Thanks, Tyson, After these vids, I always think of better ways I could have laid out the main points. I'm working on a Piquan vid currently, which I think will offer some interesting ideas on its long life and qigong aspects.. Happy Rabbit year, Bro.
excellent. I've been a John Painter student since 2001 and there are only a few guys that provide the information in the way you and John provide it. non-mystical plain language.
he's doing well and the instructor base, having contracted during covid, has some new life in it. I will continue his work here in Texas@@marcusbrinkman3066
Yes, Thank You. Even the normally "open teachers" like B.K. Fantzis, (Colorado) Dr. John Painter (Texas) and Mike Patterson (California) don't explain all the levels of development at once and I understand why. All three are exceptional teachers, and I now count you among them.
Thank you so much! You are among those most excellent teachers. I live in the rural mountains of East Tennessee and love the practice. I don't have access to good teachers. Do you ever get workshops the United States?
Thanks for elucidating these finer points. It helps me to understand and feel where the discontinuities in my movement and transitions are. I've been needing this.
Thanks you Shifu Brinkman for breaking down some of the essence of this unique Bagauzhang I would love to meet you to learn and train with you some day i am also practicing Yizhong. Over the years I had the honor to have met Master LUO Dexiu he was invited to come to town for a seminar in the U.S.A.
Thanks for your message Mr. Muhammad and your kind comments. . Luo is a great teacher, we are both lucky to have spent some time with him. If you are ever in Taiwan, I hope we get a chance to meet up.
This is a great resource of knowledge for those walking the circle, Marcus. And despite using a lot of "Chinese" it is remarkably clear what you are talking about. Highly appreciate your effort here!!!
Hey Carsten, long time no see. Thanks for the feedback! It means a lot coming from one of my Bagua brothers. Hope you are doing well. There is one more part to the circle walking puzzle that I want to add in the near future.. So,, to be continued. Cheers
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Looking forward, Marcus. And yes... I think last time we met on your rooftop is like 14 years ago. Time flies. I shared your video with my students. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Hello again Mr. Brinkman! I'm so glad to see another post from you on youtube. Thanks for sharing so much valuable information. Your lessons always encourage me to go practice and think about new things. I hope all is well with you.
Thank you Marcus I truly appreciate your work and research. Very grateful that you publish these videos and share your thoughts and findings. Thank you. Just was reading some Native American literature they were writing about when the struggle starts to get happy, it means change is starting. In Bagua we embrace change. So it was an interesting read on seeing conflict as a friend. Also the belief that everything is polar or has polarity or 2 paths. It is right in their culture as well, just not named as Yin-Yang.
Baguazhan (any flavor,) is my favorite among all other styles of martial arts! Unfortunately there is really no one around to study with. So I am on my own, having to rely on other resources (like this.) Good Job!👍
Thanks for sharing these secrets about coordinating spinal wave and breathing with footwork and raising / lowering the internal organs. I have heard bits and pieces by various masters over the years, but yours is the most comprehensive explanation. You make clear the rationale behind many of BGZ's strange requirements that other masters talk about but never explain why. This is definitely walking neigong. All the best. Let me know if you ever come to Singapore.
Thanks for your comment Ken! I too am amazed at all of the minute and subtle facets operating within Circle Walking cultivation. The concepts in the vid are generally concerned with the energetics operating in the body during CW. There are another set of concepts which relate to "mind", which I think will be interesting as well. I visited a friend in Singapore about 20 years ago and practiced push hands with lots of people in a beautiful park there, somewhere in the city and had a great time..great food and great people!
Well, the Houtian (straight-line) Bagua of Gao style is quite similar to Xingyiquan. The body mechanics are almost identical, especially as concerns the 64 Houtian forms. and ..The "three gates" definitely has a lot in common with the micro cosmic orbit practice. Some of my teachers here in Taiwan considered Piquan to be a Houtian version of "single palm change.
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Piquan strikes straight ahead way from our torso,while DanhuanZhang is rotational from our torso, but they share the same arm sliding and rise, drill, overturn and fall movement. See the resemblance you talk about.
