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BA JI QUAN
(八極拳)
Ba Ji Quan has always been associated with a certain region of China,
Chang County, and Hubei Province. It was from here that Ba Ji sprouted.
Mention of the style first appeared in writing during the Ming dynasty in
"Chi Hsiao Hsing Shu" by Gen. Chi, a treatise on military strategy. Prior to
that the royal Ching family passed down Ba Ji only to royal family
members while they ruled China. It has a long history of relationship to
the Imperial house and its bodyguards. The name as it is now does not
express a clear meaning. Ba Ji, however, it is similar to Pazi, the Chinese
word for rake. Quan is fist or fighting style. Initially the name was rake fist
style, Pazi Quan, due to the typical manner in which the fist is held. It was
popularized during the Ching dynasty when the name became Ba Ji,
which could mean 8 poles, 8 ultimate, or 8 extreme. It may have been
changed to this to mean strength delivered through 8 outlets.
The most notorious practitioner was Master Li Shu Wen. He was very well
known and had a reputation as a spear fighter. He was nicknamed God of
Spear or Magic Spear Li. Li taught both Baji and Piqua Zhang. These
were sister arts, complementary to each other. They were one integrated
fighting style, initially taught together, and then they became separated. It
is believed that they where taught to Li by two different masters. These
two branches are diametrical opposites and put together become well
rounded. Piqua is the yin. It is softer, wider, uses palm strikes, has a
longer range, and looks open. Baji is the yang. It is direct, linear, uses fist
strikes, is for in close fighting, and appears simple. It has a battering
ram/cannon power. During the Ching dynasty when Baji was being
popularized in Chang County, Hebei. At this time Wu Zhong, a Chinese
Muslim, was teaching both. It is unknown where and from whom he
learned. It is often a practice of masters to say they learned from
wandering Taoist or Buddhist priests. Wu Zhong taught many family
members and townspeople, including his daughter Wu Rong. She
specialized in Piqua, maybe because it is the softer, yin, and more open,
longer range of the two styles. Being so, it has been said might make it
more suitable for women to practice. After her father's death, she only
taught Piqua. The Baji, which was more suited to battlefield fighting with
heavy armor on, was taught to successive generations in isolation and
was probably selected out due to its conservation of movement which
adapted it well to professional fighters such as soldiers, bodyguards,
local protection, etc. As stated, Li learned both, but from different
masters, and began teaching them together again. He is known to have
studied under Jin Dian Sheng and Huang Si Hai. Li had many students
from all over but not just anyone could study with such a well known,
influential, and dangerous man. His student Huo Dian Ge was bodyguard
to the last Emperor of China and instructed both Imperial Guards and the
last Emperor himself. Many of Li's students were Generals or bodyguards.
The adjectives most often used to describe Baji are powerful and
effective. Baji is an ancient art designed to kill with one strike. The
energies used are called Jing, and there are many. It is a practical style;
base on end a fight quickly and thoroughly. The primary weapons are
the sword, staff and spear. This ferocious style appears easy to learn
due to its simplistic nature it is actually very difficult to master the proper
power. The jings take much time and hard training to develop. There are
a few Chinese sayings about these arts including: "even the gods fear
the masters of Baji" and "when Piqua is added to Baji, gods and demons
will all be terrified". There are 3 handsets in Ba Ji Quan: shao ba ji, da ba
ji, and a Qi Gong set. This Qi Gong set is much like Shao Ba Ji but each
movement is held for eight breaths. It is a very complete system; 3
complete training sets each with specific purpose.
(八極拳)
Ba Ji Quan has always been associated with a certain region of China,
Chang County, and Hubei Province. It was from here that Ba Ji sprouted.
Mention of the style first appeared in writing during the Ming dynasty in
"Chi Hsiao Hsing Shu" by Gen. Chi, a treatise on military strategy. Prior to
that the royal Ching family passed down Ba Ji only to royal family
members while they ruled China. It has a long history of relationship to
the Imperial house and its bodyguards. The name as it is now does not
express a clear meaning. Ba Ji, however, it is similar to Pazi, the Chinese
word for rake. Quan is fist or fighting style. Initially the name was rake fist
style, Pazi Quan, due to the typical manner in which the fist is held. It was
popularized during the Ching dynasty when the name became Ba Ji,
which could mean 8 poles, 8 ultimate, or 8 extreme. It may have been
changed to this to mean strength delivered through 8 outlets.
The most notorious practitioner was Master Li Shu Wen. He was very well
known and had a reputation as a spear fighter. He was nicknamed God of
Spear or Magic Spear Li. Li taught both Baji and Piqua Zhang. These
were sister arts, complementary to each other. They were one integrated
fighting style, initially taught together, and then they became separated. It
is believed that they where taught to Li by two different masters. These
two branches are diametrical opposites and put together become well
rounded. Piqua is the yin. It is softer, wider, uses palm strikes, has a
longer range, and looks open. Baji is the yang. It is direct, linear, uses fist
strikes, is for in close fighting, and appears simple. It has a battering
ram/cannon power. During the Ching dynasty when Baji was being
popularized in Chang County, Hebei. At this time Wu Zhong, a Chinese
Muslim, was teaching both. It is unknown where and from whom he
learned. It is often a practice of masters to say they learned from
wandering Taoist or Buddhist priests. Wu Zhong taught many family
members and townspeople, including his daughter Wu Rong. She
specialized in Piqua, maybe because it is the softer, yin, and more open,
longer range of the two styles. Being so, it has been said might make it
more suitable for women to practice. After her father's death, she only
taught Piqua. The Baji, which was more suited to battlefield fighting with
heavy armor on, was taught to successive generations in isolation and
was probably selected out due to its conservation of movement which
adapted it well to professional fighters such as soldiers, bodyguards,
local protection, etc. As stated, Li learned both, but from different
masters, and began teaching them together again. He is known to have
studied under Jin Dian Sheng and Huang Si Hai. Li had many students
from all over but not just anyone could study with such a well known,
influential, and dangerous man. His student Huo Dian Ge was bodyguard
to the last Emperor of China and instructed both Imperial Guards and the
last Emperor himself. Many of Li's students were Generals or bodyguards.
The adjectives most often used to describe Baji are powerful and
effective. Baji is an ancient art designed to kill with one strike. The
energies used are called Jing, and there are many. It is a practical style;
base on end a fight quickly and thoroughly. The primary weapons are
the sword, staff and spear. This ferocious style appears easy to learn
due to its simplistic nature it is actually very difficult to master the proper
power. The jings take much time and hard training to develop. There are
a few Chinese sayings about these arts including: "even the gods fear
the masters of Baji" and "when Piqua is added to Baji, gods and demons
will all be terrified". There are 3 handsets in Ba Ji Quan: shao ba ji, da ba
ji, and a Qi Gong set. This Qi Gong set is much like Shao Ba Ji but each
movement is held for eight breaths. It is a very complete system; 3
complete training sets each with specific purpose.
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