Kajukenbopr

focus on training form, not muscle. using the muscle u have is not bad at all, but focusing more on muscle than form will always leave u sloppy, probably taking ur technique level down. go back to basics, ask ur teacher to reevaluate u and give u pointers for u to practice on.

this will get u kicked harder against someone faster or with stronger legs than u. if he notices ur lunge and raises his leg, its game over...

He's just way faster than u, and waiting for u to make the first move just makes his speed less obvious because u think u are actually going to hit. instead try to make an opening to draw out his attack, then counter.

Yiquan is the style for u, my friend. you can also look it up as Dachengchuan

i should start taking multivitamins...

ah, so u know his movements already.... you have practiced so much with him, his movements aren't new to you. start practicing with other people, at various speeds, and train to be exact, not quick.

look at aikido movements- if that is not circular, i dont know what is...

Not a lot of information about the style here in America, that I have found, at least... If you want the moves, look for a wushu school, if you want to learn to fight, look for a teacher that doesnt work for the goverment and teaches the martial application I think Bajiquan has more in common with XingYi than with Taichi...

it was choreographed At least, that is my opinion...

I have to make something clear about this art- the similarities with Taichi extend to the repetition of movements to train muscle memory to move fast and precisely. AS WITH TAICHI, LEARNING THE FORMS, DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEARNING THE ART. However, it differs from TaiChi in the complexity of the movements, which have to be intricate to guarantee that you will damage an opponent in a way it makes it easy to counter more opponents. Footwork is also much different from Taichi- walking the circle and depending on the style, the aim is to get at an angle from the sides, or the back of the opponent to counter a bigger opponent without using too much strength. While Taichi practices complete relaxation throughout the forms, Bagua practitioners might be encouraged to use weighted vest, weights on the arms, and in some schools either Iron Palm or Cotton palm are learned to ensure hand strength.

for you brave souls that would be willing to try to learn this art and do not have a teacher nearby: https://www.cmaod.com - look for the dvds for Bagua(Pakua) those are not the only dvds or vcds you will find online, but the easiest to get(at least for me) Also, for those living in the Memphis, Tenessee area, or down in Texas, I could put you into contact with 2 friends of mine, both teachers of their respective schools. For people who wish to go to China, there is also, another friend more than willing to teach foreigners, though details of that have to be discussed with him.

this is the main theory behind it, some schools however, like "yin yang baguazhang" this art was not developed by Dong Haichuan and 9 dragon baguazhang claims it to be a 400 year old art, however, this last allegation has yet to be proven right by historical accounts. Dong Hai Chuan said he learned his walking exercises from a Taoist monk, but the information comes from the late 19th century and its hard to corroborate what and where he learned.

in these internal styles, kicking is very restricted, while most styles have some kind of kicks in them, when using, they should not be raised above the waist.

it would be really awkward to learn this art's footwork, though i personally recommend it, the footwork is almost the opposite of what you've been taught at Aikido. If you decide to give it a try, look up Cheng Style bagua, or any of the bagua than came from it.

I did already make a thread regarding this style... however, it is written Pakua or Baguazhang http://www.karateforums.com/baguazhang-vt31141.html

The founder of the style?

