SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Monday, August 14, 2006
When it comes to walking the line in martial arts ¡X amid the clang of swords, the clatter of staves and the thud of fists and feet ¡X there's nothing like "walking the circle" to get the blood flowing for combat.
That's because, in the rarefied martial art known as Yin style baguazhang, or bagua, effective fighting is all about moving toward one's center.
Ralph Barrera
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
At 25, Kuan Wang is one of the only people in the United States teaching Yin style baguazhang. Patterned after the fighting styles of eight animals, its circular walking is intended to bring the mind and body into alignment. Wang teaches at Ironsmith.
Ralph Barrera
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Bagua uses momentum to redirect an attack for better maneuvering, as Wang demonstrates.
Ralph Barrera
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Kuan Wang observes his students at Ironsmith as they begin to learn bagua's complex movements.
Ralph Barrera
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Wang studied under bagua grand master He Jinbao to learn the postures of bagua, inspired by the fighting styles of eight animals: the lion, dragon, snake, bear, phoenix, monkey, rooster and kirin.
"Anytime you revolve around a circle, it's going to bring your mind and body into alignment," says Kuan Wang, a 25-year-old Austin bagua instructor.
He crouches like a tiger. His open palms make circular strikes in the air. A gentle tide of breath follows every thrusting snap during his class in the Ironsmith studio at 1701 W. 35th St.
"Balance and strength are in the hands of physics in this martial art," Wang says.
In bagua (pronounced bogwa), the practice of circle walking is used to overcome opponents and also to strengthen one's innards. Unlike karate or tae kwon do, bagua ¡X little known in the U.S. ¡X is more of an internal martial art. It is similar to tai chi, in that the two martial arts share a meditative base and are supposed to be good for your tendons, organs and meridians ¡X interconnected channels for energy transmission in traditional Chinese medicine.
"Our bodies are like plumbing and bagua is simply the 'Drano' that unclogs everything that's building up," says Wang.
Derived from the Taoist philosophy, bagua was founded about 150 years ago in China. Baguazhang literally means "eight diagram palm" and is based on the fighting styles of eight different animals: lion, dragon, snake, bear, phoenix, monkey, rooster and kirin (an animal in Chinese lore that changes form).
The body's equilibrium and toughness are built through strength-training postures, breathing techniques and movements that focus in on balance, fluidity and body unity. Wang says that understanding how gravity works through the body and its meridians can unlock a lot of energy.
Wang trained in his native Taiwan and with bagua grand master He Jinbao for six hours a day, practicing all the animal forms of fighting. He is one of the only official disciples of bagua in the U.S.
"Once you really connect with your body through the form movements, you'll start to peel the onion and see all the layers within yourself," Wang says while forcefully jabbing himself in the neck, eye, stomach, groin and face to demonstrate his threshold for pain. Wang then instructs his students to hit him anywhere on his body. He shows no sign of pain.
Li Huei, a bagua student, says that in all her years studying martial arts, she's never come across anything as complex as bagua. "There's a lot of internal energy growth with bagua, and that's why you can hit him anywhere and he won't feel pain," she says.
Parallels can be drawn between bagua and acupuncture. With the constant twisting and turning of the joints, muscles and internal organs during training, Wang says that the meridians are massaged and in turn send energy to all parts of the body.
During this particular lesson, Wang tries to instill strength in Huei. "I haven't found my chi energy yet, and that could take a lifetime," she says.
The essence of bagua orbits around the use of momentum, Wang says. "It's a unique martial art because it is designed for every body type, and the skinniest guy could overtake a giant," he adds. Instead of directly attacking an oncoming force, bagua redirects the attack by repositioning for better maneuvering.
The eight different animal forms are stylized fighting systems catering to different body types, Wang says while instructing his students as they walk in circular patterns.
"Everyone who walks the circle has a different gift," Wang says, "and you'll start to see it the more you walk the circle."