Learn The Principles of Ba Gua Zhang Combat

Discover The Principles of Ba Gua Zhang Fighting
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Do you want to learn about one of the most unusual, most underrated styles of martial arts fighting? I learned all about this great fighting style called Ba Gua Zhang. It really blew me away because this style of fighting is not like most fighting techniques, especially not like all those crazy moves you often see on television or in films.

Ba Gua Zhang is so different because this style is based on the open fist technique instead of the closed fist. You see, the object is to strike down your opponent with skill rather than simple brute force. It takes a while longer to get really good at this kind of fighting but it has some really good benefits.

When I was younger, I used to get into fights all the time. This was before I learned how to fight for real and also before I matured quite a bit and discovered that fighting is not always a necessity. I used to fight with my fists instead of my head and that got me not only into a lot of trouble but also a lot of broken bones -- especially my fists. Any decent fighter worth his salt has broken a hand or two. It is not fun, it hurts a lot and it puts you out of commission for quite a while. What would happen if you had to defend yourself the next day and you've got a broken hand? You are in big trouble, that's what.

Ba Gua Zhang showed me there is another way. Fighting doesn't have to be only straight-ahead attacking. You can quell a threat with the use of skill instead of trying to just destroy the dude. The main concept of this style is to constantly move and adapt your approach to any given situation. No matter how your opponent approaches you, keep on adapting.

One of the basic things you do when you first start practicing this style is the circle walk. Seems simple enough. All you do is walk around in a circle. Seems silly maybe, but you keep moving and, as everyone knows, a moving target is much harder to hit than a motionless one! So your opponent has to come to you and moving around gets him out of his comfort zone. It also helps you defend yourself. It is much more difficult to move fast if you are just standing there still. If you are already in motion, it is easy to keep moving, get it?

Another thing that is important to know is the idea behind palm changes or different postures in your upper body. I mean, if your lower body is doing something, why not give your upper body a job to do also, right? These moves prepare you to fight. It is kind of like priming a pump or winding the spring of a catapult - preparing for battle, if you will. That is how real fighting is, quick and spontaneous.
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