Hi everyone, this is my Liang style teacher, Zhang Wei Dong performing the Ba Mian Zhang which is considered an advanced set of the Liang style. It was developed later, in the 20th century I believe, as an extension of the Ding Shi Ba Zhang which are the Fixed Palm Changes. Within our lineage the Fixed Changes are considered the "Highest expression of the principles" even though they are the most simple. The Ba Mian Zhang stands in contrast with how outwardly expressive the movements are even though they are based off the simple changes. Also, you might see me in the background watching🙂. This was filmed in Beijing by a Kung Fu brother of mine before he moved back to Europe. Sometime around 2009 maybe.

So... I think I mentioned that I did my PhD in philosophy, and it happens that Bagua Zhang is (sometimes?) related to the I Ching, or the Book of Changes, which I studied a bit some time ago. Does anyone in this group know much about this connection? I've read a small amount about it, in an aforementioned primary text on Bagua, but I would be fascinated to go further into the relationship if possible.

Welcome to The Grove! "The martial forest is one family”. My hope is that together we can shape the culture and curriculum of this community so that The Grove will come to represent a level of quality and skill of which we can all be proud. I am still building out the space, but there will be free content for Shuai Jiao, Ba Gua, basic gong fu and more. There will also be focused training cohorts starting soon with options including -Liang & Cheng style Bagua Zhang -Beijing Shuai Jiao -Chen Style Tai Ji Quan & Da Bei Quan -Gong Fu basics and Praying Mantis Kung fu -Qi Gong As someone who has either trained with me in the past or expressed interest in learning one of the arts I teach you are here as one of the founding members of the community. You have probably heard me say before that I don’t take myself that seriously, but it take the arts I teach very seriously indeed. In this space I am a teacher, a coach and a fellow martial artist studying as diligently as I can. Reach out with any questions and I look forward to sharing this space with you all. If you don’t mind, please take a moment to leave a comment and let us know a few things about yourself. -name and location -age and previous/current martial arts experience -what you are interested in learning Feel free to add anything else you would like to share. This is your space!