The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

The Method of Lu Shui-Tien

as Taught by Park Bok Nam

by Park Bok Nam and Dan Miller

High View Publications, Pacific Grove, CA

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang:

The Method of Lu Shui-T'ien as Taught by
Park Bok Nam
Copyright 1993 by Dan Miller
ISBN 1-883175-01-1
All Right Reserved
Published by High View Publications
P.O. Box 51967
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Printed in the United States of America

The author and publisher of the book are not responsible for any injury which may result from
following the instructions contained herein.
Before embarking on any of the physical activities described in this book, the reader should
consult his or her physician for advice regarding their individual suitability for performing such
activity.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Dedication
Preface

vi
vii
viii

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Introduction
Beyond Pa Kua Chang Forms Training
Pa Kua Chang Master Lu Shui-T'ien
Lu Shui-Tien and his Pa Kua Chang
Lu Shui-T'ien's Early Years in China
Park's Pa Kua Chang Training under Lu Shui-T'ien
Korean Stele at Tung Hai-Ch'uan's Tomb
Park Teaching Pa Kua Chang in Korea
Park Moves to the United States
Park Bok Nam's Teaching Method
Reflex Body Response
Developing the "Kung Fu Body"
Research

2
4
7
9
10
13
20
21
24
26
27
28
29

Chapter 2 - The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

33

Yin and Yang Theory

Pa Kua Theory
Combinations - From Theory to Practical Application
Pa Kua Geometry - The Eight Trigram Diagrams
Combining the Two Pa Kua Diagrams
Using the Pa Kua Diagrams in Pa Kua Chang Practice
Change and the Book of Changes
Five Phase Theory
Conclusion

Chapter 3 - Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Introduction
Training Stages

35
38
41
44
49
49
50
53
55

59
60
64

Table of Contents
Eight Direction Rooted Stepping
The Stance for Combat
Basic Pa Fang Ken Pu Practice
The Jump Step
The Full Step
Full Step with a Jump
The Basic Pa Fang Ken Pu Stepping Patterns
Turn Around and Jump
The Full Step with a 90 Degree Turn and the Full Step with
a 45 Degree Turn
Stepping to Four Directions
The "Y" Stepping Pattern
The "V" Step
Pa Fang Ken Pu Stepping and the Pa Kua Diagram
The Pivot Step
Pivoting Around the Rear Foot
Pivot Stepping and the Pa Kua Diagram
Circle Walking
Opening the Circle Walk Practice
Changing Directions on the Circle
Completing the Circle Walk Practice
Circle Walking Patterns
K'ou Pu and Pai Pu Stepping
Combining the Pa Kua Chang Footwork Techniques
Reaction Drills
Researching Combinations
Basic Two-Person Stepping Exercise
Freestyle Two-Person Stepping Exercise
Pa Kua Chang Footwork - Conclusion

77
80
80
81
83
85
86
87
92
93
94
97
99
105
105
105
107
108
110

Chapter 4 - Pa Kua Chang Body Training

113

The Fan Chang Exercises

Straight Fan Chang
Circle Fan Chang
Tien Fan Chang
Combining the Three Fan Chang Exercises
Scooping the Moon from the Sea Bottom
The Circle Principle
Combining the Palm Work with Pa Kua Stepping
Hand + Body + Step
Full Step + Fan Chang
Yin Yang Changing Palm with Jump and Pivot Steps
Fan Chang and Walking the Circle
Hand Movement with K'ou Pu and Pai Pu
Pa Kua Chang Body Training - Conclusion

65
65
68
68
70
72
73
73
76

116
116
121
124
124
128
133
135
135
135
137
143
143
146

Table of Contents

Chapter 5 - Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

Internal vs. External Power
The Basic Palm Exercises
Ton Chang
Dragon Back
Single Palm Change Exercise
Double Palm Change Exercise
Controlling the Power
Intermediate Palm Training Methods
Fighting Skill: Adding Power and Speed
Adding Power to the "Hand + Step + Body" Equation
Adding Speed to the Equation

Chapter 6 - Pa Kua Chang Chi Kung

Breathing Exercises
The Cleansing Breath
The Filling Breath
Prescription Breathing
Basic Ch'i Circulation Exercise
Ch'i Awareness
Meditation Exercises
Ch'i Kung Circle Walk Form
Putting It All Together

Chapter 7 - Conclusion
List of References
Appendix

149
150
152
152
159
160
164
166
169
171
171
171

175
179
181
181
182
182
185
186
188
199

201

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge a number of individuals who worked

hard to make this book possible. Thanks to my two senior classmates,
Glenn Wright and Glen Moore, for answering my many questions and
providing feedback on the draft copies of this book. Thanks to my wife,
Nancy Miller, for proofreading the draft text and making valuable
suggestions concerning the format and layout and for putting up with
the long hours I spent in preparing this book. Thanks to Greg Hatza for
posing in several of the two-person photographs. Thanks to Ken Fish
for providing valuable input concerning the mechanics involved in
some of these exercises, for helping with the translation of Chinese
terms, and for helping clear the way for me to study with Park Bok Nam.
Thanks to my mother-in-law, Nobue Melton, for providing the
calligraphy which is present throughout this book. Thanks to my
training partner, Gene Kreyd, for putting up with the many long
practice sessions which helped me think about how to put these
exercises into words. Thanks to Steve Rhodes for answering all of my
computer questions. Lastly, a special thanks to Park Bok Nam.
Without him, none of this would have been possible.

vi

Dedication

Dedicated in Memory of
Pa Kua Chang Master
Lu Shui-Tien
(1894 - 1978)

vii

Preface
After the first issue of the Pa Kua Chang
Newsletter had been published in November
1990, I approached Bok Nam Park to ask if he
would be interested in being interviewed for
the publication. Park's response to the first
newsletter was, "History does not make
progress, students need to learn principles."
His point was that martial arts publications
print too much history, generalized
information, and abstract theory when
what students need is a detailed
explanation of fundamental principles. Park
believes that if the student does not
understand the principles upon which the art
is based, he or she will not progress. "Respect
for parents is good, but when the baby is
hungry he does not want to know who his
father is and who his grandfather is - he
wants food. After his belly is full, then you
can tell him about his ancestors," Park
added. Point well taken.
Pa Kua Chang footwork, sparring,
ch'i circulation, ch'i development,
meditation, breathing, palm movements,
how to move the body with the steps, how
to combine speed and balance with ch'i,
how to develop power - these are some of
the topics Park wanted to discuss in detail.
Since arriving in the United States in 1987,
Park has observed that students in this
country know that Pa Kua Chang
practitioners walk the circle, practice eight
"mother" palms, and execute twisting and
turning movements while walking and
changing in circular patterns, but he does not
feel that many students know why these
things are practiced, how they are specifically
applied in self-defense or ch'i development,
and how they relate to the fundamental
theories of the I-Chitig, the Wu Hsing (Five
Phases), and Yin-Yang. Park contends that if
Pa Kua students were asked why they walk a
circle or how each of the "mother palms" is
used specifically, most students would not be
able to give an explanation that displays any
depth of understanding.

Because of the level of detail Park

wished to discuss all of these topics, he asked
if I would be willing to publish a series of
articles which would explain Pa Kua Chang
basic principles. I agreed with Park's opinion
that martial arts publications should present
more practical details concerning martial
arts practice and application and I had
received several letters from subscribers
asking me to print this kind of technical
information. Thus, we initiated a series of
articles in the Pa Kua Chang Newsletter (now
the Pa Kua Chang Journal) which discussed
Park's views and instruction of the practice
and application of Pa Kua Chang
fundamental principles.
Our initial interview was conducted
sitting in his office. He did not demonstrate
any of his Pa Kua Chang, we just talked.
Although I had not actually seen him do
anything, I was impressed with his
systematic approach to teaching and
emphasis on fundamental training.
Over the next few months Park and I met
several times and he showed me a number of the
exercises and drills he wanted to have explained
in the newsletter. Although he showed me some
ch'i kung and some Pa Kua palm changing and
palm striking exercises, his emphasis in these
meetings was placed on Pa Kua Chang footwork.
I still had yet to see Park demonstrate a Pa Kua
Chang form or show any Pa Kua martial
applications, however, I could see that he was
exceptionally skilled in terms of body flexibility,
body control, and speed. His smooth, precise,
catlike movements when demonstrating Pa Kua
stepping exercises indicated a high level of skill.
I was interested in learning more and so at this
point in time I asked Park if I could change my
status from reporter to reporter/student. Park
agreed and I began studying with him at his
school in Richmond, Virginia for five hours
every Saturday afternoon.
For the first few months I was taught nothing
but very basic footwork, body movement, palm
work, and ch'i kung exercises (the contents of this
viii

book). Although it was all very straight forward,

it was different than anything I had learned
before and I started to see direct benefits right
away. After I had learned some basic footwork
drills and practiced them repeatedly until the
bottom of my feet were blistered, Park said he
wanted to demonstrate how the footwork could
be used in fighting. He said, "You attack me, OK"
I squared off with him and planned to use the
jump step I had been practicing in combination
with a palm strike to his head. I quickly jumped
forward and threw the strike, but it hit nothing
but air. Park was standing directly behind me,
positioned to strike my kidneys. I could not
understand how he got there, his movement had
been so quick and precise I was not really aware of
what was happening when it had happened. He
had not even touched me as I was moving in to
strike, he simply moved out of the way and
stepped in behind me. I thought, well, that was
pretty amazing! There must be something to this
footwork after all.
I was also fortunate in that I was able to
observe Park training his two senior students,
Glenn Wright and Glen Moore when I was at the
school on Saturdays and I was able to practice
with them. There is an old saying in the martial
arts that says, "If you want to know how good a
teacher is, look at his senior students." Glenn
Wright and Glen Moore are two of the finest Pa
Kua Chang practitioners and best fighters I have
ever seen. Looking at them I knew that Park could
not only apply the art himself, but knew how to
teach it as well.
With each successive week of practice I slowly
started to get a better feel for what Park's Pa Kua
Chang was about and how his training program
worked. The more I learned about him and his Pa
Kua Chang and the more I practiced his training
methods, the more comfortable I became with
my decision to train with him. His teaching
method is the most systematic and most complete
program I have ever encountered.
In my capacity as editor and publisher of the
Pa Kua Chang Journal, I have had the opportunity
to meet and talk with Pa Kua Chang instructors
and practitioners all over the world. I have met
many highly skilled Pa Kua Chang instructors in
the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and

Mainland China, however, I have never regretted

my decision of choosing Park Bok Nam as my Pa
Kua Chang teacher. I say this not only because he
constantly amazes me with his ability to apply Pa
Kua Chang in fighting, but also because he
genuinely cares about each student's development
inside and outside of the kung fu studio.
Park truly believes that the relationship between
a student and teacher should be the same as the
relationship between a father and son and thus he
looks out for each of his students as if they were his
own children. Park also teaches his students that
students in the same school should be as close as
blood-brothers and thus the camaraderie
experienced between students in Park's school is
uncommon in today's world.
We present this book to the martial arts
community as a perspective, not to say this is the
only way. There are many excellent Pa Kua Chang
training systems and not all of them are the same.
The method presented here is the method Park
Bok Nam was taught by his teacher Lu Shui-Tien.
We humbly present this book and its companion
video tape so that instructor's and practitioners in
the Pa Kua Chang community might gain some
knowledge from this work and that it may help
them in their practice. We also hope that this
work will inspire others to share the Pa Kua Chang
knowledge that they were taught and have worked
hard to perfect so that the community will benefit
from everyone's knowledge and hard work.
Dan Miller Winter
1992 Pacific Grove,
CA

ix

Chapter 1

Introduction

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Chapter 1

Introduction
I

t's the Chinese version of the David and Goliath

story. An old white bearded man, frail in
appearance, cane in hand, strolls passively
down a country road accompanying his son and
granddaughter to market. Just as the three happy
travelers reach the outskirts of their village, a
group of thugs descend upon them. The group's
leader stands boldly in the center of the road and
barks, "Give us your money or we take it by force
and let 'Ox-breath Chiang' have his way with the
girl." Ox-breath, the Chinese equivalent of a
Sumo wrestler on steroids, eyes the girl and grunts,
saliva dripping gingerly from the corners of his
mouth. The girl's father immediately leaps forward
to protect her but is caught mid-stride by a backfist
from Ox-breath's bear-size hand. He lands
unconscious in the ditch by the side of the road,
blood ebbing from his mouth.
The ruffians break into laughter and mock the
beaten man's foolish bravery. The group's leader
commands a few gang members to start searching
through the man's clothes for money. Ox-breath
turns back towards the young girl to claim his
prize, but as he reaches out for her arm, the tip of
the old man's cane pierces him threw the eye and
a palm strike to the chest sends blood gushing out
of his nose and mouth. As the giant begins to fall
to the ground, the old man hooks him under the
arm and, with a tornado like spinning movement,
plays "bowling for bandits" by hurling the lifeless
mass into the crowd of hooligans. The group
scatters like insects at a crop dusting festival, but
two or three are knocked down by the flying heap
of flesh. The others rush towards the old man like

hyenas on a feeding frenzy, yet he effortlessly

weaves, darts, and spins in and out of the assailants'
attacks; sweeping, throwing, striking and kicking
until they all lie quivering in the dusty road like
beached jellyfish. The young girl helps her father
to his feet and the three family members continue
on their journey, the "frail" old man strolling
away passively.
As far fetched as this story might seem, most of
us who practice Chinese martial arts, especially
the so-called 'internal' styles, are fascinated with
this kind of tale because its message is that highly
refined skill can easily overcome brute force. This
is the concept which led most of us to study these
arts and this idea keeps us going through long,
hard hours of training. A small guy can beat up a
big strong guy without a rock and sling? A force
of four ounces can deflect a thousand pounds?
Where do I sign up!?!
If a student is lucky enough to find a good
teacher who has a training program which is
designed to develop complete martial art skill, he
or she immediately realizes that developing this
skill is going to take many long hours of hard work
everyday. The majority of this work, especially in
the beginning stages of development, is not fun.
The training is basic, it is repetitive, it is exhausting,
and it can easily become boring. There is no
secret, there is no magic, there is no free lunch.
Many students who enter the "internal" martial
arts become interested because they relate a few of
the terms associated with these arts, such as "soft"
and "relaxed," with "easy." However, if they find
a good teacher who is teaching a complete system,

Introduction
they soon discover that the training is anything
but "easy." At every level of practice the training
is physically demanding, however, at the
beginning levels the work is especially difficult.
Working hard at fundamental repetitive
exercises is nothing new to anyone who has
attained a high degree of skill at any discipline.
The professional baseball player can knock a
fastball out of the park with a swing that appears
effortless. The all-pro basketball player can drive
down the lane, weave around defenders, leap into
the air and "hang" for what seems to be minutes,
his flight ending with a reverse slam executed
while his head appears to be floating above the
rim. He makes it look easy. The professional
football player, the baseball player, the basketball
player, the concert pianist, the Olympic gymnast
and the old white bearded man in our story are all
individuals who have reached the highest level of
excellence in their field, and they all have one
thing in common; they have spent thousands of
hours practicing the fundamentals of their
discipline and through this practice have reached
such a refined level of skill that everything they do
appears to be effortless and natural.
While thousands of hours of practice is the key
element to developing skill in any discipline,
practice cannot be haphazard. Any good training
program is systematic and progressive; there is a
method. Basic skills are developed fully before
more complex skills are encountered. Components
of the practice are first trained separately until
each component can be performed correctly in
isolation before the components are integrated.
The progression is step-by-step and the system is
designed to develop higher and higher levels of
refined skill.
In this book, Richmond, Virginia, based Pa Kua
Chang teacher Park Bok Nam describes in detail
the various components of Pa Kua Chang's basic
training as it was taught to him by his teacher Lu
Shui-T'ien (1894-1978), a native of Shantung
Province, China. The book details exercises which
will help any martial artist improve his or her
footwork, body flexibility, ch'i circulation, and
internal striking power. Additionally, the publisher
has made available a companion video tape in
which Park Bok Nam demonstrates a majority of
the exercises contained in this book.

