Royal Dragon wrote:C.J.Wang wrote:He is turning and spinning rather than "coiling."
Reply]
Can you explain in a bit more detail? I don't do Bagua but I'd like to see a clip of what you mean for comparison.
The difference between good Bagua that develops strong coiling power and fancy Wushu-ish Bagua that only teaches you how to spin pretty like a ballerina is the level of "tautness" - or how much the tendon/fascia is being strectched and coiled.
When done correctly, one should feel a complex, interwoven network of force vectors extending in six directions ('six harmony power' - liu he li) internally. Externally, besides the obvious spinning around the body's central axis, every body part should all twist (coil) around the joint either inward or outward to the extreme, creating strong opposing power that stablizes the body structure.
There's alot of mediocre Bagua players who, in order to emphasize the circularity and evasiveness of the art, like to circle-walk quickly and perform all sorts of crazy spins with flaccid body and zero structure. Those are the kind of guys who would walk circles around the opponent in a fight and crumble like cookies when heavy contact is made.
The Italian teacher in the clip actually isn't that bad. I have seen far worse.