A Brief Introduction to Yin Style Bagua

Yin Style Baguazhang is an art of striking while moving. It is a martial art with precise theoretical and technical qualities. Its fighting theory and usage, outward appearance, and internal development methods all originate from and accord with a classic of ancient Chinese philosophy known as the Book of Changes. It is this philosophy which gives us the rules of the circle and square. In Yin Stlye Bagua, we turn round and strike square.

In accord with the symbolism and meaning of the eight trigrams in the Book of Changes, Yin Style Bagua has eight distinct systems within the art. Each of these systems, represented by a trigram and particular animal, stands on its own as a complete martial art with unique developmental and fighting methods. Each animal system uses a different part of the body to generate power: Lion uses the waist; snake uses a binding, constricting force that can be generated by any part of the body; bear uses the back; dragon uses the feet; phoenix uses the shoulders; rooster uses the elbows; unicorn uses the waist to remove the opponent's force; and monkey uses the legs.

Yin Style Bagua places particular emphasis on single and combined strike practice paired with various types of footwork. A practitioner will use all parts of the body to execute attacks, with the use of accurate footwork and leg techniques being particularly important. Bagua leg techniques are said to be "heavy" -- heavy not only in their power, but also in the heavy emphasis placed on their usage. Proper positioning of the feet while moving and attacking is considered essential in being an effective fighter. It allows the practitioner to gain advantageous position on the opponent while at the same time helping to maximize the power and effectiveness of techniques.




Yin Style bagua is well known amongst all bagua styles as the "hard palm," as its movements are fierce and vigorous, emphasizing direct force and shocking power. Yin style's defining characteristics in fighting are "cold, crisp, and fast." The developmental methods of this art are divided into four main areas: isometric strengthening postures which develop muscular strength and improve circulation; circle turning training which improves fighting skill by developing coordination, balance, footwork, and full-body strength; fighting technique training which includes striking, kicking, throwing and grappling, and the final area is changing which encompasses the training of changes in force and technique.

A long period of training Yin Style Bagua can increase strength and flexibility, improve reaction time and speed of movements. It can also improve musculoskeletal structure, nervous system and internal organ function. It can improve your fighting ability, make you more resistant to attack, and improve your overall state of mind. In all, it is beneficial for health, fighting ability and aesthetic value.

At Yin Style Baguazhang International, Our mission is to to and train hardworking, motivated individuals who are willing to commit the time and effort necessary to attain proficiency in this art. We provide systematic instruction via workshops, training intensives and DVDs to help motivated individuals attain the "cold, crisp, and fast" fighting methods of this art.

Copyright (C) 2010 YinStyleBaguazhang.com

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Martial Arts
• Fighting
• Sports
• Training
• Bagua
• Baguazhang
• MMA
• Self Defense

[HANGER187]

Devastating in awesomeness.

[nosvaructu]

Not a critique but just a question, i notice a lot of internal martial arts practioners, not all are some what heavy, I don't want to say obese... but how would it affect his performance as a fighter / martial artist if he decided to form his body into what a MMA fighter would look like. Would the time and dedication devoted to western muscle mass and fitness detract too much from the time required to practice bagua? Would his level of lethality increase, decrease, or not matter?

[ssbreon]

I like the applications very much. However, I did not like how the teacher's head shook during the fajing.

[pintolhama]

@nosvaructu Considering force as mass multiply by velocity,weight is not a problem if compensated in proporcion. Also can be usefull if usefull in some techniques.

[sublimenija]

@nosvaructu In my paarticular style, we are told that 'external is the instrument, internal is the amplifier'. So if you have a weak body but good energy, you are just as effective as someone with a strong body and no energy. But, a strong body and good energy is devastating.

[phil7514]

@nosvaructu it is my understanding that it is key to be loose when practicing most internal martial arts so that you your body is able to react without thought, whereas if you are stiff this is less likely to happen. also when striking with internal martial arts you are using your whole body from the ground up to power the strike and if you lift and gain a lot of bulk muscle mass it would prohibit your grounding power. hope this helped a little =P

[HANGER187]

Think about it, there r more angles practiced til the INTENT is there ALL the time. So when you ask of level of lethalness increased or decrease with the CLICHE AMERICAN views of martial arts performed by cut brawlic men, my answers says YES to INCREASE. If u are rooted then a light weight may seem more dense than a tip toe muscle head.Ur first Question ...let me ask u, can you do this 10 hrs a day? Just try holding your arms up in lion posture for 10 minutes then do a 100 american pushups.

[HANGER187]

@nosvaructu It doesn't matter what size you are with the science and fractal theory summoned from 8 languages. Big or small, we all know 1. Best fighters are unpredictable. 2. It takes so little to knock a person down when you fall into "emptiness" 3. MMA still has moves BANNED despite the leniency of closed fist regulations. If you would see a fight from a TRUE bagua practitioner-VS-MMA, fight will be too short and its not a main event. There r smaller&thinner people that throw over 400 lbs.

[dpthinker]

@nosvaructu hello my friend. don't particularly know this master so i cannot speak for him. tough question. it really depends. personally i think they can take a page from each other. i think one should be familiar with both. be able to throw your hands and legs, clinch and some understanding of ground and definitely train internal maybe even more than external. best fighters in mma are fluid and relaxed ie anderson silva, nick diaz etc. not too tight muscularly.

[NexusKing16]

Air bending Fighting Style O.O

[TenTigersofChina]

@nosvaructu The kung fu master I trained under was very big on the internal arts and also the external. He also had taught the Chinese Special Forces. The external is the foundation, your 'machinery' needs to be able to handle the delivery of a technique. Since the body is ONE system, you should train in a complete way.

[The7thCircuit]

@nosvaructu

a viable question, but just ask yourself, WWBD?

What Would Bruce Do? lol

This was one of his main complaints in his time about acclaimed 'masters' of various arts, no disrespect to them, but even Bruce thought physical conditioning was just as important as technique and in many cases , could overtake many techniques with mere speed/power

In other words, yes and no, you will be able to do some devastating things when mastering an art, but "overspecializing breeds weakness"