Pa Kua Chang (Ba Gua Zhang) Kung Fu: 804-794-8384 [FYI Page

DEEP LEARNING the TRADITIONAL WAY
Francis Hriadil
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Why are you studying the martial arts? What is your purpose? To learn forms? To learn fighting? To improve your health? I will not be addressing “sport martial arts” or “performance martial arts” here. The goals of those activities are fame and / or fortune, which are ego-based pursuits, and contrary to the philosophy, purpose, and principles of traditional martial arts practice, such as Qiang Shan Baguazhang.

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Traditional martial arts does have forms. And, traditional martial arts does have fighting. But, martial arts studied properly, the traditional way, offers so much more than that.

You can learn forms anywhere. A form is a choreography, a formalized sequence of movements. There are literally thousands and thousands of forms. There may even be hundreds of forms, in each martial art style. Anyone can create a form. How many forms is enough for one to know? Martial arts, at least tradition martial arts, is not simply about learning form, after form, after form.

Shifu Bok-Nam Park teaches the Traditional Baguazhang Method known as Qiang Shan Baguazhang - the full traditional methodology that was passed down to him, as the formal inheritor of his teacher, Shifu Lu Shui-Tian.

Anyone can copy every form that Lu Shui-Tian taught, and that Shifu Park teaches. There are people out there teaching these forms. But, when you copy or learn forms this way, you obtain only the basic outline or framework of those forms. That is all you get, and that is all you have. You must understand that there is very little true value in just knowing a form.

Shifu Park says, “When you are always chasing ‘the new, the new, the new’, the old forms you know, you just simply ‘forget, forget, forget’.” This is nothing but a waste of your time and your money. You know many forms; but, know nothing well or deeply. You are just a collector of forms. Is this all that you want? Is this what you are spending your precious time and money on? Just a collection of forms?

Shifu Park has remarked that knowing a few forms that you “understand deeply” is more valuable than knowing many forms that you simply “just know”. Shifu Park has been teaching traditional Bagua for most of his adult life. He began teaching Bagua in Korea in 1971, and has spread the Bagua of Lu Shui-tian throughout the world. And, he has noted that, throughout his life and his teaching, the many people he has encountered don’t seem to think very much about this.

In whatever martial art you practice, or that you are considering, how would you answer the following questions:

Do you understand, or want to understand, the role that forms practice plays in the traditional martial arts?

Do you know the two ways that any form is used?

When you do a form, do you just think “right, left, up, down, …” or “1, 2, 3, 4, …”, or do you envision what the form represents?

Is your form a “live” form or a “dead” form? Do you know what the difference is?

Do you know that there is more than one kind of internal power? Do you know how to properly generate and use each kind of power?

Do you think that traditional forms practice has little or no value in fighting? If so, what is your basis for this view? Do you know how forms should be used?

Do you understand natural principles and how they apply in a practical way to your martial practice? If your understanding of natural principles is only theoretical, how does this benefit your actual practice?

Do you understand natural rhythm and the fundamental role that it plays in proper exercise practice?

Do you understand the critical role that your mind plays in your practice?

Do you understand how to adjust your practice based on your body’s needs?

Does your teacher follow tried and true natural principles or his / her own thinking and ideas?

Do you follow tried and true natural principles in your own practice, or do you follow your own thinking and ideas?

You need to think seriously about this. If you can’t answer these kinds of important questions, what kind of understanding do you really have about your practice, or any practice you are considering? What value have you really obtained for your time, money, and effort? You will not be able to answer these kinds of questions unless, and until, you acquire a deep understanding of your body and your practice.

With a deep understanding of your body and your practice, which can only be acquired through proper exercise experience, you will possess the knowledge and wisdom necessary to adjust your practice to maximize the benefits and meet your body’s changing needs throughout your entire lifetime. On the other hand, if questions such as these are not of interest to you, then proper traditional martial arts practice is not for you. But, this is your choice to make.

I will not and cannot give you the answers to these questions here, except to point out that a traditional form, and traditional practice, was not created for show, or sport, or entertainment. It was created for two important purposes. First, to develop and improve the health of the body. And, second, as a live encyclopedia of self-defense. Proper traditional practice is not like many current, modern, popular western exercise practices where you perform a physical exercise and your mind is somewhere else. You may be listening to music or audiobooks on your headphones, or watching videos on videoscreens; but, your mind is not particularly involved in your practice or your exercise. In this regard, you are separating your mind and your body in your exercise, and fundamentally curtailing the benefits that you can achieve from that exercise.

