walking the circle..

[Jin]

how often should i perform the palm change....to maximize internal energy.......?..

[doug maverick]

well acording to master park the palm should chang from yin to yang and vice versa on every step this makes the qi vibrate and sink to the dan tian

[Jin]

ummm...sorrie but what do u mean exactly by changing from yin to yang hand....i'm kinda studpid...lol:P

[Sam Wiley]

Black Tiger is talking about your hand flexing yin and yang during each step of a palm change or each step of walking the circle.

That is something you don't need to worry about if you are just beginning. (If I have taken it that you are and you are not, forgive me.)

If you mean how many times should you practice the palm changes, as in the form or walking the circle, each day to maximize your internal energy, then I would say that you should walk the circle for a half hour every morning and then practice your form or forms several times. This is in addition to any qigong you might do before or after. I would advise repeating the routine in the evening as well.

I always judged whether or not I had done enough by how long I'd been practicing and not how many times I had done something. When I first began practicing martial arts, I would practicie for hours every day. If you start counting repetitions of the form, for instance, because you have set a quota for yourself, you may become bored and may not focus on what you should be focused on several repetitions into your practice. That's not good. Better to perform your form, for instance, as many times as you feel necessary, without counting.

Don't forget that walking the circle itself is a great exercise. Just walking and doing the changes in direction is great. There are some days when I simply prefer to walk the circle without doing any forms or anything.

*********
"To enter is to be born, to retreat is to die."
-An Old Taijiquan Saying

[maoshan]

I agree with Sam, But to add that one classical
method witch i follow is to walk for 4 to 8 revolutions before you change, depending on your
level (beginner, intermediate, advanced).

Maoshan :)

[Jin]

Thanks a lots for your helps...
I'm studying Cheng style bagua zhang from Mr.Yang Guo Tai's student..and yes Sam..i'm just a beginner here...still need lots of help and suggestions from you guys. mmmm...but still my teacher never taught me the yin and yang flexing hands stuff...i'll be grateful if anyone could explain to me....thank you for your kindness...

[Sam Wiley]

Jin,
Don't worry too much about the palm flexing thing mentioned. Your teacher will go over it when you are advanced enough. If we explained it to you, it would only cause you to be distracted during your practice, and you need to be focused on other things right now. Baguazhang is complex enough without someone trying to rush you in your training.

The best suggestion I can give you is to tell you to practice, practice, practice. If you practice long, hard, and correctly, then you will do fine.

And remember that your teacher can answer any questions you have. (That's probably the best way to get answers, since your teacher can demonstrate physically what someone over the internet cannot.)

*********
"To enter is to be born, to retreat is to die."
-An Old Taijiquan Saying

[wujidude]

Also remember, Jin, not to be afraid to take information you've gotten here or other places and ask your teacher to ask his teacher. As I recall, Yang Guo Tai doesn't speak much English, let alone a level of English that can translate subtle bagua concepts. I'd ask John Spak or David Meikle, as their understanding of Master Yang's teaching is probably the deepest in that group. Yang Guo Tai has a deep understanding of "the basics", including Yin and Yang in the palms, and will give a fairly no-nonsense answer. Bagua is a pretty deep art. I'd be aggressive (yet respectful) in digging out all I could . . . from the source, too. At 74, who knows how much longer Master Yang will be teaching.

[Eight Immortals]

When you walk the circle focusing on the meditative aspect of it one should walk at an even, fluid, steady pace. The speed of the walk can be slow to moderate and the walking step should be natural, comfortable and continuous.(Lion Stepping) The knees should be bent and the hips and the waist sunk slightly so that the chi sinks to tan tien. If the body bobs up and down or wobbles back and forth while walking it will disturb the chi. Typically one will walk in one direction for a desired number of rotations. Practice should last between 30 min. and one hour with the practitioner going around the circles edge alternating between clockwise and counterclockwise walking directions. The method utilized to change directions will vary from school to school.
Hope this helps ;)

[Leimeng]

Walking the Circle is the most important exercise in practicing real BaGuaZhang. You can never do to much of it. As long as you have an instructor who is teaching you the real thing, then you should have no problems with what you are doing. I met an exceptionally skilled instructor recently who was in in late 80's. He tells of practicing circle walking for two hours or more. The legends of the famous masters have them practicing for three or more hours a day for years and years.

[HuangKaiVun]

It's not about how many times you practice, it's about how WELL you practice.

In my opinion, it's better to have done one GOOD circle than to have done an entire lifetime of not-so-good circles.

[Jin]

Hi there
Huang Kai Vun..are you Mr. Xu Gong Wei's student??..