Warfox Bagua 錦園八卦掌

This morning I woke up feeling the chill on my finger tips and ears as soon as I cracked the door. I don't know whether it's global warming or just because it's 5am but it sure doesn't feel like June. It was enough to make me really question my motivation to train today. After all I have a job interview at 8 that I could be getting ready for. Soon I will be dedicating 9 hours a day to some one else's quest to make more sales. If I can't give myself just two hours of something meaningful, then I will eventually find my being drowned in the sorrows of artificial comforts. So I bite my lip, button up my jacket and grab my spear. Every morning I wrestle with the thoughts that would discourage me from making that small amount of progress I need for the day. It's amazing how persuasive we become when we choose to comfort or feel sorry for ourselves. Every time we can overcome this mental wall we bring more quality to our character. This mental accomplishment will...

This is more like a journal entry gaging some of the different events that I have been going through with my training. It has been rolling around in my head so much that I figured it would be best for me to right something down. This season I have been working with section 3 in the post heaven section which is " The way of diverting energy". After practicing these 8 movements hundreds of thousands of times, it is time for me to dig even deeper into the meaning. Every movement in this section leads to trap the opponents hands. For a trap to work effectively you do not need to be fast, you only need to know your opponents timing. At first it seems like a sixth sense, the ability to always counter your opponent and make him fumble over his own hands. While he stumbles his other hand is pinned leaving his face exposed to your attack. Distant water can not extinguish close fire. The secret behind this technique is being able to "bait" your opponent. A trapper doesn't...

Amidst the training of thousands of moves my mind wanders into the sea of undiscovered options. Counter techniques and new footwork applications that haven't been explored for dynasties. The Tianwudao, my kung fu brothers and my master all help me to reach deeper within myself. Still ultimately my quest can only be carried out by me. Guided in faith I seek the truth behind each technique. In every move is a fragment of mirror that reflects the truth in me. The light that radiates from the mirrors is the only true power I have. In my daily training and focus I continue to unlock to myself perfect gifts. These gifts remain cluttered in a series of locks all with different combinations. So it only makes sense for me to dive deeper into my combination training. When I practice a combination I find the speed between speeds. Awkward movements and possible weak points bury themselves within the cracks of timing. Unpracticed movements create a paste in my reactions, leaving me vulnerable ...

A lot of times we may find ourselves frustrated because we are lacking tools needed to achieve our goals. Lack of money, time, or whatever can lead us to believe that we don't even have the necessary components to begin our quest. How can you learn kung fu if there are no teachers in your area? How can you go to another country if you don't have any money? How can you get any money if there aren't any jobs available? We all come into problems and questions that can create doubt for our own identities. Focusing on what we don't have is the perfect recipe for depression. Especially when you have all of those personal problems added in like your relationship, job or whatever. How can we achieve anything if the deck is stacked against us? The good news is that all of these little "problems" that you have are the challenges that you need to get to your goal. No matter how insignificant an event may seem it may be the most important part of your training. First you...

In the martial arts world there are many things that we may find ourselves concerned with. Training, teaching and research are vital parts of developing our understanding or purpose in the art. In the process of our development we will most certainly come across different fighting ideas, concepts and strategies. The evolution of both ourselves and our styles requires a degree of understanding of the differences between styles. Is it better for me to use a roundhouse kick from Taekwondo or a roundhouse kick from Muay Thai? The correct answer of course is that there is no correct answer. If you favor speed and accuracy then you will like to use the Taekwondo kick. Good for setting up a combination, fighting multiple opponents and controlling your environment. If you want to over power your opponent and break through his defense then you are certainly a Muay Thai kicker. Both of the techniques are correct, the question is can you do either of the techniques correctly? This is a more obvi...