Bajiquan Substiture

[Brewha]

Hi all,

I live in Raleigh, NC and I'm interested in learning Bajiquan but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any instructors in the area. I've found a Chen Style Tai Chi class that I'm considering taking as I've heard it compliments Baji training.

My main draw to Baji though is their emphasis on short powerful blows... particularly elbow strikes (I actually came across it while looking for alternatives to Muay Thai). Are there any members out there who cross-train in Baji/Taichi? Is it something you would recommend or should I hold out and try to pick up some Baji training in a seminar... asssuming they exist.

P.S. The Tai Chi class is being offered by an aikido school whose instructors are students of Wang Hai Jun

P.P.S. Please ignore my poor spelling in the title... Daylight Savings Time is still kicking my ass.

[Golden Arms]

Bailiwen (sp?) on this board train Baji. Perhaps a few others do as well.

[GeneChing]

I have a folk baji form in my regimen. I love it. I'm horrible at it, which is embarrassing as I've been working it for years, but I still love it. I used to teach Taiji back in the Pleistocene era, but I've long forsaken that practice. That wasn't a matter of preference. It was just the way my training has gone. I'm under a coach who knows a good little baji form, so I study it under him in hopes of understanding it. If I was under a good taiji coach, I'd be studying that.

Don't get too wrapped up in the style that you hold out for something and neglect training right now. It's more about the practice than the style. Even if you find a baji coach some day, there's no guarantee that he or she will be able to teach it to you well. Just train.

[taichi4eva]

I belong to the Wutan lineage under Shifu Jason Tsou, and split my time between the Yang long form and Baji.

I did learn the Taiwanese version of Chen Style Laojia (which most people in Wutan do), but stopped practicing it because I felt like I rushed when I learned it. I agree with Gene Ching entirely. Chen style is great, and the Baji Grandmaster Liu Yunqiao held Chen style Taiji in high regard. Good luck!

[Brewha]

Thanks for the advice and the information! Gene, you're correct of course. My intention is to find something that, if it isn't Baji, at least moves me closer to the goal. I'd heard of the connection/respect between the two arts that taichi4eva spoke of so when I came across the Chen-style Tai Chi class I wondered if that would be my best option, which looks to be the case.

Best regards,
Brew

[YouKnowWho]

If you just pick up some Baji drills and repeat it left and right, that will help you quite a lot.

[rett]

Hi all,

I live in Raleigh, NC and I'm interested in learning Bajiquan but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any instructors in the area. I've found a Chen Style Tai Chi class that I'm considering taking as I've heard it compliments Baji training.

My main draw to Baji though is their emphasis on short powerful blows... particularly elbow strikes (I actually came across it while looking for alternatives to Muay Thai). Are there any members out there who cross-train in Baji/Taichi? Is it something you would recommend or should I hold out and try to pick up some Baji training in a seminar... asssuming they exist.

P.S. The Tai Chi class is being offered by an aikido school whose instructors are students of Wang Hai Jun

P.P.S. Please ignore my poor spelling in the title... Daylight Savings Time is still kicking my ass.

This is a school that is based on combining Baji and Taiji (in Finland, a ways from Raleigh)

http://baji.info/en

Here's their youtube

http://www.youtube.com/user/BajiAssociation

You might be able to find something of interest on those links.

Possible "substitute" maybe XingYi if it's in your area?

[Brewha]

That looks like a great school. In my area, there are many, many, OMG there are SO many Tae Kwon Do schools but relatively few CMA schools.

I've decided to go with the Chen-style Tai Chi class. It looks to be a good opportunity and the styles seem cohesive enough that I won't be obligated to unlearn bad habits later.

Best regards,
Brew

[RAF]

If you are going to train Chen's taijiquan, in lieu of bajiquan, see if you can find a teacher who will also teach and train you in the big pole exercises--Chen Zheng Lei has a dvd on this training and in my experience, is essential along with Chen single posture moving and standing post training.

If you can find someone who is teaching Hebei xing yi, get the 5 elements, san ti shi posture training, and the 5 da qiang exercises that mirror the 5 elements.

I think this kind of training in some ways paces the early bajiquan training.

Good luck!

[omarthefish]

Bailiwen (sp?) on this board train Baji. Perhaps a few others do as well.

lol. Bai/白 Le/乐 Wen文
================================================== =========================
And yeah, RAF already posted. It also hadn't occured to me that the Baji Association folks under Lu Baochun were Baji/Taiji based. Don't know if they have any posters here. I love Lu's Baji but I always got the impression that Taiji was just another part of their curriculum alond with Pigua and other stuff.

Thread topic sure caught my eye though once I finally read it as Li Suiyin (my teacher) very specifically combines Baji with Taiji. We Do Baji, Taiji, Bagua and Xingyi but the focus for most people is on the first 2. Most of us either do Baji with a Taiji supplement (like me) or Taiji with a Baji supplement (like some of the older students I train with.)

Of course that ain't gonna help you out there in SC...unless you are ready to pack your things and move to China. . .

[rett]

omarthefish

You are probably right about them being separate parts of the curriculum, at least in the sense that the seminars are separate: baji seminars or taiji seminars. But I think they are considered very compatible, and a number of the students (I don't know how many exactly) train both.

[SPJ]

Hi all,

I live in Raleigh, NC and I'm interested in learning Bajiquan but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any instructors in the area. I've found a Chen Style Tai Chi class that I'm considering taking as I've heard it compliments Baji training.

My main draw to Baji though is their emphasis on short powerful blows... particularly elbow strikes (I actually came across it while looking for alternatives to Muay Thai). Are there any members out there who cross-train in Baji/Taichi? Is it something you would recommend or should I hold out and try to pick up some Baji training in a seminar... asssuming they exist.

P.S. The Tai Chi class is being offered by an aikido school whose instructors are students of Wang Hai Jun

P.P.S. Please ignore my poor spelling in the title... Daylight Savings Time is still kicking my ass.

Both Tai ji and Ba Ji stress Kao.

Al thou, their approaches may differ. Some would say they share the same root or foundation.

Li tai liang (sp ?) tai chi incorporated jin gang ba shi. This is a prominent example.

Training methodology may differ.

The final function or destination is the same.

[SPJ]

I belong to the Wutan lineage under Shifu Jason Tsou, and split my time between the Yang long form and Baji.

I did learn the Taiwanese version of Chen Style Laojia (which most people in Wutan do), but stopped practicing it because I felt like I rushed when I learned it. I agree with Gene Ching entirely. Chen style is great, and the Baji Grandmaster Liu Yunqiao held Chen style Taiji in high regard. Good luck!

There are several branches of Chen tai ji in Taiwan.

If you learn from Du yu zhe line, there are many and many long forms.

lost count for me.

Most striking things for me would be stomps, one leg stomp, 2 leg stomp, switch step stomp, double stomp ---

hurt knee and groin area if not done right

recalling practice times in 1970s.

ouch.