What a year 2016 was.  I lost my number one kung fu supporter on June 29th of 2016.  He introduced me to Bruce Lee by way of Fists of Fury and Way of the Dragon where he kills Chuck Norris.  At age 9 I began with Ng family and am still a dedicated practitioner, albeit I didn't train for the majority of my 20s.  I lost my short power.

I came to baguazhang by way of an ailment.  I was told I was going to learn Baguazhang and I was super stoked!

So they start me with a Zhan Zhuang pose.  I come each week and stand in it every day for a year.  The teacher would simply change the subject when I mentioned learning to circle walk.

I finally realized why I stood for a year.  It was two-fold, to learn how to breathe and as a bonus I saw my health get better and shed quite a few pounds.  All this from standing and some triangle footwork drills.

That was in 2009.  I'm only on the fourth palm change.  Teacher has shown me applications for empty hand, knife, staff, and sword.  Worked on anti chin na for about a year, then we began to work on hands.

Kung fu is 80% footwork, but the remaining 20% of hands can be quite difficult.

I miss my father so much, but he would have wanted me to master a style and then "own it" and make it tailored to me.

I have experimented with different qigongs through out my martial arts experience.  I have found one to be nearly all inclusive.  This is baguazhang circle turning in a fixed posture or ding shr.  By learning the animal postures and how to interchange between them we learn our very first palm changes!  Many schools go straight to the form which would be a bad approach in my opine.  It's the foundational things that must be mastered prior to any palm change that can make one's baguazhang powerful or empty.  I have heard many say without xingyi I would never get strength thru baguazhang.  This did not make sense to me as the five elements are manifested in the lower basin.  After a knee injury it took me nearly three months to get my stepping back up to par, so to speak.  So I just want to say the old saying "like riding a bike" is not really true.  During my time off to heal my knee injury I forgot some of the body requirements that can't be thought about, only done.  This will offset one's whole baguazhang play.


To paraphrase Chaung Tzu to find a man who makes use of uselessness, would indeed be a sage.  Is it that these ideals are so hard to reach?  NO!  It is our own will or lack thereof that prevents us from doing anything.

If we visualize it, we can do it.


BAO QUAN TO MY GUNG FU BROTHERS