PA KUA CHANG - BAQUAZHANG

Pa Kua Chang or Baguazhang is a Chinese Martial Art taught at Imperial Combat Arts school in Denver CO. At it's original combat level Pakua is a powerful and proven combat system once trained by elite Imperial Guards of the Ch'ing Dynasty. Pakua contains bare handed strikes, kicks, joint locks, chin na, throws, and melee weapon mastery. Pa Kua Chang literally translates to "Eight Trigrams Palm" and is based on the Taoist Philosophy of the I'Ching (YiJing) and the 8 Trigrams as depicted the training rings on our floors.
Pakua trains to fight multiple opponents attacking from all 8 directions surrounding you, both armed and unarmed. There is extensive straight line training as well as dynamic circular movements used to move throughout groups of opponents, overlapping and entangling them, while applying joint locks, strikes, and using weapons. There are many simpler versions of Pakua taught today that focus on spiritual development or performance, these arts are no longer true combat Pakua.

PAKUA IN SPECIAL FORCES

Pakua was taught by Tsai Ching Tung, a bodyguard to the Empress Cixi, to William E. Fairbairn who later developed the hand-to-hand combat training for the allied forces in WWII. Fairbairn is considered the father of close quarters pistol, knife fighting, and unarmed combatives the military still uses today. Fairbairn trained under Tung for 10 years and considered him "a man of terrifying prowess". The idea of fighting several men, overlapping them, using chin na and strikes combined, as well as the ability to use anything as a weapon, is combat Pakua.

EIGHT TRIGRAM PALMS

Pakua Chang was originally for advanced practitioners and weapon masters, for at it's highest levels is a fairly complex martial system. Students begin with the first 8 palms of Pakua, standing still and learning to use their body to generate power. Likewise all the skills of standing Chin Na, and weapons must be mastered to be applied to Pakua's maneuvering system. Once practitioners are becoming capable combat fighters they can approach Pakua Chang with walking the circle.

WALKING THE CIRCLE

Walking the circle is the study and development of Pakua Chang's complex maneuvering system. While this study first begins students also practice dynamic use of the first 8 Palm maneuvers, to use in real fights, as they train to maneuver against multiple opponents. Students train to fight from the center of the circle vs. multiple opponents and from outside of the circle facing both in and out. At the advanced levels there are 64 distinct maneuvers and hundreds of varied techniques.

CIRCLE SIZES & REALMS 

There are different circle sizes that are trained to fit different scenarios and weapons. The largest circles in the school are designed for training pole-arms. Mid sized circles are for Sword, Axe, or any like-sized objects, and kicking. Short circles are for small weapons such as combat knives, short swords, and deer horn knives, as well as for hand-to-hand combat and Chin Na. Running maneuvers are also done in the low realm where practitioners move dynamically in very low stances.
"Fighting with Pakua Chang can look quite different from seeing it in training. In training all maneuvers and techniques are practiced in a constant flow. With the average fight lasting a mere 20 seconds, in the fight just a few steps and techniques proper the situation will be briefly applied."
​-Mang Taan

SIXTY-FOUR HEXAGRAM PALMS

The hexagram palms relate to the 64 hexagrams of the Taoist I-Ching. These strikes/turns are grouped into 8 sets of 8 palms, each set represented by a trigram. This is an advanced study of Pakua that many never reach as it requires a lot of familiarity and dedication to the style. Most schools today only teach the 8 Primary Palms and have not retained the original fighting style, or its weapon and combat applications. Imperial Combat Arts teaches full combat Pakua Chang with all 64 Palms.

THE EIGHT ANIMALS

There are eight animal styles trained within the art of Pakua Chang. Each animal represents a trigram. The animals styles themselves have their own unique histories and applications that are taught in other styles such as H-sing-I Chuan. These styles have become an integral part of Pakua Chang and give specific options against various types of opponents, various styles, and in different positions or situations. While the Pakua animals are trained in our Pakua Chang, they are a very different study from our Taoist 8 Animal Styles.

EIGHT PAKUA ANIMALS

​☰     Lion
☱     Monkey             
☲     Rooster
☳     Dragon
☴     Phoenix
☵     Snake 
☶     Bear
☷     Qilin/Unicorn

IMPERIAL EIGHT ANIMALS

​​☰     Tiger
☱     Panther             
☲     Leopard
☳     Boar
☴     Eagle
☵     Crane 
☶     Mantis
☷     Snake

THE IMPERIAL EIGHT ANIMALS

The two above systems have some similarities. Both associate animal kung fu styles into one combined style. They both assign an animal style to represent a trigram of the I-ching. Both styles were trained by the Imperial Guard at the same time in China. There are also significant differences. While the Imperial Eight Animals are often trained alongside a study of Wu Tang Chuan they are their own unique system. Each of the Imperial Eight Animals Styles is a complete martial art with its own toughening, forms, weapons training, Chin Na, and ground-fighting, as they were trained before they were combined in study. Practitioners of the Eight Imperial Animals of learn the fundamentals of each style first as applied to different types of opponents. Then specialize in one first style all the way through to complete mastery. Enter Page> Eight Animals