This book contains fundamental exercises

and an explanation of the principles upon which
they are based. There are no Pa Kua Chang forms
described in this book because Park believes that
Pa Kua Chang forms should not be taught to
students until other fundamental skills are
developed. Park is fond of saying, "I have water
to give to thirsty students, but unless they have a
cup for me to pour it in, they cannot hold the
water." The "cup" is symbolic of fundamental
skills and principles, the "water" is the complete
art of Pa Kua Chang. Park firmly believes that at
each level of training the student has to develop
the "cup" before the teacher can pour in the
"water."
While many students today are taught the Pa
Kua Chang form as the sum and total of the art,
Park was taught that forms practice makes up only
a small sliver of the total art of Pa Kua Chang.
There are many components of Chinese martial
arts that cannot be developed solely through
forms practice. The majority of these components
fall into three broad categories. Any complete
Chinese martial arts system will include elements
of the following:
Ch'i Kung
1) Ch'i Kung - breath
control, visualization, and non-specific body
movement techniques for various purposes increased circulation to the distal points of the
extremities, increased vital capacity, meditation,
and ch'i development.
Nei Kung
2) Nei Kung training designed specifically for the development
of muscle groups, ligaments, and tendons not
usually under conscious control.
Wai Kung
3) Wai Kung external, i.e. visible, aspects of any martial art
including firm balance, flexibility, good posture
and stance work, proper mechanical alignment,
coordination, and stability.

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

becomes a fairly skilled fisherman. In the first
family the father still goes to catch fish alone
anytime his family wants fish for dinner - it is
easier and much less time consuming.
A year later the country is involved in a war and
the men of the village are called off to fight. In the
first family, the wife knows how to prepare and
cook fish, but neither the mother or son knows
how to catch the fish. However, in the second
family, the son is now able to go catch fish easily
on his own and bring it home for he and his
mother to eat. Which of the fathers was smarter?
Park believes that if a student learns a form
without first having a thorough experiential "body
knowledge" of the principles on which the form
movements are based, he is eating fish without
knowing how to catch it. Someday when his
teacher is not there to teach him more deeply, or
when he is called on to apply his art in a fighting
situation, he will be out of luck. The purpose of
this book is to begin to teach the Pa Kua Chang
student "how to fish."
Through form practice, a student will learn
continuity, fluidity, connection, body integration
and rhythm. These are all very important aspects
of fighting skill and when practicing a series of Pa
Kua techniques with these principles in mind, the
whole will become greater than the sum of the
parts. In other words, practicing a form has
purpose beyond the linking together of a series of
techniques. However, two elements that a fixed
form sequence is missing are variation and
sufficient repetition of isolated body movements.
Unless a student learns how to change, adapt,
and vary his movement spontaneously, his
fighting skill will always be weak. However, all
variation of movement and technique will still
adhere to the fundamental principles of Pa Kua
Chang. The spontaneous response is efficacious,
and proceeds along the path of least resistance. To
this end, the body is trained and developed so that
proper response is elicited out of habits which are
ingrained in the body. Correct habits are formed
through repetition of fundamental training
methods.
Beyond building correct habits and mechanics,
repetition of fundamental training methods serves
another very important purpose - overall body
development. The "internal" styles of Chinese

Ideally, these elements will be developed in a

progressive, balanced curriculum designed by an
experienced teacher who will guide each student's
individual development. Pa Kua Chang, being a
complete martial art system, contains elements of
all three of these disciplines. In Park's training
program, all of these elements are trained
separately through basic training exercises before
they are brought together in forms practice or
fighting.

Beyond Pa Kua Chang

Forms Training
When martial arts practitioners ask why Park
Bok Nam does not teach Pa Kua Chang forms to
beginners, he tells the following story.
Living at opposite ends of a remote country
village by the sea, there are two families. Each
family has a young son. Both of these young boys
love to eat fish. In one family, every time the
young son wants to eat fish, his father takes out
his fishing gear and travels down to the seashore
to catch fish for his son to eat. His wife cooks the
fish and the family has a nice fish dinner.
In the second family, when the young boy tells
his father he would like to eat fish for dinner, his
father takes his son out and shows him how to
find materials and construct a fishing pole, line,
and hook. He then shows his son how to find and
cut bait. Next he takes his son down by the sea
shore and shows him the best areas for fishing,
shows him how to bait a hook and teaches him
how to catch fish. Once the fish are caught, he
takes his son home and shows him how to clean
the fish and then his wife shows the boy how to
cook the fish. The second family then sits down
to enjoy a nice fish dinner.
From that time forward, whenever the second
family wants to have fish for dinner, father and
son go together. Over the course of time the son
learns how to place drop lines, how to fish with
nets, how to catch crabs, how to dig for clams,
when to employ specific kinds of bait, what times
of the day are best for fishing, how to fashion
lures, etc. The father puts forth a lot of effort
teaching his son, and after a short time the son
4

Introduction
martial arts are famous for the practitioner's ability
to deliver a tremendous amount of power with
very little visible movement or apparent effort.
The Chinese refer to the highest level of this
ability as huaching. Hua ching is one of three levels
of ching, or trained strength, which are as follows:

In order to develop the an ching or hua ching

ability, the practitioner's body needs to first be
cultivated and developed. The process is
progressive. Increased levels of flexibility and
suppleness lead to increased ch'i movement;
development of secondary muscle groups,
ligaments and joints lead to increased body
strength, coordination, and integration; and
development of the mind's intention and focus
leads to an increased body awareness and a
connection between the mind, the body, and
nervous system. If these elements have not been
progressively developed and trained fully, a
practitioner can perform a form movement
perfectly with all of the correct body motions and
alignments, yet still not have much power. The
movement will be "empty." There is no kung li, or
developed internal strength. Park believes that
development of this skill requires hundreds of
hours of correct practice.
A practitioner cannot jump right to the an
ching or hua ching level of development without
first having spent a considerable amount of time
practicing on the ming ching level. The reason
being that power has to first be developed before
it can be hidden or refined. The power is developed
through body conditioning on the ming ching
level. What this means in Park's school is that
when a practitioner first begins training, all of the
fundamental exercises are practiced with large
body articulations. The practitioner's chi pathways
need to opened so that there is a full and balanced
distribution of ch'i and the "power" resident in
the body is coordinated. Large body articulations
promote the movement of ch 'i in a body which is
stiff, inflexible, has ch'i blockages, or is
uncoordinated. The body needs to be stretched,
joints need to be opened and primary and
secondary muscle groups need to be conditioned.
Park feels that this conditioning will not occur if
the practitioner starts out learning small, overly
soft, subtle movements.
If a student tries to imitate the movements of
an instructor who has reached the an ching or hua
ching level of development, he or she will have a
very difficult time developing any real skill. A
form sequence is used by an advanced practitioner
to refine movements that have been trained and
conditioned through fundamental skills training.

Ming Ching
Ming ching or "obvious power." This means
that exertion of force, alignment, and the effects
of the body's action are all clearly discernible to an
observer.
An Ching
An ching or "hidden or covert strength." When
force is exerted in this manner its origin is not
visible to the untrained observer, hence the term
"hidden." The practitioner at this level has begun
to refine and internalize the body's movement.
Hua Ching
Hua ching or "refined force." Sometimes this
term is translated a "mysterious power," however,
this term really refers to strength which is highly
refined. The practitioner's application of force is
so subtle that the origin of this force is completely
imperceptible to the opponent. When the force is
exerted one's opponent may believe that he has
done something to make himself miss the mark
because he cannot feel the source of the strength
initiating from the practitioner.
Typically when a martial artist is fighting an
opponent, he or she will utilize sensory clues to
"listen to" or "feel" the movement of the
opponent's body in order to respond correctly to
any attack the opponent is preparing to launch.
The practitioner who has reached the hua ching
level of development has completely internalized
his or her movements and thus moves so efficiently
that the movements are imperceptible even if the
opponent is touching the practitioner's body.
The movements are very small, smooth and subtle,
yet extremely powerful.

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Form sequences were developed in martial arts to
help the practitioner's body easily remember,
refine, coordinate, and link those body movements
and mechanics which have already been developed
in basic training.
In Park's school forms are used to refine skills
that have already been developed. Park believes
that a practitioner who has only worked with
complex form sequences from day one of training
will not progress very far in terms of internal
power development or fighting skill. Their form
may be pretty, however, it will usually lack internal,
trained strength.
In Park Bok Nam's training program, the ming
ching level of development is trained through a
series of fundamental training exercises which are
designed to increase body flexibility and joint
range of motion, coordinate and integrate body
movement, condition the muscles, tendons, and
bones, and develop proper body mechanics. These
exercises are practiced for hundreds of hours before
forms are introduced to the student. These
developmental exercises are the what we present
in this book.
Park insists that his students learn and fully
understand Pa Kua Chang footwork, body
movement, and palm striking fundamentals
(which includes elbow striking) before learning
forms for three reasons:

3) The fundamental principles on which the form

movements are based will be understood
experientially before the form sequence is
attempted.
With a sound prerequisite "body knowledge"
of Pa Kua Chang footwork, body mechanics, and
palm striking application (including tactics and
strategy of attack and defense) which have been
developed through basic repetitive drills and
two-person practice sets, the student can easily
learn form movements and then extract
techniques from a form and learn to vary the
techniques by changing the stepping pattern or
palm application in accordance with the
principles he or she has developed. Park's
theory is that without a strong foundation built
through hours of work with simple, repetitive
drills, the body will not become conditioned fully
and will not be able to respond innately and
spontaneously in any given situation.
Park Bok Nam is very interested in sharing the
Pa Kua Chang foundation training that he learned
from his teacher, Lu Shui-T'ien, with practitioners
in the United States. This book and its companion
instructional video are to be the first in a series of
books and videos which lend instruction on Lu
Shui-T'ien's Pa Kua Chang. While this book
concentrates on the basics of Pa Kua Chang
footwork, body movement, palm training, and
ch'i kung, future books and videos will include
more advanced instruction in all of these areas.
This book and its companion video are meant to
lay a strong foundation for future study for
practitioners with an interest in this particular
fighting system.

1) The mechanics of movement are developed

correctly.
2) The body is developed and conditioned to a
certain degree in terms of flexibility, coordination,
endurance, speed, power, and integration.

Introduction

Pa Kua Chang Master Lu Shui-Tien

Lu

Shui

T
T'ien

when he graduated from high school. Either he

was to become serious about martial arts and
find a good teacher to study with, or he was to
forget about martial arts altogether and
concentrate on his school work. As one might
guess, Park chose martial arts.
It may seem surprising that a father would let
his son choose martial arts practice over school
or a job, but Park's father, who had been a
professional soccer player in Korea, knew the
value of physical training and wanted his son to
enjoy himself while he was young. His father
also felt that having a focus in life would help
him stay out of trouble.
Park's father was hoping that he could find a
martial arts teacher for his son who would
provide some discipline and teach him that there
was more to martial arts than learning how to
win street fights. Inchon had a very large
Chinese community and Park's father had seen
the Chinese martial artists perform amazing
skills. He felt that if his son was to excel at the
martial arts, he needed to find a Chinese teacher.
The elder Park had a sister who lived and
worked in Inchon's Chinatown. A few doors down
from where Park's aunt lived, there lived a martial
arts teacher who was famous among the Chinese.
Park's aunt asked this teacher, Lu Shui-T'ien, if he
would consider teaching her nephew. Lu, who had
thus far only taught his art to the Chinese in
Chinatown, said she could send the boy to see
him.
When Park knocked on Lu's door, Lu answered
and just looked at the boy. He asked if Lu would
teach him martial arts. Lu closed the door. Park,
knowing that Lu was a traditional teacher and was
probably testing his character, went back to Lu's

Lu Shui-Tien judging Park Bok Nam's

students at a promotion test at his school
in Inchon, Korea, 1974

ark Bok Nam studied the art of Pa

Kua Chang for 17 years with his
teacher Lu Shui-T'ien. During this time
period (1960-July 1978) Park did nothing
but study Pa Kua Chang all day, everyday.
When he started training with Lu in 1960,
Park was 18 years old. Prior to studying Pa
Kua Chang, he had studied Western boxing
in junior high school, however, while
fighting with a classmate, he was kicked in
the side. This incident made him think that
he ought to study a pugilistic sport which
employed kicking techniques. In high
school Park switched from Western boxing
to Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art style.
After four years of training, he earned a
black belt.
Park was a somewhat wild and rebellious
youth who would employ the practical side of his
martial art at the drop of a hat. He was constantly
in trouble for fighting and his father, concerned
about his son's future, offered him an ultimatum

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Master Lu Shui-Tien

door everyday with the same question. For four

weeks he got the same response, a door closed in
his face. However, one day, just as he was about
to give up, Park asked the question again and was
invited in to the house.
In the courtyard behind Lu's living quarters a
small group of students was practicing. Park was
told to sit and watch. After the students had
finished, Lu turned to Park and asked him to
sweep up the area and return the next day. The
next day was the same, he was allowed to sit and
watch, but could not practice. After everyone else
had finished practicing he was told to sweep up
the area. This went on for several days. Park,
assuming this was another test of his patience and
dedication, adopted the pattern and each day
came to Lu's home, watched practice and then
swept and raked the yard after practice was
complete. One day it looked like it was going to
rain after practice so Park quickly grabbed his
8

rake and broom and started working. Lu stopped

him and asked him to sit back down. Lu left him
sitting until it started to rain. When the rain was
falling heavily, Lu turned to Park and said, "OK,
now you can go and rake the yard."
Although Park thought this old man was crazy,
he continued to perform his menial tasks without
complaint. He was going to learn this martial art
and show his father that he could stick to his
decision to become serious about martial arts
practice. He was determined to do whatever it
took. Several weeks later, it again started to rain
after practice so Park got his rake and went out to
rake the yard. Lu stopped him and said, "You
don't have to do that now, wait until after the rain
stops." He had passed his second test. Soon after
that he was allowed to join the rest of the class
and start practicing, however, he was still
required to sweep up the yard after everyone was
finished.
Once Park started practicing with the other
students, his "tests" of loyalty and dedication
were far from over. For the first year of practice
Lu totally ignored him. Park had to pick up what
he could from the other students. During the
second year of training Lu taught Park very basic,
repetitive exercises and would insist that he
practice each one for hours. Lu would often hit
Park or have the other students beat him up. He
would do whatever he could to try and upset Park
and then observe his reaction. During the third
year, Lu had Park spend a lot of time sparring
with other students and he encouraged the other
students to try and hurt him. Park was still
determined to prove to everyone that he could
finish what he had set out to do and so he kept
practicing.
When Park began his study with Lu, his
father told Lu about Park's tendency to get
into trouble and run with a bad crowd and
said, "If you will discipline my son, I will
support him financially." As evidenced by the
preceding story, Lu took this task to heart and
was very strict with him. Once Park began
training with Lu, his teacher insisted that he
train full time. Other than one or two hours
in the evening after a full day of training, Lu

Introduction

would only allow Park to visit with his friends

one day a week, on Sunday afternoon,
otherwise he was to spend all his time
practicing Pa Kua Chang. If Park's friends
came by to see him, Lu would run them off
saying, "Go away, he is practicing now." Lu
did not allow Park to date any women for the
first five years they were together as he felt
that women would take his mind off of his
martial arts training.

Lu Shui-T'ien and his

Pa Kua Chang
Lu Shui-T'ien (1894-1978) brought Pa Kua
Chang to Korea when he moved his family there
during the Sino-Japanese War. Lu, who was from
the city of Ching Tao in Shantung Province,
China, was well known in Shantung for his
martial arts ability. During the Sino-Japanese
War, Lu was a guerrilla fighter and killed many
Japanese. He ran with a band of Chinese martial
arts experts who hid in the mountains during the
day and infiltrated Japanese encampments at
night. Because their operation had to remain
covert, the group executed Japanese soldiers
without the aid of firearms. Traditional bare hand
and weapons techniques were used to kill the
enemy and thus the guerrillas could move in and
out of the japanese camps without being noticed.
Park states that Lu's favorite weapon was the
short knife. Lu was extremely skilled at using the
single knife and double knives. He preferred the
single knife as this allowed one hand to remain
free for grabbing and striking. Park said that Lu
often demonstrated a knife throwing technique
whereby a throwing knife is fasten inside the
sleeve in such a manner that when the arm is
whipped out properly the knife is thrown like a
dart shooting out of the sleeve. Park said that his
teacher was extremely accurate throwing knives
in this manner. One can guess that Lu's weapon
of choice when fighting against the Japanese was
the short knife.
Lu Shui-T'ien became so well known for his
fighting skill that the japanese put a price on his head.
When this occurred, it became too dangerous for Lu
to stay in China, so he sailed from Ching Tao across
the Yellow Sea to a safe haven in Inchon, Korea.

