I invite all serious BaGua stylists or any body interested in Ba Gua foot work to get involved in this underground project for the betterment of Ba Gua as a martial art. If your breath just paused, then read on.

Ok class please open your "The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang" by Park Bok Nam and Dan Miller to page 80. Are you there? Ok Good.

We find ourselves in the section of "Pa Kua Chang Footwork". On page 80 there is a diagram named "Four Direction Y Stepping". It looks like four Y's all facing different directions but connected at the bases of the four Y's.

With this diagram painted on the floor you can practice all of the superior elusive legendary Ba Gua foot work drills. I'm talking about all of them! The jump step, v step, full step jump, pivot step, back jump step, 90degree full step, etc. Up to 4 people can practice at once with this diagram.

I once drew this myself in a secluded park in Queens. I used chalk, white tape (to see in dark), White Krylon Paint, and measuring tape and rulers. It was drawn in a circle that was already painted by the city. No one knew why the city put that circle on the floor and no one knew what the four Y's within the circle was for, until I let the local pot heads, and gangs in on it. Soon it became popular and I began to show some people how to "play".

Within a matter of days I became the student with the best footwork in the class! It was my secret until the city decided to renovate the park, and then it was gone forever. It was here that I realized that I should have not kept that secret and I should have encouraged others to do the same. Well its years later, I'm older and wiser and I am encouraging you to do the same. NO MORE SECRECY!!! (Even though its published in a very well known book)

Your mission if you choose to accept, is to go to your favorite public park with the pespective tools and paint the "Four Direction Y Stepping" diagram. Make sure you draw it big enough. I would suggest practicing the patterns in sand first and measure what you have done on the sand and then paint it permenantly but only bigger to allow for improvement. Once you complete your mission, post your success here for all Ba Gua artists to enjoy. Hopefully we can do several. Please be carefull and good luck.

Lets do this for all those lives lost during the Boxer Rebellion by foreign imerialist armies!

Internal Struggler,
here's a secret for you.... you may be older,
but you're still an idiot.

...and Park Bok Nam is a fraud. The only thing you'll learn from his book is how to relieve yourself of $19.95 plus tax.

Bob #2 has spoken.

Bob #2

What makes you think he is a fraud?

Come on guys . . . focus.

Four Direction Y Stepping is a tool to train Ba Gua footwork patterns just incase you didnt know. And my post was directed to those who might want to train these particular drills and who feel BaGua training should be free and open to all.

If any one feels that this is fraud or that im an idiot then simply post a new thread about it. The reason being is because I would like to keep this dream alive for a bit to see if we can come together and pull this off. So lets keep this thread for people who want to be down with this project. There are a few people who are taking this seriously and trusted me to post the requests on the forums. This to me is an honor. So Bob, im an idiot and lets leave it as that, okee.

What's actually sad, is how little time it took to get an advantage over the others, indicating how superficialy many train.

Any choboja is not kwon-won.But disrespect
is not mature.If it works for you do it.
If not then let others decide for themselves
without hate,please.

Mark Hatfield,

Non frauds.

Ahem,
Speaking of Bok Nam Park, he is going to be giving a seminar in NJ this weekend.

Randal's Island

I don't see how anything that Mr. park Nam teach will be of any good for anyone. I have been in a few of his schools, and met his so-called top students,not one of them had the skill as claim. I was a student of two of park schools, I been to most of his so called opportunity get away pa kua training camps. What a joke and waste of my time and money. Unexperience people teaching What they call Pa kua Chang.
So I left because not one of Park schools have any teacher that can use pa kua chang in a fight.
I train under park so-called authorized to teach pa kua chang,Mr. glen moore,the man skill level was a joke, as many of park's other assistant instructors that I have met.
Park method is a joke in my eyes.

where is the seminar at in NJ,,,i know a few cats that would like to visit

Anyone can put another down from hiding in these
wires.But mature people do not belittle others
as I have seen here.Why put someone down for not
being what you imagine or wish them to be?
You train in washington state? I think maybee your
attitude problem is why you weren't shown as
you would have liked is the most likely situation.
Please lets be civil and polite to one another.
If your such a badass why do you need to study?

hungfarlow,

Are you a student of Park? I'm eager to find out how often you (or any of Parks students) spar (with or with out gear) (light or full contact).

I think an affirmation of the 'martial' side of
Park's teaching might clear things up for those of us who have only heard he neglects the 'martial' in the 'martial art' he teaches (having heard this from many of his students and friends it would be great to learn that it's untrue).

Shane

Big Ron Your comments on P. B. N.s students are very interesting, particulary that high ranking students could not use what they taught. Do you know of other Pa Qua people that you compare them to? Are there any more details that you can add to your observation? Would you mind telling us about your own background?

Mark Hatfield Do you know of other Pa Qua people that you compare them to?

