How should you look?

Pouting, smiling, preening or macho demeanours all share one common theme: vanity.
Self-consciousness.
Now we are at the root of the problem.

If you are immersed in the moment, unselfconscious... why are you smiling?
Why would you care what anybody else thinks?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVzY5el7EjU

The Internal Kung Fu website is filled with training tips.
If you read 1 page every day, it would take you 3 years to get through the entire site.
And would you truly understand the content?

It can be difficult to perceive something new on its own terms.
The temptation is always to see it in terms of what you already know.
Yet, this approach closes your mind to the new.

Internal kung fu cannot be seen in terms of the conventional, external martial arts.
Yes, we require similar results:

1. Success in self defence
2. The ability to perform a variety of skills against a range of opponents
3. Appropriateness

But the means by which we accomplish and manifest these skills is quite different to mainstream combat systems.

I find the syllabus is well-structured and offers carefully designed and enjoyable exercises which aid application of the palm changes. Learning the purpose of each of the movements gives a real insight into overall strategy of baguazhang.

In addition to creating an accessible website containing information relevant to learning baguazhang, Sifu Waller also takes the time to explain concepts in detail in class with the added benefit of being able to demonstrate how these principles can be applied martially.

The emphasis on evasive movements in baguazhang has been particularly helpful in overcoming my tendency to freeze-up during self-defence scenarios and instead I'm learning to relax and respond.

Although the underlying principles are similar to tai chi, baguazhang feels very different. Adapting your mindset to take into account multiple opponents is difficult but very rewarding from a martial perspective.

Bagua is proving to be a great opportunity to escape from the trappings of individual techniques and instead concentrate on realistic improvisation of self-defence applications in high-pressure situations. I particularly appreciate the focus on deception and evasion.

(Dominic Hine)

Gift from baguazhang students

Gift from baguazhang students

Your movements will be agile and your spirit of vitality will be high. You will begin to feel that your tai chi practice goes beyond simple form training, and you will be able to perceive things as energetic combinations rather than as static physical bodies.

 (Yang Jwing-Ming) 

One who annoys you with the truth shows you goodwill, while one who pleases you with falsehood debases you.

(Aristotle)

I cannot fault the self defence aspect of bagua. It is fast, decisive and unforgiving. Making a mistake will cost an opponent dearly. Applied correctly, the opponent will have no upper hand to begin with as the bagua student will have already acted without even thinking. Your examples of application are comprehensive and calmly executed. Anyone not impressed by the form would surprise me.

 (Barnaby Baron)

Sifu Waller introduced me to his tutor Peter Southwood who subsequently invited me to join his beginners Tai Chi class. The core of these classes being the Yang style long form. Well structured, Peter's classes always started with Tai Chi strength-building exercises centred around qigong movement and standing. Energised, the class moved into the form. Sifu Waller was the assistant instructor and helped Peter teach the lesson. The final half hour was dedicated to martial application of the form, pushing hands, small san sau and self defence. This was taught by Sifu Waller.

 I accompanied Sifu Waller, Peter and Shaun Ullah (Sifu Waller's student/training partner and another of Peter's senior students) on several Tai Chi excursions. The most notable being Chin Na tuition and the visit of Yang Jwing Ming. It is interesting to note that for a moment during a pushing hands demonstration, Dr Yang seemed uncomfortably wrong-footed by the subtleties of Sifu Waller's dynamic guile. Impressed, the Master insisted on using Sifu Waller as his on-stage practice partner for the remainder of the weekend.

 Peter was always eager to further his students and embraced Sifu Waller's rapid progress; maintaining an intensive 'indoor' Master/Student relationship until Peter's untimely death. With Peter's passing, we have lost a great conduit for the furtherance of Internal Kung Fu.

 (Michael Dutton)

If you chose to use a sword to defend yourself in the 21st Century, you will most likely go to prison.
This is a simple, unequivocal fact.

Yet, people spend hours training with swords, and many even practice cutting things with a sword, as though they may one day come to use the weapon in martial contest.

What is the point?
You could spend those same hours on some more relevant.
Training a sword may enhance your self defence skills in some fashion, but practicing shuai jiao, chin na and jing with a partner would do so much more.

Yang Lu-chan taught tai chi for self defence purposes.
Imperial palace guards had little time or interest in heritage and tradition.
They wanted serious, pragmatic, powerful self defence skills.
They sought rapid victory.

Tai chi was not intended as a museum exhibit.
It was designed to meet the needs of the time.
It was intended to be functional and contemporaneous.

Many tai chi classes are not teaching a martial art.
Consequently, the students are not encouraged to become fit.
They are more interested in coordinated movement, relaxation and feeling good.

Kung fu requires a lot more of the student.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVh9hzOXR5c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJZCXrgAbEQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP-09fuzU-A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2m6fket8AQ

Building up your strength takes time, practice, commitment and patience.
In truth, you may not even realise it is happening.
Internal arts training is not strenuous or stressful.
You undertake regular training and let the mild exercise build up layers of strength.

An hour of training every morning mounts up over time.
Pretty soon you have a level of strength you never expected.
This is not the strength required to lift a massive weight.
It is the strength to deliver a penetrating strike, snap a limb or flip an opponent without trying.