Baji Quan is cool

[Violent Designs]

A lot of these shoulder/elbow/arm control techniques, the close quarters grabbing and elbow work resembles a lot of the Muaythai that I do.

With less emphasis on clinching and more emphasis on throwing/ramming and more usage of the shoulders as a weapon.

Overall cool stuffs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kcad39Dhpg&feature=related

[shaolin_allan]

I agree bajiquan does look very cool and I didn't realize it was a close range style till I looked into it recently. I'm trying to decide between doing hung gar or bajiquan. I wonder where all of the eagle claw and hung gar guys are on these forums. I see all other styles well represented. It could be me but baji seems more rare than the other 3 main internal arts.

[YouKnowWho]

If you can train

- Longfist for foundation,
- Baji for power,
- Mantis for speed,
- Eagle Claw for joint lock, and
- SC for throw,

You will have a good understanding about CMA.

[TenTigers]

If you can train

- Longfist for foundation,
- Baji for power,
- Mantis for speed,
- Eagle Claw for joint lock, and
- SC for throw,

You will have a good understanding about CMA.
yeah, but doesn't SC have all of the above?;-)

[YouKnowWho]

No style has foundation building, power generation, speed generation, locking skill, and throwing skill at the same time. Cross training is not MMA idea. It was CMA idea since the ancient time.

[Hardwork108]

No style has foundation building, power generation, speed generation, locking skill, and throwing skill at the same time. Cross training is not MMA idea. It was CMA idea since the ancient time.

You mean that relevant MMA was a CMA idea, that is a balance between soft and hard; locking and striking, and throwing and so on.

The modern MMA approach trains relevantly a lot of the time, specially at the professional level, but in Internet Forum levels, they mix up irrelevant arts,sometimes to "improve" CMA systems, they themselves have not trained enough to understand.

Just saying.....

Anyway, I agree with you.

[bawang]

I agree bajiquan does look very cool and I didn't realize it was a close range style till I looked into it recently. I'm trying to decide between doing hung gar or bajiquan. I wonder where all of the eagle claw and hung gar guys are on these forums. I see all other styles well represented. It could be me but baji seems more rare than the other 3 main internal arts.

u shud learn bajiquan. it turn u into real man.
also its more rare so u be unique amirite

[Hardwork108]

I agree bajiquan does look very cool and I didn't realize it was a close range style till I looked into it recently. I'm trying to decide between doing hung gar or bajiquan. I wonder where all of the eagle claw and hung gar guys are on these forums. I see all other styles well represented. It could be me but baji seems more rare than the other 3 main internal arts.

Probably finding a qualified sifu will be even rarer, but I hope you manage to find one. I believe that this style is very potent and practical, so best of luck to you!:)

[Violent Designs]

I would say Bajiquan over Hung Ga, as Hung fist is more widely available and you can probably always find a solid sifu sometime in your life, now or later on.

Bajiquan is much harder to find a legit teacher to train with so.... I view it as a more rare National Treasure than Hung Ga (in terms of exclusiveness, not fighting ability).

[omarthefish]

First of all....why is this in the"southern" forum? Baji is northern.

Maybe a 6th sense since now it's being compared to Hung Gar:

I agree bajiquan does look very cool and I didn't realize it was a close range style till I looked into it recently. I'm trying to decide between doing hung gar or bajiquan. I wonder where all of the eagle claw and hung gar guys are on these forums. I see all other styles well represented. It could be me but baji seems more rare than the other 3 main internal arts.

Sigh....decisions, decisions....

As usual, pick the teacher, not the style.

That being said, I started out in Hung Gar (about 8 years) and then switched to Baji (also about 8 years so far). Kind of a hard comparison to make. They are so different. Hung Gar has all that cool southern culture going for it, lion dancing, totally sweet arm bands and all those Gordon Liu flicks. Baji has got a pretty **** sweet mythology going on though. Seems to me like historically Baji produced more hard core fighters but in recent times, I'd say Hung Gar has the edge.

Hung Gar is definitely easier to wrap your head around. It blends better with typical American instincts about fighting. It's really easy to understand through the lens of western boxing. Baji kind of asks you to relearn the way you move more and has, to my mind anyways, a really unusual tactical framework. I think Hung Gar just has such a broad repertoire that it is easier to pick and choose stuff that comes naturally. Baji kind of asks you to adopt to the style more as it is far more specific about it's "attitude" about fighting. It's all Tiger/Bear/Eagle mixed together but Hung Gar you could go more with just tiger or adopt a style that was almost pure snake and crane and you'd have to very different kinds of fighters. With Baji...notsomuch. OTOH, for some people, the demands that Baji makes of you can be just the medicine you need. It was learning Baji that I started to *cough* "grow a set". ;) My Baji experience was much more about attitude and ferocity then my Hung Gar experience which was much more technical.