This is very helpful, I've been working on trying to figure out what you're referring to as the three gates here. When lifting I flip the sacrum outwards and open the neck(chin inwards), dropping I curve the sacrum / ming men in and close the neck with chin outwards. The area beneath the sternum to the top of the hips is kind of the big hinge. I'm still missing something though as it's not creating as much power as i would like especially on the drop, I'm starting to get the lift, but the drop is missing something. I'm doing this for Pi Chuan and An.
If you get a chance, watch my Circle Walking Cultivation Basics vid. There is an isolated practice form there which is better in establishing the 3 gate and ti-fang mechanics. Also, reserve some time in developing a natural sensitivity for the subtle 3 gate movement in regular walking as opposed to orchestrating the mechanical opening and closing. In Piquan there is obviously movement between the Three gates..but try focusing on the anterior posterior, front / back dantian hinge and leveling out the projection of your Piquan for more power and let the rise and fall through the body occur naturally.. For An, IMO you can develop perfect internal mechanics in your form but in executing it upon an opponent, the timing has to be in sync between the overturn as you break their structure and the actual push. Like standing up and the immediately sitting down. Also curious, whats the location of the cliff you are jumping off of..looks amazing!
@@marcusbrinkman3066 thanks I will check that out. Having trouble visualizing breaking an opponents structure using the over turn on An.. That is my son jumping off of a cliff here in north west donegal. Edited to say, i tried that and I see what you mean by the overturn uprooting the opponent on An. Could pi chuan have as powerful of an overturn or is it different? Also edited to say that my teacher would make contact with the tips of his fingers before overturning and hitting someone with a push, like you say would be tricky to gauge distance and timing by sight alone.
Yes, Pi also enter between the rise and fall, at what may be considered the overturn section.. and doesn't really require much structural disruption. On the contrary, its best to use their arm as a pathway to their body. Use their receiving limb as the "overturning" pivot point.
Hi Joan, much appreciated!. The location in the vid is at an outdoor theater at an Art College near where I live. Its a nice place to practice martial arts and walk. Great scenic views around here.!
Phenomenal as always! The movement up the spine and du mai, that ooens the three gates, seems to be very much a "physical" wave. Is there any corresponding movement, energetic or otherwise, in chong mai, during the mud step?
Hi Geoff, From a practical POV, I prefer to keep it simple when possible, in regard to the medical energetics related to circle walking. The corresponding medical references to said meridians and internal mechanics tend to become overly complicated. Most important IMO is in using these internal movements and structures as a way to configure the internal awareness. As a way to lead the "Yi". Anyway, I think you may be drilling into some deeper concepts...let me know your thoughts on the subject.
Hi Marcus, as always, I love your videos and insights. I wanted to ask what seems like an elementary question, but embarrassingly something that’s confusing me for decades. Basically, do you practice pushups and/or pull-ups? Or do you encourage your students to do them or stay away from them? Over the years I’ve found it difficult to incorporate such upper body weight exercises without it somehow affecting my internal development, like my Qi raising, getting “tighter” inside, I start to lose my “root” etc. I don’t know if I’m just integrating them correctly, or if such training should be avoided to retain internal development. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on whether you should do upper body weight training or not, or how and when to do it, so I’d be really interested in your perspective if you don’t mind giving it. Cheers.
In my opinion it is beneficial to incorporate some upper body strength training practice, particularly from a combat point of view, but also from a cultivation point of view. Forms practice obviously tends to favor lower basin, leg strength So, some folks prefer to use heavy weapons to achieve upper body power enhancement. At any rate, I think its important to use such training as an additional opportunity to cultivate breath. Its a great way to move blood which in turn will oxygenate and penetrate microvascular tissue throughout the body and brain. In combination in order to avoid the negative effects you mentioned, I would suggest to do your weight training, pushups or pull-ups mindfully with an emphasis on discerning the physiological shift from parasympathetic to sympathetic activation during your workouts. And, include a mindful cool down between reps and at the end of your workout. Pay attention to the Qi raising and the lowering during the cool downs. There is a definitive meditative aspect in this kind of mindful approach....IMO. Cheers
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Thank you so much for your thoughtful response and useful and clear tips, it's very much appreciated. I'm positive this information will be very helpful when I reincorporate upper body work back into my practice.
