Warfox Bagua 錦園八卦掌

Each of the eight sections of Bagua are named after elements that follow certain characteristics both for the purpose of documenting information and making it easier for practitioners of the future to comprehend. In a word Heaven is direct, Water flows, the Mountain is immovable, Thunder is startling, Wind is un-containable, Fire is consuming, Earth is deceptive and Lake is depth. Each of the 8 elements consist of 8 techniques, totaling to 64 concepts to deal with possible dangers, be they physical or health related. However these movements are just a framework of what the technique actually means: a physical riddle, designed to teach freedom of movement outside of these patterns. Yet to obtain freedom, without mastering restriction, is to obtain chaos without purpose or control. A baby with the strength of a man would only cause damage to itself and loved ones, especially when having a tantrum. The strength of baby is naturally restricted for reasons of safety and responsibility, as i...

As we move into the next section of movements, it's crucial to remember that the techniques themselves are only patterns of energy designed to illustrate how to disrupt the human body and psyche. They are keys that open possibilities, but they can not be forcefully or unnaturally applied. Think about it like downloading information into your body. When the program is ready, it will happen automatically. If you try to use it mid download, you are going to get server errors. Or you will get served because of your errors. Just as in grappling, you can't do an arm bar anytime you feel like it, but must be skilled enough to place yourself into a position that the possibility more easily arises. After doing a technique 10,000 times, it becomes much easier to use it at the right time, but never underestimate the determination of the human spirit. These are not only the notes of my own personal research that I have gathered through sparring (heavy and light), security and even real c...

Sorry it's been a while since I've touched up on my blog, but different seasons come with different tasks and adaptation is necessary to keep any form of momentum. We must maintain every talent within us for the betterment of the world, yet it's foolishness to forcefully use a tool that we may favor over the tool that is needed. Entering the middle of my new training, I see that many of my students, kung fu brothers and supporters  all over the world are in need of a map of the techniques. With over 2000 movements to instruct and illustrate, I will try to be concise, yet detailed while providing a few pointers on dealing with fighters of other styles as a guideline. Of course the effectiveness of every art is more related to the individual than the mechanics, but the right individual with skilled mechanics, can be a dominating force. 64 Palms ---  Heaven Section (1-8) The Heaven Section is also called the "Way of Striking" because it emphasizes hitting and ...

As I watch my sons grow and develop, naturally my martial arts enters into a new season of understanding. It's become quite obvious that both marriage and raising children offer unique challenges that bring forth a form of maturity that cannot be gained from anywhere else. Every trial we overcome in both our art or our lifestyle will lead to a new depth of growth that brings us one step closer to who we desire to be. Unfortunately, it's easiest to attempt to neglect the message within each trial, convincing ourselves that the discomfort is not what we desire and we end up closing a door that will in turn delay needed development. Whether our development offers itself in the form of marriage, martial arts, career or even prison, the underlying message will never change. In fact, as a child you will be dealing with the same issues that you will be dealing with as an adult; a repeating test that is attempting to mold the careful listener. Our society as a whole continues to ...

Firstly, let me apologize because it's been a long time since I've been able to leave some training tid-bits, advice or inspiration in here, but there are seasons for all times and currently I'm involved in my new series Master Trey's Flawless Outlaws This is a first book of eight that is directly based on the arts that my master Wu Guo Zheng (吳國正) and the Xin Zhu Jin Yuan Bagua Association (新竹錦園八卦掌協會)  have passed on to me.  Each character in the story is fiction, but roughly based on the martial arts style they represent (and a few of my dope friends and students), making a fun-filled adventure as they enter deep into a mysterious underground world packed with dangerous foes. This is just the beginning of the creation of a new martial universe that has been in the works for quite sometime. I can't give it away, but there is a lot more involved than just the novels. Yet, by picking up every piece of the Warfox puzzle, you will be able to see a much mor...

Every martial artist, regardless of style, has to form a very close and personal relationship with pain. Pain is often times viewed as a barrier that needs to be surpassed in order to raise the level of our technique. In many respects pain is a teacher, helping us identify the different problems within our art. Bruises left behind after sparring can be viewed as a map that outlines the weaknesses in our defense, dull pains can tell us when something isn't aligned, sharp pains can warn us to slow down our training. After training long enough, we begin to understand that each type of pain is as a letter of the alphabet, spelling out our journey of training. As a martial artist, pain is a crucial language because it's the method the body uses to help us prevent injury. At times injury can also be a strict instructor, and at other times it can be a thief, attempting to disqualify us from the battle that matters most. Many young warriors are seduced into danger by their own ego...

Self reflection is not only important in terms of making progress in your training, it's also beneficial to help you gauge direction by separating your own needs from the "needs" force fed to you by society. Bruce Lee often mentioned that we must use our art to honestly express ourselves, but most people have such a diluted understanding of self that this concept is drowned in many forms of false identity.  How do you determine the bad habits in your fighting style from your own personal concepts of combat? Should you accept yourself even though you are overweight? Or should you become the more physical fit version of your self to be true? As early as birth, you are trained to understand a self that may or may not be you. Are you an American? Then you must speak a certain language, be opposed to certain ideas and be supportive of your countries cause. If there is a plane crash somewhere in the world, it doesn't concern you so much because it's not related to ...