CompleteMartialArts.com - Pa Kua
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List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $4.05
Your Save: $ 10.90 ( 73% )
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: North Atlantic Books
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.8155
EAN: 9781556434396
ISBN: 1556434391
Label: North Atlantic Books
Manufacturer: North Atlantic Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 160
Publication Date: 2002-12-10
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Release Date: 2002-12-10
Studio: North Atlantic Books
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Editorial Reviews:
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Originally published in 1967, Pa-Kua was the West’s first look into the esoteric Chinese martial arts. It has been a valued and sought after text ever since. It was put out of print in the 1970’s, but since that time interest in the martial arts have continued to skyrocket. Pa-Kua gives an introduction to the little known mystical martial art from China, Pa Kua Chang (also known as Ba Gua Zhang), translated as "Eight Trigram Boxing". Smith describes its history, profiles its great practitioners and gives a series of unique exercises, illustrating the solo practice and their fighting applications.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Half Whole
Comment: There are two parts to this book. The first part is a bunch of pseudo-Pa-Kua stuff, mainly linear where Pa Kua is circular, composed of several exercises and several forms. It's real Chinese boxing but not Pa Kua. The second part is real Pa Kua. The real circle. The real palm changes, both original versions and Sun Lutang's versions. Advice from real masters. Not bad. Most books about Pa Kua (Bagua) include a bunch of non-Pa-Kua things and a bunch of "applications". But most don't simply give you the real thing. This one does. Just skip the first part and go straight to the strong meat.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pa-Kua book is good!
Comment: As a relatively new student of Pa-Kua, I found Mr. Smith's book to be a good introductory text to this wonderful and complex internal style. While he does offer a very good history of Pa-Kua, my only criticism would be that he has a bit too many pictures and not quite enough explanatory text for a book of this size. I would like to know more about the purpose of each movement and less images, since I don't think one can actually learn a martial art via a book alone,but I do think that one can glean valuable insights form the author's experience, and that knowledge, combined with a good teacher, can help one learn this fascinating art more efficiently.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Reprint of the now classic book
Comment: This is a reprint of the now over 30 year old classic that was the first book written by a westerner on this still obscure art. Pa Kua, or the "art of overkill," as it's sometimes called, is still much less known than its sister arts tai chi and hsing i.
After a brief into, some taoist philosophy (such as a brief explanation of the I Ching, and how it relates to pa kua), Smith gives a brief account of the history of the art before getting into the actual techniques. The introduction also includes some delightful stories about the adventures and exploits of some of the most famous masters.
There are two main basic technique sections, one presenting 18 basic movements, and a Forms and Functions chapter of 20 techniques shown with a partner that demostrate the applications. These include hand and foot strikes, traps, takedowns, and throws.
Smith then provides an excellent commentary on how to practice and some do's and don'ts. They're detailed, and at a high level of sophistication in terms of the theory, including much practical advice such as how to relax, how to breathe, how to prepare your mind, and so on. Another important point is that the pa kua techniques are not so much techniques in the traditional sense so much as concepts that manifest change according to the principles of the I Ching. If you understand these and internalize them then your progress will be great. The comments in this section are worth the price of the book by themselves.
Finally, the unique classical circling exercise is presented with a couple of variations thrown in the good measure. These are shown by Paul Kuo, one of Smith's teachers in Taiwan and a famous pa kua master who I had heard of for some years before I saw him demonstrating the form in this book.
I had just one or two final comments about this unique art. The evasive and circling skills of a true pa kua master are formidable and I once had the opportunity to spar with one and see them for myself. I being an advanced karate practitioner, and very big, strong, and fast at the time and the pa kua master being 20 years older and much smaller, I felt he was no match for me in terms of strength and that I had the advantage as far as "duking it out" and trading punches and kicks went.
However, I never got the chance to do that. The master would quickly disappear behind me as soon as I moved toward him. His evasive skills were truly a delight to see and I came away with a new respect and appreciation for this unusual art which is still rarely seen even in China.
Customer Rating:
Summary: the circular art of ba gua
Comment: This book presents the first descriptions in English of bagua methods transmitted by Zhang Juen-feng to the Hung family of Taipei. The Hung school became renouned and feared for their fighting prowess, so I agree fully with the previous 5-star reviews. Although such forms are posited on a line, there are many spirals and circles inherent to the movements as well, and the system does include a related set of circle walking and circular changes passed down from Zhang. So bagua is circular - true enough - and the author takes things to that level, as exemplified in the circling method of Paul Guo (along with footnotes on Wang Shu-chin, another peerless fighter; just ask the Japanese who met him). Mr Guo was a municipal police officer, also skilled in xing-yi, whose bagua was based on that of Sun Lu-tang. The book does not provide details on the many fighting functions inherent to the circular changes for reasons of time and space and those given by the author himself (i.e., linear methods more easy to grasp for Westerners at the time). Think about it. Given his vast experience, it is unlikely that the author would take the time to learn and publish a method that was devoid of fighting applications. In fact, he showed many of them in his regular classes, and importantly, also taught principles on how to look for other applications. Times being what they are today, it should be no problem for the uninitiated and perplexed to find someone also skilled at the circling methods in order to lend a convincing hand. But first, give the book a fair shake, try some of the methods, and then go out and find a teacher to help you along. Respectfully, even if you are an undefeated mixed-martial arts champion, a thorough study of these practices will surely improve your skill level and definitely change your outlook on these arts.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Book with enough substance to please the wanderer
Comment: I don't like the conciseness and lack of information in this book. It's ok, but if you're looking for information in the martial arts arena, this book won't help.
Check out my list "Martial Arts" in my "about me area".
Thank you.
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