Ba Gua: Hidden Knowledge in the Taoist Internal Martial Art [Paperback]

John Bracy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 1998

The Taoist yogic discipline of Ba Gua is an internal form of the ancient art of kung fu--as are the much older t'ai chi and Xing I. Ba Gua is the most arcane and yogic of three sister arts--t'ai chi and Xing I are the others--and is distinguished by serpentine turning and circling momvements and its own internal energy exercises, Ba Gua Qi Gong.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Authentic, well-ordered and written, Bracy and Liu's Ba Gua should fill a void. There is almost no literature on Ba Gua in English."
-Robert Smith, author, Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods

About the Author

Liu Xing-Han, of Beijing, China, is the last of the fourth-generation Ba Gua disciples. He began his martial arts studies in 1917. In 1996 he was the subject of a China National Television documentary commemorating his life's work, and has been written about in Chinese magazines, martial art journals, and newspapers. In the United States several issues of Pa Kua Journal, including its debut edition, covered his work. He is the author of three books on Ba Gua in China. He continues to teach the internal tradition.

John Bracy became a fifth-generation lineaged disciple of Ba Gua Zhang in 1988. He founded the Hsing Chen School of Internal Martial Arts in Costa Mesa, California in 1976 and has continued as a director since it incorporated in 1990/ He has studied at advanced levels in the United States, Taiwan, mainland China and has attained advanced rankings and honors in several styles of traditional kung fu. As a graduate exchange student in Taiwan, he researched psychotheraputic applications of acupuncture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Blue Snake Books (December 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556432763
• ISBN-13: 978-1556432767
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.4 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #549,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good overview of Ba Gua theory and practice., January 11, 2000

By 

scott taylor (FWB, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ba Gua: Hidden Knowledge in the Taoist Internal Martial Art (Paperback)

This book was really good, it gave a great history section, overview of theory, and general explanation of what Ba Gua is about. There are very good explanations of internal power theory, the differences between the different levels of that theory(muscular effort to internal power, and what the differences are between each level). It also includes several two-man sets which are very good, and a section on applications. Strategy and actual applied fighting theory are elucidated to good depth, which made me quite happy. This book is a great overview, but don't buy it expecting to see tons of forms and the whole style laid out before you, there are a couple of chi-gung forms( with very good explanations), the aforementioned two man sets, and several applications. This book is a steal at 12 bucks and I would suggest it to anyone interested in Ba Gua- especially if you don't know anything about the style. This book presents the best introduction I have seen to Ba Gua, it's history and basic theory; one that clearly states what is esoteric and what is concrete, and is a very straightforward treatment of this style which is many times shrouded in obstrusity when discussed.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My students really liked this book, August 6, 2000

By 

Vincent J. Lasorso (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ba Gua: Hidden Knowledge in the Taoist Internal Martial Art (Paperback)

As a teacher of Bagua Chang I have to commend Mr. Bracy for doing an excellent job in presenting some rather complex material in an easy to undesrstand manner. I enjoyed the material presented and felt the history lesson was quite good. It was very clear that Mr. Bracy has a greater knowledge and understanding of metaphysical internal arts than he choses to reveal. And based upon some of his reviews, this is probably a wise choice. It will be interesting to see what his next book will be like:-)

However, the best praise I can give is that my students found the book very informative and helpful in their practice. It added more depth to their circle walking and the definition of a Yogic internal art suited their nature. They enjoyed the pictures of Master Liu walking the circle. (That alone, is a good reason to own this book)

Bagua has produced more magical masters per capita than any other internal art. To only view this art as a martial one is a tremendous disservice and insult to its creators and first level masters. Mr. Bracy should be applauded for not creating another technical "how to do it" manual.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really great history of the origins of ba gua, June 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ba Gua: Hidden Knowledge in the Taoist Internal Martial Art (Paperback)

Books about ba gua are rare, so I snapped this up as soon as I saw it. I liked the history aspect of the book which tells how ba gua was developed, the purpose of walking in a circle, etc. But aside from that, it's clear that the author has reached a refined degree of practice and understanding about this profound art. It inspired me to resume learning ba gua, and much more seriously than before. It's a great book for anyone interested in tai chi, chi gung, and other internal martial arts.