said that practicing Taoism requires "Dharma, wealth, companionship, land, and wisdom", which is very true. "Dharma" means the true Dharma, the true teaching. Without getting the true inheritance, everything is in vain. "Wealth" means that you have to have money and have enough food and clothing to have time and practice Taoism. "Companion" means having a suitable partner, but it would be a big mistake to think of him as a male and female dual cultivator. The "land" must have a good place, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and fresh air. If you look at the 72 caves and heavens selected by Taoism, they are all such places. "Hui" means wisdom, and wisdom is not cleverness.
Yi Mingshi: The old saying goes: "No teacher can pass it on, and no ancestor can establish it." Why people are willing to believe in "ancestral secret recipes" and why they are willing to go to "hundred-year-old restaurants" for meals is because of him It is "authentic" and he is "directly inherited". When practicing Ba Gua Zhang, nothing can be achieved without "direct transmission and true transmission". It can only be a waste of time and money. This is why it is important to find a Master. What we are talking about here is "Master" rather than "Famous Teacher". Because famous teachers may not necessarily understand, and masters may not be famous. There are very few who are both masters and famous teachers. What is a Master? In my opinion, there are just a few points:
1 Theoretically, it is clear, and you can use simple and popular language to explain the profound things in a simple way and express it clearly.
2. Mind awareness and body awareness are integrated, and you can use body language to do what is said in the boxing theory.
3 Can teach good students.
4 gets results quickly. It’s because the method is appropriate, whether it’s Baguazhang, Xingyiquan, or Tai Chi, generally it won’t take more than a year to get started. Of course, it also has something to do with your level of intelligence. If you can't get started in three years, then you are basically useless. Don't waste your time and do something else. Martial arts is nothing else. People who study only need to have a good mind. In addition to having a good mind, Neijiaquan also needs to practice it physically and mentally.
5. Teach students to be different from each other and not to be the same. One apprentice does the same thing, and one hundred apprentices learn the same thing.
Second Wisdom: Genius is very important. In the past, we focused on cultivation, not genius. Only smart students and good teachers can produce talents. The old sayings "rotten wood cannot be carved" and "rotten wood cannot be carved" all mean the same thing. Without good geniuses, even if the teacher is a god and exhausts the teacher to death, it may not work and talents will not come out. I have a younger brother who is over 60 years old. He speaks seven languages ??and is good at both translation and interpretation. Can you say that his brain is hard to use? And when he studied martial arts, he exhausted himself and his teacher to death, but he couldn't practice it. Fortunately, he did it to exercise and didn't ask for quality. He has persisted for more than ten years and his body is not bad, but he can't move a single movement. It doesn't look like it.
Three Kung Fu: Kung Fu is the accumulation of time and quantity, and this is hard work. From being incompetent to being proficient in an action, and then being proficient enough to be superb, it requires thousands of times of practice and thousands of repetitions over a long period of time.
12. What is the process of Baguazhang strength training taught by Mr. Zhang?
Answer: His strength training is greatly influenced by Xingyi Quan. He also practices strong strength first, then supple strength, and finally seeks strength that combines hardness and softness.
The pursuit of strength is nothing more than a formality if you have practiced Xingyiquan. If you don’t have the foundation of Yiquan, you should start practicing from the eight mother palms. When your posture is correct and the rules are established, you can then practice the old eight palms by twisting, walking, turning, and changing postures to bring out the fierceness. Use the old eight palms to string together the strong strength, and after a year and a half, you can practice the soft strength. At this time, you must hide your strength and not express it. Through the training of hardness and softness, and then practicing to send it out at any time you want, you can send it out as you want, and you can achieve the balance of hardness and softness.
To obtain soft strength, you must train your strong strength to the extreme, and then you can switch to the training of soft strength. At this time, both the Eight Mother Palms and the Old Eight Palms must be in the soft and soft state, and it must be the big soft and soft tree. Those who are purely hard are easy to break, while those who are purely soft are useless. Therefore, after obtaining the big pine and great softness, you must also obtain the combination of hardness and softness in order to defeat the enemy.
