Customer Reviews

Combat Baguazhang Nine Dragon System, Volume 1: Forms and Principles

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Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Pros: Gets to the heart of matters quickly. Discusses, in clear, Western-perspective English, the what and why of exercises such as meditation, breathing/relaxation, power standing, stepping, palm shapes, and walking. Discusses the biomechanical and physiological principles to support his theories. Draws on modern day research to further back up the Eastern philosophies, and on rare occasions why Western research has changed the way he trains. Gives a step-by-step program for how to pursue his system's training method.

Cons: Not enough detail discussing power transference from legs to waist to shoulders to palm. I think another chapter on this linkage would have been ideal. Leaves a little bit lacking in this regards-- study each palm shape for about a year is what he says.

Items of Interest: The opening chapter is trying to find the place of his Nine Dragon System into the family tree of BaGua-- I guess there is some question as to whether the Nine Dragon System is truly BaGua. From the shape of the palms and all that, I'd say it has to be, personally. But this system has no forms. It is training technique and principles then linking it together.

Content: History, Philosophy, Training Philosophy, Relaxation (Meditation, Breathing, Standing Postures), Structure (Alignment, Testing Structure), Use of Imagery, Principles of Power Generation, Stances, Palms, Stepping--> Walking (Direction Changing). These are more my terms than his, but is what is included.

Summary: Awesome book, really. Mechanistically, rates up there with Park Bok Nam's books in describing BaGua technical mechanics. Superior to that landmark book in terms of technical principles behind breathing, relaxation, imagery, meditation, standing postures, etcetera, Would ask for more detail on palm shapes and the year-long process of exploring each palm (he gives about 2-pages on each palm, including pictures, and leaves the rest to the reader to find those revelations). This book does not contain a form! Basically the idea is, if you become the palm shapes, and understand them inside and out, then you can create your own forms effortlessly.

Reviewer's Note: I am reading through Volume 2, and scanned the entire book. It does not seem to contain the elements I would have liked above. It may indirectly, as it talks about combat principles and training methods-- but much of the training seems to consist of physically doing this or that, and does not appear to look further into the connections or detail of upper torso mechanics that would have made this the perfect book.

This is an excellent book for either the beginning student of Baguazhang such as myself, or an advanced player as well. Dr. Painter's writing is clear and concise. He tackles a wide range of subjects, from the basic stretching and warming up you first learn to more advanced topics such as power generation and combat principles. There is a ton of information in this book and Dr. Painter is widely known and respected both as a martial arts teacher as well as a Law Enforcement trainer.

The best part about this book is that there is no mystical or esoteric material. Jiulong and Dr. Painter's methods are scientific and to-the-point. I think there are alot of misinterpretations with the "internal martial arts" that they are mysitcal and hard to understand. Dare I say this is a revolution from that misconception. This book is based on science, body mechanics and physiology.

A great read for anyone interested in martial arts in general. People from all styles can benefit from these *principles* and teachings. Thank you Dr. Painter for bringing this material to light!

Dr. John Painter has finally put down some of the most well written information out there on Baguazhang in general and his system of Jiulong Baguazhang in specifics.

The material in both volume one & two is is presented with no fluff, and none of the mystical mumbo jumbo like mishmash that you see from other people who have written books in the past.

What you get is a straight forward approach to how this system of Chinese martial arts is trained from the very first stages to advanced levels.

You will learn how to sit and quiet the mind.

Learn how to stand correctly for health and combat effectiveness.

Study skills that will lead you to better understanding of yourself, your body, your mind and the reality of combat.

I cannot recommend these two books enough.

Sincerely,

Dale Dugas

In 2002, I first saw the principles and techniques that are now set forth in this book. After a mere six hours of basic instruction, at a workshop covering only a fraction of the book's material, I came home and knocked over my 260-lb., floor-standing heavy bag with a single forward step and a relaxed one-handed push. This bag is made to be punched and kicked with intensity for karate practice and to stay standing so you can keep hitting it again and again. Yet, if you know how to "root" your force into the ground, if you know how to "connect" your hand to your center, if you know how to stand properly to generate and transmit power, then it is a different world. You push the bag, and the bag falls down.

I'd had no prior training in baguazhang other than six months of "Quiet Sitting" and "Quiet Standing," in which you simply stand still (or sit) while monitoring posture and breathing. I didn't see how that could possibly help me knock things down, but the Jiulong people were plenty skilled and seemed to know what they were talking about, so I just did it. Well, it worked! And now it is available in a book.

Make no mistake, these techniques are difficult to master even in person, and they will not be any easier in a book! You will need to train every day, and you will need to be patient. For example, you will need the patience to perform "Quiet Sitting" every day--nothing but sitting still, breathing and focusing your attention--until you master the required powers of concentration, before moving on to more exciting exercises (such as "Quiet Standing"!). You will not stay the course, spending months on mere sitting and standing, unless you have confidence in the curriculum, confidence that it is leading you somewhere good.

