Baguazhang(the Octagon Palm) and Taijiquan

Baguazhang is literally translated as“eight-diagrams palm”or“octagon palm” and it is one of the three primary Neijiaquan or internal styles of boxing of China.Baguazhang uses many distinctive methods that contain unfathomable changes of palm.It was created during the Qing Dynasty and is still practiced daily and enjoyed by wushu artists in China and overseas.

The foundation of Baguazhang is meditative walking in circle and the“Single Changing Palm ”exercise that was developed in Daoist monasteries over 4，000 years ago.As a meditation practice，it allows one to achieve a stillness of mind in the midst of intense physical activity.

Baguazhang emphasize the use of spiral movements and sophisticated footwork and fighting angles.Technically，the correct performance of this exercise increases thepractitioner’s energy through simultaneous circle walking，performance practice and breath control.

What is Taijiquan？

As a major form of Chinese wushu，Taijiquan is one of the most popular and widely practiced health exercises in the world.It combines posture，physical activity，relaxation，coordinated breathing and mental focus，and it thus has beneficial effects on balance，flexibility，cardiovascular，respiratory function and immune system.Taijiquan was born towards the end of the Ming Dynasty，and there are several schools，including the Chen Form，the Yang Form and Simplified Taijiquan. The first two forms focus on attack and defense，which determine the movements.Their common movements of foot-stamping，running，jumping and explosive exertion do not fit the sick，the old or the weak.Simplified Taijiquan is a new form based on the first two styles.It possesses 24 movements and is easy to learn，simple in structure and beneficial to people of all ages and conditions.

hancheng

See author's posts