When it comes to softness and rigidity, we should not neglect them in one corner. Because everything is inseparable from the simple materialist dialectical view of yin and yang, and yang and yin. Yin and Yang, softness and hardness, looseness and tightness, virtuality and reality, storage and release (release) are all opposites and the same, and they are pairs of contradictions that coexist. What is rigidity? Strength is yang, tightness, solidity, and release. What is softness? Softness is yin, looseness, emptiness, and storage. The better you store energy, the better your ability to generate energy will be. It is impossible to only practice releasing energy without practicing accumulating energy. Only practicing accumulating energy without practicing exerting energy cannot defeat the enemy or defeat others. Therefore, it is still required to combine hardness and softness. What is the balance of strength and softness? It means to store it and then send it out. The so-called "nine soft and one hard" means that it is soft from beginning to end (accumulating strength), and only when the body is in contact, there is a hardness (discharging strength), and accumulating strength runs through the entire process of movement. So the three training processes are: 1. Accumulate and release to specifically gain strength. 2. Hold it in your mouth but not send it out specifically to seek softness. 3. Release it at will, triggering the strength of clothes to achieve a balance between hardness and softness. These three processes need to be repeated many times in order to get better and better with practice. This is the so-called "three turns and nine turns".
Looseness is absolute, tightness is relative, and looseness serves tightness. In other words, the loose and soft animal energy is absolute, and the state of large loose and soft animal energy must be maintained at any time and at any time. This state must be maintained throughout Zhang's Baguazhang movement. Only at the moment of contact with the opponent, there is a tightness (hardness), that is, a release (release) of energy. If you practice to a high level, you will have this tightness and looseness. This is very important.
13. What is the standard for testing whether Baguazhang is correct or not?
Answer: Everyone knows that Baguazhang uses twisting, walking and turning as the main exercise method. In other words, Bagua Jin is mainly developed by walking around a circle. The main force methods of Zhang Zhankui Baguazhang are rolling (twisting), drilling (piercing) and wrapping, and twisting is the first method. As long as the posture is correct and the tightening is tight, walking will start naturally. Anyone who is like a perpetual motion machine, automatically moving around and unable to move is correct. Anyone who suffers from sin and walks away huffing and puffing from exhaustion is wrong. That is just a blind donkey grinding.
14. What is the relationship between "tightening" and "loosening"?
Answer: As mentioned before, "turning the palm is like twisting a rope" and "twisting is important". But most of the people I see in the Bagua Zhang world today don’t understand this clearly. There are roughly two situations: 1. It is tightened, but not tight. It is walking by itself, not automatically, as mentioned above, "blind donkey grinding". The reason is that we dare not tighten for the sake of loosening; 2. After tightening, we tighten again. As we all know, strength should be stored and then released. In Neijiaquan, it is said that strength must be triggered by clothes, that is to say, During the operation, you must always maintain a state of accumulating energy, and only release energy at the moment of contact with the opponent. If you always keep generating energy like this, it will be impossible to generate energy again. In this state, you still can't move automatically, and you can't move anymore. It's like a car with full horsepower, but it still can't move. It's the same as stepping on the brakes, and it's still a "blind donkey pushing the mill" as mentioned above. The reason is that you don't know how to loosen up. Baguazhang uses "sudden force" to hit people. It is like a spring that is always pressed and a mousetrap that is set up. Don't touch it. As long as any part of the body comes into contact, it will naturally hit people. Of course, Baguazhang is a circular motion, not based on this simple mechanical principle. The overall movement of Baguazhang is like a tornado. When the outer edge sweeps up, people are swept away. When the inner edge sweeps up, people are picked up and thrown out. This metaphor seems to better explain what I mean.
15. Comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of boxing types
The times have given martial arts that it should have three major functions. The first is its practicality. The second is his role in healthy body and mind. The third is its entertainment and gambling role. Why do I put practicality first? Because I am talking about this issue from the perspective of inheritance.
