Bagua Zhang

Bagua zhang, or "palm of the eight trigrams", is one of the traditional styles of the internal Chinese martial arts. The term Zhang means "palm of the hand", which refers back to the original characteristics of the style, which uses many attacking techniques with the open hand.

The Ba Gua are the eight trigrams that serve to constitute the 64 hexagrams of the Yi Jing (or Yi King, The Book of Changes). This book, which is one of the 5 classics of ancient culture, took on great importance in Taoism, to which the style is connected.

It is therefore by reference to this work that the second generation of practitioners coined the name Bagua Zhang, and only from the third generation onwards did intellectuals attempt hazardous comparisons with these subtle theories. The founder Dong Hai Chuan had begun with far more pragmatic concerns.

He taught his art only to experienced practitioners. His system rested mainly on three sequences combining circular footwork with inner and outer changes of palm.

He had many students, some of whom became famous (YinFu, Shi Jidong, Cheng Tinghua, Liu Baozhen…), but the best in the style were Master Yin Fu and Master Cheng Ting Hua. The strategy of Bagua zhang lies essentially in evasion and counter-attack.

The changes of direction make it possible to use the circular force produced by the rotation of the body for the counter-attack.

Finally, evasions and ripostes follow one another continually, coming ceaselessly from the eight directions and leaving the opponent no respite, as one tries to disorient him through changes of attitude, of direction and of rhythm.

The technical purpose of this style is to transform both the wide circles of the footwork and the rotational movements of the body into methods of attack and defence that coil around the axis of one’s opponent.