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Baguazhang: The Dragon & Pheonix Fighting Set by Kevin WIkse,

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  Suppose there was just one fighting set from Yin Fu Baguazhang that captured the martial strategies, heavy-handed applications, and an array of compound circular blocks and deflections with the appropriate speed, fluidity, and savagery, which would, across the board, benefit people of all physicalities. In that case, the Dragon & Phoenix, without question, that fighting set.  Dragon & Phoenix is a battle of two siblings. First-born son Dragon. First-born daughter Phoenix. Eldest brother and sister, and embodiments of the primordial forces of thunder and wind who forever seek dominance and favor from their father, who is the sky and all of heaven. Dragon and Phoenix fighting set is both a clash and a flow of Yin and Yang energies, with a leaning towards an overall Yang force. Dragon, the source of thunder, is the oldest Son, most like his father, Lion. Phoenix, the wind source, is the Yang of the Yin forces, the oldest daughter and a daddy's girl.  Dragon and Phoenix bring
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Baguazhang: Phoenix & Wind by Kevin Wikse.

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*Peng /Phoenix (At the time of this piece's initial writing, I was attempting to differentiate between the Phoenix of Chinese culture and the European conception of the Phoenix).  The quality of Wind or Xun trigram is that of sustained pervasive influence, insomuch a degree of omnipresence can be tangibly grasped. Further notable associations with Wind, or Xun trigram, include vastness and expansion, but also a feeling of remote distance and dissociation from attachments. This phenomenon manifests as Peng or King of Birds in the physical dimension and Chinese cultural context. Peng is an elusive but paradoxically continuously present animal, largely beyond emotional expressions. Peng's aloof personality should not be mistaken for an uncaring or selfish nature. Peng is supremely benign and virtuous but is virtuous and kind because that is what Peng is, not to "act" benignly or noblely. Serene, in the face of violence, Peng responds to evil by natural law. Once harmony
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Baguazhang: Yin Fu Fighting sets by Kevin Wikse.

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  The fighting sets of Yin Fu Style Baguazhnag, most notably the infamous "piercing palms," serve as a bridge for individuals with little to no prior combat experience to practice Yin Fu Baguazhang's martial strategies and health-building exercises, especially circle-walking, before the more specialized aspects of Yin style Baguazhang which generally required a student to have a solid foundation in martial arts to begin with.  Yin Fu Style Baguzhang's fighting sets are mainly separate from the art's esoteric I-Ching connections. These are fighting forms, and while the student does assume a "posture" or "body" such as Lion, Dragon (by far the most well known), Pheonix or even Bear, these postures, in this context, are stripped down in essence, purely transmitting kinetic chains of movement and acting as delivery systems for the martial payload.  That is not to say the advanced, esoteric methods of Yin Fun Baguazhang founded on the I-Ching are le
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Baguazhang: Bagua circle walking leaves my mark by Kevin Wikse.

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  On and off, from 2016 to 2019, I regularly (when I was in Idaho) practiced long hours of Bagua circle walking around a specific tree in Settler's Park, Meridian, Idaho. Here we are, four years later, and the circle I walked still shows up.  Looks like a crop circle... - Kevin Wikse Vimana Vajra Baguazhang
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Baguazhang: The Eight Attack of the Bear by Kevin Wikse.

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The "Eight Attacks of the Bear" is an intermediate set of Vimana Varja Baguazhang, which develops full-body shocking and jarring effects through explosive short-power attacks, jamming, and sudden redirection of forces. Building off the unrelenting and primarily linear-based attacks of Lion's pure yang energy, the Eight Attacks of the Bear introduces attacks of heavy, sinking, and collapsing yin-style power paired with a yang mindset and attitude.  Bear expresses Gen, or the Mountain gua, of the I-Ching. The Eight Attacks of the Bear set teaches heavy-handed offense and defense methods. Bear seeks to concuss and rattle the attacker with careening shots from jagged upward and downward angles. Other tactics include jamming the opponent's attacks by aggressively occupying their space, projecting them backward with braced force as a bird crashes into a window, and a defense that redirects attacks but also sucks energy in, pulverizes it like a woodchipper.  The Eight Attac
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Baguazhang: Eight Attacks of the Lion by Kevin Wikse.

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  "Eight Attacks of the Lion" is a highly productive and result-producing beginner's set of Vimana Vajra Baguazhang, which amasses and hones an impressive arsenal of martial weapons while establishing a solid foundation for more advanced Baguazhang sets. Eight Attacks of the Lion is extremely "Yang" in nature, assuming the shape of the I-Ching's "Heaven" trigram or "Lion" mind and body.  Highly versatile and comprised of eight minimalist and spartan "turnarounds," Eight Attacks of the Lion can be applied to circle walking or performed as line drills. Each "turnaround" is direct and simplistic, focused nearly exclusively on attacking and offensive strategies common to the "Lion." Each attack is meant to be drilled and repeated ad nausea. The footwork of the lion is heavy and springy, with stabbing and sything actions for stepping.  The Eight Attack of the Lion Pounce/Leap Penetrating. Pounding. Cutting. Slicin
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Baguazhang: Directed Energy, First of Eight "Mothership" Palms by Kevin Wikse.

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  The "Directed Energy" turn-around is the "Single Palm" change of my Vimana Vajra Baguazhang's "Eight Mothership" palms foundational set. Exceptionally "yang" in nature, meaning aggressive and straight to the point, the Directed Energy turn-around features a triple palm strike employing the same hand, utilizing the three shapes most responsible for all the death, damage, and destruction palm strikes in human history. In addition to serving as a platform for launching the mind, body, and spirit into a weaponization process, Directed Energy turn-around teaches the practitioner how to direct their energy to a singular focus point, maintain it even while altering its trajectory, and toggle between right and left sides of the body. This training keeps the practitioner's mind and body active even when they appear static. The applications are great, and many not just for a martial artist but for anyone developing any practice were directing ene
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