Ba Gua Zhang Teachers?

Does anybody know of any good Ba Gua teachers in Southern England. Really going out on a limb in hope here. By good I mean the ones that teach the fighting art, rather than a spiritual spinning dance. I have a history of Jeet Kune Do and read that the originator of Ba Gua only taught people who already knew a martial art. I would like to learn Ba Gua as it was intended rather than, as what I see from the outside, to be a diluted and possibly western new-age version of the original. I have had a little training in it from a 'new-age' sifu and enjoyed it, although we did little real combat application or even break a sweat. I'm used to two and a half hour long training session and wanting to collapse afterward, not spinning for an hour. I am interested in the personal development side of martial arts, but not a load of hippy-s**t.

I've gone on a little so I'll stop.

Please do not become frustrated, Ba-Gua is considered a (graduate level) martial art, and as such it requires more time and dedication than some other systems. That is why some instructor only want to train people who have extensive training in the martial arts. Ba-Gua REQUIRES a higher than normal grasp and understanding of the PRINCIPLES behind the techniques, with an understanding of the principles, the techiques can be used in an unlimited varity. The (spinning) or turning the circle is the most basic and at the same time the most advanced practice in the system, and the most boring. Ba-Gua is an art of evasion through FOOTWORK, it is designed for multiple opponents, and the key to surviving a fight with more than one person is the ability to become a moving target ( try to grab a moving blade), every step comes with a blow and every blow comes with a step, every blow should injure or kill, if you knock someone down you do not want them to get up and come at you again. Turning the circle, and direction changes helps you with the mobility and the ability to deliver power in any and every direction which is critical to Ba-Gua. A normal class will have you sweating from the first 5 mins on,for 2.5 hrs. There should be 30 min of static postures, 1 hour of moving postures and direction changes, 30 mins to 1 hour of circle turning and 15 mins to 1 hour of applications. There will not be quick application gratification until the basics and the PRINCIPLES are learned. You will be taught 8 variations to 8 strikes, how to deliver power in your blows from EVERY angle, how to evade and redirect blows coming your way, and how to instantly CHANGE direction. If you have the patience I feel you will find it far more effective than any thing you have tried before. Many Tai-Chi instructors also know Ba-Gua. Check the internet for instructors in your area and watch their class. It WILL be worth it! ps. The post before me is very good, check them out. I train in the US under Richard Miller, and have trained with his instructor He Jinbao (a VERY powerful FIGHTER) who is the lineage holder to Dr, Xie Peiqi.

Not too sure my friend. I found in my search for a teacher that most that know it will not teach it to you until you have done some Wu Shu. Any teacher that has a strong Wushu background probably know BaGua and will probably teach you as a private student but usually will only teach in an advanced WuShu Class.

I found only 2 teachers in all of Melbourne where I live that teach BaGua as a seperate class and Melbourne has a very strong Kung Fu population.

Good luck. Maybe also try asking at local martial arts stores ect.

You'll find a lot more information about Ba Gua if you websearch it using the spelling 'Pa Kua'. This was the corect transliteration when it first started being taught in the UK.

Your frustration is understandable, but a little odd coming from a student of JKD. Lee was constantly criticised by traditional chinese teachers for his 'westernised' methods, attitudes, and MA style.

One way of looking at the 'hippy s**t', is that it trains you in ways that are useful when fighting, but do not simply simulate a fight. for example, a lot of spinning can help you to feel centred, regardless of the activity around you. This would be useful in a train crash, as well as in a fight. Lee was often quoted as saying that the most useful skill in a fight is not fighting skill, but the ability to think as if you are not fighting (although he never said a lot of the things that are used as his quotes).

Most martial arts involve 'mental discipline'. This emphasises the attitude that the better you become at your martial art, the less fighting you will do. A good Pa Kua teacher will subject you to just as much 'hippy s**t' as a new-age 'sifu lite' does, because the teacher's purpose is NOT to encourage your enthusiasm for combat, but to make you confident enough to avoid combat. Perhaps you don't seem ready yet?

The European Yin Style Bagua Association are connected with the style taught by the late Xie Peiqi, who learned from Men Baozhen. There is one teacher in London called John Davies. See their site. There is one teacher here in Ireland. A few years ago he prepared a few of us for a mixed competition in Cambridge. He insisted we balance our training between sparring and theoretical so as not to become too aggressive in our use of it.

check out Erle montague on his website . his son Eli teaches Ba Gua. i have been on seminars with both father and son , personally i like both approaches . they are based in Swansea now and i think access is easy for world class tuition . you pays your money and takes your choice.good luck