Product Review

With 340 photos and detailed instruction, Sifu Ken Gullette takes you step-by-step through the 8 Main Palms form of Cheng style Baguazhang. You will see the form in a series of photos that show the nuances of internal movement, and the instruction will take you deeper into the internal body mechanics that make Baguazhang a powerful art of self-defense. Ken strips away the abstract and the mystical elements that you normally find in books, elements that are confusing and often misinterpreted but are normally included to make the instructor appear supernatural. What this book delivers is good internal arts instruction in plain language. The 8 Main Palms form is the first major form that Cheng style Bagua students learn after they have an understanding of basic skills. The form employs circle-walking and smooth, connected, fast changes, plus palm strikes, sweeps, kicks, throws, takedowns and joint-locking chinna techniques. This is Volume 1 of a two-part series (part two focuses on self-defense applications). Baguazhang means "Eight Trigrams Palm." It was created in the 18th Century by Dong Haichuan. One of his students was Cheng Tinghua, who developed his own style of Baguazhang after Dong Haichuan passed away. The 8 Main Palms form incorporates silk-reeling energy, which is a spiraling motion that begins in the feet -- connected to the ground -- and spirals through the body. Silk-reeling energy is a physical skill that anyone can learn. Ken is a martial artist with over 40 years of experience. He has studied Bagua since 1987 and has students around the world who learn the art through face-to-face instruction and through Ken's membership website, DVDs and ebooks.