The Triangle Jiulong Baguazhang Study Group

What is Baguazhang?
What is Jiulong Baguazhang?
What is a study group
What do you mean by "curriculum"?
What goes on in your study group
What is Wude?
I studied a different style of Baguazhang, and we did things differently...
Does Jiulong Baguazhang have a belt or ranking system?
Do you participate in Baguazhang tournaments?
Can I come watch a class?
I live too far away to make regular classes. Can I still study with you?

Anyone familiar with the "2 fishes" version of the Taiji diagram ("yin-yang symbol") has probably seen it with the 8 trigrams (sets of 3 solid and broken lines) from the I Ching about the perimeter -- this is the bagua. It relates to Chinese cosmology in which the Void divides into Yin and Yang then into Heaven, Earth, Lake, Mountain, Fire, Water, Thunder, and Wind. From here the "10,000 things" (everything else) emerge.

The martial art of Baguazhang expresses the power of these trigrams, usually through circular movements. It was adopted as the fighting style of the Imperial Guard under the Manchu because of the art's focus on defense against multiple opponents. It is often associated with Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province, China. There are many different styles of Baguazhang, many of them now extraordinarily rare or even lost forever. Here is an article about Emei Mountain and martial arts, including Baguazhang.

What is Jiulong Baguazhang?

Jiulong ("Nine Dragon") Baguazhang is the Baguazhang style of the Li family martial arts system known as Daoqiquan. Jiulong Bagauzahag associates the fundamental qualities of the trigrams of the Bagua to certain hand, arm and upper body postures (generally referred to as "palms"). In this system there is a palm for EACH trigram and each palm is a martial art unto itself. There is also a health system relating each palm to the Chinese system of "meridians".

You can learn more about the history of Jiulong Baguazhang and the other arts of the Daoqiquan system by clicking here.

What is a study group?

A study group is a group of people who want to make progress in this art. Some of us are a little farther along in this art than others. None of us is a Shifu ("teacher"). There are only 4 Shifu in our system: Shifu Painter, Shifu Marshall, and Shifu Garza, and Shifu Castaldo. They all live in Texas. The instructor coordinates the group and runs a curriculum designed by Shifu Painter. He visits us, usually along with Shifu Castaldo, twice a year. Some of the people in the group have extensive knowledge of other arts - Aikido, Taijiquan, Karate, etc. We bring our knowledge and skill together while keeping "an empty cup".

What do you mean by "curriculum"?

Shifu Painter has set up a sequence of steps to help students learn this art efficiently. Some schools have people do a lot of drills then throw people at each other pushing or sparring and just see what happens. He realized that to use the principles that make this art powerful one must build up with gradual training exercises. A new student begins with the Jiulong Basics curriculum, in which he or she will learn the basic skills of mind, body, and spirit to begin studying the eight palms. The Basics Curriculum includes a core of applicable martial skills which are then enhanced through the study of the palms and examination of various martial skills such as qinna (locks and restraints) and shuaijiao (throws).

The first step is seated meditation - we become still so we can be aware enough to sense what is going on as we practice and we relax so we can stretch better. The second is standing meditation - we develop mental control of our muscles with our intent. Then we move on to shifting exercises to feel how the legs can power the body and two-person sensitivity and blending exercises that lead to applications and circle walking.

The curriculum follows a ladder-like progression: You sit so you can stand; you stand so you can shift; you shift so you can step; you step so you can circle. This is slow work, but the payoff is great. There is no limit to how deep or far you can go. There is always a next level. This is good if you are a doer. Not so good if you are about having "done that."

What goes on in your study group?

Some Baguazhang styles start right out with forms or circling. Shifu Painter believes that without knowing how to fill the action with principles and realistically imagined opponents it will not lead to martial skill, so circling comes later. Our style has no set forms. A typical class currently runs like this:

5-10 min. seated meditation
10-15 min. Dao Yin yoga
10-20 min. standing meditation

The rest is stepping, principles and 2 person practice depending on where we are in the curriculum. We may split up if new students are in the class.

What is Wude?

Wude roughly translates to "martial virtue". It means the set of rituals of respect for our training space, teachers, and fellow students that go with the art. There is a formal opening and closing for our group and a few more things to know when Shifu comes to visit. We'll fill you in.

I studied a different style of Baguazhang, and we did things differently...

Most of us in the study group, and most students in the Jiulong system for that matter, started out with experience in other martial arts. We all learned to approach Jiulong with an open mind -- to "empty our cup" of preconceptions and old habits. We ask that when you come to study with us you do the same. It makes learning easier and is good wude.

Does Jiulong Baguazhang have a belt or ranking system?

There is a ranking system, but for the purposes of the study group there are only instructors and students. No belts or sashes.

Do you participate in Baguazhang tournaments?

No. The self-defense techniques we learn are just that, self-defense. They are designed to end an altercation as quickly and effectively as possible. As such, they are not necessarily applicable to tournament fighting. Our system has no pre-set forms or kata for perfomance.

Can I come watch a class?

Please do! See our classes page for more information.

I live too far away to make regular classes. Can I still study with you?

Yes. You can still learn Jiulong coming, say, once a month, and then practicing diligently on your own. It may take longer, but in some ways your practice will be deeper by not having so much new material to absorb every week. Coming to the semi-annual seminars will also help a great deal. Regular, mindful practice is the key to improvement.