Pa Kua Chang

Tung, Hai-chuan- d1882, arrived in Peking at age 50 [circa 1864] and was undefeated. He initially taught Lohan Chuan but eventually he taught his new art which became known as Pa Kua Chang. He trained the Duke of Ssu's bodyguards. Years later when he taught his new art that became known as Pa Kua Chang it became like graduate school for martial arts experts. Tung would not accept any beginner students and he taught each student differently based on what martial arts they had studied previously and this resulted in eight different methods. Tung's "name was in the book"as an acknowledged master of Louhan Ch'uan, one of the major systems of Northern Shaolin. After completing his Shaolin training Tung traveled all over China seeking out martial arts masters. He met two Taoists in the mountains who trained him in a circular art he called "Turning Palm" for four years. He practiced unique sword, broadsword, and spear forms as well as special weapons like Deer Horn knives, used only in Pa Kua.

Pa Kua consists of a series of direct attacks mostly using the palm and fingers, but also the fist and the knuckles, to strike vital points. The rest of the system is a series of counters to the counters of the initial attack. The direct palm and fist attacks are primarily aimed at the groin, the neck, or acupuncture points on the arms and trunk of the body. They are characterized by extreme power that has a shock aspect to it that goes through like a wave. The hand or fist can be applied to the opponents body in a soft, pliable manner and then a shock wave can be sent through that is enough to uproot them, deadly force can be applied from as little as 3 to18 inches away from the opponent's body. Because of this reality the Pa Kua fighter never wants to allow the opponent's hand to even touch them. The counter moves that make up the majority of the method use pliable turning, twisting movements to counter not only punches and kicks but also chin na and shaui jiao takedowns. These moves redirect the attack while simultaneously moving the Pa Kua practitioner to an advantageous angle to counter from.

The "cross tie" is the most important concept in orthodox Pa Kua systems. This is symbolized by the crossing of the hands at the wrists to start a friendly match, a two man form, or a duel. From this position if he attacks you can use "rise and drill" to ward off his thrust and "fall and over turn" to pull him across or down as you step up and toe in. Now, as you offset him laterally, you step forward and toe in and exert a force, be it a gentle push or a forceful blast, which is going in a line 90 degrees off of the line of the pull, and that travels through the core of his body mass. This simple combination of forces was the heart of the breakthrough that Pa Kua Chang represented in 1864 and still is today.

Offset the limb with a redirection or pull and apply force to the trunk at 90 degrees to that pull. This is called "Single Change" and it uses one quarter of the circle, the complete system uses the whole 360 degrees. Rooting is emphasized in the beginning, the waist turns and the energy spirals up through the chest, passes through the shoulders and elbows, and reaches the wrist at the cross tie where it is issued through the action of rise and drill, fall and over turn.  If the hips are stiff the shoulders will be stiff also.

To escape from being seized you must sink and relax and use the subtle coiling motions of the waist and arms coordinated together to reverse or escape from chin na holds. You listen at the wrist and remain pliable and follow the opponent as he attempts to switch the hold. This sensitivity is a product of the form practice combined with experience gained from push hands and two person forms. Control of the elbow is the key to close range fighting and so there are many movements used to get the opponent off of the elbow specifically. Often this release movement is paired with one of the direct palm attacks or a takedown. Frequently in the forms a takedown move is paired with it's counter to make one extended form.

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