64 ANIMAL styles

In the Imperial Eight Animals system each of the eight primary animals styles is associated with 7 additional sub-styles that complement their parent animal. This makes for a total of 64 animal styles, again representing the 64 Hexagrams of the I-Ching. Some of these sub-styles are fairly small in techniques with others being rather large. Sub-styles can be mastered with the same toughening and body conditioning that is already being developed in the main style. The Eight Animal System is quite possibly the most extensive collection of kung fu animal styles in existence today, especially ones retained at their combat level. Enter Page> Animal Sub-styles

TIBETAN GHOST BAT

The Ghost Bat or Spirit Bat is a very rare and little known style of Kung Fu that masters circular running combat somewhat similar to Pakua but with focus on stealth, evasion, and complex body contortion at full speed. The Ghost Bat can be taught as a dual study with Pakua Chang but requires much more extensive hand and foot toughening as well as study in additional types of specialty weapons. Bat is taught as a sub-style in both Imperial Snake and Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

TRAINING PA KUA CHANG

The complex maneuvering of Pa Kua begins with "Walking the Circle" and learning the maneuvers, energies, arm positions, and tactics of the legendary art. Quickly our students are put into intense combat scenario's on how to move throughout multiple opponents and large groups while fighting. Pa Kua has always been a study that combines maneuvering with empty hand combat, all types of weapons, chin na, and throws and therefor all these aspects build into the running patterns. By not pausing for most techniques, students learn much quicker how to use the whole body in motion during combat.

RUNNING IN COMBAT

The importance of running, spinning, twisting, and leaping in combat is often misunderstood or neglected in martial arts yet well understood in military study. When engaged with multiple and armed opponents, moving through, overlapping, and taking tactical positions in real world environments is a huge part of combat training. This vital area of study has no significance in sport fighting and is better understood in other sports that involve multiple participants such and the spinning, fast footwork, and evasion of most team sports.
The smooth, dynamic maneuvers and intelligent footwork of Pa Kua when trained properly have vast real world application and effectiveness in weapons combat.

GENERAL TOUGHENING

To prepare students for barehanded combat they start from day one with General Toughening. This beginner level toughening is itself more advance than most arts and includes body conditioning, arm and leg toughening, break-falls, kick toughening, and bare knuckled fist toughening. This intensive toughening meets the demands of true combat, far from wrapping the hands and wearing boxing gloves for sport. 
​​Enter Page> Hand Toughening

PAKUA EXERCISES

There are several traditional exercises that help develop the power, flow, and dynamic center of Pa Kua for combat. These exercises teach the powerful linked body dynamics, breath control, stance work, Chi Kung (Qigong), and techniques that make Pakua and Wu Tang legendary in Chinese Martial Arts. Imperial Combat Arts curriculum incorporates these advanced Pakua concepts into our intense student classes in a way that they can be used for real combat as learned.

PAKUA SETS

Sets are an effective and traditional part of teaching and learning Pa Kua. There are numerous sets practiced on multiple opponents in all directions during classes. These sets span all aspects of Pa Kua from weapon interaction to empty handed combat, throws, and chin na. Sets and forms are the primary ways that Masters pass on ancient knowledge to the next Masters. These combat scenarios are used to develop muscle memory and combat reflexes.

PAKUA DRILLS

Combat drills are an important part of all Imperial Combat Arts classes. Drills are used to incorporate strikes, techniques, maneuvers, etc. into the body as a second nature reflex, as is required for battle. Pa Kua drills are done shadow boxing, vs partners, mitts, and bags. The intricate artwork painted on the floor of the school at Imperial Combat Arts is also designed to for students to drill extensive sets against multiple opponents in all directions. 

PAKUA WEAPON TRAINING

There are many distinctive styles of weapons contained within the traditional study of Pakua, and Pakua masters are famous for being able to use anything as a weapon. The art of Pakua trains to master concealed weapons like the iron rod, needles, scholars pens, a pair of knives, and the crescent-shaped Deer Horn Knives, as well as large battlefield weapons like the Pakua sword. Other, more conventional weapons are also mastered, such as the staff, spear, cane, hook sword, and the straight double-edged sword. Enter Page> Weapon Training

SPECIAL FORCES WEAPONS

Our school has taught special forces weaponry since the mid 60's under C. E. Smith an Airborne Ranger / Army Ranger Green Beret Officer. These weapons are Combat Knife, Club/Baton, Firearms, and Hatchet. Grandmaster Long also taught and served during Vietnam and was an instructor in Combat Knife, Vietnam Tomahawk, Survival, Camouflage, Evasion, and hand to hand combat. These weapons are the first our students learn today and the most likely they'll face. These weapons are part of our modern Pakua Chang training.