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Hi Marcus, I thought of a few follow up questions I would like to ask if you don't mind. Firstly, for upper body strength training for internal martial arts development, would you favor body weight training like push ups and pull ups, or weight training like heavy weapons? Would one be more beneficial with fewer potential draw backs compared to the other? And lastly, is there an optimal time throughout a training routine to do such practices? Like after standing and forms, so upper body strength training is built upon the good habits of the standing and form, OR before standing and form, so that the standing and form are used to "relax" and smooth out the strength developed with weights or body weights? I hope that makes sense. Cheers.
Hi, I've known a number of seasoned martial artist who specialize in weapons training, but one drawback I've noticed is a kind of repetitive stress disorder which can often affect the joints and connecting tissue. Once you've injured yourself in this manner it can be a difficult problem to heal from, regardless of age. So probably important to start with a lighter weapon then build up to using heavier weapons. Personally, I only practice calisthenics these days which don't require weights, but "to each his own". My preference is to separate my muscle building and/or extremely exhausting calisthenics from my routine standing and forms practice, when that's possible. Either on alternating days or time periods of the day, (morning, afternoon evening). Otherwise, I'll start with weights or calisthenics then forms and standing or walking.
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Thank you so much! Would you mind sharing the types to calisthenics exercises you personally do? Are they general like pushups, hindu pushups, pull ups etc.? Or are they more specialized to better coordinate with your internal martial arts training? Hope you don't mind my continuous questions, I'm just trying to put this all together for myself so I can come up with a better training routine. Thanks.
funny you brought that up. The youtube video editing software is getting more confusing. It took 3 attempts to upload this vid.. I put a music track on it then tried to take it off..It played with no music for the first several hours then the track I removed started playing again.. haha ..anyway sorry about that. There is a subtitle setting on the bottom of the vid, you can use.. Good to hear from you Bro!
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Thanks, subs weren't available the first day the video was uploaded. Thank you for the reply, and I'm also happy to know you're doing good!
There is no such thing as straight line BaGua Zhang. Westerners once again misunderstand and water down and weaken the truth. Dance and rearrange until it looses its way as has been done with nearly every martial art. So sad to see over the decades.
Fred, you may not want to embarrass yourself online, but if you wish I shall oblige. There is no such thing as Flying Dragon Bagua, quit lying to the innocent children and old women you teach. And, please educate yourself a bit on subjects you have no training in..
Marcus I keep coming back to this particular video and dissertation. Very informative.
Thanks, Tyson,
After these vids, I always think of better ways I could have laid out the main points. I'm working on a Piquan vid currently, which I think will offer some interesting ideas on its long life and qigong aspects.. Happy Rabbit year, Bro.
The Neigong of bagua stepping... have not seen the inner dynamics explained to this depth anywhere else. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your feedback!.. I hope to add a "part two" to this vid soon.
I really appreciate your continued presence on TH-cam and the knowledge that you so willingly share. Thank you!!
..much appreciated Bro!
This is awesome information !
Meeting you always heavy on mind. Especially with the situation. What I know is to your knowledge is profound. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Justin, good to hear from you.
Pure Gold! in the most alchemical way...
excellent. I've been a John Painter student since 2001 and there are only a few guys that provide the information in the way you and John provide it. non-mystical plain language.
That's great! Painter is a BGZ pioneer in America.. you must have got a great education. Is he still teaching?
he's doing well and the instructor base, having contracted during covid, has some new life in it. I will continue his work here in Texas@@marcusbrinkman3066
Yes, Thank You. Even the normally "open teachers" like B.K. Fantzis, (Colorado) Dr. John Painter (Texas) and Mike Patterson (California) don't explain all the levels of development at once and I understand why. All three are exceptional teachers, and I now count you among them.
