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FYI Page - Edition #5 .................................................................................................................................... April 1998
*** Welcome ***
to the Pa Kua Chang (Ba Gua Zhang) Website of Sifu Park Bok-Nam!
We hope that you will find this site to be interesting and informative,
and will use it as a starting point for learning more about the Pa Kua Chang of Lu Shui-Tian.
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= THIS EDITION = Featured in this edition of the FYI Page: TRAINING CAMP |
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THE BIRTH OF PA KUA STRATEGY
[Adapted and Re-edited by F. Hriadil]
| Pa Kua Chang is an art based on natural principles, not on individual strengths, techniques, environments, or situations. As such, it can be successfully applied in any circumstance and by any properly trained practitioner. However, an examination of its development reveals that Pa Kua evolved during a specific time and place in Chinese history -- and many of the techniques that have been passed down to today's practitioners are reflective of that era. Pa Kua Chang was not created, nor was it nurtured through its infancy, as an art for soldiers on the battlefield or boxers in a ring. The art "earned its stripes" and gained its formidable reputation as a "guerrilla-style" approach to fighting multiple opponents. Therefore, in order to understand some of the primary fighting tactics the Pa Kua Chang practitioner has historically employed, one must look back to the circumstances of its origin. |
| During the time when this art was becoming popular in China as an effective combat method, the majority of practitioners utilizing the art were working professionally as body guards, caravan escorts, and residence guards. The bandits and thieves of the day, who were the primary opponents of the Pa Kua practitioners, usually carried light or concealed weapons and employed "dog pack" like tactics in attacking their victims. Therefore, those who worked as bodyguards, residence guards, and caravan escorts needed to be able to handle simultaneous attacks from multiple opponents armed with various kinds of weapons. |
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In order to successfully handle opponents employing these tactics, one needed to be highly mobile, very quick and thorough in application, and very efficient in dealing with more than one attacker at a time. Pa Kua Chang became famous in this era because its practitioners were able to draw from its underlying principles and adapt perfectly to this complex and dangerous situation. The practitioners of Pa Kua Chang were extremely mobile, lightning fast, highly observant, and aware of all directions -- thus enabling them to deal successfully with multiple attackers. |
| Pa Kua's strategy of outflanking the opponent was developed specifically for this situation. A practitioner who was faced with two or more attackers could move to the outside and get behind one opponent while placing that opponent between him and the other attackers. Pa Kua's use of turning and twisting maneuvers in rapidly changing directions made it perfect for addressing multiple opponents. Pa Kua's use of quick and efficient striking techniques, which broke bones or otherwise quickly damaged an opponent, was also ideal for "churning through" one opponent after another. |
| Pa Kua Chang became a very effective fighting art because the practitioners who used the art, when it was still in its infancy, employed it and tested it in the most difficult of combat circumstances. In those days, you either adapted quickly to the situation or you died. Thus, those who were practicing the art at that time were driven to develop strategies and tactics which would be highly effective in many situations. If an art is successful, in fighting multiple opponents who have weapons, then it is certainly going to be effective against a single, unarmed attacker. It should be noted, however, that because the principles of Pa Kua Chang are adaptable to any situation, it is incorrect to simply assume that the specific techniques which have been handed down in the classic forms and fighting sets of Pa Kua are all that there is to Pa Kua Chang. |
PA KUA CHANG ADAPTABILITY
| While the tactics and techniques discussed above describe Pa Kua at an early age when it was used in serious life and death combat situations, those tactics and techniques do not strictly define Pa Kua Chang. Pa Kua Chang is an art that is based on principles and, as such, there is no strict definition of the art related to form or application. The art of Pa Kua adapts and changes as the circumstances dictate and it changes to a certain degree with each individual who practices the art. This is why Tung Hai Ch'uan taught each of his students differently and why every Pa Kua instructor displays a somewhat different interpretation of the art. It is not an art which is meant to be transferred exactly (i.e. copied) from the teacher to the student. Every student is unique and thus every student should be taught to develop his or her Pa Kua ability, according to the underlying principles, based on his or her own individual strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, each practitioner must take the principles of the art and apply them in ways that are best suited to the various combat environments of the day. If every student was taught in exactly the same way and only practiced the art in a well lit, smooth-floored martial arts school, for example, the training would not be natural nor would it follow the fundamental philosophical trinity. |
| Sifu Park Bok-Nam's teacher, Lu
Shui-Tian, required
that he practice Pa Kua Chang in many different locations
and environments. Sifu Park was required to practice in the
martial
arts studio, on the beach, in the mountains, in rocky
river beds, and in bamboo forests. He was required to develop
fighting "specialties" which best
suited his aptitude, ability, and character. He was also required
to research other styles of martial arts,
both by studying those arts from Lu Shui-Tian and Lu's martial arts
friends,
and by fighting opponents who specialized
in those martial systems. |
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For as Sun Tzu
stated:
"If
you know
yourself and know the enemy,
If
you
know
yourself,
but are ignorant of the
If
you
are
ignorant
of both yourself and the |