There are many internal teachers I have met and train with these past years who level of skill was remarkable. they are: Liang Shou-Yu,Ren Guangyi,Zhao Da Yuan,Tony Chen,Ming Loy,William C.C. Chen,Li Tai Liang, Tim Cartmell,Richard Mooney, none of parks Nam people, are on these teachers martial level.
I have been study the martial arts for twenty-five years. And had many instructors in external and internal Chinese Boxing, I also been studying in Beijing China for four years,from Master Keng G. Wu, Who is a master of four major schools of Pa kua Chang.
So my friend I know good Pa Kua Chang when I see it. Also when I train with parks students no one ever knew my martial experience background.
I have train at parks schools, and every one of them was just a waste of my time. Parks New Jersey school is a joke, all these guys practice is drill after drill, some Praying mantis sets, that many of them don't know how to use the techniques in the form with accurately. The teacher there is a joke also.
If ask to spar, he is hesitant, as if he going to hurt someone. What a joke park students are to the real martial world.
Many of park sutdents act like he was a god or something when I was training there. The only reason I came to train with Park was because of his book, after training at a few of his schools , it was only a matter of time for the truth to come out. the claim in his book that he can train any of students to hit something like 8 times in a sec. What a joke."
Not one of his top students, Glen Wright, glen Moore, and others I have met at his pa kua chang camp have any martial art skill that is extraordinary. Parks people are a joke to the martial art system of Pa kua Chang. But tey don't mind taking your money, and teaching useless Pa Kua
This post should be called the U step. Make a u turn whenever you see a Park Nam book or School.

May the truth set you free guy.....

Big Ron

Big Ron I have no direct experience with any Pa Qua people.

Obviously you state that Parks schools are simply diploma mills. However, regarding the system he presents in the books and videos, do you feel that it is an acceptable system if well taught and diligently practiced?

Mark you bring out a very good point to light with your question. Perhaps I can answer.

I never went to any of Park's seminars as I can never afford those things because I am poor. I dont attend any of his classes under him or his "Top Students".

All I know is that the basic foot work practiced in his book and video is the same exact basic footwork taught in every single BaGua school I ever seen with slight variation. I know that there are more basic footwork steps he doesnt cover but still its pretty standard. And I know that when I was training the four direction Y stepping I was very swift because of it and every one noticed it.

Training your footwork does not mean that you will not spar. Infact they compliment each other loevly.

So Mark, I personally believe that if you dilegently practice his system you would get some important basics down. You would have to make sure your sparring, conditioning, and doing your standing Chi Kung and seriously walking your circle and whatever else his system might be missing.

See in my situation I have no teacher. Ive had teachers but none right now. So I have to take from the best of what I have collected through the years and master it through constant training. I have to be open and incorporate every aspect of training on my own as I have no teacher.
I have to use the material outthere.

I find Parks material very good for drills like the eight elbow combos, the 48 month palms and footwork. He has a very good "Standard 8 Chi Kung Set" that really wakens you for nice work out. For sparring you have to look else where.

Mark Hatfield-Obviously you state that Parks schools are simply diploma mills. However, regarding the system he presents in the books and videos, do you feel that it is an acceptable system if well taught and diligently practiced?

My friend Park claims his system of Pa Kua Chang is Yin Fu method. If you guys do your research as I have, you find that what Mr. Park is teaching has more of a Cheng style influences, then Yin Fu.
I feel Park Pa Kua Chang can only take a person so far in the martial art world. even If one was to practice his method diligently.

Internal Struggle-All I know is that the basic foot work practiced in his book and video is the same exact basic footwork taught in every single BaGua school I ever seen with slight variation.

My friend If you do your research you find the footwork method park is teaching is taking from Hsing YI boxing. I like to know what Pa Kua schools In the USA you are talking about practice footwork methods like park, but with slight variation. I have vist many Pa Kua schools even the few in New York.

Internal Struggle- I know that there are more basic footwork steps he doesnt cover but still its pretty standard. And I know that when I was training the four direction Y stepping I was very swift because of it and every one noticed it.

Thats just my point,Park Nam whole Pa Kua Chang system is standard, his method is not a full transmission of any pa Kua Chang system.

My advise to you is do research as I have done, Why practice a method that is not complete, if you ever encounter a skilled Pa Kua palyer, you will find that park system is missing more then just a little."

Being that you have no teacher, you better off learning Pa Kua Chang from Tim Cartmell teacher Luo Dexiu Pa kua instructional Videos, the tape contains way better pa Kua drills then Park video tape, Tim teacher tape even contains combat application drills, that I find very practical. Then there is Xie peiqi Yin Style tapes very good instructional tape also. Both of these men are pa Kua chang experts. I know because I met both of These exceptional Pa Kua Chang teachers a few years ago. Park is nowhere near these instructors skill level.

But if Park method is what you like, Then I am happy for you.

I'll look into Luo Dexiu Pa kua instructional Videos and the Xie peiqi Yin Style videos. It sounds like you seriuosly compared so I'm going to take you seriously but none the less, 4 directional Y Stepping is really good. You shouldnt knock it until you try it. And yes I agree wih you that Park can only take you so far. But his instructions are good to start out with, you cant deny that. And no Park's method is not what I like. I dont think that I am capable of settling for just one teacher's version of a "complete system" especially BaGua. For example how many American BaGua schools do you know of are practicing the 72 hidden kicks of BaGua? The way things are as of now is that if you dont know Chinese then you cant learn the 72 kicks because there are no material that cover this in english.

I'm just doing what I can until I become a worthy student so that I can find the worthy teacher.