Thanks Bro!
I add John Bracy as well😀
Thank you so much! You are among those most excellent teachers. I live in the rural mountains of East Tennessee and love the practice. I don't have access to good teachers. Do you ever get workshops the United States?
Thanks for elucidating these finer points. It helps me to understand and feel where the discontinuities in my movement and transitions are. I've been needing this.
..glad to hear you got some benefit from the the "circle walking" vid! I've got another one planned which will help simplify the process,.
Thanks you Shifu Brinkman for breaking down some of
the essence of this unique Bagauzhang I would love to meet you to learn and train with you some day i am also practicing Yizhong.
Over the years I had the honor to have met Master LUO Dexiu he was invited to come to town
for a seminar in the U.S.A.
Thanks for your message Mr. Muhammad and your kind comments. . Luo is a great teacher, we are both lucky to have spent some time with him.
If you are ever in Taiwan, I hope we get a chance to meet up.
This is a great resource of knowledge for those walking the circle, Marcus. And despite using a lot of "Chinese" it is remarkably clear what you are talking about. Highly appreciate your effort here!!!
Hey Carsten, long time no see. Thanks for the feedback! It means a lot coming from one of my Bagua brothers. Hope you are doing well.
There is one more part to the circle walking puzzle
that I want to add in the near future.. So,, to be continued. Cheers
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Looking forward, Marcus. And yes... I think last time we met on your rooftop is like 14 years ago. Time flies. I shared your video with my students. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Great reminders of principles you told me about many times before. Hope all is well with you, your practice and your teaching...
Thankyou James. LINE me when you want to continue training.
Hello again Mr. Brinkman! I'm so glad to see another post from you on youtube. Thanks for sharing so much valuable information. Your lessons always encourage me to go practice and think about new things. I hope all is well with you.
Good to hear from you. and thanks for your feedback..One more Circle Walking vid to go..
Thank you Marcus I truly appreciate your work and research. Very grateful that you publish these videos and share your thoughts and findings. Thank you.
Just was reading some Native American literature they were writing about when the struggle starts to get happy, it means change is starting. In Bagua we embrace change. So it was an interesting read on seeing conflict as a friend. Also the belief that everything is polar or has polarity or 2 paths. It is right in their culture as well, just not named as Yin-Yang.
Wise words Bro, thanks for your input. Great hearing from you!
@@marcusbrinkman3066 same same. Always enjoy seeing and hearing from you. I really enjoy the depths of skill, awareness and cultivation.
Baguazhan (any flavor,) is my favorite among all other styles of martial arts! Unfortunately there is really no one around to study with. So I am on my own, having to rely on other resources (like this.) Good Job!👍
Cool! There are enough resources out there "on line" to keep you busy for at least a hundred years or so. Good luck on your journey!
Со мной тоже самое я один в Большом городе практикую БАГУАДЖАН ЛЯН ШИ , к Учителю езжу в другой город . БАГУАДЖАН --ЭТО ЭКСКЛЮЗИВ !!!
Thanks for sharing these secrets about coordinating spinal wave and breathing with footwork and raising / lowering the internal organs. I have heard bits and pieces by various masters over the years, but yours is the most comprehensive explanation. You make clear the rationale behind many of BGZ's strange requirements that other masters talk about but never explain why.
This is definitely walking neigong.
All the best. Let me know if you ever come to Singapore.
Thanks for your comment Ken! I too am amazed at all of the minute and subtle facets operating within Circle Walking cultivation. The concepts in the vid are generally concerned with the energetics operating in the body during CW. There are another set of concepts which relate to "mind", which I think will be interesting as well.
I visited a friend in Singapore about 20 years ago and practiced push hands with lots of people in a beautiful park there, somewhere in the city and had a great time..great food and great people!
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Your talk of Three Gates and spinal wave makes me think of Microcosmic Orbit and advanced levels of Xingyiquan.
