What Is Bajiquan? Why I Still Recommend It After 8 Years of Training
After more than eight years of practicing Bajiquan, attending seminars, training with different people, and feeling its power firsthand, I still describe it in very simple terms: Bajiquan is fast, direct, explosive, and remarkably powerful at close range. I have practiced other Chinese martial arts, but Bajiquan has always felt different to me. It does not need a large amount of space to express power, and when the body mechanics begin to work correctly, the force can arrive much faster than people expect. My interest in Bajiquan, however, started long before I understood any of that. It began when I was a child watching martial arts movies. Like many kids growing up around Chinese martial arts culture, I did not know the difference between real training and movie choreography. I only knew that certain movements looked different. Some martial arts appeared light, flowing, or acrobatic. Bajiquan looked as though someone had suddenly driven his entire body through another person.