Just some thoughts.

[CFT]

The modern MMA approach trains relevantly a lot of the time, specially at the professional level, but in Internet Forum levels, they mix up irrelevant arts,sometimes to "improve" CMA systems, they themselves have not trained enough to understand.What other arts would you class as irrelevant?

Muay Thai, BJJ?

[Hardwork108]

What other arts would you class as irrelevant?

Muay Thai, BJJ?

I am not sure if I understand your question, but if one is training for NHB sports environement then it will be relevant to train arts that practice the various ranges to use in a sporting arena. So, I don't see anything wrong with a NHB sports fighter combining MT with BJJ, for example.

My problem is with people who take a given style of kung fu, which will usually be a complex and multilevel art, and then automatically recommend cross training it with MT, BJJ, Western Boxing, Modern Wrestling, etc, to "improve" it.

How many of these people have actually trained their arts with an authentic sifu and for long enough to understand them? Not many, I assure you.

In my opinion, any perceived shortcomings of a given style of kung fu can be resolved by cross training it relevantly ( and eventually), with another kung fu style that is stronger in the areas that one's style is lacking. That way one is less likely to clash with his art's principles and methodologies, such as rooting, breathing, relaxation and strategy.

I hope that is what you were asking.:o
=

[YouKnowWho]

When Su Yu-Chang made comment, "Baji helped me to open my eyes ..." His comment upset his 8 steps Mantis master Wei Xiao-Tang big time.

The Baji system can help us to look at CMA from a different angle.

[CFT]

In my opinion, any perceived shortcomings of a given style of kung fu can be resolved by cross training it relevantly ( and eventually), with another kung fu style that is stronger in the areas that one's style is lacking. That way one is less likely to clash with his art's principles and methodologies, such as rooting, breathing, relaxation and strategy.TCMA is broad. Aruguably some is not even "Chinese", i.e. Han Chinese. Some would say that you could not cultivate Shaolin and Wudang skills at the same time because the ideological basis is different. Maybe there is less in common between TCMAs than you think? Just something to ponder.

[tiaji1983]

anyone know where I can get the poem for Emei Bajiquan?

[Hardwork108]

TCMA is broad. Aruguably some is not even "Chinese", i.e. Han Chinese. Some would say that you could not cultivate Shaolin and Wudang skills at the same time because the ideological basis is different. Maybe there is less in common between TCMAs than you think? Just something to ponder.

Yet what YouKnowWho posted makes for a logical cross training path within the TCMAs. Have a look again:




Originally Posted by YouKnowWho
If you can train

- Longfist for foundation,
- Baji for power,
- Mantis for speed,
- Eagle Claw for joint lock, and
- SC for throw,

You will have a good understanding about CMA.

You can use also use other logical variations based on this. For example, you can substitute Baji with Chow Gar, and Eagle Claw with Tiger Claw, to start. Again, all of this is general advice.

For example, to my knowledge many, if not most, Kung fu styles, including Northern Praying Mantis, if taught correctly, will give you potent Chin-na abilities.

Anyway, even with the different kung fu styles above, one should acknowledge that they will have similar concepts when it comes to things like rooting, certain strategies and Internal principles.

[Tiger on Duty]

Having trained in baji under a good master, i can say having looked hard at hung gar(from a knowledge point of view) that i agree boxing/western pugilism is easier to fit/understand than baji quan.
Oh that didnt come out so well, what i mean is that alot of the basic elements of hung gar fit very easily into the concepts of western boxing etc.

Especially the windmill techniques(piqua related) they conform easily to boxing concepts and yet defeat boxing if used intelligently.

Baji as was stated earlier is a different beast and doesnt easily conform to other styles.
In the li shu wen lineage the elbow techniques though are beautiful in thier brutality and functionality(which is why i love the style).

So if you want a style thats easier to use and understand with little change from a european mindset then hung gar is great, if you want a style with excellent power and unique fighting style then baji is the one.

[PalmStriker]

:D Can't dispute that. http://www.rumsoakedfist.org/viewtopic.php?p=295656&sid=d91758ce14c47fe4b3e37e2ef51f9fa8

[mooyingmantis]

Baji close range fighting is no joke! I do not practice Bajiquan, but several of my local kung fu brothers are excellent Baji practitioners. Since they also practice tanglangquan, you can see where their mantis boxing has absorbed some of the bajiquan power generation. Observing and practicing this type of power generation has increased my power and given me a deeper understanding of the power generation found in the Ba Zhou (Eight Elbows) form of tanglangquan.

I still prefer Mantis over Baji, but I do have a deep respect for the art and its local practitioners. :)

[PalmStriker]

This is Bajiguan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA9a977HzFg&feature=related

[PalmStriker]

Throws, BajiStyle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi-7XxvlU3c

[PalmStriker]

Baji/Sanda Match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf49zgv7n20