The Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang Manual: Gao Yisheng's Bagua Twisting-Body Connected Palm

The Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang Manual: Gao Yisheng's Bagua Twisting-Body Connected Palm

The Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang Manual: Gao Yisheng's Bagua Twisting-Body Connected Palm

The Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang Manual: Gao Yisheng's Bagua Twisting-Body Connected Palm

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Overview

In its first English-language edition, this detailed training manual is a complete guide to Gao baguazhang, as preserved through the lineage of Liu Fengcai. The youngest of the major bagua lineages, Gao bagua shows the influence of taiji quan, xingyi quan, and shuai jiao. It incorporates traditional bagua weapons, pre-heaven palms, and animal forms in addition to sixty-four individual post-heaven palms and their accompanying two-person forms. A unique synthesis of health-building techniques, Daoist theory, and practical fighting applications, Gao-style bagua is an example of the finest internal-arts traditions.

The original manuscript for The Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang Manual was completed by the art's founder, Gao Yisheng, in 1936. It was not published at the time, but handed down to his student Liu Fengcai, who edited and published the first Chinese edition in 1991 with the help of his own student Liu Shuhang. In 2005, Liu Shuhang published a revised and expanded version, and this was again expanded and reissued in a third edition in 2010. Now, the manual has been translated and fully updated for its first English-language edition. Including over 400 photos showing step-by-step techniques and forms, the manual documents the fundamentals of the art as well as detailed descriptions of techniques and empty-hand forms, laying the groundwork for advanced training. This edition includes rare photos of important masters in the Gao lineage, lineage charts, biographies, and other updates, making it the essential companion for anyone studying Gao style and a useful guide for any practitioner of baguazhang or other Chinese martial arts.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781583946220
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Publication date: 08/13/2013
Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format: eBook
Pages: 448
File size: 20 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

GAO YISHENG (1866–1951) was a student of Cheng Tinghua and the creator of Gao-style Baguazhang. LIU FENGCAI (1908–1987), Gao's nephew, studied with him in Tianjin, China, and became the head of his own branch of the system. LIU SHUHANG (1947­–) began studying with his uncle Liu Fengcai at age fifteen. He is currently eighth Duan in the Chinese Wushu Association and Secretary of the Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang Research Committee. He lives in Tianjin, China. VINCE BLACK has studied martial arts and Chinese medicine with numerous renowned masters, including Adriano Emperado, Hsu Hong-Chi, Li Ziming, Wang Shitong, and Li Guichang. A Doctor of Oriental Medicine for thirty years, he founded the North American Tang Shou Tao Association in 1990 to research, preserve, and teach traditional Chinese martial and healing arts. JOHN GROSCHWITZ is a certified instructor in the North American Tang Shou Tao Association, teaching Shen Long Xingyi and Gao-style Bagua. He received a BA in Chinese from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MA in East Asian Studies from Stanford University.

Table of Contents

Preface to the English Edition xiii

Preface to Volume 1 of the 2010 Third Chinese Edition xvii

Preface to Volume 2 of the 2010 Third Chinese Edition xxi

Preface to the 2005 Second Chinese Edition xli

Preface to the 1991 First Chinese Edition xlv

Introduction 1

Gao Yisheng's Study of Martial Arts 5

Liu Fengcai's Study of Martial Arts 11

Wang Shusheng's Study of Martial Arts 21

Historical Baguazhang Reference Photos 25

Baguazhang Theory Reference Charts 27

1 Baguazhang History, Theory, and Performance 31

Baguazhang's Origin, Development, and Transmission 32

The Naming and Meaning of Baguazhang 42

Basic Special Characteristics of Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang 60

Basic Hand Positions and Footwork 63

Baguazhang Post-Standing and Piercing the Nine Palaces 67

An Explanation of the Art-Training Tree Diagram 76

Combat Applications of Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang 77

Combat Application of the Pre-Heaven Palms 81

Combat Application of the Post-Heaven Palms 83

Gao Yisheng on Combat 85

Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang's Health-Building Benefits 98

Skill Is in Training the Internal and Fostering the Root 105

Efficacy Is in Strengthening the Legs and Solidifying the Waist 106

Ingenuity Is in Building the Body and Strengthening the Mind 107

Benefit Is in Holistically Building the Body 107

Gao Yisheng on Building the Body 110

Toward Scientific Tests and Conclusions about Building the Body 112

Required Introductory Knowledge of Cheng School Gao Style Baguazhang 114

Ten Rules for the Practice of Baguazhang 114

The Three Unacceptables for Teaching and Interacting When Practicing Baguazhang 116

