Baji

[David Jamieson]

Omar is big into Baji.

[omarthefish]

BAJI!!!
Any questions?

Seriously dude.

My 3 favorite Baji moves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APqBOL3Sn04

I'm 8th generation.

[rett]

Lots of nice clips on this guy's channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BajiAsso.../0/xgEFHwATxKA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUYxK9oIhHI
http://www.youtube.com/user/BajiAsso...25/BwyTQCfjObQ

Baji in Finland&Sweden

I'd just add that I really like the way these movements look and the teacher demonstrates them with great fluency.

[YouKnowWho]

Your thoughts?

I think everyone should at least learn 1 of the following 3 systems in their life time:

- Baji,
- Chen Taiji.
- XYLH.

[EarthDragon]

Reason I asked is I went to visit my kung fu uncle Su Yu Chang, in NYC and although he was in Taiwan, I was able to speak with one of his instructors and I was cusrious as to the input/ influence of baji in 8 step as opposed to teh other styles that make up 8 step. Omar could you explian a littel about it

[omarthefish]

You need to ask Bob, or...on this forum I think he's RAF. Su Yuchang is Wutan. That's not my branch. 8 Step has not traditional link to Baji. It's just that Liu Yunqiao, when he was still a young whippersnapper, went out and foolishly challenged an 8 step master...uh...Ding somethingorother. Got his ass handed to him on a platter so he got interested in 8 step and even now, a lot of Wu Tan Baji folks make students do 8 step as a sort of trial period for a few years before they get to learn Baji. The thinking goes, with 8 step they can get fighting ready pretty fast...faster than Baji. People see quick results with it and it gets them invested in the system. Baji training...withing Wutan anyways, tends to be harder and more boring than Mantis. It needs a lot of gongfu where 8 step has a lot of great fighting techinques right "out of the box".

So basically, I don't think Baji really has much influence. It's just that old man Liu was impressed enough with 8 step to make it part of his standard curriculum.

Again, RAF could tell you more accurately and in more detail than I can.

[RAF]

Actually it was not 8 Step Praying Mantis which knocked Liu over 3 times when he was in his twenties [sorry Omar]--it actually was the "softest" of all of the praying mantis systems--6 Harmony Praying mantis.

Not everyone in Wu Tan really gets into 8 step praying mantis--my understanding is that Master Su Yu Zhang was one of the initial first generation disciples that served as a screen for the Wu Tan Martial Arts Development Center--again, my understanding, is the that Master Su Yu Zhang was initially with Wei Xiao Tang and also another 8 Step disciple--Master Vincent Chen? I met him many many years ago at our tournament where he and Master Su taught a pai an seminar--very, very fine gentleman and his xing yi demonstration was superb.

Tony Yang, my teacher since about 1988 used to start everyone out with 7 Hand, 7 Hand fight, Li Pi, Xiao Fan She, Da Fan Zhe, and Ba Bu Zhai yao #1--later he took the class into 7 star (beng bu, ba zhou, a bunch of other forms) some mei hua tanglang and 6 Harmony Short punch--this was a personal preference of Tony as praying mantis was his first love.

As far as I know, Liu Yun Qiao only knew one praying mantis system and that was 6 Harmony.

As far as I know, Tony did not mix baji and 8 step praying mantis but we held praying mantis postures as one would hold baji postures and inevitably those who trained hard in the da qiang exercises had this power reflected in the praying mantis forms and postures--however, many of the traiing exercises of the da qiang are similar to those found in xing yi and taijiquan.

8 step praying mantis has components of xing yi, bagua and tong bei--so in my thinking the da qiang training just added a power dimension which may not necessarily be found in the jiben training of the 8 step praying mantis system.

What I am really interested in is the Wu Style of Taijiquan that Wei Xiao Tang practiced--are there any dvds or youtube clips available of the complete form--my teacher learned it but has never taught it.

[sanjuro_ronin]

As of right now there are two TCMa that I would consider learning:
Northern Mantis and Baji.
Why?
Because I think they would suit me and how I like to fight.

[YouKnowWho]

As of right now there are two TCMa that I would consider learning:
Northern Mantis and Baji.
Why?
Because I think they would suit me and how I like to fight.

That's good choice. Mantis for speed, and Baji for power.

[RAF]

In 1988 I was too stupid to see what a fantastic system the 8 Step Praying mantis system is--solid stuff--combined with the balance of the original Wu style form and training is really great.

I gave up most of my 8 step praying mantis material many years back--but if I knew what I now know and was in my 20s, I would eat up as much 8 step praying mantis as I could.

I also understand that the lineage of the 6 harmony praying mantis system also did Wu style taijiquan.

What really needs to be brought back into the baji system I know is the shuai jiao training--especially with regard to the first form, xiao baji jia.

[sanjuro_ronin]

That's good choice. Mantis for speed, and Baji for power.

Yep, and from what I gather they complement each other well.

[SPJ]

What really needs to be brought back into the baji system I know is the shuai jiao training--especially with regard to the first form, xiao baji jia.

yes. even thou most people see "kao" jin in forms right away.

there are actually many throw methods or shuai fa in Baji.

[Tokumei]

Baji! So far, in my whopping 9 months of training, I have found nothing I haven't liked.
The method of fighting and teaching is just great

I've been trying a few martial arts before this like Thaiboxing, BJJ and Choy Lee Fut, but this is the first one that I can't imagine stopping. Baji just has something for me, the power of the strikes and the mentality is so aggressive (can't think of a better word) and different from anything I've seen.

First post here, though I've been reading occasionally for years. Sorry I can't bring much to the table, but like said.. Nine months .

[David Jamieson]

I personally don't do Baji, but I do like elbow strikes and Baji's got those in spades according to everything I've seen about it.

also I like the sets and linear attack modes in it.

I am not familiar with NM in any way beyond whatever I've been shown by others.

[EarthDragon]

I fell in love with 8 step and have been doing playing teaching it for 23 years now. I had many years in the arts pror to meeting my shifu in 89 and I can assure you I am stil only starting to understanding mantis and its complexity. RAF thansk for the history and ino that was great, sent you a PM.
really want to look into the substyls of my system and see whats what and where things came from.