Well, the Houtian (straight-line) Bagua of Gao style is quite similar to Xingyiquan. The body mechanics are almost identical, especially as concerns the 64 Houtian forms. and ..The "three gates" definitely has a lot in common with the micro cosmic orbit practice.
Some of my teachers here in Taiwan considered Piquan to be a Houtian version of "single palm change.
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Piquan strikes straight ahead way from our torso,while DanhuanZhang is rotational from our torso, but they share the same arm sliding and rise, drill, overturn and fall movement.
See the resemblance you talk about.
ti-fang: is this relevant to moving your center up/down the "renmai" as needed during applications
Yes, movement is directed through both the "ren mai" and "du mai". Generally up the du msi and down the ren mai.
Hey Marcus,looking good. Hope you’re well!
Hey Doctor, whats new?
This is very helpful, I've been working on trying to figure out what you're referring to as the three gates here. When lifting I flip the sacrum outwards and open the neck(chin inwards), dropping I curve the sacrum / ming men in and close the neck with chin outwards. The area beneath the sternum to the top of the hips is kind of the big hinge. I'm still missing something though as it's not creating as much power as i would like especially on the drop, I'm starting to get the lift, but the drop is missing something. I'm doing this for Pi Chuan and An.
If you get a chance, watch my Circle Walking Cultivation Basics vid. There is an isolated practice form there which is better in establishing the 3 gate and ti-fang mechanics. Also, reserve some time in developing a natural sensitivity for the subtle 3 gate movement in regular walking as opposed to orchestrating the mechanical opening and closing. In Piquan there is obviously movement between the Three gates..but try focusing on the anterior posterior, front / back dantian hinge and leveling out the projection of your Piquan for more power and let the rise and fall through the body occur naturally.. For An, IMO you can develop perfect internal mechanics in your form but in executing it upon an opponent, the timing has to be in sync between the overturn as you break their structure and the actual push. Like standing up and the immediately sitting down. Also curious, whats the location of the cliff you are jumping off of..looks amazing!
@@marcusbrinkman3066 thanks I will check that out. Having trouble visualizing breaking an opponents structure using the over turn on An.. That is my son jumping off of a cliff here in north west donegal. Edited to say, i tried that and I see what you mean by the overturn uprooting the opponent on An. Could pi chuan have as powerful of an overturn or is it different? Also edited to say that my teacher would make contact with the tips of his fingers before overturning and hitting someone with a push, like you say would be tricky to gauge distance and timing by sight alone.
Yes, Pi also enter between the rise and fall, at what may be considered the overturn section.. and doesn't really require much structural disruption. On the contrary, its best to use their arm as a pathway to their body. Use their receiving limb as the "overturning" pivot point.
Great details thank you for your commitment.
where are you by the way, botanical gardens?
Hi Joan, much appreciated!. The location in the vid is at an outdoor theater at an Art College near where I live. Its a nice place to practice martial arts and walk. Great scenic views around here.!
I like the contraction expansion topic
Phenomenal as always! The movement up the spine and du mai, that ooens the three gates, seems to be very much a "physical" wave. Is there any corresponding movement, energetic or otherwise, in chong mai, during the mud step?
Hi Geoff, From a practical POV, I prefer to keep it simple when possible, in regard to the medical energetics related to circle walking. The corresponding medical references to said meridians and internal mechanics tend to become overly complicated. Most important IMO is in using these internal movements and structures as a way to configure the internal awareness. As a way to lead the "Yi". Anyway, I think you may be drilling into some deeper concepts...let me know your thoughts on the subject.
Hi Marcus, as always, I love your videos and insights. I wanted to ask what seems like an elementary question, but embarrassingly something that’s confusing me for decades. Basically, do you practice pushups and/or pull-ups? Or do you encourage your students to do them or stay away from them? Over the years I’ve found it difficult to incorporate such upper body weight exercises without it somehow affecting my internal development, like my Qi raising, getting “tighter” inside, I start to lose my “root” etc. I don’t know if I’m just integrating them correctly, or if such training should be avoided to retain internal development. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on whether you should do upper body weight training or not, or how and when to do it, so I’d be really interested in your perspective if you don’t mind giving it. Cheers.
