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Thread: Bagua in San Antonio TX?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Texas, DFW
    Posts
    663
    I have heard of Gary Steir. I know a guy that had some trouble last year finding out exactly where he was. Mike Patterson lists him as a resource.

    Is he pretty good with the internals? Anyone know his mix between forms, and fighting applicaitons?

  2. #17

    Dr. Stier

    I can only speak from limited experience when I participated in one of his Tai Chi classes over a year ago.

    However, from that one class and my surrounding conversations with him, I got the impression that he was the real deal and knew his stuff when it came to Chinese IMAs.

    The class I participated in was focused mostly on Tai Chi form practice with emphasis on correct body mechanics, alignment, and use of the internal principles. There was also some push hands work and some basic Chin Na.

    That evening, the class consisted of about 8-10 students ranging from mostly beginner to one or two advanced students.

    At the time of my visit, I was particularly interested in Ba Gua and Hsing I (in addition to Tai Chi). However, his only public class was the Monday night Tai Chi class. He said that he did teach Ba Gua and Hsing I to advanced students and also was available for private lessons in the other styles depending on his schedule during the week.

    He came across as a nice man who was very knowledgeable and serious about teaching quality stuff. Yet, I live in North Central Austin and the reality of commuting down to San Marcos on a regular basis weighed heavy on my decision to study with him. I continued my search here in town and found someone right up the street teaching similar styles.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Western burbs, IL.
    Posts
    55
    CD,

    You might want to ask Chris McKinley. He may be in Oklahoma, but has exceptional contacts all around the south west/south central portions of the U.S. He is a regular contributer to these boards, and is decent about providing/researching those i.m.a.'s that seem decent enough. If Chris doesn't respond, e-mail me, and I'll have him get in contact with you directly.
    (my e-mail is in my sig.) Good luck.
    Best regards,
    R. Drake Sansone
    (rdrakesansone@wowway.com)
    http://www.liuhopafa.com/
    "Train, or go to hell."Terry W.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Texas, DFW
    Posts
    663
    Thank you guys very much for the help. I have emailed Chris and hope he responds. Quality takes time right?

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    170
    There was an author in the Nov/Dec 2001 KungFu QiGong magazine by the name of Bill Lewitt. The article's author information gave San Antonio as his home. He is a bagua practitioner. I have no idea on his level of skill in practice or in teaching as I only know of him through the article.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    San Antonio, TX
    Posts
    3,189
    Heh. Here's a hint Prairie: The gentlemen you referred to has actually posted on this thread.
    Your intelligence is surpassed only by your ignorance.

    You are more likely to fall down the stairs and break your neck if you live in a house with stairs. You are more likely to be in a car accident if you drive to work. You are more likely to be kicked in the nuts or punched in the nose if you practicing the martial arts. - Judge Pen

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    170
    Ah Ha! I had a sneaky feeling about that

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    SA, TX
    Posts
    120

    Wink Bill Lewitt

    All I can say about him is that he is a thoroughly disreputable sort. I saw him in a park once doing somthing that resembled Ba Gua.

    Last I heard he had been run out of Texas, accused of being a Carpetbagger... Last I heard he was teaching TKD or somthing up North
    May Your Blade Chip and Shatter

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    170
    Those carpetbaggers always are disreputable sorts.


  10. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    SA, TX
    Posts
    120

    As funny as that is.....

    The truth is actually this:

    I left San Antonio last year and I have been teaching Near Range Combatives, Weapon Retention, Defensive Knife, and Tactical First Aid in New Hampshire for an obscure European weapons consortium named Sig Sauer. My skill is still poor, rivaled only by my horrible visage and my inability with a pen.

    I am still in close contact with my Sifu in San Antonio and classes are still being held. I actually plan on flying him up in the Spring to help me teach an advanced Tactical Medicine program and berate me for how horrible my Changes are. Sifu Etheredge, in addition to being an excellent Bagua player also taught the US Military SOMED (Special Operations Medicine) program at Ft Sam Houston for about 6 years, graduating literally thousands of ParaRescue, Force Recon, SeAL, Ranger, and Green Beret medics.

    Our BaGua is a combination of that taught by RW Smith in Bethesda, MD, and that of Peter Cheng who also practiced Chung Chao Tung based Ba Gua, but from a line a generation or 2 back from Smith. (Basically, we do what the Hung Brothers did.... No matter how you slice it.) We teach 32 Linear sets, and 32 Circular sets, along with many ancillary push hands and Tienn Gunn-like exerscises.

    Sifu Ethredge also has made contact with many of the masters in and around Texas. In 2000 a group of us made a pilgramage to meet Colonel Y.W. Chang (Ret) in New Orleans to see and learn his Chen Pan Ling style of Taiji. Col Chang was a consumate host, teacher, and gentleman. At 6'1 and 300 lbs, literally double his size, I couldn't lay a hand on him and I have tape of him dumping me on my unskilled posterior repeatedly and with ease. He was in his (undefined) 90's when he passed away earlier this year.

    I think the problem with San Antonio is that people expect a little more flash than what they get from John. We meet in the park (and recently at the Kempo school in Alamo Heights), we have no uniforms or tropheys, and we don't break boards. We sweat...practice changes... No one is there to hurt or intimidate anyone else... We just practice... ALOT. When you're ready for more John will give it to you... No questions, no begging. If you slack, you won't get very far. He is very low key and very understated, but very good and very dedicated.

    Just remember.... If you come to Saturday class, bring Taco money... We usually go to Maria's on Walzem for chillequille tacos after class!!

    Now Reppin' the 617......

    Bill
    May Your Blade Chip and Shatter

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    San Antonio, TX, USA
    Posts
    272
    Sorry for digging up an ancient thread, but Gary Stier is now teaching Sun Style Bagua in the Stone Oak area of San Antonio, one evening per week. Contact him at HillCountryHealer(AT)hotmail(DOT)com, or call me at 210.391.1082.
    Last edited by chud; 05-03-2010 at 07:08 PM.

  12. #27

    Actually there is an Authentic Baguazhang-Yinstyle

    Yes, this is a response to an old post but there is an authentic private teaching of Yin Style Baguazhang in Austin, Texas.

    You can contact us at www.BaguaKungfu.com

    Email and lets get started with the prelude enlightenment.

    3deeMonk

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    San Antonio, TX
    Posts
    4
    Quote Originally Posted by GLW View Post
    Sorry...you won't find GOOD Bagua or Xingyi in San Antonio.

    Closest you can do is to travel to Houston....

    Chinese styles are EXTREMELY limited in San Antonio. You CAN find a bit of Taijiquan and Wing Chun...but not much more.
    We do have Hung Gar in San Antonio :P

    Bagua or Xingyi just might need to network with right people.

    You should come out for Tai Chi Push Hands Sunday

    http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/p...38662649497058

    We just had a new guy so up from Maryland he was doing Xingyi, and my Kung Fu Bro does Xingyi he came from California.

    San Antonio is limited but with a nice under ground network

    How many hand shacks are you away from a Xingyi teacher that is the question

    Maybe 2 come out Tai Chi push hands networking always good.

    have a good weekend and if anyone comes out see yall sunday
    Last edited by pinglocalhost; 02-11-2011 at 07:21 PM.

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