It is beyond the scope of this brief article to even begin to answer the questions I am asking you to think about here. That is a journey of discovery that you must make under the watchful guidance and teaching of a qualified, experienced instructor. For those interested in pursuing this further, you can contact Shifu Park’s Bagua Association and certified instructors, which and who are provided at http://www.pa-kua.com and https://ba-gua.org/ .

Do you want true and lasting value in your practice, for the time, money, and effort that you are spending? Or, are you just satisfied with “knowing” many forms, and / or “knowing” many fighting techniques? It depends on what you want. This is a personal decision you will have to make. In either case, I wish you well in your practice.

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깊은 무술 공부: 전통적 방법
Francis Hriadil
Translation by Grace Lie (이은희)

당신은 왜 무술을 공부합니까? 당신이 무술을 훈련하는 목적이 무엇입니까? 여러 형들을 배우는 것?
호신술을 배우는 것? 건강 증진? 이 글에서 나는 "스포츠로서의 무술"이나 "무술 퍼포먼스"를 다루지
않을 것입니다. 그러한 활동의 목표는 명예나 재산을 얻는 것인데, 그런 목표들은 자아 도취적인
추구이며 강산팔괘장(强山八卦章)과 같은 전통 무술 훈련의 철학, 목적, 원칙과는 상반되기 때문입니다.

전통 무술 훈련에는 형 (形) 배우는 것이 포함되어 있습니다. 호신술 연마도 포함되어 있습니다. 하지만, 올바르고 전통적인 방법으로 공부한 무술은 그보다 훨씬 더 많은 것을 제공합니다.

어디에서나 형을 배울 수 있습니다. 형은 동작들의 순서를 정해놓은 코레오그래피입니다. 그야말로
수천개의 형이 세상에 존재합니다. 어떤 무술 스타일은 그 안에 수백개의 형을 가지고 있을 수도
있습니다. 형은 누구나 만들 수 있어요. 한 사람이 몇개의 형을 알고 있어야 충분합니까? 무술, 적어도
전통 무술 훈련은 단순히 어떤 형을 배운 후에 또 다른 형을 배우고 그다음 또 새로운 형을 배우는
그런 것이 아닙니다.

박복남 (朴福男) 사부님은 강산팔괘장이라고 알려진 전통 팔괘장을 오랫동안 가르쳐 오셨습니다.
강산팔괘장은 그가 스승인 노수전 (盧水田) 사부님의 정식 계승자로서 노수전 사부님으로부터
전승받은 온전히 전통적인 팔괘장 시스템입니다.

누구든지 노수전 사부님이 가르치셨던 그리고 박복남 사부님이 가르치시는 형들을 복사하듯이 따라할 수 있습니다. 그렇게 해서 학생들에게 가르치는 이들도 있습 니다. 그러나 다른 사람이 하는 형을
복사하는 식으로 배우거나 그런 방식으로 배운 이에게서 가르침을 받을 때, 당신은 그저 그 형의
기초적인 외형(外形)이나 프레임만을 배우게 됩니다. 그것이 당신이 얻는 전부이고, 당신이 소유하게
될 전부입니다. 하지만 단지 형을 아는 것 그 자체에는 진정한 가치가 없다는 것을 반드시 이해해야
합니다.

박복남 사부님은 "항상 '새것, 새것, 새것'을 쫓는다면, 예전에 알고 있었던 형들은 다 ‘잊고, 잊고, 또
잊게 될 것’”이라고 말씀하십니다. 그렇다면, 당신은 시간과 돈을 낭비할 뿐입니다. 여러개의 형을
알고 있을지 모르지만, 그중에 하나라도 잘 알거나 깊이 이해하고 있는 형이 없을 겁니다. 당신은
형을 수집하고 있는 것 뿐이지요. 그것이 당신이 원하는 전부인가요? 그것을 위해 그 소중한 시간과
돈을 소비하는 것인가요? 단순히, 형을 수집하기 위해서?

