(also written baguazhang and pa-kua chang)  this page is designed to answer some of your questions and guide you along the path. Whether you are a beginner or advanced practitioner, we hope this section will help you along your journey.  If you are already advanced, we hope the descriptions of the art and training approaches that follow will give you some fresh or alternative insights into the art we all love so much.

Ba Gua Zhang, hereafter most often abbreviated as ba gua, is a very complex and sophisticated art. Many aficionados regard ba gua as the most difficult and advanced of the martial arts, both because of its coiling and non-linear appraoch and demanding nature. These two aspects of the art make it both extremely challenging and immensely enjoyable.

Ba gua has no straight lines. Its entire foundation is based on curved lines and semi-circles. Incorporating the martial skills of the art with those curves and semi-circles allows the practitioner to effectively engage multiple opponents.

Because of those curved lines and semi-circles, the process of learning the art requires practitioners to get “straight-line” thinking out of their head. Thus, training in the art requires the student to master movements performed while walking a circle. At this juncture, it is useful to watch a training video about those lines and circles.