I am a practitioner of cheng style and I am wondering what the difference between it and it's varients is?
I know that sun style only has eight palms and no linking palm or swimming body palm, but what is the difference between the palms of sun and cheng.
I know nothing about Gao style so more knowlege would be appreciated.

Hi Robbie.

Sun style HAS swimming body palm. I have the videotape in one chinese guy demonstration. Sun's form also has 72 hidden legs (an tui), 72 legs catchings (jie jiao), 18 palm strikes (pai zhang), points stiking. About swimming form it is clerly said in his book "Baguaquanxue". BTW I have translated it by myself, 'cos I don't trust home-made translaters. I have all ever printed (5)Sun's books in chinese. It was very hard to collect materials about BGZ especially here - in Russia! I study BGZ (unfortunatelly or not I don't know) by myself since 1990. Now I can perform Sun's form in swimming body manner. And what about differences of palms of Sun and Cheng I see it is in trigrammes. Sun was a man of wisdom. Everything in his explanations in books are trigrammed. When I said to my chinese fellows that I study Sun style and read his books, they were surprised 'cos they think he was too difficult to be understood. And concerning to Gao I think that nowdays Luo Dexiu is the best one. I still doing my Sun's form. And sometimes I think that something is missed... It was his expirience, and who knows will we ever reach his level of trigramme understanding...

Best regards

Andrei

Andrei,

Where did you get the information that Sun style Baguazhang has 72 hidden legs, 72 leg catchings and 18 point striking techniques?

It's interesting, Sun's daughter, family and students didn't practice any of the above.

Hi Tim,

This information is directly from Sun Lutang's book - "Baguaquanxue". My Chinese friend brought it for me from China. In this (one) book are gathered all Sun's works: Xingyiquanxue, Taijiquanxue, Baguajianxue (sword) and Quanshu yi zhen (bibliogpaphy of famous masters, discussions about internal styles. In His book he states that all mentioned above (72 an tui, etc) are in his form and in his Baguaquanxue. Why did I want to get this book in Chinese, 'cos I didn't very much like the translation from Chinese into Russian Sun's Baguaquanxue. I am a translator, so I know the subject. I suppose that Sun's book which was translated into English has this information? Strange.

And Tim, have you ever seen Sun's form in Youshen lianhuanzhang manner? Rather long form, many unknown movements wich contain all 8 animals with additional movements.
I don't know why Sun's doughter and students didn't performed, mentioned and so on about all abovemantioned.

Looking farward hearing from You!

Sincerely

Andrei