박복남 사부님은 몇 가지 형을 "깊이 이해하고" 있는 것이 많은 형을 "그냥 알고 있는" 것보다 더
가치 있다고 말씀하십니다. 박복남 사부님은 대한민국에서 1971년에 노수전 사부님의 전통 팔괘장을
가르치기 시작해서 현재까지 팔괘장을 전 세계에 알려오시는 등, 성인이 된 이후 인생 대부분을 전통
팔괘장 가르치는 데에 보 내셨습니다. 이 오랜 시간 동안 만나고 알게된 수많은 사람들 대부분이 이
차이에 – 형을 깊이 이해하고 있는 것과 그냥 알고 있는 것 – 관하여 별로 생각해 본 적이 없는
것으로 보인다고 하십니다.

현재 훈련하고 있거나 혹은 배우려고 생각하는 무술이 무엇인지 상관없이, 당신은 다음 질문들에
어떤 대답을 하겠습니까?

- 전통 무술에서 형을 왜 연습하는지, 그 역할을 이해하고 있거나 이해하고
싶습니까?

- 어떤 형이든지, 형이 사용되는 두 가지 방법을 알고 있습니까?

- 형을 할 때, 당신은 속으로 그냥 “오른쪽, 왼쪽, 위, 아래, ..." 를 생각하거나
"하나, 둘, 셋, 넷, …” 세면서 형을 합니까, 아니면 그 형이 의미하는 바를
머리 속에 그리면서 형을 합니까?

- 당신의 형은 “살아있는” 형입니까, 아니면 “죽은” 형입니까? 이 차이를 알고
있습니까?

- 내기(內氣)의 종류가 하나가 아니라는 것을 알고 있습니까? 각 종류의 힘을
어떻게 생성해내고 사용하는지 알고 있습니까?

- 호신술 연마하는 데에 전통적인 형 연습이 거의 가치가 없거나 아예 없다고
생각합니까? 그렇게 생각한다면, 그 근거가 무엇입니까? 형이 어떻게
사용되어야 하는지 알고 있습니까?

-   자연의 원리들을 이해하고 그 원리가 무술 훈련에 실제적으로 어떻게
     적용되는지 알고 있습니까? 만일 자연 원리에 대하여 이론적으로는 알고
     있다면, 그 지식이 당신의 훈련에 어떤 혜택을 주고 있습니까?

- 자연의 리듬 그리고 이것이 올바른 훈련에서 가지고 있는 근본적인 역할을
이해하고 있습니까?

- 당신의 훈련에서 마음의 결정적인 역할을 이해하고 있습니까?

- 몸의 필요에 따라 당신의 운동을 어떻게 조정해야 하는지 알고 있습니까?

-   당신의 사부는 긴 시간을 거쳐 진리가 된 자연의 원리를 따릅니까, 아니면
     자신의 개인적인 생각과 아이디어를 따릅니까?

-   당신은 어떻나요? 긴 시간을 거쳐 진리가 된 자연의 원리를 따릅니까, 아니면
     당신의 개인적인 생각과 아이디어를 따릅니까?

이 질문들을 진지하게 생각할 필요가 있습니다. 이런 중요한 질문에 답할 수 없다면, 당신은 현재 하고
있거나 배우려고 생각하고 있는 무술의 훈련을 어떻게 이해하고 있습니까? 이제까지, 당신의 시간, 돈,
노력에 비하여 어떤 가치를 실제로 얻었습니까? 자신의 몸과 훈련에 대해서 깊은 이해를 얻고자 하지
않는다면, 또 얻기 전까지는, 당신은 이런 종류의 질문에 대답할 수 없을 것입니다.

자신의 몸과 훈련에 관한 깊은 이해는 올바른 훈련 경험을 통해서만 얻어지는데, 이 깊은 이해를 획득하면 당신은 나머지 여생동안 운동의 혜택을 최대화하고 몸의 변화하는 요구에 맟추어 운동을 조정하는 데에
필요한 지식과 지혜를 소유하게 될 것입니다. 반면에, 이 질문들이 당신의 관심을 끌지 않는다면 올바른
무술 연마는 당신을 위한 것이 아닙니다. 하지만 이것은 당신의 선택에 달려있습니다.