Lu Shui-T'ien was still very strong

and healthy in his Eighties

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Lu Shui-T'ien with his top student

Park Bok Nam in 1974
Inchon was a big trading port and ships
frequently traveled to Inchon from China.
When he thought the situation in China was
safe for him, Lu would travel back to China
and continue to fight the Japanese. During
one of these trips, Lu's wife was killed while
fleeing the Japanese on horseback. After this
incident, Luleft for Korea once again, never to
return to his native country. Lu settled in
Inchon's large Chinatown with his two
children, a daughter and a son. He never
remarried.
Lu Shui-T'ien's Early Years in China
When Lu Shui-T'ien was young, he studied
what he called "farmer style" martial arts. By
"farmer style" Lu was referring to any one of the
hundreds of "family style" martial arts systems
that were practiced by the inhabitants of remote
towns and villages.
During the Ch'ing Dynasty, police protection
was only provided to those people who lived in
large cities. Inhabitants of small towns and
villages were left to provide their own protection
against bandits and thieves. Typically, a village
would hire a skilled martial artist to come live in
their village for a period of time and teach the
young men of the village fighting skills. Once a
group was trained, the martial artist would leave
town and the group he trained would train others.
Over time, the system that was originally taught
would change and the village would make it
their own.
The martial system which was taught in Lu
Shui-T'ien's hometown provided him with his
introduction to combat arts.
10

After having practiced the "farmer style" for

a number of years, Lu wanted to know more. He
had heard that the best fighting art in China was
Pa Kua Chang and so he sought out a Pa Kua
Chang instructor. Tung Hai-Ch'uan, the
originator of the Pa Kua Chang style, had taught
Pa Kua Chang in the palace of Prince Su and
had become well known for his tremendous
martial arts skill during the mid to late 1800's
(Tung taught in Beijing between 1865 and
1882). Subsequently, one of his students, Yin Fu,
who also worked in the palace as a bodyguard
and martial arts instructor, was chosen to escort
the Empress Dowager out of Beijing during the
Boxer Rebellion in 1900. The Chinese assumed
that the person the Empress chose as her
personal body guard was the best martial artist
in China. Since she chose a Pa Kua Chang man,
Pa Kua Chang gained great popularity around
the turn of the century.
The Pa Kua Chang instructor Lu Shui-T'ien
found was Li Ching-Wu (1864-?). When Lu met
Li and began his study of Pa Kua Chang, he was
still a teenager. Li did not live in Ching Tao but
in a town which was about a two day ride by
horse north of Ching Tao. Lu Shui-T'ien would
frequently make the two day journey to his
teachers town to study. When Lu left his home
in Ching Tao to study with his teacher, he was
typically gone for months on end. In some cases
Lu was away from home and training with his
teacher for as long as two years at a time. The
study and practice of Pa Kua Chang was the
only thing that interested him.
Not much is known about Li Ching-Wu
himself. Park Bok Nam does not know who Li's
teacher was, however, Lu did tell him that Li
only had ten Pa Kua Chang students. Li's
students kept to themselves and thus Pa Kua
Chang as taught by Li Ching-Wu was not
widely spread. Li Ching-Wu was very selective
about who he taught.
Lu told Park that he was once traveling to
see his teacher and camped over night on the
side of the road. Another traveler came by and
shared his camp. While conversing, Lu found
out that the stranger was a practitioner of
Hsing-I Ch'uan and thus the conversation
naturally turned to martial arts.

Introduction

The two demonstrated for each other. The

Hsing-I man was so impressed with Lu's Pa
Kua Chang that he asked Lu if he could take
him to see his teacher so he might study with
him. Lu agreed and thus his new friend
accompanied him to his teacher's house the
next day.
When the stranger asked Li Ching-Wu if
he could become a student, Li flatly refused.
He told the stranger that he had as many
students as he could handle. Li Ching-Wu
taught each student individually and thus did
not have time for many students. After the
man departed, Li scolded Lu for bringing
this man to see him without first asking
permission.
Most of Li Ching-Wu's ten students did
not live in Li's village and thus had to travel
to where Li lived, train for a while, and then
return home and practice what they had
learned. Lu told Park that Li Ching-Wu
taught each new student to specialize in a
different aspect of Pa Kua Chang.

Based on the student's body type and aptitude,

Li would teach a student the one aspect of
the art that best suited him. After Li felt the
student was somewhat proficient in that one
aspect, he would send the student back
home to practice that one component for at
least one year before returning for more
instruction.
Periodically Li would invite all ten of his
disciples to his home to train together. He
would have each student teach all of the other
students the aspects of the art which they had
specialized in. Li would oversee the practice
and would suggest to each student what aspects
of the art they needed to concentrate on next. Li
felt that it was important for his students to
research the art independently and then get
together and teach each other what they had
individually discovered.
Every time Lu Shui-T'ien went to visit his
teacher he would be tested on his Pa Kua
Chang skills when he arrived. Li would then
tell Lu what he needed to work on.

Park Bok Nam, Lu Shu-Te, and Lu Shui-T'ien evaluate students during a promotion test

11

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

After receiving new instruction and practicing for

several months, Lu would be tested once again
before he left Li to return home. After this test Li
would suggest what components of Pa Kua Chang
Lu should work on at home until the next time he
came to see his teacher.
After Li Ching-Wu died, Lu Shui-T'ien sought
out another Pa Kua Chang instructor and
subsequently studied with a fourth generation
practitioner in Tung Hai-Ch'uan's lineage. Lu told
Park that he felt his first teacher, Li Ching-Wu,
taught a more complete martial arts system than his
second teacher because it combined straight line Pa
Kua methods with the circle walking forms and
maneuvers. Park does not know the name of Lu's
second teacher. He states that Lu seldom spoke of
his own background. Whenever Park would ask a
question that related to Lu's background Lu's
response was, "That question will not help your
practice." Park also states that he was not
particularly interested in his teacher's background.
He knew that his teacher was good at martial arts
and so he was not concerned about where it came
from.
Park says that one reason his teacher did not like
to tell stories about himself or other martial artists
was because these stories always get blown out of
proportion. Lu felt that if a student hears too many
fantastic stories about martial arts ability, they will
have an unrealistic sense of what can be
accomplished and will aim for unrealistic goals.
Focusing on unrealistic goals will take thestudent's
mind off of the fundamental training methods
which develop real skill.
Today in Beijing the name Lu Shui-T'ien is well
known among the practitioners in the Yin Fu
lineage. They know that he was from Ching Tao
and they know that he had left the country during
the Japanese war. Several of these practitioners
mentioned that they thought Lu Shui-T'ien's second
teacher had studied with Yin Fu's son-in-law, He
Chin-Kuei. While this has not been confirmed, it
would make sense that one or both of Lu's teachers
were of the Yin Fu lineage because much of the Pa
Kua Chang that he taught is very characteristic of
the Yin Fu style.

Lu Shui-Tien poses with two swords

The banner in the background reads:

The genuine transmission

of the palm skills is complete
in both loyalty and
righteousness.

12

Introduction

Park Bok Nam practices with Lu Shui-T'ien's son, Lu Shu-Te in Korea

Park's teacher did tell him that his second Pa
Kua Chang instructor's Pa Kua method only
contained practice which was based on
circle walking. Lu felt that the straight line
practice and directional footwork training he
received from his first teacher was very
beneficial to his development of fighting skill.
He felt that his second teacher's system was
lacking because this training was not
included.
Park also assumes that his teacher shared
Pa Kua Chang knowledge with many of his
martial arts contemporaries as Lu traveled
widely and enjoyed visiting other martial
artists where ever he went. Park states that
Lu also practiced and refined his skills
everyday with the band of guerrilla fighters he
ran with during the Japanese war.

Park's Pa Kua Chang Training

under Lu Shui-T'ien
For the first three years of study under Lu
Shui-T'ien, Park Bok Nam was only taught
basic, repetitive drills. Each exercise was
demonstrated only one time and there was
no explanation. Lu simply said, "Go
practice." If Park did not perform these
exercises to his teacher's liking, no correction
was given and Park was taught nothing else
until the exercise was correct. Park had to work
it out for himself based on the little
instruction he was given by his classmates.
Lu was very strict because he used this period
of time to test Park's dedication to Pa Kua and
loyalty to his teacher. These repetitive
exercises were also mandatory for Park's
future development in Pa Kua Chang.

13

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

One of the first lessons Lu imparted was the
importance of the student-teacher relationship
and a development of mutual trust and respect
between the student and teacher, and among
students of the same teacher . Lu gave Park three
phrases in Chinese to memorize and live by, these
phrases read as follows:

Pa Kua Motto:

Wisdom The student must have a good mind

in order to grasp the depth of Pa Kua Chang theory
and develop his or her skill through research. The
student comes to the Pa Kua Chang school to
develop wisdom, however, he or she must have
initially had some wisdom to make the decision to
study the art.

The relationship between a student

and teacher is the same as the relationship
between a father and son.

Benevolence The student must always be

humble and never use his art in an unjust manner
or for ego gratification. The student comes to the
school with an "empty cup" and through
benevolence also learns to approach a fighting
situation with an empty mind, without
preconceived ideas, and void of egotistical goals.
The student must have had some degree of
benevolence in order to approach a teacher and
become a student. The more wisdom one gains,
the more benevolent one becomes.

The relationship between students of

the same teacher is just like the relationship
between blood brothers.

The respect the student shows for his

father is the same he shows to his teacher.

Lu also taught Park a motto containing four

words which convey four ideals he felt all Pa Kua
Chang practitioners should strive to cultivate in
themselves and live by. These ideals, Wisdom,
Benevolence, Sincerity, and Bravery, are
continually cultivated throughout the
practitioners lifetime in the martial arts and form
the motto for Park's Pa Kua Chang school.

14

Sincerity The student must be willing to

practice hard and be sincerely dedicated to the art
and his or her teacher. Lu Shui-T'ien told Park
that a teacher does not teach the student, the
student teaches his or her self. The teacher simply
provides knowledge and ideas. When the student
practices something one thousand times, it is
then theirs. Through the development of
benevolence the student becomes more sincere.

Introduction

Bravery The practitioner is not afraid to fight.

In order to develop the art completely the
student must participate in the fighting aspect
and thus must initially have some bravery. By
also having cultivated wisdom, benevolence and
sincerity, the student's bravery does not become
machismo. The student has the bravery required
to do what is just and fair when it is necessary.
When a fight is necessary, there is no hesitation.
Park's Early Training
During the first three years of their
relationship, Park's loyalty and patience was
tested again and again. Every exercise Park
was taught, his teacher required him to practice
for hours without stopping. All of the exercises
Lu taught Park during the first three years were
boring and repetitive. Anytime Park did not
practice to his teacher's satisfaction, or if he
asked if he could be taught more, the response
from Lu would be a strike with his cane to
Park's body.
In winter time, if Park showed up to practice
with a jacket on, his teacher would make him
take it off and practice wearing only a thin shirt.
Park got wise to this and wore a thin shirt, but
also wore long underwear underneath. He
could not fool his teacher though, Lu would
ask him to lift up his shirt prior to practice.
When Park was wearing and undergarment
under his practice uniform, Lu would make
him take it off. Lu told Park, "If you practice
hard enough, you don't need a jacket." After
three years of daily abuse, Lu opened up a little
and started to show Park more, however, the
teaching was still very strict for the next two
years. After Park had endured Lu's strict
discipline for five years he showed up to class
one morning and Lu patted him on the
shoulder and said, "I trust you." That was the
extent of the lesson for that day. When Park
returned the next day, Lu began teaching
Park the Pa Kua Chang material at a faster

pace. He also stopped requiring Park to

perform menial chores around the school. It had
taken Park five years of daily training before
his teacher felt his body and his mind were
ready to really practice Pa Kua Chang. Lu
also started to explain to Park why he had
practiced all of the repetitive drills and how
each one fit into Pa Kua Chang's training
process.
While Lu's initial emphasis in training
Park in Pa Kua Chang was to develop a
strong foundation in the areas of flexibility,
coordination, leg strength, balance, speed,
mobility, suppleness, and an ability to feel
natural, relaxed, and comfortable while
practicing all aspects of the art, the next
priority was to study the philosophy and
theory upon which the art of Pa Kua Chang
is based and learn how this theory is directly
applied to the physical art. Lu taught Park
how Pa Kua Chang's footwork, body
movement, kicking techniques, and striking
techniques were practiced in accordance with
the theories of the Pa Kua, I-Ching, Five
Phases (Wu Hsing), and Yin Yang. Once these
elements were practiced separately in
accordance with these theories, they were
then integrated in accordance with these
same principles.
Lu Shui-T'ien emphasized that if the direct
physical combat technique and strategy is
connected to deep principles and theories, the art
can be continually researched and improved based

Lu Shui-Tien with Park Bok Nam

15

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Lu Shui-Tien poses in Pa Kua Chang's

"Sliding the Window Shutter to Look at the
Moon" posture
on these theories. Once Lu felt Park had a firm
grasp of Pa Kua Chang's fundamental physical
principles and the theories on which they were
based, Lu began to teach Park the Pa Kua
Chang 64 palm combat form. However, in
order to teach Park how to apply Pa Kua
Chang's principles to the form's application, Lu
only taught Park one section (kua) of the eight
section form at a time and required Park to
research the applications on his own.
When one form section's basic movements
were taught, Park would then be required to go
off and practice by himself and figure out how
every move of that section could be used in
combat based on the principles and mechanics
of movement inherent in Pa Kua Chang. Not
only would he be required to show his teacher
the direct application of each movement, but he
would also have to show multiple functions for
each move and display how each move could
be varied based on a given attack from the
opponent.

16

In other words he was required to grasp the

essence of the movement, not the technique of
the movement.
Lu's theory was that Pa Kua Chang is not a
technique oriented art. Each movement of a
form sequence does not strictly define a unique
technique applied in a given scenario. The form
movements are templates which help embody
principles of correct motion. These principles
of motion may be applied in a large variety of
situations or can be varied as a particular
situation dictates. He taught that the form
movements do not address specific attacks,
defenses, or tactical problems as much as they
convey general principles of sound tactical
motion. Lu felt that the Pa Kua student should
work to obtain knowledge of the principle that
a given form sequence was designed to embody
and then work to research how that principle of
motion might be applied to any situation.
Typically Park would research the series of
movements in one form section for a number of
weeks and then present his discoveries to his
teacher. Lu's usual response was, "That is not
right." or "You missed something." This would
be the only instruction he was given. Park
would then have to go research the movements
again and try to figure out where he had made
mistakes and what he had missed. On the
average, it would take Park 4 to 6 months of
research before he was able to satisfy his
teacher and progress to the next section of the
form. Practicing in this manner it took Park
three years of daily practice to learn the eight
section combat form from Lu.
Lu was also fond of giving Park tactical
combat puzzles to figure out for each of the
form sections. Lu would present Park with a
scenario based on an attack or series of attacks
from one or more opponents and Park would
have to explain how he would best defend
himself in that scenario. Again, if Park
presented a strategy he thought would work and
it was not valid based on the principles of Pa
Kua, Lu's response would simply be, "Not
correct." Given no other instruction, hints, or
critiques, Park would be required to continue
his research. Some of the scenarios Park had to
work on took him over two years of research
before his teacher was satisfied with the
answer.