Avoiding the Three Harmful Errors 117

Required Knowledge for Beginning Baguazhang Study 117

2 Pre-Heaven Baguazhang 123

The Naming of Pre-Heaven Baguazhang 123

Pre-Heaven Baguazhang's Twenty-Four Requirements (Neigong Posture-Completion Methods) 124

A Pictorial Explanation of Pre-Heaven Baguazhang 130

Opening Postures (Turning and Changing Palms) 130

Eight Big Palms 135

Palm 1 Snake-Form Flowing-Posture Palm (Qian Posture) 136

Palm 2 Dragon-Form Piercing-Hand Palm (Dui Posture) 138

Palm 3 Turning-Body Tiger-Striking Palm (Li Posture) 140

Palm 4 Swallow-Overturning Covering-Hand Palm (Zhen Posture) 142

Palm 5 Spinning-Body Back-Covering Palm (Xun Posture) 144

Palm 6 Twisting-Body Forward-Searching Palm (Kan Posture) 146

Palm 7 Overturning-Body Backward-Inserting Palm (Gen Posture) 149

Palm 8 Stopping-Body Moving-Hooking Palm (Kun Posture) 151

Closing Posture: Black Dragon Whips Its Tail Palm 153

3 Post-Heaven Bagua Sixty-Four Palms 159

Heaven (Qian) Eight Postures 162

Water (Kan) Eight Postures 171

Mountain (Gen) Eight Postures 182

Thunder (Zhen) Eight Postures 193

Wind (Xun) Eight Postures 203

Fire (Li) Eight Postures 213

Earth (Kun) Eight Postures 223

Marsh (Dui) Eight Postures 233

4 Baguazhang Weapons 243

Bagua Yin-Yang Mandarin Duck Knives 244

Bagua Rolling-Hand Broadsword 249

Bagua Connected Links Straight Sword 254

Bagua Body-Adhering Spear 257

Bagua Cane 262

Double Rattan Sticks 265

Night-Fighting Saber 269

Wudang Straight Sword 276

5 Baguazhang Form Boxing 285

Routine 1 Qian-Lion Waves 286

Routine 2 Kan-Snake Wraps 287

Routine 3 Gen-Tiger Crouches 288

Routine 4 Zhen-Dragon Form 291

Routine 5 Xun-Swallow Overturns 293

Routine 6 Li-Eagle Tears 294

Routine 7 Kun-Bear Yanks 296

Routine 8 Dui-Monkey Image 297

6 Essential Selections on the Life-Cultivation Arts 301

The Three Dantians 301

Jing, Qi, and Shen 303

Important Poems on Life-Cultivation 306

Cultivating Kidney SMI-Methods 308

Golden Liquid Returning to Dantian Massage and Daoyin Art 309

7 Records of Famous Baguazhang Practitioners 315

Dong Haichuan, the First-Generation Founder 315

"Spectacles Cheng": Cheng Tinghua 318

"Dragon-Tongue Palm": Yin Fu 320

"Coal Ma": Ma Weiqi 321

"Wood Ma": Ma Gui 324

"Heavenly Brave": Zhang Zhankui 325

"Bodyguard Master": Li Cunyi 327

"Superior Palm": Zhou Yuxiang 327

"Monkey" Sun Fuquan (Sun Lutang) 329

Famous Hebei Practitioner Li Wenbiao 330

Gao Yisheng and Liu Fengcai: Double Rattan Sticks and Night-Fighting Saber 332

8 Insights of Famous and Junior Practitioners 351

Wang Fuling, Direct Disciple of Liu Fengcai 351

Han Fengrui, Direct Disciple of Liu Fengcai 363

Chen Lianfa, Direct Disciple of Liu Fengcai 366

Ge Guoliang, Grand-Student of Liu Fengcai 368

Ge Shuzhen, Grand-Student of Liu Fengcai 371

Li Xueyi, Grand-Student of Liu Fengcai 373

Ge Shuxian, Grand-Student of Liu Fengcai 376

Yuan Pengfu, Great-Grand-Student of Liu Fengcai 378

Postface to the First Chinese Edition 383

Translation Notes 385

Endnotes 387

About the Editors 391

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