That's what makes this book a rare find in the martial arts field:
1. All of these techniques were developed by a clan of professional bodyguards. They made their living and defended their very lives with these techniques, day after day, for the last several centuries in China.
2. Unlike so many martial arts books, this one is *not* obscured by mystical language, inaccurate translations, or metaphors unfamiliar to the Western mind. Yet, in Dr. Painter's unique way, the book still covers all the esoteric layers and nuances of internal power, with concise descriptions, clear principles you can understand and apply, and when possible, scientific backing.
3. This book is not about preserving a tradition for tradition's sake. The Jiulong style is about what *works*, period, living and breathing with the times. Modern Jiulong even includes firearms techniques!
4. You do not have to take up Jiulong to benefit from this book. Most concepts can be applied to other martial arts to increase your power.

So if you are a Westerner, looking for the full power of the internal martial arts, in a format that you can understand and apply in the real world, this book and its companion volume are without compare. Start reading Volume One, and it should become evident rather quickly that this is the real deal, a curriculum that deserves your confidence. That confidence will get you through the long, arduous process of learning these skills layer by layer, until you are doing all kinds of cool things.

Enjoy!

I purchased this book when it originally came out. I have also purchased it as gifts for people. This book describes describes an overview of the melding of body mechanics with mental imagery in a practical manner. This information is like the common denominator of so many mental and physical disciplines that the word 'Combat' in the title almost seems to minimalize the scope of what is covered. Yet, Combat is discussed very succinct terms, especially in the follow up Volume.

The reader should be cautioned that to read the material and not internalize and practice the material would dilute the material to the point where some of it might not be comprehended. I found that it is in the practice that this material comes alive because the experience is not well represented with words.

The interesting thing is how Dr. Painter can cover such a huge amount of information in only two books. I believe it is his ability to break it down into simplistic thoughts versus some of the longer winded texts that dance around this information or try to mysticize it.

There is much to be learned in here by anyone who is interested in a practical approach to the health benefits of eastern thinking as well as the mind's role in capitalizing on optimized body geometries.

Kim Cooper

For any student of Jiulong (Nine Dragon) Baguazhang, or anyone considering it, this is a no brainer. Get this book and it's companion (volume 2). These books have a TON of information, and even after a year I can still open to a random section and find something new to work with.

For other martial artists, much of this material will be of interest to you as well. Dr. Painter does a great job of explaining what makes this internal art internal, and more importantly how to train for combat effectiveness - not common in much of internal martial art instruction today. You may be surprised to see - in such plain and simple language - new explanations for concepts you thought you understood, and ways to improve their training.

The only "downside" is that this is not the kind of book you sit down and read cover to cover. Though it is easy to read, you will quickly want to get up and play with the ideas - in some cases for a long time - to understand what is really being taught.

I highly recommend including "Combat Baguazhang: Nine Dragon System" in your library. This book will show itself to be a classic from which you will refer as long as your interest in martial arts. The difficulty any martial arts book faces is conveying to the reader how a movement should be done. Dr. John Painter teaches you the processes that underlie the movements, so that you are not just mimicking the static poses you see in the book. The methods detailed in this book guide you to maximize use of your physical structure (no matter what size) as well as build a mental foundation from which the 8 postures/palms will then be meaningful.

At last, here is a book that details the so-called "internal" martial arts as a tangible and reachable entity. Gone is all talk of Chi (qi) and other mysticism, and in are details of neuromuscular, physical and mind work or kung-fu required to be a success in learning an internal martial art. In this work manual or training companion, Dr Painter provides a wealth of over forty years worth of experience in training and teaching in the art of Baguazhang (Eight Trigram Palm). Baguazhang is claimed by some to be the sister art to Tai Chi Chuan, yet it offers a more dynamic route to health and self-defence. Its primary exercise is "walking the circle", where the practitioner circumnavigates the circumference of an imaginary circle using a variety of stepping patterns, whilst executing different upper body or palm shapes. To this end, Baguazhang, or Bagua for short, provides both a mindful meditative practice and an excellent aerobic exercise regime.
You will not learn how to perform elaborate forms, but you will learn how to apply the principles of body mechanics and how and why they are applicable to this particular martial art. In fact, Nine Dragon Baguazhang principles are applicable to all martial arts. Practitioners from Tai Chi, to Karate and beyond will learn how the body works with the use of mental imagery applied successfully to slow moving forms at first, and then to those at full speed. No stone is left unturned in finding the correct principle to use in applying force in different directions. In Dr Painter's Nine Dragon Baguazhang system, he tells the reader that three of the most important questions to ask when learning a martial art are: What does the movement do? How does it do it? And how do we train it? If these questions are not answered then one's practice is lacking in the real" internal." This book attempts to answer those questions. Dr Painter's book is well written, lucid and straight to the point. I highly recommend this item and its companion volume too.

I'd bought Dr. Painter's video series on Baguazhang several years ago, but I felt I needed a print-based companion to help me work out the moves. I could hardly wait for this two-volume series to come out, and I wasn't disappointed. These books are some of the best available on the this little-known art. Dr. Painter's books are quite complete--you don't need the videos, although they'd be helpful to serious students. I knew from the videos that Dr. Painter has been a martial arts teacher for many years, and that he know the best way to present material. I can recommend this two-book series with no reservations. You do need to order both volumes, however, because they clearly go together as a unit.

I practice another lineage of Baguazhang, so I'm not affiliated w/ the Jiulong system in any way. I bought this book because I've read Dr. Painter's articles in various martial arts magazines over the years and I have good friends who practice his methods. I found that the majority of this book contains solid information that is germane to any Baguazhang system. Enjoyable, applicable content. Recommended read.