Fisherman

Your best bet for good information would be to look up Baguazhang. It is the same term just spelled differently.

Sanshou is a type of free sparring often used within Chinese martial arts. It is not a martial art style. It is a medium in which you can apply your martial arts.

Oh! Hey Buddy!! Sometime I would really like to come out and visit the family out there. I have always gotten good vibes from you guys. Maybe next time Luo Laoshi comes through the states I can pull it off. Take care! Chris

Hi, I am a fellow gao-style practitioner. Where do you teach? Thanks! Chris

Wolfman Sorry, I am not familiar with that name. In regards to trapping. The trapping involved, (at least from what I have seen) would be similar to what you stated about smothering your opponent. You would be smothering his ability to move to an effective counter attack.

I am always curious as to why people become so pre-occupied with trying to obtain higher belt ranks in the martial arts. There is way too much hype behind the belt ranking system, especially in regards to black belts. IMO, obtaining a belt should not be your goal. Your goal should be to become a better martial artist. You should always drive your self to be better because you can be, not because you will get a belt out of it. I got my black belt after 4 years in Kungfu. I trained extremely hard in order to get there. What irritated me when I got my black belt was the people that didn't train as hard, didn't pour their heart and soul into it. They basically paid their test fee and got their belt. Needless to say, I have little faith in the belt ranking system as a gauge to how good a martial artist is.

Trapping may not be a heavily emphasized component to the fighting aspect of Xingyi, however, it is still utilized. Proper use of entry methods can often lead an opponent to a position where in you have their arms trapped in a manner where they cannot easily counter attack. Trapping is a very useful component that is often overlooked within Xingyi simply because everything is happening so fast. The trap that occurs is not a full lock like qina, rather it is a method to disrupt the opponent's intent and redirect their focus away from the attack you are about to deliver. Agreed. As with Bagua and Taiji, the form and the application thereof do not neccessarily look anything alike. Form are a tool for you to use when you are training on your own. Spicific forms train specific things or specific ranges of motion within the body. I'd disagree a bit on this statement. While the movements during fighting should be relaxed, quick, and fluid, they should not look sloppy. Fighting application of Xingyi should be compact, fierce, and direct leaving the opponent no room to breathe.

I caught a 30" - 15lb Steelhead Trout in Washington. I fly fish on a regular basis and usually catch Brown and Rainbow trout about 12-14", ocassionaly I'll hook into an 18-20" fish.

If you want some 'good' info on either of these arts, I would try searching for Bagua or Baguazhang, and Xingyi or Xingyiquan. Sometimes just the way things are spelled will determine what kind of results you will get on your search. In Gao style (what I train in) we have forms that are done on the circle (pre-heaven) and forms that are done on a straight line (post-heaven). The pre-heaven forms put more emphasis on training the body and how it's structure is used within Bagua. The post-heaven forms are used as methods to train the body too, however there is more emphasis on the fighting applications. Your description of the fighting aspects of Xingyi are easily adaptable to Bagua. Within the Gao system, especially in regards to the Houtian (post-heaven) material there is a lot of Xingyi that is intermingled within the forms. Hope this helps.

If you do not have the proper structural alignment of the arm/hand then your form will be worthless and qi flow will be restricted. Who cares about qi if you do not have the proper structure for it to flow through?

YiZong Gao Style Baguazhang w/ a bit of Hebei Xingyi

IMO - center line theory is about defending your center line while attacking the opponents'

I understand your point. Being new to this forum I do not know anyone here, therefore I am not familiar with their lineages as you seem to be. My point simply is that lineage is only important if you see it as being relevant to the effectiveness of the martial art in question.

Good point. Then again I'd say that a lot of the lineages out there are bogus. They make up a fancy lineage as sales propaganda. Sad thing is, a lot of people fall for it because they do not know any better.

David, What would you do in the case that the franchise claims to have a traceable lineage to say the Shaolin temple?