Introduction
This method of practice may seem harsh,
however, Park states that after researching the
movements and techniques of Pa Kua Chang in
this manner and discovering the correct
applications and variations of all the form
movements on his own, he has never forgotten
any of what he learned. He states that if a teacher
"spoon feeds" a student and shows the student
some limited applications of specific form
movements without explaining the principles,
theories, or strategies behind the movements, and
without allowing the student to discover how the
Pa Kua Chang movements are applied through his
or her own hard work and research, the student
will soon forget what he or she was taught and will
never have a "body knowledge" of Pa Kua Chang's
full expression.

seconds Lu had stuck his spear into Park's arm and

had pinned it to the floor. When Park tried to pull
away Lu followed his movement with the spear's
tip and maintained constant pressure. The spear
tip remained in Park's arm. Park asked why he
would not take the spear out of his arm. Lu
replied, "Oh, does that hurt?" When Park replied,
"Yes, this hurts!" Lu said, "Then how do you
think that man you hit last night feels!" Park
learned the hard way that his teacher was serious

Park's Fighting Lessons

While training Pa Kua Chang with Lu
Shui-T'ien, Park was constantly challenged by
local martial artists who were skilled at various
Korean martial arts styles. The Koreans are proud
of their own pugilistic arts and wanted to prove
that Park was a fooi for studying this Chinese
style. Park's teacher had told him to ignore these
challenges and concentrate on his own practice.
Park did his best to ignore the taunts of others
who wanted to prove that their Korean styles
were better than Pa Kua Chang, however, there
was one particular individual who was relentless
in his challenges and finally Park could not
ignore him any longer. Park met this man's
challenge and flattened him within a matter of
seconds. The man was knocked unconscious and
taken to the hospital.
The doctors at the hospital could not find a
way to help this man. He was in severe pain,
however, there were no external bruises or
contusions. When the doctors heard that the
injury had occurred during a fight, they took the
beaten man to an old Chinese martial arts teacher
who was skilled at healing people who had been
injured in this manner. The person the doctors
took the injured man to see was Lu Shui-T'ien.
When Park showed up for his lesson the next
day his teacher told him that they were going to
practice spear sparring. Park was excited because
he loved to fight with the spear. He squared off
with his teacher to begin the lesson and within

Park Bok Nam stands with his teacher

Lu Shui-Tien

17

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

about Park not taking meaningless

challenges from the local martial artists.
The next day Park came to practice with
his arm bandaged and in a sling. He sat
down to watch the other students workout.
Lu said, "What are you doing?" Park replied,
"I cannot practice with my arm like this." Lu
said, "You still have another good arm and
two legs. You change your clothes and
practice." Today Park still carries the scar
from the spear wound as a reminder of this
lesson.
While Lu forbid Park to become involved
in street fights and accept challenges outside
of the school, he did give Park plenty of
opportunity to practice his fighting skills.
Lu's philosophy was that a student could
not learn the art of Pa Kua Chang correctly
without the experience of fighting. Park
said that Lu used the analogy of a top when

explaining why a student should be required to

fight in learning the art of Pa Kua Chang. Lu said
that if one were to spin a large top, the top would
eventually loose momentum and fall unless
someone were to continuously hit the top to keep it
spinning. The same analogy could be made to
spinning a basketball on one's fingertip. The ball
will fall unless it is continually tapped to keep it
rotating. Lu felt that the Pa Kua Chang practitioner
needed to be hit in combat or else he or she would
not learn the valuable lessons this experience
provides and his or her practice would loose
momentum and fall just like the spinning top
which is not hit at opportune moments to keep its
momentum going.
In addition to having Park spar with other
students in his own school, Lu would periodically
take him to visit other Chinese martial arts schools
in Korea which were run by his friends. Lu was
well known and well respected among the Chinese
martial artists living in Korea and thus he had
many friends. When Lu took Park to visit other
schools he would talk with his friends while Park
sat and watched the classes. After a while Lu
would stand up and say, "OK, now it is time to
fight. Who would like to spar with my student?"
Park would then be required to fight anyone who
wanted to have a piece of him. Lu took Park to
fight at a variety of schools so that he could
experience other fighting styles and research how
to best handle each.
Lu Chooses His Successor
After Park had been studying with his teacher
for 11 years, the lessons began to come fast and
furious. Park guesses that Lu realized that he
was getting old and he wanted to pass his full art
on to someone. He chose Park as his successor
and thus Park had his work cut out for him
trying to keep up with all that Lu had left to
teach.
Lu overloaded Park with information to the
point where he felt that Park needed to take time
to assimilate all that he had been taught. He wrote
out a one year training program for Park and sent
him to live in a Buddhist monastery in the
mountains of Korea. The curriculum which Lu
designed for Park was very difficult. It required
that Park practice Pa Kua Chang almost every
waking hour for an entire year. Park felt like this

Park at Lu Shui-Tien's funeral in 1978

18

Introduction

The tomb site of Tung Hai-Ch'uan in Beijing, China, includes a stone depicting the
Pa Kua Chang lineage as it traveled to Korea with Lu Shui-Tien
was a final test his teacher was giving him.
He states that he didn't feel like his teacher
really expected him to stay hidden away in a
monastery with nothing to do but practice Pa
Kua Chang for a full year.
Park passed his test and stayed training in
the mountains for a year. Upon returning to
Inchon, he showed his teacher the progress
he had made. Lu, who never once told Park
that he did something good, responded by
saying, "What did you do up there in the
mountains, take naps everyday?" Park,
determined to show his teacher that he was
serious about Pa Kua Chang training,
asked Lu to give him another one year
training program. He wanted to go back to
the mountains and train again. Lu did not
give Park anything for a few days, he
wanted to make sure Park was serious

about this request. Park insisted that he

wanted to go back to the mountains so Lu
developed another one year training program.
Park went back to the mountains to practice
his Pa Kua Chang for another full year.
When he returned to Inchon after the
second year of secluded training Lu was
happy with his progress. Park states that,
although his teacher would never say it, he
felt that his teacher was very happy that he
volunteered to go to the mountains for a
second year of training and that his teacher
was pleased with the progress he had made.
Park states that his teacher was very
strong and healthy up until the day he
died. Lu Shui-T'ien died in 1978 at the
age of 84, but not from illness or natural
causes. Lu had gone to sleep one night
and the gas heater which was used to heat his

19

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

room had malfunctioned and the gas leaked

into the room. Lu died in his sleep of gas
poisoning. Since Park was Lu Shu-T'ien's top
student, he was asked to wear the traditional
funeral clothes which are usually reserved for
close family members of the deceased.

Korean Stele at
Tung Hai-Ch'uan's Tomb
Tung Hai-Ch'uan (1813-1882) is recognized
by most Pa Kua Chang practitioners as the
originator of the Pa Kua Chang style. Tung
taught his art widely in Beijing, China from
approximately 1865 until his death in 1882.
While some are convinced that Tung may
not have originated the style, all agree
that he was the first to propagate this art
widely in China. After Tung died, his students,

wishing to show their respect, placed a stone

stele at his burial site in 1883. Since that time,
Tung's grave site and the stone monuments
which mark it have had a colorful history.
Tung's original burial site, near the Red
Bridge just outside Beijing's East Gate, was
initially marked with one stone monument. Over
the years a number of other stone markers were
added by Pa Kua Chang practitioners wanting to
show their respect. Tung's tomb was a great
attraction and was visited by many martial
artists and martial arts enthusiasts. However,
this original tomb was destroyed during the
Cultural Revolution and the stone markers were
buried underground. In 1980-1981 the stone
monuments and Tung's body were unearthed
and moved to a new location. Pa Kua Chang
practitioners from all over the world donated
money for the restoration of Tung's tomb and
new monuments were added.

Park Bok Nam with his students and his teacher in Korea

20

Introduction

In June of 1991 a new stele was erected at

Tung Hai-Ch'uan's burial site which details the
Pa Kua lineage as it moved from China to
Korea. The writing on this monument indicates
that Pa Kua Chang was brought to Korea by
Lu Shui-T'ien. Three generations of names in
Lu's lineage are carved into the stone stele. The
first generation, listed as the fifth in Tung's
lineage, lists only Lu Shui-T'ien. The sixth
generation lists six of Lu's students. Included
are his son Lu Shu-Te and his number one
student, Park Bok Nam. Also listed on the stele
are students of Park Bok Nam in Korea and
students of Park's Pa Kua "brothers."
Park Teaching Pa Kua Chang
in Korea
Park Bok Nam began teaching Pa Kua Chang
in Korea in 1971, however, he had not originally
intended to teach or open a school. His teacher's
son, Lu Shu-Te had opened a Pa Kua school and
asked if Park would help teach. Park agreed to
help his elder Pa Kua brother with the instruction
at the school but soon found out that Lu Shu-Te
did not spend much time at the school and Park
ended up running the majority of the classes.
When Lu Shu-Te collected the first month's
tuition, he gave it all to Park. Park was puzzled,
"This is your school, why do you give all of this
money to me?" Park asked. Lu told Park that it
was his school now. He had only opened the
school because he thought Park should teach and
knew that he would not take the initiative to open
a school on his own.
Once Park started running his school, Lu
Shui-T'ien came to the school for 4 or 5 hours
everyday and began teaching Park how to be a
good Pa Kua Chang teacher. When Park first
started teaching, Lu would make observations
about each student's body condition and suggest
how Park might teach each student. Later, Park
was required to set up a unique training program
for each student based on what he felt were the
student's needs. Lu would continually ask Park
questions about the students after the classes
were over. He would ask about a particular
student's postures, movements, body condition,
coordination, or a multitude of other aspects
about each student's performance or progress.

Park Bok Nam relaxes with his teacher

Park would answer the questions based on his
observations and his teacher would lend advice.
Lu continually emphasized that each student
is different and thus each student must have a
unique training program designed to strengthen
their individual weak areas. Periodically Park
would be required to present Lu with a training
syllabus for each student in the school. Lu
would review Park's work and make
suggestions.
Each month in Park's school promotion tests
were held for students who were ready to be
promoted to the next level, or grade. Lu
Shui-T'ien, his son Lu Shu-Te, and Park would
all evaluate the students ability to perform the
tasks required at each promotion level. Lu
Shui-T'ien would lend advice to each student
after the test. By paying close attention to his
teacher's guidance to his students, Park was
able to learn how to become a better instructor.
One observation which Lu had made, and
passed on to Park, concerning martial arts
students and their practice dealt with the
personal obstacles that students will experience
when training in the Chinese martial arts.

21

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Lu said that after three days the new student's
body will be sore and he or she will not want to
continue practicing everyday. Body soreness is
the first obstacle the student needs to overcome.
Next, after three weeks of practice, the student
finds that the newness of the practice has worn
off and it is hard to stay interested in repeating
the same exercises everyday. Any exercise
which is designed to condition and develop the
body will take at least three months of daily
repetitive practice. The body does not change
overnight. From the three week to the three
month period in training Lu said that the student
needs to have patience and continue diligently
practicing the exercises.

Lu
LuShui-Tien's
Shui-Tien'sson,
son,Lu
LuShu-Te
Shu-Te

22

At the three month mark the student starts to

become bored and begins to wonder if what he or
she has been practicing is good or not. Because
development in internal martial arts practice is
measured in years instead of weeks or months, the
student may begin to feel like no progress is being
made. In order to overcome this obstacle the
student has to once again be patient and remain
motivated.
The next obstacle is encountered after three
years of practice. Lu said that at this point in time
the student will have a tendency to become lazy
and loose motivation. The student may get a false
sense of true accomplishment after three years of
hard training and begin to become complacent.
Three years is a relatively short time in terms of
overall Pa Kua Chang development. The student
needs to recognize that they are still "a babe in the
woods" and continue to practice hard.
Park explains Lu's three day, three week, three
month, and three year theory to his students so
that they know that these personal obstacles to
continued hard practice might be encountered,
but with patience and perseverance the obstacles
can be overcome and the student can continue to
grow in the art.
Through his experiences as a student under Lu
Shui-T'ien and being a teacher under Lu's watchful
eye, Park has developed a very sound Pa Kua
Chang training program. Park's students became
well known throughout Asia for their fighting
skills. In Korea the Pa Kua Chang of Lu Shui-T'ien
was simply referred to by other martial artists as
"Inchon Kung Fu" and the practitioners of this
style are highly respected.
Although the Koreans are very proud of their
own indigenous martial arts, Chinese Kung Fu is
also very popular in Korea - much more popular
than it is in the United States. In a country which
is approximately the size of the state of Virginia,
there are nearly 500 Chinese Kung Fu schools.
Park's school was so well respected in Korea that
anytime a teacher wanted to open up a martial
arts school in Inchon, they would first go to Park
and ask his permission.

Introduction

Park Bok Nam demonstrates his flexibility in his school at an American Army base in
Korea. The photograph on the left side of the back wall is of the famous
second generation Pa Kua Chang Master, Yin Fu
arts practitioners who had come to Taiwan
or Hong Kong from Mainland China had
heard of a famous Pa Kua Chang stylist who
they referred to as "Ching Tao" Lu.
On one occasion Park saw a Chinese
martial artist in Taiwan practicing spear. Park
commented that he also loved to practice
spear. The Chinese man seemed surprised
that this Korean would know anything about
a spear and asked Park to spar with him.
When the two crossed spears Park saw an
opening, but not wishing to hurt the man,
he simply brushed the spear tip against the
man's arm. Park's opponent could not get in
on Park at all, however, Park was able to
brush this man with the spear tip many
times. Finally the Chinese gentleman got
frustrated and called it quits. When Park told
him where he had studied, the man thought
that it was very strange that a Chinese

Tournaments in Taiwan and Hong Kong

Every year or two from 1979 to 1986 Park
took a team of students to fight in
tournaments in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
His team always performed very well in the
full contact fighting events. The Chinese
enjoyed watching the Korean team because
of their Pa Kua Chang and the Korean team
became well known for its Pa Kua Chang
fighting skill in both Hong Kong and
Taiwan.
Many of the Chinese were very curious
about this Korean team demonstrating such
good Pa Kua Chang skills and would
frequently ask Park where they learned their
Pa Kua. When Park stated that the Pa Kua
had come from Lu Shui-T'ien, many of the
older generation practitioners told Park that
he was very lucky to have studied from Lu.
A number of these older Chinese martial

23

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

good can come out and fight!" At this point the

meeting Chairman suggested that everyone
break for lunch first. After the lunch break no
one came back except Lu Shu-Te.
On another occasion Lu Shu-Te felt that one
of the Korean fighters had won a fight, however,
the decision was given to his opponent. Lu ran
up to the judges table yelling and screaming.
When he reached the table he hit it with his fist
and the table broke in half. Needless to say, the
Taiwanese tournament officials did not soon
forget the team from Korea.
The Pa Kua Chang Association in Korea
Park Bok Nam's senior student in the
United States, Glenn Wright (left), fights in
a full contact tournament in
Taiwan in 1979

During the early 1970's Lu Shui-T'ien's son,

Lu Shu-Te had formed the Pa Kua Chang
Martial Arts Research Association in Korea.
The membership was limited to those
practitioners in Korea who had obtained a
high level of skill in Pa Kua Chang. In 1978,
Lu Shu-Te turned over this Association to Park
Bok Nam and Park changed the name to the
Pa Kua Chang Association of Korea. Park
opened up the association membership to
anyone who had practiced Pa Kua Chang and
had an interest in its future growth. Today
this association has approximately 200
active members in Korea.

martial artist would have taught a Korean in

such depth.
On another occasion Park was practicing his
Pa Kua Chang in a park in Hong Kong. Several
local martial artists stopped to watch and one
man commented that Park's Pa Kua Chang was
very good. One of Park's Chinese friends from
Korea who was with him replied in Chinese,
"He cannot understand you, he is Korean." The
group that was watching was very surprised.
The man that had made the comment about
Park's Pa Kua wanted to see if Park knew how
to apply it. Park squared off with him and the
man attacked. Park avoided the attack and hit
the man 3 times within one second. The man
was very startled and did not want to try and
attack again.
Another reason the Korean team became well
known in Hong Kong and Taiwan was due to
the antics of Lu Shui-T'ien's son, Lu Shu-Te. Lu
Shu-Te's attitude towards the martial arts has
always been "put up or shut up." He does not
like to talk, but he loves to fight. On one
occasion in Taiwan a large group of teachers
held a meeting and the conversation turned to a
discussion about which styles were better and
whose students were good fighters, etc. Lu
Shu-Te, becoming bored with the discussion,
stood up and announced, "This talk is cheap, the
only way to decide who is good and who is not
is to fight! Anyone who wants to prove they are

Park Moves to the United States

While Park Bok Nam was teaching Pa Kua
Chang in Korea, one of the classes he taught
was located in a small Quanset hut on an
American Army base. One of the American
soldiers studying with Park in this class was
Glenn Wright. He began his practice with Park
in December of 1978. Glenn enjoyed practicing
Park's Pa Kua Chang to the extent that he
managed to get stationed in Korea five different
times during his twenty year Army career so
that he could continue his Pa Kua Chang study.
In 1987, Park was invited to come to the
United States and perform in a Chinese Martial
Arts Masters Demonstration being held in Los
Angeles. Glenn Wright, who was then stationed in
Ft. Lee, Virginia, flew to Los Angeles to visit his
teacher. After the demonstration, Park had a few
24

Introduction

weeks to stay in the United States and site

see. Glenn brought Park to Virginia with
him and convinced Park to stay in the
United States and open up a Pa Kua Chang
school here. Since Park's Pa Kua school was
very strong in Korea and he had many senior
students who could take over his school
there, he decided to stay.
In 1987 Park opened his school in
Richmond , Virginia. For more information
about Park's program in the United States,
refer to the Appendix.
Park's Teaching Method
After reading about Lu Shui-T'ien's
heavy-handed teaching method, readers may
wonder if Park approaches Pa Kua Chang
instruction in the same manner. Luckily for
his students, Park is very fair and not nearly
as strict as his teacher. Although Park
strongly believes in the values of
trustworthiness, honesty, loyalty, and
respect in the student-teacher relationship, his
tests of loyalty are not nearly as severe as the
trials he was forced to endure in his
relationship with his teacher. If a student
practices very hard and shows Park common
courtesy and respect, the student will be
shown the same respect and thus will be
taught openly. If a student is honest and
opens his heart to Park, Park returns the
same honesty and openness. Park does not
hold back his teaching as long as a student
shows dedication to the art, in fact, he usually
gives students more than they can handle.
In the next section we will discuss Park's
general approach to Pa Kua Chang
instruction.

