Dr. Yang leading the way

[Bhassler]

If you can't build upper body strength in tiangan (or similar practices), then you haven't learned how to do it properly (IMO). Again, that doesn't preclude adding other things to great benefit, but there's no need to rail against a particular form of practice just because you (general you) learned it wrong.

[Doc Stier]

So now that I figured out how to make images work, I'm going to pour some salt in the wounds. As I said before, Adam Hsu talks about doing jibengong on his Secret Files of Bagua DVDs. I've been reading articles from him since I was in high school in the mid-80's so I would think his reputation would be established even if his material isn't your cup of tea. But I mentioned him recommending pistol squats and not one comment was made so I'm going to pour gasoline on the fire.
On the DVD he recommends 3 jibengong exercises for baguazhang to be done as daily warmups: 1. bat stamping floor, 2. water wheel, 3.centipede drilling wall
1. bat stamping floor is series of jumps done on the balls of both feet in multiple directions, then done in a full squat position, then done up and down stairs.

2. water wheel is a series of pistol squats to the front and squats with the leg extended out the back

3. centipede drilling wall is basically the fanyao (overturning waist) exercise from wushu adapted to bagua. You can't do overturning body palm without this.


Please note: NONE of these are qigong exercises where you wave your hands in the air, none of them are zhanzhuang, none of them are forms, none of them are crossfit, none of them are "strength training without technique."

Here is an advanced pistol by the famous Fu Su-yun, graduate of the Nanjing Guoshu Academy. Apparently she is wasting her time and knows nothing about the internal and would have been better off just doing qigong and forms.

Tell it, brother! Tell it.

[wayne hansen]

No one has said tien kan was the only training you need
Those talking about how hard TST training is have you ever done it
I have it was the first 8 years of my training 73/81
Those who think tien Kan is waving the hands and for the upper body have either never learnt it or never done it correctly
Looking at the Tien Kan out there I see most people don’t get it
Having fought in Tang shou Tao tournaments I find them no harder than most
But hard enough
My second teacher did no hard conditioning training in class that was expected to be done outside of class
I found it a better way to train seeing I was lifting up to 2000 20 kg boxes of bananas a day