IMPERIAL WU TANG CH'UAN

Pa Kua Chang is one of the Wu Tang arts taught within Wu Tang Ch'uan. Wu Tang Ch'uan is a study of Pa Kua, H'sing-I, Wu Hsing, Tai Chi, and weapons. Every aspect of these styles are founded on fighting multiple opponents and involve the use of strikes, kicks, vital point attacks, knees, elbows, toughened legs, arms and hands, as well as evasion, blocks, and controls. These arts come from weapons masters and share the same lethal techniques by forming the body into a weapon. Enter Page> Imperial Wu Tang 

DOES KUNG FU WORK?

Chinese Martial Arts have been proven in combat for thousands of years and have been the precursor for, or incorporated into, many other martial arts and modern military combatives. Kung Fu contains all aspects of martial arts including punches, kicks, grappling, wrestling, ground-fighting, joint locks, chin na, throws, and all types of melee weapons. Kung Fu is an umbrella term for several hundred distinct Chinese Martial Arts and not a style in itself. Like all traditional combat martial arts, different schools have different focuses with some today focused more on sport, spiritual development, or performance, and are no longer taught as combat systems.

HISTORY OF PAKUA CHANG

The creation of Paku Chang is accredited to Tung Haichuan (Dong Haichuan) in the 1800's. Tung was an Imperial Bodyguard and Martial Arts Instructor of the Ch'ing Dynasty's Imperial court. Tung himself was  descendant from Tung Jun, the military commander of Kublai Khans military over half a century prior. Pakua contains traditional weapon combat and empty hand fighting structured with the 8 Trigrams of Taoist Philosophy or Pakua. Pakua Chuan also incorporates the ancient practice of Taoist circle walking and is clearly Taoist in origin. While Shaolin has attempted to claim the credit for Pakua, and many other Taoist arts, modern historians have now disproven these claims. Taoist Philosophy and exercises predate the existence of Shaolin by over a thousand years. Many schools of Pakua have moved into training only empty handed or for spiritual development. It has become increasingly more difficult to find combat Pakua, as trained at Imperial Combat Arts.
Pakua Chang was originally called "Palace Pakua Chang", "Eastern City Palm", or "Willow Leaf Palm".

TUNG HAI CHUAN

Tung Hai Chuan (1813-1882 C.E.) was a highly skilled martial artist renowned for the development of Pakua Chang (The 8 Trigrams Palm), one of the primary Wu Tang Martial Arts taught today at Imperial Combat Arts. Tung Hai Chuan's legendary teachings would make their way into modern special forces and become studied across the globe today. There are many tall tales and legends about Tung Hai Chuan, but the historical truth is not hard to find. Enter Page>​ Tung Hai Chuan

PRINCE SU SHAN CH'I

Shan Ch'i was a Manchu Prince who played a big role in the development of Pakua Chang. Shan Ch'i was an Army Commander, the leader of Beijing's Men-at-arms, and the head of the Ch'ing Dynasty's Police System. Shan Ch'i was a Pakua Chang student of Tung Hai Chuan, trained several other martial arts, and was well trained in traditional weapons, archery, cavalry, firearms, and artillery. Tung Hai Chuan was the head of Prince Su's  Imperial Guard. Enter Page> Prince Su

YIN FU

Yin Fu was the first disciple of Tung Hai Chuan and a highly skilled martial arts master who served as the Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard for the Empress Dowager, and the Kuang Hsü (Guang Xu) Emperor. Yin Fu would become the chief martial Instructor to the Imperial Court with Bannermen trained by him being stationed throughout Beijing and Zhili (Hebei) province. Yin Fu also trained Snake Kung Fu, Arhat Hand, Plum Flower Fist and mastered battlefield weapons with the Willow Leaf Saber as his primary. Enter Page> Yin Fu

MA KUEI

Ma Kuei was one of the first disciples of Pakua Chang who trained directly under both Tung Hai Chuan and Yin Fu, starting at the age of 12. Ma Kuei was a Bodyguard and Martial Arts Instructor to China's imperial court and later worked at the office of the President and also taught at the National Police Academy. Ma Kuei was a strong and highly toughened Pakua  Master who also trained Snake Kung Fu, Crab Kung Fu, Arhat Hand, Tien Hsüueh, Unicorn Fist and also mastered the Saber and Broadsword. Enter Page> Ma Kuei

CHENG TING HUA

Cheng Ting Hua (1848-1900 C.E.) was a powerful martial arts Master and the 4th disciple of Pakua Chang founder Tung Hai Chuan. Ting Hua mastered several martial arts including Mongol Wrestling, Shuai Chiao, H'sing-I Ch'uan, and Tai Chi Ch'uan, in addition to Pakua Chang. Ting Hua also mastered battlefield weapons specializing in Saber and Iron Staff. Ting Hua helped unite the Wu Tang Arts under one study, as taught at Imperial Combat Arts today. Enter Page> Cheng Ting Hua