Lu Shui-T'ien's Grave

25

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Park Bok Nam's Teaching Method

fundamental principles. Forms and fighting

applications are but small components of the Pa
Kua Chang machine. Park firmly believes that each
component and sub-component of the "engine"
should be developed and balanced separately and
then brought together to form a complete equation
which will equal perfect health and self-defense.
In designing an engine, an engineer will start
with the theories and principles of mathematics,
physics, electronics, thermodynamics, and
mechanics. Similarly, when training the Pa Kua
practitioner, Park starts with the principles and
theories of Pa Kua Chang. Park believes that unless
the practice is based on sound principles and
theories, the student will be practicing blindly. He is
quick to point out that the principles of Pa Kua
Chang are not strictly physical, but include in-depth
research into tactical and strategic methods of
improving physical combat.
Some very small advances can be made
practicing a form without knowledge and
development of the principles behind the
movements, but in practicing only forms, one will
quickly reach a peak, past which there will be little
progress. The essence of applying Pa Kua Chang in
a fighting situation is spontaneous correct response,
adaptability, variation, and change. Park asks,
"How are any of these elements going to be applied
if all the practitioner has is knowledge of a
structured form?" Park was taught that in order to
change, create, and respond to any situation a "body
knowledge" of fundamental Pa Kua Chang
physical and tactical principles is required.
Park's approach to teaching Pa Kua is through
a very systematic, progressive development of
these fundamental principles. Like the engineer
designing his engine, Park builds his theories of Pa
Kua practice utilizing sets of equations. The
equations he uses break down the separate
components and sub-components of Pa Kua
practice and describe how these components fit
together to produce a final result. The students
are trained first to develop skills on the most basic

ark Bok Nam's approach to Pa Kua Chang

training, which comes directly from his
teacher, is very systematic. Park compares
teaching a beginning student the art of Pa Kua
Chang to transforming a family sedan into a
finely tuned, high performance race car. The new
student in Park's school will not learn the Pa Kua
Chang form movements right away. The form is
like the body of the car and Park sees no sense in
building a body before the engine reaches high
levels of performance. This engine is built on

26

Introduction
sub-component level. Then, as these skills
develop, sub-components are added together to
build higher level sub-components, and then these
are added together to create other higher level
components.
The engineer must learn how to add, subtract,
multiply, and divide before he can learn algebra,
and his knowledge of algebra must be sound
before he can utilize differential and integral
calculus. Pa Kua Chang training in Park's school
evolves in similarly progressive stages.
At each stage of training Park's students must
demonstrate a degree of proficiency in each
exercise before Park will begin to teach the
follow-on exercise. To Park, proficiency not only
entails proper execution of the movements
themselves and knowledge of how the
movements are employed, but also a high degree
of reflex body response. When he attacks a
student, he wants to see that the student executes
the proper mechanics of Pa Kua Chang
movement without having to think about it - the
body should respond correctly and spontaneously.
If there is any hesitation in the student's response
to an attack, the student is not ready to move on.
When Park was training with his teacher, he
was required to spend many hours everyday for
months at a time repeating the same exercise.
Eventually Park would become bored with the
exercise and ask his teacher if he could move on
to something else. Lu Shui-T'ien would say, "So
you are ready for something else?" and launch an
attack at Park. If Park did not respond correctly,
Lu would say, "I think you need more practice."
Although Park is not as harsh as his teacher (who
would usually attack Park with his cane), Park
came to realize that although the repetitive
training drills were boring, in order to develop a
reflex body response, they were necessary.

Reflex Body Response

Success in internal boxing requires an
experiential understanding of the principle the
Chinese call wu wei. Wu wei is one of the most
important principles applied to any internal
martial art in a self-defense situation. Wu literally
means "non", "negative", "not", or "none" and
wei means "action", "doing", "striving" or

"straining." The common English translation of

wu wei is "non-action," however, many
incorrectly interpret this translation to mean
laziness or passivity.

Wu

Wei

Wu wei is action through

non-action. It is spontaneous action which does not
arise from a motive or seek a result. In modern
phraseology wu wei can be interpreted as "going
with the flow" or "rolling with the punches", but
requires that the practitioner do so spontaneously,
skillfully, efficaciously, and along the line of least
resistance. When the practitioner has embodied the
principle of wu wei in martial arts, he or she has
developed an innate body response which is
spontaneous, correct, without thought and requiring
what appears to be little effort in the execution of a
difficult task. This response is based on a
knowledge of principles, structures, alignments,
rhythm, timing, optimum angles of attack and
defense and economy of motion which is resident
in the body, not just the mind. Wu wei does not
stem from intellectual intelligence, but an
"unconscious" or innate intelligence in the physical
body that can only be developed through hours of
correct repetitive training.
Park emphasizes the importance of this "body
knowledge" in his teaching. He believes that
when something is "known" in the body, it
becomes a reflex action which will not soon be
forgotten. His approach to Pa Kua Chang
instruction is to start the student with very simple
movements and exercises. These exercises, which
are based on fundamental principles, are repeated
hundreds, if not thousands of times under Park's
watchful eye until the student has embodied the
principle and it becomes a natural reflex. Park
states that the exercise should be repeated so
many times that when the student stops, the body
still feels as though it is going through the motions
of the exercise - like when getting back on land
27

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

after a long boat ride and the body still feels like it
is rocking back and forth.
Once Park feels the student has
"body-knowledge" of the principle as it is applied
in the simple exercise, he will teach the student a
slightly more difficult exercise with which to work
in the same manner. Park feels that if the student is
initially given exercises that are too complex, or is
given too many different exercises to practice, then
he or she will never develop skillful innate body
response. He is fond of saying that "If I give you
too much food, you cannot digest it all and some
of it gets thrown away. It is the same with Pa Kua.
If you are taught too much at one time, you will
never digest it all."
The development of skill in internal martial
arts not only requires that the student work to gain
this "body knowledge" of the principles, but the
body also has to change and develop physically.
Flexibility, balance, and overall coordination are
important components of training the body for
martial arts. However, since Pa Kua Chang is an
"internal" style, additional training which works to
properly develop the tendons, bones, joints,
ligaments, and secondary muscle groups must be
executed in a progressive manner. Development of
the physical body requires many hours of
repetitive practice with fundamental drills
designed to initiate such development. The student
needs to develop what Park refers to as the
"kungfubody."

Developing the "Kung Fu Body"

The Pa Kua Chang practitioner's body
movement has typically been compared to that of a
snake or dragon. References to snake or dragon like
movement in Pa Kua Chang literature are numerous
and many of the popular Pa Kua forms are called
"snake" or "dragon" form Pa Kua (she hsing and
lung hsing respectively). The turning, twisting,
coiling, circling and whipping movements of the
skilled practitioner will indeed remarkably resemble
the movements of a snake and have inspired further
descriptive analogies of Pa Kua movement such as
yu shen (swimming body) or lien huan (continuous
circling).
The snake-like movements of the Pa Kua
28

practitioner are never restricted to the arms, but

involve a connected full body movement. There are
no breaks or "dead spots" along the chain of
movement from the foot to the hand. Movement in
every part of the body is supple, smooth, fluid, and
continuous. In order to accomplish this technique,
the practitioner must be extremely flexible in the
joints, especially the hips (yao k'ua), waist, spine,
and shoulders. Full body integration and connection
in conjunction with the flexible, relaxed, and unified
movement are prerequisite to correct Pa Kua Chang
technique application. Development of a body
capable of this great degree of flexibility and
connection (what Park refers to as a "kung fu body")
requires training exercises designed to develop
muscle, ligament and joint flexibility and training
the body to move in a unified manner. In addition to
overall body flexibility, integration, and
coordination, development of internal martial arts
power, or the ability to apply great force through
very small body articulations, also requires
repetitive training drills designed to isolate and train
secondary muscles groups, tendons, and joints. To
be trained properly and completely, these
components are trained in isolation before being
applied in Pa Kua Chang form techniques.
Another important component in development of
the "kung fu body" is a balanced, unified, smooth
movement of ch'i throughout the body. The classics
of Pa Kua Chang speak frequently of the "J ch'i," or
"one ch'i" This is referring to the ability of the
practitioner to unify the movement and function of
the body in such a way that the entire body, mind,
and spirit are working to achieve a common goal in
a given instant, creating a "whole body power." If
the body's ch'i is not full and balanced, the body
will not work in complete harmony and the power
will not be full. There will be "weak links in the
chain."
Park believes that learning to apply the complex
Pa Kua Chang forms before the body is well on its
way to being developed properly in terms of
flexibility, strength, balance, integration, alignment
and coordination is analogous to entering high
school without first learning how to read. Park is
fond of saying, "You cannot give a baby steak; a
baby needs milk."
The exercises presented in this book are

Introduction
designed to help the practitioner begin to develop
the "kung fu body" and gain an experiential
understanding of the principle of wu wei.

Research
Once the Pa Kua Chang practitioner's body has
been developed through a series of repetitive
exercises designed to train component parts, Park
introduces the student to new exercises which are
designed to bring all of the parts together. Park
says that no matter how good the engine parts are,
if you don't know how to put them together to
build the engine, you don't have anything but a
pile of expensive parts.
Usually when the parts first come together the
student will experience some awkwardness. Park's
approach is to add small bits and pieces together
a little at a time to allow the student to transition
from simple repetitive drills to more complex
repetitive drills (forms and fighting applications
for example) so that eventually correct,
spontaneous free form movement which adheres
to the principles of Pa Kua Chang can be attained.
Park, who likes to teach through the use of
analogy, explains that when the Wright Brothers
built their plane, it flew successfully, but it didn't
fly very far. This first attempt was defined as
"flying" but it is trivial compared to what aviation
has become today. To evolve from the Wright
Brothers to the Space Shuttle, engineers had to
research and develop each component of the
plane and bring all the components together into
a fine working balance.
The physical components which Park
corresponds to the engineer's numbers are the
body's joints. The numbers zero through nine are
the basic building blocks of mathematics. By
combining these numbers, any other number can
be constructed. Similarly, by utilizing the body's
joints, any attack or defense can be created. The
major attack weapons are the fist (knuckle joints),
palm and wrist (wrist joint), elbow, shoulder,
hips, knees, heels (ankle joints), and feet (toe
joints).
Skill in utilizing numbers depends on the level
of sophistication of the mathematics employed in
utilization of those numbers. The skill in fighting

arts depends on how efficiently and effectively

the body's attacking and defense weapons are
employed. If the practitioner can punch and kick
well, he or she has grasped * basic math." If they
can use footwork to evade and set up an attack, the
math is a little higher. If they can utilize the
elbows and knees in combination with the punches
and kicks, the math is still higher. If they can
utilize all of their available weapons from all
angles in continuous, fluid combinations of attack
and defense, the math is becoming very
sophisticated. If they have refined their skill so
that all of the above can be accomplished with
subtle movements executed efficiently and
effectively without waste, then the "mathematics"
is extremely high. Park views Pa Kua Chang
practice as equating to very high level math,
however, he feels that before high level math can
be absorbed, basic math should be studied
thoroughly.
While the student in Park's school is developing
the "kung fu" body, they will also train exercises
which develop power and speed in utilizing each
of the body's attack weapons. In other words,
they start out with basic math. These exercises
include various footwork drills, palm striking
exercises, elbow striking exercises, and kicking
exercises designed to develop power and speed in
the utilization of all the body's weapons. After the
student has worked to develop power and speed in
utilizing all of the basic attack weapons, he or she
will then learn how to combine these attacks with
Pa Kua Chang footwork. The key to Park's system
of developing Pa Kua Chang skill with a systematic,
complete method is the theory and strategy which
forms the "math" of Pa Kua Chang.
As stated previously, all of Park's training
methods are based upon the principles and theories
of Pa Kua Chang. Throughout this book,
component parts of Pa Kua Chang footwork, body
movement, palm striking, and ch'i kung will be
defined through the use of equations which
describe how sub-components of each of Pa Kua
Chang's major component come together in a
systematic fashion. Once the student has an
experiential understanding of the major
components of Pa Kua Chang (and body
knowledge of these components) Park encourages
the student to research the art and improve his
29

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

her knowledge through the use of the primary

theoretical equation associated with this art. This
equation is based on the theories of Yin/Yang, Five
Phases (wu hsing), and Pa Kua (Eight Diagrams).
Once the student learns how these
philosophical concepts relate directly to the art of
fighting in the context of the body movements of
Pa Kua Chang, he or she can then use this
philosophy as a tool in order to efficiently and
effectively research and develop their
understanding of the art.
Once an elementary school student learns the
rules of addition and subtraction, they can easily
add and subtract any numbers. The rules of
addition and subtraction are the tools the student
will use in adding or subtracting those numbers.
Park's approach to teaching Pa Kua Chang fighting
is not to "spoon feed" his students by showing
application after application, his method is to
give the student the tools and let the student
figure it out themselves.
If the student has learned the basic fundamental
movements of Pa Kua Chang and how to use the
theories of yin and yang, five phases and I Ching, he
or she can figure out the best defense or attack for
any given situation. Park was required to learn in
this manner and he requires this of his students.
His philosophy is that if a student can figure out
on their own the most efficient and effective way
to handle a situation using Pa Kua Chang, then
they will never forget how to handle that situation
and they will be able to figure out how to handle
any other situation.
When a student in Park's school is given a new
movement, Park does not show the application,
the student has to show Park the applications, or
variations of that movement. If the student has
not figured out the most effective way to use the
movement Park will lend advice and tell the
student to do some more research. Through this
type of learning process the student eventually
learns how to handle any situation.
Without the theoretical principles of yin and
yang, five phases and I Ching, Park believes that
the student will be blindly conducting research by
trail and error. Trial and error will get you there,
but it is not the smart way nor the efficient way.
In every application a student employs, Park will
look to see if the student is employing the theories

of yin and yang, five phases and I Ching. If one of

these elements is missing, Park will say that the
technique is not "balanced" and thus it is not the
best, or most effective way.
These theoretical concepts and Park's
applications of them to Pa Kua Chang practice
will be discussed briefly in the next chapter.
Specific examples of how these theories are applied
to separate components of Pa Kua Chang practice
will be discussed throughout the book.
Conclusion
When a student enters Park Bok Nam's Pa Kua
Chang school, the priority for Park is to design a
program which will develop the student's "kung
fu body," enable the student to gain a "body
knowledge" of the mechanics of movement and
body alignments inherent in Pa Kua Chang by
training those mechanics and alignments
repeatedly, and enable the student to understand
the theory and principles behind Pa Kua Chang
employment in combat. Once the student has
gained an experiential understanding of these
three components, he or she is well on their way
to becoming a skilled Pa Kua Chang practitioner.

30

Introduction

Lu Shui Tien and Park Bok Nam

The late sagacious teacher of martial arts,

Passed on true martial skills.
His most insightful students,
Are both righteous and skilled in martial
arts.