Actually, there is no "pure" bagua as the founder never gave a student bagua training for itself. Dong Haichuan taught students with previous martial arts training: the most known where Yin Fu who knew a shaolin based martial art("lohan fist" if im not mistaken) and Cheng Tinghua(who practiced Chinese Wrestling "shuai Jiao"). He would see which abilities the student had and work from that, so that instead of making the student learn a completely different art, he would "improve" his martial arts ability. Although most teachers would like to keep things "pure", baguazhang masters have taught in their own way, making distinct yet similar styles under the same system. The original style has been lost in time, though some argue that they have the original style or a style from which baguazhang evolved from. You can find various schools throughout the United States and London, HOWEVER, in order to decide if the style being taught is the one you would prefer, i recommend reading information from the internet on various types of baguazhang and their training, at least 10 different sources. For example; if you read about Erl Montague, he will tell u bagua is a dim mak art(pressure point)- keep in mind what kind of training chinese pressure points. Cheng Stylists dont really need to train their fingers to be very strongs as they will wrestle their opponents, not finger jab them all the time. 9 dragon baguazhang has very very fast footwork and iron palm training- mostly striking from the sides or back. Yin Style looks more like karate with less circular movements. Jiang ron qiao style is out there too, though i dont know its main features other than being from the cheng family. Gao style is the most elusive in the US and UK, since its training material is not easy to find in English- it is supposed to have a different variation where it divides, 2 halves: pre heaven bagua(bagua forms and normal training) and post-heaven bagua( which features a more complex fighting-geared sequences to develop the "ideal" form of bagua skill). Hope this helps

Liang style bagua- from Liang Zhenpu. He learned a combination between Cheng style(uses mainly hitting from the back of the opponent and grappling) and Yin Style(striking and attacking from the sides at an angle)-being the third most prominent student of the founder Dong Haichuan. Liang Style has "piercing palms" as its main characteristic(meaning they use their fingers locked straight together to attack the opponent, protecting the thumbs to the inside of the hand) along with the common dragon claw palm(the common bagua hand posture) Liang Zhenpu has a variation of the "64 palms"(straight line form used to develop self defense skill) and a routine to promote the most effective moves he learned from both Yin and Cheng style.

I have had to start over. Stuff I thought i had it suddenly looked unpractical, so I had to start all over again, to reach a higher part of training. When i first started training, my training was pretty similar to Karate. Then as I progressed I learned a bit about sparring. Then I was exposed to more complex kenpo moves. I had to rethink the whole "sparring/fighting" idea. It ended in a whole different sets of moves for both fighting and sparring. Then i was introduced to Chinese QiQong(Chikung) and that changed the way i trained. For a while after that, I studied a bit of grappling which helped me greatly to distinguish myself from others in my rank. I had to go back to basics to find the importance of training Kempo/Karate moves as my base for martial arts, and THAT made the difference in my training. I have to stress it constantly to newcomers- always train your basics, even as you go up belts.

Back kick and kicking with the back leg are two different things and both have a place in sparring. Back kick is definitely more of a challenge and taking the risk of turning your back is often worth it when setting your opponent up or using it as a finishing technique when you have baited them in. Occasionally I get found out and nailed but not often. Must have been in a hurry when i posted this, ninjanurse. Kicking with the back leg, for me is not a problem, however, it will depend on how you stand and how much you "show" you will kick. for speed, the front leg, for power, the back leg.

I'm slowly but surely getting into this style... Its coming along great

straight to the point. likes to keep healthy. i think everyone should learn to take vitamins, but, not everyone knows or cares enough to actually take them for long

no problem. i recommend the book "the way of power" and "the way of energy" by Master Lam Chuen. it explains chi in a simple and down-to-earth way.

The concept of Chi is not so much bioelectricity as it is good circulation and flow of oxygen through the blood. however, others state that both Chi(in the Chinese context) and Ki(japanese context) have more to do with vibration that can be controlled through breathing patterns and exercises. Another part of the internal arts and it doesnt directly relate to Chi or Ki is the kind of movement you use, in other words, correct body mechanics: alignment of the spine,leverage, torque, relaxation. When you mix the 2, you have the internal art: a natural body that can use its abilities to the max without over exerting itself, and martial arts training that exploits the natural weaknesses of others- usually these arts are done slowly, so you can feel the movements, instead of knowing them, which require concentration to perform, as opposed of just doing them out of reflex.

The 3 internal chinese martial arts can teach you to develop that energy inside of yourself and use it- not so it tingles a bit on your hands, but so you live it when you apply the martial aspect of these arts. Some could argue an esoteric meaning to the whole meditation thing, but meditation is not even half of what you develop when you train in the internal arts. And even then, if you cant put it into use when fighting, then, it is pretty much worthless.