Bagua Zhang translates as Eight Trigram, or Eight Diagram, Palm. It is a Chinese internal martial art, health art and philosophical system that has grown out of a deep understanding of the constantly changing nature of the Cosmos. The formation of Bagua’s philosophical concepts dates back approximately two thousand years to the Yi Jing, or Book of Changes, which is generally regarded as being the origin of Yin and Yang philosophy, and as such is seen as being the foundation of traditional Chinese culture.
Gao Yisheng (1866–1951)
As a martial art Bagua Zhang is intelligent, practical and energy efficient. It uses spiraling, circling and coiling movements to great effect in application. In Chinese martial art circles it is considered to be an internal art, along with Tai Chi, that seeks to use an opponents force rather than ones own physical power. Because of this it can be effectively applied by anyone, regardless of size and strength. The practise of Bagua is dynamic and beautiful, with swift flowing changes of direction, technique and movement that are based in the holistic yin/yang philosophy of all Chinese martial arts. Even though Bagua is relativly new as a martial art, dating back less than two hundred years, many masters have trained in it’s methods and it’s roots stretch back into Chinas antiquity. In the Infiniteway school we train Gao style Bagua which has been passed down from Gao Yisheng, to Ho Ho Choi and from there to Sifu James Chan and then to me. It includes both circular and linear 64 palm forms to improve health, increase flexibility and develop martial skill.