이 글에서, 전통적인 무술의 형, 전통적인 무술 훈련방법이 쇼, 스포츠, 오락용으로 만들어지지 않았다는 점을 지적하는 것 외에는 내가 당신을 대신하여 이 질문들에 답하지 않을 것이며, 답할 수도 없습니다.
전통적인 무술의 형은 두 가지 중요한 목적을 위해 만들어졌습니다. 첫째, 신체의 역량을 발달시키고
건강을 증진하기 위해서입니다. 둘째, 자기 방어를 위한 살아있는 백과사전적 의미로 만들어졌습니다.
올바른 전통적 훈련이란 현재 인기가 많은 현대적 서구의 운동 연습 방법과는 다릅니다. 그런 운동들의
특징은 신체 운동을 하는 동안 마음을 다른 곳에 둘 수 있어, 당신이 운동을 하면서 헤드폰으로 음악이나 오디오북을 듣거나 화면으로 비디오를 볼 수 있지요. 그러나, 당신의 마음은 당신이 그 순간에 하고 있는 훈련이나 운동에 몰입되어 있지 않습니다. 이런 점에서, 당신은 운동할 때 마음과 몸을 분리시킴으로써
그 운동으로부터 얻을 수 있는 혜택을 근본적으로 축소시키고 있습니다.

이 짧은 글에서는 내가 당신에게 제시한 위 질문들에 답을 시작하는 것조차 어렵습니다. 이 질문들의
답을 알아내는 것은, 자격있고 경험이 풍부한 강사의 주의깊은 지도와 가르침 아래 당신 스스로가
반드시 걸어야 하는 발견의 여정입니다. 당신이 이 여정을 시작하고자 한다면 http://www.pa-kua.com
과 https://ba-gua.org/ 를 통해 박복남 사부님의 팔괘장 협회와 인증된 강사들에게 연락할 수 있습니다.

무술 훈련에서 당신이 쏟는 시간, 돈, 노력에 상응하여, 진리이며 지속적인 가치를 얻기를 바랍니까?
아니면, 단지 많은 형을 "알고" 있거나 혹은 많은 호신술을 "알고" 있는 것에 만족합니까? 그 답은 당신이
원하는 것이 무엇인지에 달려있으며, 그것은 당신이 내려야 할 개인적 결정입니다. 어떤 결정을 하든,
당신의 훈련이 잘 진행되기를 바랍니다.

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FYI Page - Edition #39 .................................................................................................. March 2021 .
TRADITIONAL BAGUAZHANG CIRCLE WALKING
and the NATURAL WAY
Francis Hriadil

One of the most prominent and recognizable aspects of Baguazhang (八卦掌, bāguàzhǎng) practice is Circle Walking. It forms a fundamental part of Bagua methodology and training. Why does Bagua have Circle Walking? Why do Bagua practitioners do this? Do we do it because it looks good? Do we do it because our teacher says we have to, because “that is what Bagua is”? Do we do it because we’re crazy? Some people, who don’t understand Bagua, may think so.

Why a circle? First, it is important to understand that the “circle principle” comes from nature. It is not an invention of man. It is a universal and fundamental principle of the natural world, and has become recognized as such in such famous ancient Chinese texts as the YIJING, (易經, Yìjīng) - The Book of Changes. All nature, and all life, is based on change - circular and cyclical change. All motion incorporates circular or curvi-linear movement. All joints operate on circular or rotational action. And, to turn the body or change direction, one must perform circular / rotational changes.

On a large scale, the Earth spins on its axis. The Moon revolves around the Earth. The Earth and the planets revolve around the Sun. And, so on.

This is the basis for all life, for all of nature, for the universe, and all of existence.

The rule of nature is that everything changes; nothing remains the same. Change can be fast or slow, large or small. In any case, change is natural and inevitable, and is a continuous and on-going process. Nevertheless, change is not haphazard. There are patterns of change inherent in nature, and in human life. The Gua (卦, guà) - the Trigrams that comprise the symbol for Baguazhang recognize and codify these naturally occurring processes in a systematic way.

Baguazhang (八卦掌, bāguàzhǎng) incorporates circle thinking, circle moving, and circle fighting as the basis of its methodology. Taijiquan (太極拳, tàijíquán) the oldest of the major internal systems, emphasizes the principle of Yin (陰, yīn) and Yang (陽, yáng). Xingyiquan (形意拳, xíngyìquán), the second major internal system, emphasizes the principle of the Wuxing (五行, wǔxíng) - the Five Elements. Baguazhang (八卦掌, bāguàzhǎng), the youngest of the major internal systems, incorporates the principles of Yin (陰, yīn) and Yang (陽, yáng), Wuxing (五行, wǔxíng), and emphasizes the principle of continuous, circular change (八卦, bāguà) (圈法, quānfǎ). Practiced the traditional way, Bagua is unique in this regard. Traditional Baguazhang views these three fundamental natural principles as a complete trinity combination.

