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Martial arts and self-defence (from bullshit)
Not surprisingly people associate martial arts and self-defence. I believe your physical training should help you in this regard, rather than make you even more vulnerable (that’s the subject of another article or two). But for most of us, we don’t need to physically fight aggressors often. It’s many years since I’ve been in a…
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Tai chi Combat forms- my problem with them…
Sometimes I meet people who talk about or have learned Tai Chi combat forms. They often stress that they practice a special “combat form”, rather than a “health form”. Sometimes this is accompanied by an air of superiority, which I think is better characterised as delusion. This is broader than Tai Chi, and applies to…
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Online Bagua training – Bagua in a nutshell
A classic Bagua position demonstrated against a misty background
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Perfect martial movement – how can you develop it?
Whatever you practice you likely have some ideal of perfect martial movement. Perhaps that ideal movement is encapsulated for you in classical terms such as six harmonies, maybe it is something that you feel towards, or there is a teacher/fighter who you’d like to be more like. The point is, you aren’t there…yet…just…more…practice… There is…
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What to wear? Bagua uniforms vs rubber boots
Greetings from rainy Brittany. What’s with the title Bagua uniforms vs rubber boots? If you look at videos of Bagua online you are likely to come across people with a range of different clothes on. There are people who wear classic wushu silk pajamas. I think there are also growing number of folk clad in…
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Unpack Bagua principles from forms (or die unfulfilled)
It’s not the form that counts it’s what you put into the form it’s not the shape that’s impirtant but how you move. If you don’t get this, your wasting your time.
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Bagua application – circles you can really use
How do you use all those circles in Bagua? So much Bagua application that I see depends on fanciful interpretations of forms. Perhaps you’ve seen them. Lots of spinning around a static (sleeping?) opponent. But Bagua application can be very simple and direct (in a circular way of course). In the little video above I…
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Xingyi bengquan power – 3 tips for a better Bengquan
Bengquan is a kind of punch, and many people love their ‘mighty bengquan’ but it won’t become mighty just because you do it harder! 3 tips to add juice to your fists.
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Invincible Kung fu!
Invincible kung fu, does it exist? Is it really a thing? Do internal martial artists really think they are invulnerable? This is a response to a comment on the first of the Annoyed by things in martial arts video series. Thank you to Baguatraining for the comment. Invincible Kung fu certainly exists in the imagination…