Baguazhang Q&A: Grandmasters on Circle Walking, Palms & Principles
Traditional Baguazhang song formulas attributed to Dong Haichuan repeatedly emphasize that the feet must keep changing and that standing still makes the practitioner vulnerable. Different lineages preserve slightly different wording, but the message is remarkably consistent: Bagua should remain mobile. I think this is one reason beginners sometimes misunderstand circle walking. They believe walking is merely the warm-up before learning the “real techniques.” In traditional Bagua, the walking itself is one of the real techniques because it changes how the rest of the body learns to function. When I first spent more time around Baguazhang practitioners, I noticed that very experienced people could make the walking look almost boring. There was no dramatic bouncing or athletic display. Yet the feet kept placing the body at useful angles, and the upper body stayed organized while the direction changed underneath it. That kind of boring-looking skill usually takes a long time.