Baguazhang manifests Yin and Yang, throughout its methodology. Fundamentally, Traditional Bagua, such as the traditional method of Lu Shui-Tian as taught by Shifu Park Bok-Nam, recognizes and trains both

the Yin Way (陰法, yīnfǎ) - the Health or Qigong (氣功, qìgōng) Way

and, the Yang Way (陽法, yángfǎ) - Fighting Way.

Each way is different; but, they are both related, and depend on each other. Both ways are necessary to achieve complete, natural balance in the body.

Health Way

The body is composed of approximately 360 joints and 650 muscles in the body. These 360 joints control the body’s 650 muscles. Each joint and muscle needs to be properly exercised through its full range of motion to achieve balance in the body, and obtain optimal health. Traditional Bagua uses Circle Walking to exercise the body completely, through many different circle ways, and angle ways, to address the needs of all of the body’s joints and muscles.

This is very different than popular exercises like swimming, or walking, or running, which are unchanging and highly repetitive linear activities that utilize only a small subset of the body’s joints and muscles. Few, if any, of the body’s joints and muscles are exercised through their full range of motion in these types of linear exercises. Traditional Bagua, on the other hand, uses many different circles,

and various circle patterns. Each Circle Walking way and pattern has its own special attributes and purpose. The specifics of what, when, how, and why we use and do each way are beyond the scope of a short introductory article such as this. However, it can be stated that each circle way develops the body differently, exercises the body’s knees and other joints differently, and produces different muscle, ligament, and tendon development.

Furthermore, with proper posture, rhythm, breathing, etc., Circle Walking produces continuous Power Circulation of Xue (血, xuè) - “Blood” and Qi (氣, qì) throughout the entire body, both the upper body and the lower body. Ancient Chinese internal and health practitioners have recognized that the key to optimal health lies in the circulation.

Good Health = Good QI (氣, qì) Circulation + Good Xue (血, xuè) / “Blood” Circulation

This all comes from the continuous Power Circulation that results from proper Circle Walking practice.

Fighting / Self-defense Way

Circle Walking uses different circles, different angles, different directions to train the Bagua practitioner how to keep moving. Through Circle Walking, practitioners develop the ability to evade, maneuver, and confuse their opponent(s). Opponent(s) never know when or how a Bagua fighter will move or change direction, what targets will be attacked, what direction an attack will come from, or what techniques will be used to defend or attack. It also serves as a jab to get an opponent to react or commit, thereby opening his/her “door” for the Bagua fighter to step in, strike, and end the fight.

And, the continuous Power Circulation created through Circle Walking practice prepares the Bagua fighter so that when he/she is ready to strike, his/her Qi will be ready to come out in that strike, to devastating effect on the opponent.

When you look at how animals fight in nature, you see few predators that attack straight on. Many use surprise and maneuver to gain the advantage, to maximize their attack and prevent any harm to themselves. Foxes, for example, circle their prey before pouncing from the side or from the rear. Lions almost never attack straight on. They normally move alongside their prey and turn into the prey very sharply to attack, with a deadly strike.

And, Traditional Baguazhang is not a sport. It is a serious self-defense art. Every vulnerable point on the body is a valid target. There are no illegal targets in Traditional Bagua.

This is the way of Bagua fighting. Traditional Baguazhang provides the Bagua fighter with the ability to evade, maneuver, and attack in an unpredictable manner, and to employ Internal Power, at any time, and in any direction. This all comes from proper Circle Walking practice. Traditional Baguazhang is unique in this regard. It is a comprehensive martial art based on natural principles, that when practiced and used properly, produces a very efficient, effective, and devastating fight method.

This kind of skill does not come overnight. It requires time, dedication, serious commitment, discipline, and patience. And, it requires the guidance of a properly trained and experienced instructor, who can provide the student with the detail and depth of understanding that is needed to excel in this comprehensive martial art. For those interested in exploring this art further, you can contact Shifu Park’s Qiang Shan Baguazhang Association, and certified instructors, at http://www.pa-kua.com and https://ba-gua.org/ .

It comes down to what you are looking for in any health practice, exercise practice, or martial practice that you are involved in, or are considering. This is a personal decision that only you can make. Traditional Baguazhang has many unrivaled benefits to offer. Whatever your decision, I wish you well in your life and in your practice.

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