In order to "know himself," Sifu Park developed his own individual specialties based on his strengths and abilities. In order to "know the enemy," Sifu Park studied the strengths and weaknesses of the various other martial art styles. By studying these other styles and by fighting practitioners who specialized in those styles, Sifu Park was better able to research various Pa Kua Chang applications as they would apply in different environments and against different kinds of opponents. |
| Although submissive joint locks (which control an opponent rather than break their joints and bones immediately) and grappling techniques (which are used to take the opponent to the ground, wrestle with them, and choke them out) are becoming popular today, they are not very effective against multiple attackers or opponents who are carrying concealed, bladed weapons. When fighting multiple attackers, if you take too long dealing with with one attacker or you go to the ground, the others will be quickly upon you. Also, if you try to wrestle with someone who has a concealed knife, you can easily be cut or stabbed. |
| Because ground grappling and submissive techniques did not work well in the combat situations which the original Pa Kua developers most often found themselves, submissive techniques or ground fighting methods were historically not practiced to any great degree. But this does not mean that Pa Kua Chang does not possess these elements. Pa Kua is an art based on sound theoretical principles and, as such, it can address any combat scenario. Practitioners who are "properly" taught to understand the principles of Pa Kua Chang are also taught to research how to apply those principles in any situation. |
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The Pa Kua Chang strategies of the late 1800's and early 1900's were designed to fight multiple attackers and deal with them quickly and efficiently. The forms and techniques which have been passed down in the classical choreographed sets reflect these strategies. However, one should not think that Pa Kua Chang is limited to the specific techniques embodied in these forms or to the multiple attack scenario. It is wrong to think that since Pa Kua Chang was not practiced as a ground fighting art, it does not have ground fighting; or since it emphasizes the palm strike, it does not have strikes with the fist; or since it primarily employs circular footwork, it does not have linear applications. Pa Kua has ground fighting, punching, kicking, joint locking, inside fighting, outside fighting, etc., because Pa Kua principles can be effectively applied to all of these areas or methods. Pa Kua Chang is an art based on principle, not technique or application. Because it is based on principle, it is universal. It can be applied by a properly trained practitioner in any situation, environment, or scenario. |
| As stated previously, Pa Kua Chang follows natural principles. The principles of nature dictate that all individuals are graced with their own unique characteristics, capabilities, and personality. Taoism teaches that to achieve true harmony with the natural world, everyone must discover, and live life in accordance with, natural principles and their own unique natures. Following "The Way" in Taoism, involves searching for how one's own nature fits seamlessly into the ever changing ebb and flow of the universe. |
| Historical records indicate that Tung Hai Ch'uan was a Taoist and that he developed his art while living at a Taoist temple. It seems natural and logical that he would teach his students based on the principles of the Tao. An examination of what Tung's students learned from him, and how it was passed on, in turn, to their students, reveals that Tung did, indeed, teach every student in accordance with their own unique qualities and characteristics. |
| In teaching his students, Tung Hai Ch'uan took into account each student's martial arts background, character, size, aptitude, ability, personality, age, and physical condition. Because he taught each student differently, based on that student's unique qualities, every lineage of Pa Kua Chang existing today has its own "flavor." Even fundamental components of the art, such as the "Eight Mother Palms," are executed differently in each lineage. Tung's formal students and grand-students all approached the transmission of their art in the exact same manner as Tung himself. They taught each student in the traditional way -- a natural way that was unique to that student. Unfortunately, in recent times, many instructors have begun to "standardize" the Pa Kua forms and teach the same exact choreographed routines and fighting applications to all of their students, regardless of their students' differences in size, aptitude, and character. This fixation on form and misunderstanding of tradition serves only to constrain the art and severely limits the level of mastery an individual student can attain. |
| The first and foremost principle of Pa Kua Chang is adaptability and change. Those who try to define Pa Kua Chang too rigidly, and structure its practice and application based solely on form, have moved away from the true intent of the art.Art, by its very nature, is based upon individual expression; it is a reflection of the world and is an adaptation of the times. Providing a structure to an art that is too rigid, and judging it based on that severe structure, serves only to stifle the growth of the art and stifle the progress of those who practice it. In Sifu Bok-Nam Park's traditional method, students are taught the principles of the art before they are taught any forms or techniques. They are taught to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses and are provided with a program, a prescription, which is designed to improve their weaknesses and highlight their strengths. Students are taught how to adapt the art to various opponents, environments, and fighting situations while remaining true to the underlying fundamental and natural principles of Pa Kua. This is in keeping with the true nature, spirit, and intent of the art of Pa Kua Chang. |  |
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Some of the topics covered at last year's camp included:
| - Pa Kua
Theory and Principles - Breathing and - Pa Kua Footwork -
Yin/Yang
Circle - Research Sparring |
- Basic
Training Exercises - Pa Kua Palm - Eight Animal Circle -
Reflex Body - Pa Kua Staff Training |
- Chi Kung
(Qi Gong) Training - Pa Kua Body - Combat Circle -
Fighting
Principles - Pa
Kua Broadsword |
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