New Bagua Books
So, I was lucky and found three very nice baguazhang books that have made it to my own personal library. These books, however, are all in (late) classical Chinese! So I will have to polish up my rusty skills to read them...
Anyway, they are:
孫祿堂武學錄 (Sun Lutang's Record of Martial Studies) by Sun Lutang
This very nice volume actually contains five books - all of the books that Sun Lutang wrote: 形意拳學 (Study of Xingyi Boxing), 八卦拳學 (Study of Bagua Boxing), 太極拳學 (Study of Taiji Boxing), 拳意述真 (Uh, Genuine Writings on the Meaning of Pugilism? Or something?), and 八卦劍學 (Study of Bagua Sword). The Xingyiquan book is very detailed, containing santi, the 5 phase fists, 12 animals, linking form, zashichui form, 5 phases 2 person set, and anshenpao 2 person set. The Taijiquan book is also very detailed, containing the entire form (maybe almost 100 movements). The Baguazhang book is less detailed, with just the single and double change palms as well as 8 animal palms, but does include various hints for good practice (the nine requirements, for example). The Bagua sword book has a nice sword form that was apparently created by Sun based on what he learned from Cheng Tinghua. The remaining book is actually the last remaining one, though, which contains various sayings and teachings that Sun received from his teachers and teacher-uncles, as well as a summary from the secret xingyiquan manuals. Most of them start out as "Guo Yunshen said..." or "Cheng Tinghua said..." Unfortunately, for baguazhang, only Cheng Tinghua is quoted; most of the advice comes from xingyiquan or taijiquan folks.
八卦拳真傳 (Genuine Transmission of Bagua Boxing) by Sun Xikun (孫錫堃)
This very nice volume contains the baguazhang as taught by Cheng Youlong - 8 palms, as well as some supplemental exercises like standing, circle walking, and so on. Besides, there are sections talking about meditation, pressure points, and so on - lots of secret stuff! (I guess that is why he is saying that this is a genuine transmission...) Besides, he also shows a bit of sword, spear, and deer horn knife work, as well as the entire quanpu (拳譜) for the halberd (ji). All in all a very nice book, chock full of information about a very rare Cheng style lineage!
八卦掌簡編 (Simple Compilation of Baguazhang) by Yin Yuzhang (尹玉章)
This very slim volume (for some reason the most expensive of these books) is by Yin Yuzhang, Yin Fu's 4th son. Basically, it is a textbook for the 8 palms that he taught in some martial arts school that he worked at - however, I am guessing that he created them himself, since they do not match what is normally taught in the Yin style (I think), i.e. the 64 palms. His photos are very interesting, though - very low postures, kind of squarish... he is also really skinny! Definitely doesn't look scary, but you never know...
All three books are a great addition to my library, and all have very nice, old photographs in it. In fact, I am getting sick of all the new baguazhang books that are getting published nowadays - everything in there is heresay, so I want to get to the older, more "primary" sources out there - this is good stuff.
Anyway, they are:
孫祿堂武學錄 (Sun Lutang's Record of Martial Studies) by Sun Lutang
This very nice volume actually contains five books - all of the books that Sun Lutang wrote: 形意拳學 (Study of Xingyi Boxing), 八卦拳學 (Study of Bagua Boxing), 太極拳學 (Study of Taiji Boxing), 拳意述真 (Uh, Genuine Writings on the Meaning of Pugilism? Or something?), and 八卦劍學 (Study of Bagua Sword). The Xingyiquan book is very detailed, containing santi, the 5 phase fists, 12 animals, linking form, zashichui form, 5 phases 2 person set, and anshenpao 2 person set. The Taijiquan book is also very detailed, containing the entire form (maybe almost 100 movements). The Baguazhang book is less detailed, with just the single and double change palms as well as 8 animal palms, but does include various hints for good practice (the nine requirements, for example). The Bagua sword book has a nice sword form that was apparently created by Sun based on what he learned from Cheng Tinghua. The remaining book is actually the last remaining one, though, which contains various sayings and teachings that Sun received from his teachers and teacher-uncles, as well as a summary from the secret xingyiquan manuals. Most of them start out as "Guo Yunshen said..." or "Cheng Tinghua said..." Unfortunately, for baguazhang, only Cheng Tinghua is quoted; most of the advice comes from xingyiquan or taijiquan folks.
八卦拳真傳 (Genuine Transmission of Bagua Boxing) by Sun Xikun (孫錫堃)
This very nice volume contains the baguazhang as taught by Cheng Youlong - 8 palms, as well as some supplemental exercises like standing, circle walking, and so on. Besides, there are sections talking about meditation, pressure points, and so on - lots of secret stuff! (I guess that is why he is saying that this is a genuine transmission...) Besides, he also shows a bit of sword, spear, and deer horn knife work, as well as the entire quanpu (拳譜) for the halberd (ji). All in all a very nice book, chock full of information about a very rare Cheng style lineage!
八卦掌簡編 (Simple Compilation of Baguazhang) by Yin Yuzhang (尹玉章)
This very slim volume (for some reason the most expensive of these books) is by Yin Yuzhang, Yin Fu's 4th son. Basically, it is a textbook for the 8 palms that he taught in some martial arts school that he worked at - however, I am guessing that he created them himself, since they do not match what is normally taught in the Yin style (I think), i.e. the 64 palms. His photos are very interesting, though - very low postures, kind of squarish... he is also really skinny! Definitely doesn't look scary, but you never know...
All three books are a great addition to my library, and all have very nice, old photographs in it. In fact, I am getting sick of all the new baguazhang books that are getting published nowadays - everything in there is heresay, so I want to get to the older, more "primary" sources out there - this is good stuff.