31

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

32

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

Chapter 2

The Philosophical Roots

of Pa Kua Chang

33

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Chapter 2

The Philosophical
Roots of
Pa Kua Chang
hy did Tung Hai-Ch'uan call his art Pa
Kua Chang, or "Eight Diagram" Palm?
Was this an arbitrary name that he
chose or is there a connection to the theory of the
PaKua, or Eight Diagrams, or thel-Ching? Although
the origin of Pa Kua Chang is a popular topic of
debate among Pa Kua Chang stylists and martial
arts historians, many martial arts scholars believe
that this art was created by Tung Hai-Ch'uan in
the mid-1800's. Research indicates that after
studying indigenous Northern martial arts for the
first thirty or forty years of his life, Tung was
taught a circle walking meditation practiced by
Taoists of the Chuan Chen Chiao (Complete Truth)
sect. Tung took this circle walking practice, which
the Taoists called Chuan T'ien Tsun (Rotating in
Worship of Heaven) and combined it with the
martial arts he had studied and devised what we
know today as Pa Kua Chang. However, Pa Kua
Chang was not the first name that Tung chose for
this art. Research reveals that he originally called
his art Chuan Chang, or "rotating palm" and there
was no apparent connection to the Pa Kua theory.
Tung changed the name of his art to Pa Kua
Chang and connected the theory of his fighting art
to the theory of the Pa Kua, or Eight Trigrams of
the / Ching, late in his life. Perhaps his intent in
doing this was to give his students a theoretical
basis by which they could continue to research
and develop the art after Tung was gone.
Regardless of where Pa Kua Chang originated
and how it was handed down by Tung Hai-Ch'uan,
Lu Shui-T'ien's intent in teaching Park Bok Nam

34

this art based on the theories and principles of

Chinese philosophy was for the exact reason
stated above. Lu was already 66 years old when
Park started studying with him in 1960. Lu knew
that Park, who was only 18 at the time they met,
would spend the majority of his life studying Pa
Kua Chang without him. Therefore, during the 17
years they spent together, Lu emphasized the
theoretical foundations of the art so that Park
would have tools to utilize in order to continually
develop his skill for the remainder of his life. Lu
Shui-T'ien was taught in this same fashion by his
teacher Li Ching-Wu.
If our ancestors who invented simple electronic
instruments such as the electric light bulb or the
telegraph had handed their descendants the
instrument without the mathematical and
electrical theories to explain how it was developed
and how it worked, it would have been much
more difficult for those who followed to invent
the electronic instruments of today. What Lu
provided to Park was the "mathematics" of Pa Kua
Chang so that Park could continue to improve his
skill after Lu was gone. Park's feeling is that just
as the engineer cannot get very far in his design
work without mathematics, the Pa Kua Chang
practitioner cannot get very far with his or her art
without the theoretical components of that art.
Lu's approach to drawing connections between
Chinese philosophy and Pa Kua Chang practice is
far from anything metaphysical, astrological, or
otherwise mystic, esoteric, or secretive. Lu's only
real interest in Chinese philosophy was how it

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

could be directly and practically applied to the

principles of health building and physical combat.
Unless theory and philosophy can be applied
simply and directly in the physical world of martial
arts, it does not do the practitioner much good in
practice or when "push comes to shove" in a
fighting situation.
The three philosophical principles which Park
relies on to help him research and improve his
fighting art are outlined in the following equation.
Pa Kua Chang Philosophy = Yin Yang Theory +
I-Ching Theory + Wu Hsing (Five Phase) Theory

In this chapter we will briefly discuss the

background and history of these philosophical
theories and explain how they are applied to the
fighting art of Pa Kua Chang in Park Bok Nam's
school.

Wu

Chi

Tai

Chi

Yin

Yin and Yang Theory

Yang

interaction of yin and yang.

The diagram which symbolizes the t'ai chi is
shown below. The white areas of this diagram
represent yang and the black areas represent yin.
The movement of the diagram is described as
demonstrating a never ending, cyclical changing
from yin to yang and back again. When yin has
reached its apex, there is a return to yang and
subsequently, when yang has reached its apex
there is a return to yin. Yang in extreme becomes
yin and yin taken to extreme becomes yang. The
black and white dots in the diagram are

The ancient Chinese people were very practical

and straight-forward in their philosophy. In many
instances, the foundation of their belief system
was based on what was occurring naturally around
them. They noted that nature was in constant
change and that there were noticeable patterns,
rhythms and cycles inherent in this change. They
observed daily cycles, monthly cycles, and yearly
cycles and they sought to symbolize them to
better understand patterns of nature and
conditions of human life.
The two extreme ends of the observed cyclic
continuum they called yin and yang. The idea of
yin and yang became a kernel that sprouted more
complex patterns, models, and ideas. The Chinese
saw the dynamic interaction of yin and yang
springing forth from stillness. This stillness they
called wu chi, an emptiness or "void." Because
nature is continually changing and thus nothing
remains indefinitely still, the Chinese theorized
that from any form of stillness, motion will
naturally manifest. The movement which springs
forth from the wu chi, they defined as t'ai chi
(supreme ultimate) - a dynamic interaction of yin
and yang. Everything under the sun was said to
have originated from wu chi through the t'ai chi

The T'ai Chi Diagram

35

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

representative of yang always containing aspects

of yin and y'xn always containing aspects of yang.
One is never present without the other.
Additionally, the white (yang) dot present in the
largest area of black (yin) is representative of the
"seed" of yang being present in the belly of yin.
The same is said of the black dot in the white area.
In the West, many individuals tend to
incorrectly think of yin and yang as strictly defined
"opposites" - typical examples being darkness and
light, male and female, night and day, etc. While
these simple correspondences are representative
of yin and yang qualities, one should keep in mind
that all relationships based on yin and yang are
relative and the mutual interaction of both aspects
should be considered, therefore, nothing can be
defined as strictly yin or strictly yang. Additionally,
yin and yang are never to be considered in a
permanent state. There is always interplay, change,
and dynamic movement.

what is behind and is ready to move back, when

he engages the opponent high, he is conscious of
what is happening low, etc.
In interaction with an opponent, the yin and
yang balance is also sought. If an opponent is
expressive or hard in his technique, the technique
is met with a soft, absorbing force and redirected.
If the opponent is very soft, the practitioner
applies expressive force. While this general rule is
common knowledge to most "internal" style
martial artists, Park's variations and quick changes
on this theme are numerous.
Pa Kua Chang stylists are famous for their
ability to change rapidly from firm to gentle, fast
to slow, right to left, inside to outside, high to low,
etc. While the aim is to always reach the point of
balance, the Pa Kua Chang practitioner will
typically offset and confuse the opponent with
his or her quick variations. The Pa Kua Chang
practitioner is able to maintain his own balance
through the myriad of changes because his
footwork and body movements are rotating around
balanced central points. An opponent who is not
accustomed to the centripetal and centrifugal
forces expressed through the Pa Kua Chang stylist's
movements will be easily offset. Study and
application of the constant and continuous
interchange between yin and yang elements of the
fighting art aids the Pa Kua Chang practitioner's
application.

Yin and Yang Relativity

When Park Bok Nam describes the relative
nature of yin and yang and how it applies to Pa Kua
Chang training and fighting application, he uses
the number line (as shown below) as a simple
example. If we look at a number line, we can
identify the negative numbers as being generally
yin and the positive numbers as being generally
yang. However, each number can only be strictly
identified as yin or yang in relation to another
number. For example, the number 3 is yang
compared to the number -4, however, the number
3 would be considered yin in comparison with the
number 6.
Park views the zero mark on the number line as
the balance point and states that in all training,
whether for health or self-defense, the balance
point should be sought. In practice, the yang
(expressive, external) training is always balanced
with the yin (meditative, internal) training.
Additionally, the practitioner of Pa Kua Chang
seeks abalance of yin and yangin every movement.
The Pa Kua Chang practitioner is never too soft, or
too hard; when he moves forward, he is aware of

Yin and Yang in Cycles

Because yin and yang are viewed as the extreme
ends of a natural cyclic continuum, there is a
constant cyclic changing from yin to yang and
from yangback to yin. The time of change between
yin and yangin these cycles is viewed as containing
the strongest force, inertia, or energy. In all cycles
of nature, the Chinese view the time of change
from yin to yang or yang to yin to hold the greatest
energy, or the greatest strength. For example,
night time is generally considered to be yin in
nature while day time isyan^in nature. When day
changes to night or night changes to day at
sunrise or sunset, the energy of the day is strongest,
clearest, freshest and well balanced. Most everyone
has experienced the strong, fresh sensation of the
morning air. Because the energy is strongest,
freshest and well balanced at these times of the
36

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

Yin Palms

Yang Palms

day, these times are the ideal times for practicing

ch'i kung exercises and meditation.
While practice at anytime of the day, or season
of the year, can be beneficial, Park believes that
practicing specific exercises, such as breathing
and ch'i cultivation exercises, while the ch 'i in the
air is the freshest, strongest, and most balanced
will greatly enhance the practice and thus the
progress will be faster. He believes that the most
efficient way to practice is in accordance with the
rules of nature as symbolized by the cycles of yin
and yang in the day (and during the year) and thus
he applies this theory to all of his practice and
teaching.
The cyclic change between yin and yang also
applies to Pa Kua Chang's palm articulations. In
the Pa Kua Chang parlance, a palm that is facing
up is called a yang palm and a palm that is facing
down is called a yin palm. In accordance with the
yin yang theory, the palm movements are most
powerful when the yin palm is changing to the
yang palm or when the yang palm is changing to
a the yin palm. In other words, the power, or
strength is the strongest when there is change, not
when maintaining a static position.
As an example of this idea of a changing force
being stronger than a static force, imagine someone
driving along in a car with a baseball bat stuck out
the window. If this person holds the baseball bat
static, as if bunting, and the bat hits a mailbox, the
force striking the mail box will be equal to the
force generated by the speed of the car. However,
if the person holding the bat were to swing the bat
37

and strike the mailbox, the force hitting the

mailbox would be equal to the speed of the car
plus the force of acceleration from the person
swinging the bat. In Pa Kua Chang, many strikes
are applied as the palm is changing from yin to
yang or from yang to yin in order to add the extra
force produced by the crisp rotation of the palm.
Additionally, the palm rotation also helps increase
the flow of ch'i and blood to the palm.
Typically the yin palm changing to yang palm
will be used in conjunction with a defensive
maneuver, such as a parry or when freeing one's
self from an opponent's grab, and the yang
changing to yin will be used in conjunction with
an offensive strike. The yin yang palm relationship
is one small example of how the theory of yin yang
is applied directly to the physical movements in
Pa Kua Chang.
Another direct representation of yin and yang
to the physical aspects of Pa Kua Chang is
symbolized by the interplay of yin and yang in the
t'ai chi diagram. The diagram displays a constant
movement from yin to yang and back again. The
diagram representation symbolizes this movement
as flowing smoothly and continuously. This idea
can be interpreted as representing a smooth
interchange and continuously flowing motion in
physical practice. When one changes from slow
movement to fast movement, from hard
movement to soft movement, from high to low,
low to high, inside to outside, outside to inside,
forward to backward, etc., the movement should
be continuous and flow smoothly.
Yin and Yang Combinations
In order to represent, and therefore further
understand, the patterns of nature beyond the
dynamic interplay of yin and yang, the Chinese
created yin and yang combinations. The first of
these combinations represents the maximum
number of sets that can be formed by combining
two differing elements in sets of two. In other
words, if one was given yin and yang as two unique
items and asked to combine them in sets of two,
the maximum number of unique sets obtainable
is four. This simplest representation of yin and
yang in combination is called Szu Hsiang (four
figures).
Yin and yang are symbolically represented by

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

combinatorial analysis, which are modeled

by these yin and yang combinations, in his
approach to Pa Kua Chang training and Pa
Kua Chang fighting. However, we will first
further explore the theory of the Eight
Trigrams.

Pa Kua Theory
Most Westerners who are somewhat familiar
with Chinese philosophy will recognize the eight
trigrams as the building blocks that form the 64
hexagrams of the I-Ching or Book of Changes.

the Liang I (two symbols). The YangHs

represented by a continuous straight line and
the Yin I is represented by a broken line. The
Szu Hsiang are formed by combining the Yin
I and the Yang I as shown in the illustration
above. The Szu Hsaing are given names of
T'ai Yang (Greater Yang), Shao Km (Lesser
Yin), Shao Yang (Lesser Yang), and T'ai Kin
(Greater Yin).
If one were to add one more element to the
yin yang set, and thus create all of the possible
combinations of yin and yang in sets of three,
the result is the Pa Kua (Eight Trigrams or
"Three Line Markings"). Starting from
nothing (WuChi) the one (T'ai Chi) was
created; from the one, two were created (Yin
and Yang); from two, four were created
(SzuHsiang); and from four, eight were
created (Pa Kua). Similarly, from the eight,
sixty-four are created and form the hexagrams
of the / Ching (Book of Changes). Looking at
this progression from the standpoint of
mathematics it is easy to see that the pattern
fits that of simple combinatorial theory.
Throughout this book we will describe how
Park Bok Nam was taught to use the theories of

However, the majority of I-Ching texts available

today in English dive directly into commentary
on the hexagrams without fully explaining the
meaning and usage of the trigrams.
An understanding of the eight trigrams and the
two primary trigram arrangements can provide
great insight into a study of the I-Ching and
facilitate a deeper understanding of the patterns
of change inherent in nature and in human life.
The ability to understand the combinatorial theory
upon which the trigrams and hexagrams are built,
and an understanding of the nature of change
inherent in the changing lines of the I-Ching, are
important components in understanding the art
of Pa Kua Chang as taught by Park Bok Nam. This
section will briefly look at the history, meaning,
and usage of the eight trigrams as representations
of combinatorial analysis, and as arranged in the
Fu Hsi (also called Hsien T'ien or Early Heaven) and
King Wen (also called Hou T'ien or Later Heaven)
diagrams.
The trigrams are essentially codifications of
naturally occurring processes. By combining
symbols that reflect dynamic elements in nature
and the human process, the Chinese have sought
to understand and predict patterns, cycles, and
polarities which are present in nature and human
development. Two such trigram combinations,
the Hsien T'ien (Early Heaven) and the Hou T'ien
(Later Heaven), represent the balance of polar
elements and the nature of cyclical change,
respectively. By studying the relationships of the
trigrams in these configurations, one can learn to
apply these symbols directly to the practice of Pa

38

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

Kua Chang. We will describe how this is done in

Park's Pa Kua Chang method throughout this
book.
Through identification with the trigram
arrangements and the natural development
process, one can adapt to fit smoothly into patterns
of change and balance within cycles of change.
While these theories can be applied to most any
Jiuman condition or life process, in this book we
will only be concerned with how they apply
directly to Pa Kua Chang training and fighting.
The ability to smoothly change from one
technique to another when it is least expected by
the opponent and to do so in an efficacious
manner is characteristic of Pa Kua Chang and thus
understanding combinatorial analysis and the
theory of change when researching and practicing
Pa Kua Chang techniques is to the practitioner's
advantage.
The History of the Eight Trigrams
In pre-dynastic times, China was ruled by the
mythical Five Emperors (Wu Ti). The Five Emperors
ruled in succession during the "golden age of
antiquity" (prior to 2357 B.C.) and have
traditionally been considered sages and cultural
heroes, if not semi-divine beings, by the Chinese,
Therefore we find that these Five Emperors; Fu Hsi
(Subduer of Animals), Shen Nung (the Divine

Farmer), Huang-Ti (the Yellow Emperor), Shao

Hao, and Chuan Hsu, have each been credited
with many inventions. Fu Hsi was credited with
the discovery of the I-Ching (as well as inventing
hunting, fishing, and trapping) nearly 5,000years
ago.
There are any number of stories that have
been written pertaining to Fu Hsi's discovery of
the trigrams. One story says that he derived the
eight trigrams from the Yellow River Map (Ho T'u).
This map was revealed to him on the back of a
supernatural animal called a "Dragon Horse" that
rose from the waters of the Yellow River. Another
story describes Fu Hsi as finding the trigrams
hidden in the patterns on a tortoise shell. Still
another tale states that he created the trigrams
after careful observation and contemplation of
the natural objects around him.
While accrediting the discovery of the
trigrams to a mythical Emperor has a nice mystical
flavor to it, there is no evidence that the trigrams
existed prior to the Shang Dynasty (1766-1123
B.C.). Of course, actual archaeological existence
of anything prior to the Shang Dynasty is scarce
(within the last 15 years there have been Hsia
Dynasty findings). However, analysis of
inscriptions found in tortoise shell and bone from
the Shang period leads some scholars to believe
that the Shang people practiced divination using
the tortoise shell, not the trigrams or hexagrams.
It is speculated that the Shang people heated the
tortoise shell with fire until cracks appeared.
The Diviner would read the cracks and be able to
intuitively answer questions about one's future.
It is thought that the patterns that typically
reappeared when the shell was heated were given
meaning, and this practice eventually led to the
formation of the trigrams and hexagrams.
While tortoise shell divination could very
well have led to the formation of the trigrams and
explain one of the Fu Hsi myths, I tend to believe
that the formation of the trigrams and hexagrams
came about through an evolutionary
numerological process which started with the
concept of yin and yang. This evolution could
have occurred prior to the Shang period and the
trigrams adopted by the Diviners at a later time

