Bagua Zhang is an ancient internal martial art generally characterized by a preference for open-hand fighting, circular movements, and evasive footwork. Its foundation is built upon the yin and yang circle. Its complexity is to control your opponent while doing circles around them. Not knowing which angle and direction the person is coming in. The founder Dong Hai Chuan who gave birth to Bagua is the father buy paper but know body really knows who started the art. It has been passed down from Master to student and is here in the Shaolin Temple School. The art took off when Grandmaster Dong Hai Chuan competed and not just one but made a change in the Martial Art world. The idea not of linear fighting and forms was a big change to the world.

Dong Hai Chuan (1797-1882)

Bagua Zhang is the most recently developed of the three main Chinese internal martial arts, the other two being Taiji and Xing Yi. It originated with Dong Hai Chuan who began demonstrating and teaching it in the mid 1860's in Beijing. Bagua Zhang quickly established its reputation as a very effective fighting system. At the time Dong worked as a bodyguard and later as a tax collector for Prince Su at the Imperial Court. Using Bagua Zhang he was undefeated in fights during this period until his death in 1882. Bagua Zhang literally means eight trigram palm and the structure of the system is based on Daoist philosophy. Dong is reputed to have learned the system from an old Daoist in the mountains, but its exact origin remains a mystery.

Yin Fu (1843-1909)

Dong's first and by far his longest serving student was Yin Fu (1842 - 1909). Yin started studying with Dong in the mid 1860's and is believed to be the only student to have learnt the complete system. The style and flavor of Bagua that Yin Fu began to teach became known as Yin Style Bagua.

Men Baozhen (1870-1957)

The last of Yin's top three disciples was Men Baozhen who spent nearly 20 years studying with Yin. Men were the student who inherited Yin's complete system including not only the martial arts but also the health building and healing systems and related philosophy.

Xie Peiqi (1920 - )

Men's last disciple was Xie Peiqi who spent nearly 25 years studying with Men and is the last person to be fully trained in the entire system of Yin style bagua. In addition to studying with Men, Xie studied with another of Yin's top three disciples - Ma Gui (1853 - 1940) from whom he learned amongst other things the back fist system: the back fist system was taught directly to Ma by Dong and falls outside the main structure of Bagua Zhang. Another of Dong's students was Fan Zhiyong (1840 - 1922). Fan did not learn Bagua Zhang but learned Dong's Buddhist health building, qigong and meditation exercises. Xie learned these from Fan's daughter - Fan Fenglan (1884 - 1967).

He Jinbao

Xie, who is now 81 years old is passing his Bagua Zhang system on to He Jinbao and the health building and healing systems are being passed on to a number of senior students. Most of the Bagua Zhang taught today originated from Cheng Tinghua (1848 - 1900) who studied with Dong for the last 5-6 years prior to his death and appears to have learned only part of the system. However Cheng instructed his style of Bagua Zhang openly, hence it is still widely taught. On the other hand Yin Style Bagua still remains relatively unknown as prior to the early 1990's it was largely a closed system.

Hao Xinlian

Hao Xinlian is living in Gansu China teaching many colleges and Universities in China. He has written many books about Baguazhang and other martial arts that he teaches. He has won Lion prize in China in his province 5 years in a row. This consists of knowledge of all areas of martial arts, calligraphy and the healing arts. He is government taught and has the seal of head coach from the Chinese Government. He teaches a variety of Internal and External kung fu. He has written books on every subject he teaches. He has had the honor from learning from the best master in each field he teaches. He has had the opportunity to learn the whole Gin Yi and Yin Baguazhang.

John Painter

Dr. John Painter began his internal arts training in 1957 under the tutelage of Taoist Master Frank Li of the Daoqiquan internal system from China's Sichuan province. In 1968, Master Li appointed Dr. Painter as direct inheritor of this 400-year-old family system.

Dr. Painter has also worked as a bodyguard and has taught several law enforce- mint agencies his PKC methods. He is a world- renowned expert in street combat and has been invited by the most prestigious peacekeeping and military forces in the world to teach his methods, including the Texas Rangers, Israeli special forces, and Hong Kong Police. The Juilong Baguazhang family of practitioners is rapidly growing around the world. From a tiny beginning in a small Chinese village, this obscure family style has grown into an organization with an international cadre of instructors and students.

Nine Dragon Baguazhang is a Taoist internal martial art renowned for its combat efficiency and high level of spiritual depth. Nine Dragon (Jiulong) Bagua teaches you how to develop each of the eight energies of the Yijing ("Book of Changes") for health and self-defense.

Since the system is so extensive only about one practitioner in each generation learns the whole system. Xie Peiqi learned the complete system from Men Baozhen and is passing the whole system to his disciple He Jinbao. Most practitioners learn just part of the middle basin of one of the animal systems. This is however more than adequate to allow the practitioner to be healthy and proficient at fighting.

The four main practice areas in Bagua

1. Standing Exercises

The standing exercises, which include static and moving exercises, are a key element in Yin style bagua and are used to build up qi, physical strength and flexibility.

2. Circle Walking

Circle walking is perhaps the single most important area but sometimes the least practiced! It comprises walking in a circle holding a static posture from the animal system concerned and then using a simple routine or strike to periodically change direction. It is an important method of building up qi and learning relaxation and rooting.

3. Routines

Routines involve practicing a sequence of strikes (typically seven strikes) whilst walking the circle. Also included in this area are the practical fighting applications of these strikes. Practicing the strikes whilst walking in a circle helps the practitioner to develop the ability to change his line of attack relative to an opponent.

4. Power Training

Power training involves repetitive practice generally of single strikes to build up power in the strikes. The power training is done using stationary drilling, single step drilling, two step drilling and three step drilling. Particular emphasis is placed on developing a relaxed connected structure in the body, rooting to the ground and on optimizing the body mechanics so that the power comes from the whole body and not just the arms.

5. Practical Combinations

In addition to these four main areas of practice there are many other areas of practice within the system. Thus a practitioner who is particularly interested in fighting would practice Practical Combinations. These are combinations of two or three strikes that the practitioner would practice by himself whilst visualizing an opponent and then with an actual opponent.

Lineage

Founder - Dong Hai Chuan

Yin Fu Cheng Tinghua

Gong Bao Tain Men Baozhen

Xie Peiqi

Hao Xinlian

Manuel Marquez - Shi Xeng Peng

Al Simmons