In my opinion it is beneficial to incorporate some upper body strength training practice, particularly from a combat point of view, but also from a cultivation point of view. Forms practice obviously tends to favor lower basin, leg strength So, some folks prefer to use heavy weapons to achieve upper body power enhancement. At any rate, I think its important to use such training as an additional opportunity to cultivate breath. Its a great way to move blood which in turn will oxygenate and penetrate microvascular tissue throughout the body and brain. In combination in order to avoid the negative effects you mentioned, I would suggest to do your weight training, pushups or pull-ups mindfully with an emphasis on discerning the physiological shift from parasympathetic to sympathetic activation during your workouts. And, include a mindful cool down between reps and at the end of your workout. Pay attention to the Qi raising and the lowering during the cool downs. There is a definitive meditative aspect in this kind of mindful approach....IMO. Cheers
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Thank you so much for your thoughtful response and useful and clear tips, it's very much appreciated. I'm positive this information will be very helpful when I reincorporate upper body work back into my practice.
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Hi Marcus, I thought of a few follow up questions I would like to ask if you don't mind. Firstly, for upper body strength training for internal martial arts development, would you favor body weight training like push ups and pull ups, or weight training like heavy weapons? Would one be more beneficial with fewer potential draw backs compared to the other? And lastly, is there an optimal time throughout a training routine to do such practices? Like after standing and forms, so upper body strength training is built upon the good habits of the standing and form, OR before standing and form, so that the standing and form are used to "relax" and smooth out the strength developed with weights or body weights? I hope that makes sense. Cheers.
Hi, I've known a number of seasoned martial artist who specialize in weapons training, but one drawback I've noticed is a kind of repetitive stress disorder which can often affect the joints and connecting tissue. Once you've injured yourself in this manner it can be a difficult problem to heal from, regardless of age. So probably important to start with a lighter weapon then build up to using heavier weapons. Personally, I only practice calisthenics these days which don't require weights, but "to each his own". My preference is to separate my muscle building and/or extremely exhausting calisthenics from my routine standing and forms practice, when that's possible. Either on alternating days or time periods of the day, (morning, afternoon evening). Otherwise, I'll start with weights or calisthenics then forms and standing or walking.
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Thank you so much! Would you mind sharing the types to calisthenics exercises you personally do? Are they general like pushups, hindu pushups, pull ups etc.? Or are they more specialized to better coordinate with your internal martial arts training? Hope you don't mind my continuous questions, I'm just trying to put this all together for myself so I can come up with a better training routine. Thanks.
Thank you very much!
Subtitles would be appreciated as the background audio is too loud and it makes it difficult to listen to what you say.
funny you brought that up. The youtube video editing software is getting more confusing. It took 3 attempts to upload this vid.. I put a music track on it then tried to take it off..It played with no music for the first several hours then the track I removed started playing again.. haha ..anyway sorry about that. There is a subtitle setting on the bottom of the vid, you can use.. Good to hear from you Bro!
@@marcusbrinkman3066 Thanks, subs weren't available the first day the video was uploaded.
Thank you for the reply, and I'm also happy to know you're doing good!
Simply 🙏
Thanks for inheriting Bagua Palm Kung Fu👍👍👍
Shalom Marcus.
Dr. M,
Are you doing online courses? I’m stuck in Southern Oregon so i don’t have any in person resources to continue training :(
Hello Andrew, No, I don't have any online courses set up. but if you have any questions, let me know. Cheers..
There is no such thing as straight line BaGua Zhang. Westerners once again misunderstand and water down and weaken the truth. Dance and rearrange until it looses its way as has been done with nearly every martial art. So sad to see over the decades.
Fred, you may not want to embarrass yourself online, but if you wish I shall oblige. There is no such thing as Flying Dragon Bagua, quit lying to the innocent children and old women you teach.
And, please educate yourself a bit on subjects you have no training in..