Warfox Bagua 錦園八卦掌

The real meaning of martial arts may begin with learning and understanding techniques but at a deeper level it teaches us focus. Giving us the ability to notice what is power and where it stems from while also being able to avoid hidden danger. As it continues to seep into my being I am able to see more and know more about myself and what it is I desire and need. The practice of the art must continually be applied in the decisions of my life in order to protect myself. My latest revelation has brought me to ponder about the people of the past and the people of present. We are taught that the primitive ways of the past generations were obsoleted with the birth of technology developing into a more "advanced" society. From guns, cars, computers and cell phones we are just plain smarter than the people before us. This is the energy I draw from many individuals who are blinded by the arrogance of the ignorance. Yes it is true that we are in many was better off because of the conve...

Through all of the types of weather, training, and environment we find countless ways to develop our technique further. When we add seasonal challenges to our training we are awarded with a bonus technique. It's a little tricky to explain my meaning of an invisible growth, but I will share with you notes of my training which may help you visualize. Frozen Steps By practicing the circle and pre-heaven techniques on the ice I found it much more difficult to have a stepping root. Every transition must be completely balanced before an effective defense or offense can be executed. Sinking the hips and keeping weight in the right area intensifies the pain in the legs. Gaining more strength, speed and balance through lower stances. The end result being the ability to be moving while completely sticking to the ground. Overpowering opponents from any position. Dark Wood Counters At night in a forested area with medium sized trees we can develop sensitivity and awareness. Using only starlig...

In an earlier blog I had mentioned the idea that knowing the three internal arts to their completeness wasn't a realistic goal. I didn't mention that my master and myself have learned all three of the styles. After all, the movements themselves are so similar that some of the movements are almost mirrors of each other. So what makes it so difficult to know all three styles? I wouldn't dare to tell the masters who claim to know all three styles that they are not legitimate in their teachings. Information wise if given enough time all of the techniques of every style can be learned. But there is a difference between learning a technique and knowing a technique. What my master mentioned before was no one could ever fully know the three arts. It would be the same as someone claiming they have three wives and know them all the same level of depth. Or a doctor who is a heart surgeon performing a surgery on the brain. The reason being that even the three styles are very similar in...

Today was one of those rare beautiful days that I could bask in the soothing sun while training my techniques. I'm still in a season of working flow and figuring out the changing secrets of the fourth section. There is still a long way to go before I am satisfied with my spear, sword or saber skills. Yet as I walked along the bike path that moved along the highway I could only think of one movement that I needed to do. It was a movement that I had already done pretty well, but I wanted it to be better today. No I didn't just want it to be better, I needed it to be my best technique. I looked along side of the bike trail to see that every mile was marked making it easy to keep track of my distance. I put all training ideas aside for the day and ventured into what I know would be a painful accomplishment. I began my movement slowly and thoroughly knowing that it was most important to practice this technique as perfectly as possible for the entire mile. I would make sure that my s...

Weapons wise I am technically still in Spear season. The Bagua spear is considered the most important in regards of training to unlock more power. Being able to whip the spear in small tight circles teaches your body the root behind coiling. When practicing with my master Wu Guo Zheng I have to use all of my might to hold onto the spear when he's blocked my attack with his inner power. It is clear that I will have to practice my spear for at least ten additional years before I am even able to grasp the complete idea around the spear's concepts. However I find that in order to compliment my body flow training it is vital to spend more time with the Saber. The saber from a Western point of view is a one-sided broad sword. The saber is more of a soldiers weapon while the Chinese sword is much more precise and technical. I eventually will have to make a season for the sword too, but let's take one step at a time. In our lineage we use the Stealth Tiger Sword and 6 Harmony swor...

Sorry for the absence, I have been writing out a new training program while taking a nice tour around the northwest (Thanks Orion). After finishing my trapping season it is time to move on into thorough practice of section four which is the "way of the body." Though I have practiced all of these movements countless times already, a season indicates a time of not only training the movements but really digging into the understanding of how the movement came to be. While re-reading the scrolls given to me by my master I began to look at the reasoning behind the development of each technique. It was written by my grand master Wu Jin Yuan after he learned from Gao. Not only is it written in Chinese, but it is also an ancient encoded text that only those within the Bagua Association are able to understand. I have read it about a hundred times and finally I am seeing past the words and understanding the root meaning. Many masters would disagree with me publishing my findings for the...