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Ba Ji Quan
From MartialWiki English
| Bājíquán | |
| 八極拳 | |
| "Eight Extremes Fist" | |
| Also known as | Ba Ji; Baziquan (巴子拳);
Japanese: Hakkyokuken |
| Origin |  China
|
| Primary focus | elbow, knee, shoulder and hip strikes; striking major points of vulnerability |
| Related to | Piguaquan |
Originating in the northern Hebei province of China, Ba Ji Quan (Chinese: 八極拳, Bājíquán) is a martial art featuring powerful, short-range techniques utilising varying jin ("power"), in particular fajin ("explosive power"). It is well known for its utilization of unusual bodyparts; attacks are delivered using the elbows, knees, shoulders and hips against major points of vulnerability such as the thorax, leg and neck. Ba Ji is often practiced alongside Pi Gua Quan.
Contents |
[edit] Concept
The major features of this school of Chinese martial arts include elbow strikes, arm/fist punches, hip checks, and strikes with the shoulder. All techniques are executed with a short power, developed through training; in Chinese martial arts, Baji is famous for its fast movements and focuses on in-fighting, entering from a longer range with Baji's distinctive charging step ("zhen jiao").
The essence of Bajiquan lies in jin, or power-issuing methods, particularly fajin (explosive power). The style contains six types of jin, eight different ways to hit and several principles of power usage. Unlike most western forms of martial arts which require swinging motion to create momentum, most of Bajiquan's moves utilize a one-hit push-strike method from very close range. The bulk of the damage is dealt through the momentary acceleration that travels up from the waist to the limb and further magnified by the charging step known as zhen jiao.
The mechanics of jin are developed through many years of practice and Bajiquan is known for its strenuous lower-body training and its emphasis on the horse stance. Its horse stance is higher than that of typical Long Fist styles. Like other styles, there is also "the arrow-bow stance", "the one-leg stance", "the empty stance" (xūbù 虚步), "the drop stance" (pūbù 仆步) , etc. There are eight different hand poses, plus different types of breathing and zhen jiao.
[edit] Etymology
Bajiquan was called Baziquan (巴子拳 or 鈀子拳; "rake fist"), due to the fact that when not striking, the fist is held loosely and slightly open, resembling a rake, and also the art involves many downward strike moves, just like a rake's movement in the field. The name was considered to be rather crude sounding in its native tongue, so it was changed to Bajiquan. The term baji, which comes from the oldest book in China, the I Ching, signifies "an extension of all directions." In this case, it means "including everything" or "the universe."
[edit] Technique
Ba Ji fist is known to open the opponent's arms forcibly or Qiang Kai Men 强开门 and mount attacks at high, mid, and low levels of the body or San Pan Lian Ji 三盘连击. The style is also called Kai Men Ba Ji Quan 开门八极拳.
Chinese Kung Fu styles are most useful under specific conditions. Bajiquan is used in close combat, as it pays attention to elbow, knee, shoulder and hip strikes. When blocking an attack or nearing an opponent, Bajiquan techniques emphasize striking major points of vulnerability, the thorax (trunk of the body) and legs and neck.
[edit] History
The first recorded teacher was Wu Zhong 吴钟(1712-1802). Famous teachers that promoted the style included Wu Xiu Feng 吴秀峰, Li Shu Wen 李书文 (1864-1934), (Cangzhou, Hebei, very skillful with the spear that earned him the nickname "God of Spear Li.")]][citation needed]. A Peking Opera Wu Shen (Martial Male Character) by training, he was foremost in his Kung Fu Basic training. His most famous quote about fighting was, "I do not know what it's like to hit a man twice." Li Shuwen's students include Huo Dian Ge 霍殿阁 (bodyguard to Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China), Li Chenwu (bodyguard to Mao Zedong), and Liu Yun Qiao 刘云樵 (secret agent for the nationalist Kuomintang and instructor of the bodyguards of Chiang Kai Shek)]][citation needed]. Bajiquan has come to be known as "The Bodyguard Style"[citation needed]. Ma Feng Tu 马凤图 and Ma Yin Tu 马英图 introduced Ba Ji fist into nan jing kuo shu guan 南京国术馆 (central Chinese Martial Arts Academy). It was required for all students.
[edit] Culture
[edit] In Popular Culture
Bājíquán was in some ways made famous by the Sega video game Virtua Fighter, as the style that the main character Akira Yuki practices, though none of the many representations of Ba Ji Quan in popular media has ever been very accurate. Other video game characters that use this style are Kokoro from the Dead or Alive series (hers is a more accurate representation according to the series' creator), Li Mei from the Mortal Kombat series, and Xiuying Hong from the Shenmue video game series.
Despite popular belief, Ling Xiaoyu does not practice baijiquan, rather she practices Pi Gua Quan, which is "Hakke Sho" in Japanese, but she does have some mixed Hikka Ken (rake fist) moves in her punch-and-kick arsenal, as does Wang Jinrei.
[edit] Genealogy
Bajiquan shares roots with another Hebei martial art, Piguazhang. It is said that Wu Zhong, the oldest traceable lineage holder in the Bajiquan lineage, taught both arts together as an integrated fighting system. They split apart, only to be joined by Li Shuwen in the late 18th to early 19th century. As a testament to the complementary nature of these two styles, there is a Chinese martial arts proverb that goes: "When pigua is added to baji, gods and demons will all be terrified. When baji is added to pigua, heroes will sigh knowing they are no match against it." (八極參劈掛，神鬼都害怕。劈掛參八極，英雄嘆莫及)[4]
Today, the lineage holder of Bajiquan in China is Wu Lian Zhi 吴连枝. Through more than 50 years of training, he collected material and records which were passed down from generation to generation.
[edit] Notable practitioners
- Wu Lianzhi (1947 - ), Deputy Chairman of Wushu Association of Hebei Province and sifu of Bajiquan.
[edit] In fiction
- Wang Jinrei and Ling Xiaoyu, from the Tekken video game series, use some Ba Ji Quan techniques.
[edit] Get involved
- Chinese Martial Arts Center - Dunedin, Florida teaches classes in Bajiquan.
[edit] Links
- Bājíquán article on Wikipedia
[edit] Footnotes & references
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