39

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

The Eight Trigrams Theory

movement and change that they represent
The Pa Kua (eight trigrams) were said to have
that we seek to understand through the use of the
been instituted by the sages through their
trigrams. While some people believe that
observation of the Szu Hsiang. They represent the
archetypal images can hold certain powers, this
maximum number of combinations of the Yin I
esoteria often turns into misinterpretation,
and the Yang I in sets of three. Their names are
illusion, and fantasy. Unless one has been fully
Ch'ien, Tui, Li, Chen, Sun, K'an, Ken, and K'un.
initiated into a religious or spiritual discipline
The trigrams are frequently associated with
that believes in and understands these "powers,"
natural objects (Heaven, Lake, Fire, Thunder, Wind, it is probably best to avoid the attachments.
Water, Mountain, and Earth respectively), as
Also, it should be said that the trigrams and
well as animals, members of the family, numbers, hexagram symbols provide far more than a basis
colors, shapes, sounds, hours of the day, weather for an oracle used for fortune telling, prophecy, or
patterns, astrological animals, parts of the body, divination. Although it is frequently used as such,
directions on the compass, seasons of the year, many books that have been published on the /
etc.
Ching over-emphasize this aspect and thus students
Although the trigrams have many names and loose sight of the underlying system and structure
attributes associated with them, one should not which profoundly expresses patterns of movement
attach too much importance to the name or any and change. The trigrams and hexagrams have
other unique association. Though the components been used widely in the fields of philosophy,
of transformation may share some characteristics astrology, medicine, geomancy, numerology,
with the natural object for which it is named, the emblemology, martial arts and mathematics.
trigrams represent transformations that cannot Of great significance is the fact that the Chinese
be tied adequately to a given name in the literal took symbols such as the Yin I and the Yang I,
sense. The concepts represented by the trigrams which are representations of dynamic concepts,
are dynamic and associating them too closely and used them as building blocks to represent and
with physical objects or concrete ideas will usually allude to other ideas {Szu Hsiang, Pa Kua, etc.). In
tend to undermine and limit the symbology.
this sense, the combinations of the Yin /and Yang
Just as the trigrams should not be limited in use I, especially as they are used in the areas of
by associating them too closely with
numerology and emblemology, are
specific ideas or objects, they
algorithmic.
should also not generally be
An algorithm is a recursive
thought of as mystical
mathematical
rule or
symbols having powers of
procedure. Modern day
their own. Although some
computers perform almost
FengShui (practitioners of
all of their functions based
the
"Wind
and
on algorithms and the
Water"
art
or
only language computers
geomancy) will hang
understand is the binary
the trigrams on walls
language.
to "ward off evil
Everything the computer
spirits" or balance the
does mathematical
"energy" of a room and
calculations,
word
there
are
religious
processing, graphics, you
factions in China which
name itis performed using
believe these symbols can hold
binary arithmetic and binary
mystical powers, one should
representation.
keep in mind that the trigrams Shao Yung's Hexagram
If we let the Yang I represent the
are
fundamentally
Circle and Square number one and the Yin I represent
codifications or models of naturally
a zero, it is easy to see that the
occurring processes. It is the
combinations that form the Szu
40

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

Hsiang and the Pa Kua follow the rules of binary
arithmetic. In fact, in the well known hexagram
circle of the Sung dynasty philosopher Shao Yung
(1011-1077), the hexagrams are arranged in an
exact representation of binary arithmetic (each
hexagram in succession is a binary representation
of the numbers from 0 to 63).
In the West, binary arithmetic was discovered
by the German mathematician Gottfried Willhelm
Leibnitz (1646-1716), who published his findings
in 1679. In the field of mathematics, Leibnitz
excelled in the areas of combinatorial analysis and
symbolic reasoning. While he is noted as a pioneer
in these fields, Shao Yung is the true trailblazer
he worked out his arrangement of the hexagrams
in 1060.
Shao Yung combined "emblemology" and
numerology derived from the teachings he received
from Li Chih-Ts'ai (died 1045) to form his diagram.
These teaching included explanation of the
diagrams and emblems of the Ho T'u (River Chart),
the Lo Shu (Lo Writing), the hexagrams of the /
Ching, and the Hsien T'ien T'u (trigram arrangement
of Fu Hsi). According to Ch'eng Hao (1032-1085)
in his "Epitaph to Shao Yung," Li had received
these ideas through a line of Taoists which can be
traced back to Ch'enT'uan (906-989). Shao Yung's
biography is recorded in the Sung Shih (History of
the Sung Dynasty).
Combinations - From Theory to
Practical Application
Lu Shui-T'ien's method of applying the theory
of the / Ching to Pa Kua Chang had little to do with
divination or the exact meaning or attribute of
the hexagrams. However, he did impart to Park
Bok Nam the importance of combinatorial analysis
and the / Ching's message of continuous change.
The first lesson which Lu taught Park was that in
Pa Kua Chang there are eight upper body weapons
and eight lower body weapons which the Pa Kua
Chang practitioner will use most often to strike or
block an opponent. All of these weapons are
associated with the body's joints.
The upper body joints which can be described
as weapons include the knuckle joints in both
hands (weapons associated with these joints would

include the fists and fingers), the two wrists

(weapons here would include the palms and the
wrist j oints), the two elbows, and the two shoulders.
The lower body joints are the two hips, the two
knees, the two ankles (heel kicks), and the two
feet. All of these weapons can be used in attack or
defense. The practitioner can either strike or
block with any of these weapons and they are also
key points of attack on the opponent's body when
striking, grabbing, controlling, or otherwise
attacking.
Given these weapons of attack and defense,
the next lesson Park was to learn was the mechanics
of applying each of these weapons efficiently and
effectively on the left side and right side, high and
low, inside and outside, and at long and short
range. Each component was trained individually
through a series of kicking exercises, palm striking
exercises, elbow striking exercises and straight
line combative technique forms. After learning
the body mechanics involved in applying each of
these weapons effectively, Park was then taught a
series of "speed combination" exercises which
develop the ability to use combinations of these
weapons with the greatest speed and power.
The "speed combination" principles are
designed so that the practitioner can develop an
intuitive feel for how to apply combinations of his
weapons quickly and accurately while taking away
the opponent's ability to use his or her weapons.
The intricacy and complexity of Lu's Pa Kua
theory as it is applied to speed combinations is
beyond the scope of this book. However, we will
provide some very simple examples of how this
theory is applied on the most basic level so that
the reader can grasp the fundamental concept
involved.
Just as yin and yang can be combined to form
more complex sets such as the szu hsiang and the
pa kua, elements of the fighting art can be similarly
combined. Instead of yin/yang pairs, in boxing
one can pair sets such as attack/defense, long
range/short range, left/right, inside/outside and
high/low. Applying the most basic level of
combinations to a set such as attack and defense
(letting A=attack and D = defense) we can arrange
them in sets of two in four possible ways as
follows:
A + D, D + A, A + A, D + D
41

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

The other paired sets can be similarly combined.
Taking the combinatorial sequence one step
farther, one can combine the same two element
pair in eight possible ways as follows:

techniques. For each of the simple combinations

Park was given, his teacher required him to practice
all of the combinations of those techniques which
were possible and demonstrate how each of the
combinations might be best employed. Simple
combinations were followed by more complex
combinations.
All combinations Park was taught involved a
series of tactically sound movements using the
body's sixteen joints for attack and defense in
rapid succession and were later combined with Pa
Kua Chang footwork. All combinations were
efficient and effective. While some of the
combinations which result from applying the
combinatorial analysis to one given combination
might not work as well as others, the practitioner
will have at least been complete in his study of the
technique if all possible combinations are
researched. The practitioner can later discard the
ones that do not work well.
When the practitioner has been trained to
employ all 16 of the body's joints as weapons in an
efficient and effective manner and can apply
these weapons on the left and right side, high and
low, and at short and long range, the number of
combinations the practitioner can devise to handle
any given situation is enormous. When these
weapons and combinations are combined with an
intricate usage of footwork, the fighting system is
very thorough.
Lu Shui-T'ien always stressed to Park that theory
was useless if it was only known in the head. In
order to gain a "body knowledge" of the theory of
combinations Park was required to practice each
combination sequence of a particular combination
of techniques hundreds of times so that all of the
combinations would become reflex body reactions.
The series of "speed combination" drills which
Park learned from his teacher are all based on the
theory of combinatorial analysis utilizing the
body's 16 weapons to strike the opponent while
simultaneously robbing him of his weapons. Park's
teacher taught him two rules of thumb to use
when fighting. The first is that "if you take it away
from them, they can't use it." In other words, if
the opponent kicks, damage his leg and then
follow up. If he puts out an arm to block or strike,
damage it or break it and then use it as a bridge to
get inside and continue the attack.

A+D+A
D+A+D
A+A+D
D+D+A
A+D+D
D+A+A
D+D+D
A+A+A
When studying combinations of attack/defense,
left/right, long range/short range, high/low, or
inside/outside, the student in Park's school will
use the combinatorial analysis tool as a model so
that research will be thorough. After simple
combinations are practiced, more complex
combinations are explored by combining the
different paired elements.
Lu taught Park that if he was given an attack/
defense combination with the right hand followed
by an attack/defense combination with the left
hand in a given form or exercise, based on
combinatorial analysis of this combination, there
are many possible combinations that the
practitioner can use which stem from this one
combination. If we let A = attack, D = defense, R
= right, and L = left, we can see that some of the
possible combinations are as follows:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)

AR DR AL DL
AR DR DL AL
DR AR AL DL
DR AR DL AL
AL DL AR DR
AL DL DR AR
DL AL AR DR
DL AL DR AR, etc.

By combining the paired sets in constructing

exercise sets, there can be many possible
combinations. In this simple example, one can
see that for one attack, say a strike with the palm,
and one defense, say a subsequent block with the
elbow, there are 16 different combinations one
can practice stemming from these two simple
42

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

The other rule used when fighting is applied in

controlling the opponent. Park states that "if you
want to stop a four blade fan, you only have to
hold one of the blades." Applying this principle,
Park was taught how to control the opponent's
body in any given situation simply by controlling
one of the opponent's sixteen joints. Which joint
the practitioner attacks or controls depends on
the spacial relationship between the practitioner
and the opponent. Park utilizes Lu's theory of
studying the use of the body's joints through
combinatorial analysis in all of his combat
instruction.
Once a student practices the speed combination
drills for a sufficient amount of time, his or her
ability to inflict an incredible amount of damage
on an opponent in a very short period of time is
greatly increased. Swiftness in overcoming an
opponent is not only gained through the
development of fast, powerful, continuous attacks,
but also in the practitioner's ability to know
exactly where to strike the opponent to inflict the
most amount of damage in the shortest period of
time. Therefore, Park's method of combination
study is very thorough. Additionally, because the
student has practiced every possible combination
of a series of techniques in training, his or her
ability to respond to any of the opponent's
movements in combat and vary the techniques
based on the situation is easily accomplished.
Practicing repetitive sets of the "speed
combinations" allows the practitioner to train the
body to respond quickly, accurately, and
continuously without having to think. In combat,
there is no time to think, the body should respond
to any of the opponent's movements
spontaneously. If the practitioner has to stop and
think, the response will be far to slow. When Lu
Shui-T'ien took Park to other Chinese martial arts
schools to fight other students and test his skills,
he would not allow Park to use the speed
combinations because they are too brutal. When
these speed combinations are trained and applied
correctly, the fight is over in a matter of seconds.
Park states that he can train any student to be able
to strike eight times in one second. Park has been
clocked striking as many as 13 times in a second.
Typically when Lu had Park fight against
opponents from other schools there was something

specific he wanted Park to work on and the best

lessons could be learned through testing the
particular skill in a fight against an unknown
opponent. These fights werelearningexperiences,
not contests to see which school was better.
However, on one occasion a group had said
something derogatory about Pa Kua Chang to Lu
and upset him. When Park went to fight, Lu told
Park to take the guy out quick. Park utilized his
speed combinations and won the fight in a matter
of seconds. This is typical of Pa Kua Chang
fighting, the practitioner's application is very fast,
brutal, and continuous.
On another occasion, Park was taken to a
Chinese martial arts school to fight with some of
the students. Park had engaged in several sparring
matches in order to work out whatever techniques
or principles his teacher had wanted him to train
during these matches. During the last fight Park
engaged in, Lu felt it was time to leave. He stood
up while Park was fighting and announced, "Finish
it." Park applied the speed combinations and
quickly knocked out his opponent. The techniques
were applied so fast that the opponent and
members of the other school could not figure out
what had happened.
By applying combinatorial analysis to basic Pa
Kua Chang fighting principles utilizing paired
sets such as defense/attack, long range/short range,
high/low, left/right, or various combinations of
these paired sets, the practitioner can develop an
extensive arsenal of applications to use in a fighting
situation. By utilizing this theory, a practitioner
can take any given movement from a form and
create dozens of variations of any one movement
or combination of movements based on the theory
of the / Ching (discussed at the end of this chapter).
However, Park always stresses that even if a
practitioner discovers the best combination or
technique in the world, if he or she only knows it
in the head and not in the body, it will not be of
much use. Every element of Pa Kua Chang must
be practiced until it is "known in the body" before
it can be effectively applied in a self-defense
situation.

43

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Pa Kua Geometry - The
Eight Trigram Diagrams
Combinatorial analysis is not the only way
one might employ the wisdom of the Pa Kua
theory to the art of Pa Kua Chang. Another very
important research device which the Pa Kua Chang
practitioner can utilize is the principle of
movement associated with the geometry of the
two Pa Kua diagrams. In this section we will
introduce the reader to the two primary Pa Kua
diagrams, the Early Heaven arrangement (Fu Hsi)
and the Later Heaven arrangement (King Wen),
and then explain how these diagrams are used by
Park in his training methods and his
implementation of this art in combat.
Early Heaven and Later Heaven
Before we go any further with the discussion of
the eight trigrams, a discussion of the terms "Early
Heaven" and "Later Heaven" is appropriate. These
concepts have deep meaning in Chinese thought
and we would be remiss if we did not address the
subject before turning to a discussion of the Fu Hsi
(Early Heaven) and King Wen (Later Heaven)
trigram arrangements.
The Chinese terms Hsien T'ien (Early Heaven or
Pre-Heaven) and Hou T'ien (Later Heaven or
Post-Heaven), which describe the two
trigram arrangements, also have been
translated conveniently to English as
"prenatal" and "postnatal," respectively. In
general terms, Early Heaven represents the
innate and Later Heaven represents the acquired.
Innate, or prenatal ch'i in the body is genetic and
hereditary in nature - it is life energy that
represents life potentiality, or the possibility of
life manifestation. The acquired, or postnatal ch 'i
is created from the prenatal energies after the
manifestation of life. In the human, postnatal
energies are formed upon conception.
Early Heaven energies are not strictly related to
the human, but represent all environmental
elements that are involved in conception of new

life. Once life manifests, these elements remain

active in guiding the growth and maturation of
that life. When the Early Heaven energy has been
exhausted, life in its material form will typically
end. Movement launched by the Early Heaven
energy is developed and nourished by Later Heaven
energy. Later Heaven energy is manifest the
moment life is conceived and is sustained by the
Early Heaven force and nourished by the
environment through the intake of food and air.
The Early Heaven energies form a foundation for
the Later Heaven energies to build upon.
In accordance with these concepts, the Later
Heaven arrangement of the trigrams shows a
self-generating cyclic movement while the
Early Heaven arrangement indicates the
interaction of the polar forces which actually
bring about creation. It is said that knowing how
to relate and work with the symbology depicted
by these two trigram arrangements when
practicing Chinese Ch'i Kung or Internal Martial
Arts will lead to internal restoration and
completion of one's ch'i. Knowing how to
preserve Early Heaven energy (the body's
innate energy) and cultivate pure Later Heaven
energy (energy derived from food and air) in the
body are key aspects in maintenance of health
through Chinese Ch'i Kung or Internal Martial
Arts practice.
The Fu Hsi Arrangement
The Fu Hsi or "Early Heaven" arrangement of
the trigrams is said to have existed prior to the
Book of Changes. As discussed previously, the
trigrams themselves are formed by combining the
Yang I and Yin I as shown in the illustration on the
next page. Study of this progressive combinatorial
sequence will reveal that the Szu Hsiang are formed
by duplicating two sets of the Liang I and adding