From the perspective of uniting most martial arts comrades, "All boxing is good, it just depends on the person who practices it." From the perspective of academic research, there are indeed advantages and disadvantages. . Good or bad? It’s not just about you or someone else, he needs to have a yardstick to measure it. What kind of ruler should I use? As the saying goes, "Don't be afraid of not knowing the goods, but be afraid of comparing goods." "If you don't compare, you won't know, but if you compare, you will be shocked." I think it is best to have a "must compare method."
The first martial art is the art of hitting people. The first is to look at its practical performance. If it cannot be applied to actual combat, it can be called gymnastics or other "dance", but it must not be called "martial arts". When it comes to practicality, there is a question of how practical it is, that is, under what circumstances it is suitable for use. Because the purposes are different, the rules of the game are different, and the rules are different, and the technical systems are different. Different technical systems are suitable for different situations.
1 What if it is to be suitable for going to the battlefield in ancient times? Then the purpose of military martial arts is to kill and conquer. In this way, military martial arts requires simple and practical techniques, and it is mainly based on long weapons, supplemented by short weapons, and bare hands are almost useless. At the same time, the focus is not on individual skills, but on battle formation skills. What is highlighted is collective strength and teamwork.
His training content includes: 1 training of basic personal skills. Including physical fitness and personal skills (basic movements, that is, single exercise training) 2 confrontation training for two people, mainly confrontation training with spears. The short sword and shield hand is an auxiliary to the spear user. It includes fixed advance and retreat routines and two 3-formation confrontation exercises. It is mainly about the coordinated charge of long and short soldiers and the transformation of battle formations. It is mainly about training the mutual generation of odd and positive, the mutual transformation of odd and positive, and the coordinated changes of "long soldiers use short-term use" and "short soldiers use long-term use".
Not only are the fighting techniques different from others, but even eating is different from ordinary people. It is divided into two types: Wen Chi and Wu Chi. Wen eats just like ordinary people eat. If you want to go into battle, it will be a martial arts attack. How about a martial arts attack? It means mixing uncooked rice (or uncooked wheat) and uncooked beans in a certain proportion, boiling them with boiling water in a large pot, beating them out if they are half-cooked, pouring them into a basket, and letting the soldiers eat them, and the time must be set. , basically just swallow half a piece whole, so that you can survive a day of fighting without eating or drinking. If you don't win this battle, you have to practice for a day, otherwise your stomach will feel uncomfortable.
2 What if it is for fighting and street fights, street fights, or official cases suitable for knights, thieves, escorts, and guardians? His purpose is to eliminate or capture the opponent in the shortest possible time. This kind of martial arts requires practical and comprehensive techniques. It is mainly based on short weapons, supplemented by long weapons and bare-handed fists and kicks. At the same time, he mainly focuses on highlighting the quality of personal skills. Why? Short soldiers are less conspicuous than long soldiers, less conspicuous, easier to carry, and easier to hide. It is impossible to walk around the streets carrying a big gun. They usually carry a sword. It seems that the police and field troops are now equipped differently. They are both equipped with small pistols instead of long guns. This is because the purposes are different. These Jianghu figures do not just kill people casually. They mainly try to establish friendship and reason. They only take action when they can't do anything anymore. The action is mainly one-on-one or one person against multiple people. In most cases, the purpose is to control people, not to kill. This requires a high and comprehensive technical level. When officials handle cases, they usually use more to defeat fewer people or make sudden attacks. To sum up, they need to have both the killing skills of military martial arts and the skills of bare-handed fists and kicks to control people without sacrificing human life. This is why Dong Gong is famous for his four-foot-two-inch Bagua Dao and Li Cunyi is famous for his "Single Dao Li". According to folklore, there is a certain truth that Baguazhang uses sword skills to transform boxing skills, while Xingyi Quan uses spear skills to transform boxing skills.
Due to the influence of martial arts novels or movies, there are sayings and scenes of "going into action empty-handed". I think there is nothing you can do. When you are desperate, it is also good to take off your clothes. I think there is a saying called "gun against gun, knife against knife" which illustrates the simple truth of "killing yourself with bare hands". Throwing a knife and a gun with bare hands are just prearranged routines, don't take them seriously.
Speaking of the use of long and short weapons, by the way, don't say "empty-handed into the sword", even the short sword into the long spear is not an easy task. In the past, the old boxer said "the long fights the short, hard." Attack the weak and attack the enemy quickly", so there is also a saying that "short-term cannot win long". This is the reason why there must be a "short-handed approach to long-term use". In addition, everything is dialectical. It does not mean that short-handed soldiers cannot advance into long-range soldiers. The only way to advance from short-range soldiers to long-range soldiers is to attack with the front hand, and then attack with the front hand. In law, it is called "killing". In Zhang's Baguazhang, it is the "bridge-breaking method". "Building a bridge" is definitely not "building a bridge". In actual unarmed combat, there is no reason for anyone to build a hand with you before fighting. Therefore, the eight unarmed interception methods in Zhang's Baguazhang, that is, "dodge the tie, move the buckle to intercept" are all " "The method of building a bridge" is the same as this. When a long-range soldier advances into a short-range soldier, there is no need to think about interception methods at all, just pierce them directly. These are the eight methods in the hands of Zhang's Baguazhang disciples, namely "cutting, tuck, step, bump, shake, penetrate, throw and chop". If you miss and are caught short-handed, you need to know the "method of using a long-range weapon but a short-term use" and "shooting the spear" to assist. This is in Zhang's Baguazhang's "blocking the middle section and attacking at the tip or blocking the root section and attacking at the tip". It is consistent with the principle of "fighting back like a hook". Because of the principle of "short-range victory cannot be achieved", there is the "short-range weapon and long-term use method" to assist. If you miss, you will be short-handed and need the "long-range weapon, short-term use method" to assist. They complement each other, don't be biased.
3 What if it is to be suitable for arena competition? Since ancient times, there have been distinctions between private arenas and official arenas. Private arenas generally include private competitions and resolving personal disputes; official arenas generally include talent selection and "playgrounds." "Playground" is like today's sports competition, its purpose is for entertainment and gambling. In order to achieve such goals, we usually have to go all the way or use rules to limit it, such as where we are not allowed to hit, what techniques we are not allowed to use, etc. This is mainly to protect the safety of "athletes". The long and short soldiers in the competition also wear armor, the weapons are wrapped with cloth, and the cloth is wrapped with flowers and stained with ink. The winner is determined by the number of points and falling to the ground, which is very similar to the rules of modern sports competitions. These things limit the use of people's skills. Many movements and techniques cannot be used or are not allowed to be used. This requires participants to have good physical strength, strength, and relatively comprehensive skills. This is why some traditional martial arts are not suitable for the ring.
If it can achieve the above three purposes, even though the rules are different, the purpose is different, and the occasions of use are different, it means that it is practical.
Second, how long does it take to train to eliminate the opponent? If martial arts has these practicalities, under this premise, then there is also a question of the length of training. Under the same practical purpose, the same economic conditions, and the same training intensity, which one can be used early and which one can produce good results will mean which boxing type is better.
Thirdly, through martial arts practice, see if it can play a role in strengthening the body. It depends on whether his training method is scientific and feasible. Did he achieve the above goal at the expense of human health? Or can the above-mentioned purpose be achieved without basically harming human health? Or, while achieving the above purposes, is it also beneficial to human health? I think this is also an aspect that determines the pros and cons of a boxing style.
Due to different times and different purposes, the development directions of various boxing types are also different. I think there are not many Chinese boxing types that can possess the above three points at the same time. This is why from the middle of the Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, many boxers took the road of great integration. For example, Dong Haichuan’s exchanges with Liu Qilan and Guo Yunshen created the path to the integration of Xingyiquan and Baguazhang. Mr. Li Cunyi and Zhang Zhankui began to practice the integration of Xingyiquan and Baguazhang, two excellent boxing styles. For one. Mr. Sun Lutang has completed the theory and practice of Tai Chi Xingyi Bagua three boxings.
In different eras, different professions, different world views, different values, and different purposes, you should choose the best martial arts that suits your purpose according to your different needs.