The Fu Hsi Trigram Arrangement

44

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

the Yang I under the first set, and the Yin /under
the second set (the first set being the set on the
left).
Similarly, the Pa Kua are formed by duplicating
two sets of the Szu Hsiang and adding the Yang I to
the bottom of the first set and the Yin I to the
bottom of the second set. In the Early Heaven
arrangement of the trigrams, the first set of four
trigrams occupy the left side of the circle, running
from top to bottom, and the second set occupy the
right side of the circle, also running from top to
bottom. The four trigrams on the left pertain to
Heaven, are creative and move upward. The four
on the right pertain to Earth, are receptive and
move downward. The Fu Hsi trigram arrangement
is shown on the previous page.
The Early Heaven arrangement is based on a
balance of opposing forces representing a
primordial order rooted in stillness and reaching
beyond space and time parameters. The eight
universal forces represented by these trigrams are
balanced axially and the diagram of Fu Hsi is read
along these four axes. If one studies the
relationship of the symbols in this arrangement,
it is easy to see that trigrams occupying a position
directly across from each other are indeed symbolic
opposites. Wherever there is a yang line in any
one trigram, the trigram across from it will have a
yin line in that same position and vice-versa.
At the ends of the vertical axis of this
arrangement are the trigrams representative of
Heaven and Earth (Ch'ien and K'un respectively)

and thus extreme yin and extreme yang balance the

polar (positive and negative) positions of this
diagram. At the ends of the horizontal axis are the
trigrams representative of fire and water {Li and
K'an respectively). Fire is positioned in the East
(South is at the top) and moves upward, thus
representing the rising of the sun. Water is
positioned in the West and moves downward,
representing the setting of the sun and darkness of
night. These four trigrams make up the Szu Cheng
(four sides) of the Fu Hsi arrangement.
The Szu Yu (four corners) of the Fu Hsi diagram
are composed of the trigrams Sun, Chen, Tui, and
Ken. To the right of the Heaven trigram (Southwest)
we find the trigram Sun. Sun is one of the Earthly
trigrams and represents the Wind (the Gentle). This
trigram is balanced with the Chen (Thunder)
trigram positioned in the Northeast. Thunder is seen
as a dynamic force, a sudden spark of energy, with
the ability to arouse and stimulate. Wind (also
related to the Wood element) balances this force
with a gentle, receptive nature. In the Southeast we
find the Tui (Lake) trigram symbolizing joyfulness,
transparency, and lightness. This trigram is balance
in the Northwest by the trigram Ken (Mountain)
which represents steadfastness, resistance, and
solidity.
In accordance with the concept of "Early
Heaven," the Fu Hsi arrangement, with its polar
opposites placed in axial positions around the circle,
represents the innate, primal, time-independent
forces. This symbol can thus be interpreted as
representing the perfect balance we imagine
existing prior to the conception of life, the complete
stillness prior to initiation of movement, and the
void which exists beyond space/time parameters.
The image this trigram arrangement gives to the
Pa Kua Chang practitioner is one of stillness,
centeredness, and balance. The movement of this
trigram arrangement is from the center outward.
The practitioner utilizing this movement principle
will visualize his or her self in a stable, still,
balanced, central position focusing outward with a
balanced awareness of all sides. The Pa Feng Ken
Pu (Eight Direction Rooted Stepping) footwork
introduced in the next chapter, which trains the
practitioner to move linearly in one of an infinite
number of directions from a stable central location,
is theoretically based on the Fu Hsi diagram.
45

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

The King Wen Trigram

Arrangement
The King Wen Arrangement
While Fu Hsi is said to be the inventor of the
hexagrams of the / Ching, Wen Wang, who was
given the title of King posthumously, is credited
as being one of the authors of the / Ching
commentary, along with the Duke of Chou and
Confucius. It is said that King Wen constructed
his interpretation of the hexagrams of the / Ching
through contemplation of the trigrams while he
was in jail (around 1143 B.C.). Additionally, Wen

is credited with devising the "Later Heaven"

arrangement of the eight trigrams. King Wen's
arrangement is shown above at left.
We can guess that this trigram arrangement
was probably devised from the Lo Shu (Lo Writings
or Lo Scroll), which is said to have been derived
from the markings on the shell of a "spiritual
turtle" that crawled out of the Lo river when the
Emperor Yu was draining off the floods (shown
above). From this scroll the Chiu Kung (Nine Halls
or Nine Palaces), which have an important place
in Chinese numerology, were also derived.
The Nine Palace numerological arrangement
is depicted in the "magic square" shown below. In
the magic square the numbers 1-9 are assigned to
each "palace" in accordance with the Lo scroll. Pa
Kua Chang literature is full of references to the
Nine Palaces. The nine post, or nine circle practice
in Pa Kua Chang is derived from the arrangement
of the Nine Palaces.
Investigating the "magic square" one will
discover several numerological correspondences.
The most obvious pattern one will encounter is
that the sum of any row, column or diagonal
equals 15. The numbers in the four primary
directions (sides) are odd, while the numbers on
the corners are even. Summing the numbers on
the corners equals 20, the sum of the sides also
equals 20. The numbers associated with each of
the trigrams in the King Wen arrangement are
identical to the numerology of the "magic
square." The number five does not relate to any
trigram and thus it is the unifying number which
is placed in the center.
It is possible that the Later Heaven arrangement

The "Magic Square"

46

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

South

North

Later Heaven
of the trigrams was derived from either the Lo
Scroll or the Nine Palaces since the numerological
arrangements of the three diagrams coincide.
When looking at the Later Heaven (King Wen)
arrangement, we read the progressive pattern along
the periphery in a clockwise rotation. Reading the
trigrams in a circular arrangement symbolizes the
elements of infinity and continuity. The
movement in this arrangement flows from the
superficial qualities to deep qualities, from new
life to maturation of life, and from the physical
existence to the spiritual existence. Whereas the
Early Heaven (Fu Hsi) arrangement is based on a
balance of opposing forces representing a

primordial order based in stillness, the Later

Heaven arrangement depicts the development of
life in the time-space conditioned world.
We read the Later Heaven sequence starting
with Chen trigram (Thunder - the arousing). The
Chen trigram is representative of Spring, the 6th
hour, and the East, and thus expresses the dynamic
appearance of life force. It is all that stirs up latent
energies and stimulates them into movement and
growth. It is the beginning, the seed, the
inspiration that leads to development. The Chen
trigram stimulates a firm base for all growing
things, it is the striving of new growth towards the
light. The arousing energy is carried in the direction

47

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

of growth, development and maturation by the
energy of the Sun trigram (Wind - the gentle). It
is in the Sun trigram that the latent energies
stimulated by the arousing Chen are shaped. The
gentle wind nurtures and guides.
The new consciousness that received the spark
of Thunder and is directed by the Wind reaches
maturation in the Li trigram (Fire - the clinging).
The Li trigram is representative of Summer, the
12th hour, and the South and thus expresses the
attainment of full maturity. The clinging nature
of this trigram is representative of the attachment
one has to the new energy that took form under
the Sun trigram. Under the Li trigram, one is
exploring the possibilities of new creation and
thus have an intense inquisitive kind of interest.
One is, in a sense, like a child clinging to a new toy.
The seed that was planted in the Spring reaches
maturity under the Summer sun. Once nourished
in the creative faculties of light and heat under the
Li trigram, movement into the receptive and
productive K'un trigram (Earth - the receptive)
occurs. In the K'un trigram that which matured an
outward sense under the trigram Li, is assimilated,
digested, and integrated. The K'un trigram
represents openness to new knowledge and the
ever changing condition of the world. It is the
extreme yin and thus totally receptive. That
which is explored under the Li is absorbed into the
being under the K'un trigram. This is the beginning
of the transition from superficial to deep; from a
physical consciousness to a spiritual consciousness;
from a mental idea to intuitive knowledge.
The knowledge assimilated under the K'un
trigram moves inward under the Tui trigram (Lake
- the joyous). The Lake trigram is representative of
Autumn, the 18th hour, and the West. It is a time
of harvest and celebration and moves towards
quiet and contemplation. That which is received
under the K'un trigram is accepted internally
under the energy of Tui. It is an internal harvesting
of new knowledge.
Once movement turns inward under the Tui
trigram, it is touched by the spirit under the Ch 'ien
trigram (Heaven - the creative). This trigram
represents the yang aspects of heaven, health, and
strength. Deep contemplation and movement
towards a greater connection manifests under this
trigram. Creative inner forces begin to stir. The

48

Using the Two Trigram Arrangements to

Construct the Hexagrams
seed that sprouted in the Spring, was nourished
and reached maturation in the Summer, and
harvested in the fall has been consumed and is
digesting under the Ch'ien trigram. The creative
nature of this trigram comes forth when the outer
idea moves inward and inner growth begins.
The creative inner forces dive deep into the
essence of the being under the K'an trigram (Water
- the abysmal). The K'an trigram is representative
of Winter, the midnight hour, and the North.
There is deep contemplation, meditation, and
inward movement. The abysmal represents
spiritual depth and inner stillness. From the
depths of the water arises the steadfastness of
inward assurance represented under the Ken
trigram (Mountain - the resting). In the mountain
there is completeness in the sign of keeping still.
Development has come full circle. The stillness
and meditative poise of the mountain is a
preparation for new life. For as the mountain sits
in stillness, clouds begin to form above and
stimulating energies are released once again under
the Thunder (the arousing) trigram.
In general terms, what this says to Pa Kua
Chang practitioners is that the Later Heaven
arrangement of the trigrams are arranged in

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

accordance with the eight directions of the

compass and represent a cyclical pattern as is
evident in the continuous daily and yearly cycles
inherent in nature. This cyclical pattern forms a
basis for Pa Kua Chang's characteristic circular
body movement and the circle walk practice.
Additionally, one will note that the development
of any skill will follow the maturation process
symbolized by this trigram arrangement.
Combining the Two
Pa Kua Diagrams
1 - Circular Rotation

One method used in forming the sixty-four

hexagrams of the / Ching involves combining the
Fu Hsi and the King Wen Pa Kua diagrams as
shown in the illustration on the previous page. In
this arrangement, the Fu Hsi diagram is placed in
the center of the King Wen arrangement. The Fu
Hsi diagram remains stable and the King Wen
diagram rotates around it. Each time the King
Wen diagram is rotated one-eighth of a turn, eight
new hexagrams are created by combining each
pair of two trigrams sets which line up with each
other. In this manner, once the King Wen
arrangement has made one full revolution, all of
the sixty-four hexagrams will have been identified.
In Park Bok Nam's advanced fighting
instruction, the student will use this eight diagram
construction in studying the possible
combinations and changing variations in Pa Kua
Chang tactical movements. Further discussion
regarding this advanced theory is beyond the
scope of this book.

2 - Angular Rotation

Using the Pa Kua Diagrams in

Pa Kua Chang Practice
While the names and representations of the Pa
Kua in the Fu Hsi and King Wen arrangements may
be interesting to study, the utility Park Bok Nam
takes from these diagrams when teaching
beginning and intermediate students is revealed
in their geometry. From these two diagrams Park
interprets three geometrical principles of
movement. The Fu Hsi diagram reveals movement

3 - Eight Directions

49

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

from a balanced central position extending out to
one of eight directions. Since the eight trigrams in
this arrangement are balanced in each direction
with their respective polar opposites, one can
carry the symbology further to say that whenever
one moves the body along one of these eight
directions, he or she maintains balance and
awareness in all directions.
The King Wen diagram reveals circular
movement around a central axis. This movement
would include cyclical, or continuous, circular
movement as well as movement in a spiralling
pattern. Pa Kua Chang practitioners are well
known for their circular movements. While the
circular walking patterns of the style are the most
obvious representation of Pa Kua's circle principle,
circular and rotational articulations of the body
and limbs are also included in this theory of
movement.
The third principal of movement which Park
derives from these diagrams is formed by
combining circular movement around a central
axis with movement in eight directions. This
combination forms a pattern of movement in an
angular rotation around a central point. Again,
this theory will apply to footwork as well as hand,
leg, and body motion.
While these three principles of movement are
born out of the Pa Kua diagrams, Park does not
make any connection with trigram meaning. At
this point the student only needs to study the
straight-forward geometry of the Pa Kua diagrams.
Looking at the trigram circle, it is not difficult to
see the geometric elements mentioned above.
Figure 1 (at left) illustrates circular movement
around a central axis. Figure 2 illustrates angular
rotation around a central axis. Figure 3 illustrates
linear movement along eight directions.
The theoretical principles of motion relating
to circular movement around a central axis, angular
rotation around an axis, and linear movement in
eight directions apply to Pa Kua Chang footwork,
body movement, and arm/hand movements and
a study of these theories in any one of these areas
can be very deep. Examples of how Park applies
and combines these theories of movement in each
of these areas, as well as how they are applied in Pa
Kua Chang tactical fighting, are discussed
throughout this book.
50

Change and the Book of Changes

Nothing in nature stands still. Observing the
natural process, the ancient Chinese sought to
model patterns of change so that they might
better understand what was occurring naturally
around them and predict what the future might
bring. As addressed previously in this chapter,
change, or movement, at its most basic level is
represented symbolically through the interplay of yin
and yang. From the idea of yin and yang,
combinations were formed to represent more
specific assignment of meaning to events in nature
and in the human condition. Simple combinations
Liang-I and szu-hsiang) led to more complex
combinations (trigrams and hexagrams).
The Chinese sought to represent all aspects of
nature and the human condition by constructing
sixty-four six-line Yin-I and Yang-I combinations
and studying their changing patterns through the
I-Ching, or Book of Changes. This may seem like an

impossible task until one considers that modern

day computers can perform a seemingly infinite
number of operations through the combination of
two elements (one and zero, or on and off), the
compact disk player can play a binary
representation of any piece of music, and a digital
camera can represent any scene through
combinations of two simple elements.
Previously in this chapter we have discussed the
combinatorial process by which the trigrams and
hexagrams are formed and we have briefly
explained how the combinatorial process can be
applied to studying combinations of simple Pa
Kua Chang techniques. After the student of Pa
Kua Chang studies techniques and combinations
Ch'ien Hexagram

Moving Line

Kuo Hexagram

New Hexagram

Moving Line Creates New Hexagram

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

of techniques and works to obtain a "body

knowledge" of these techniques, the next step in
the training process is learning how to vary and
change those techniques in any given situation.
Although Park Bok Nam utilizes the I-Ching
theory in teaching a student about change, a
study of the hexagrams and their specific meaning
is not the exercise a student will engage in to learn
this concept. What Park borrows from the I-Ching
is the general idea of changing combinatorial
elements, not the specific meaning of each
hexagram as written in the I-Ching.
In the I-Ching, symbolic meaning is derived
from each individual hexagram, however, the
hexagram representations are not static. In all
aspects of Chinese philosophy, the idea of dynamic
movement and unceasing change is apparent. It
is the changing lines of the hexagrams which
provide this dynamic aspect of the I-Ching. When
any of the Yin-I or Yang-I lines of a hexagram
change, an entirely new hexagram is created (see
illustration on the previous page).
In the illustration we see that by changing one
line of the hexagram Ch'ien, and new hexagram,
Kuo, is formed. Since Ch'ien is the extreme yang
hexagram (all lines are solid), there is no doubt
that when Ch 'ien changes, the change will produce
a hexagram which is less yang (contains one or
more yin lines). This is a very simple example of
how one might predict change.
The simple example above can be easily
examined in the realm of martial arts. If an
opponent assumes an extremely extended stance
(what Park would refer to as a yang posture), the
next change of stance or posture will become
more yin. Either he extends farther and looses his
balance, or he withdraws. A practitioner
recognizing the overly yang stance or posture of
the opponent can predict what the opponent will
do next and respond accordingly. He or she may
add to the force of the opponent's extension and
help cause the opponent to loose his balance, or
the practitioner may "stick" and follow the
opponent's withdraw and use it as a bridge to
close the gap and attack. Again, these responses
are studied and cultivated in training so that they
become natural. There is no time to think about
the theory of change in the / Ching while one is
fighting.

Predictable Change
Just as there are predictable patterns of change
inherent in nature, there are also predictable
patterns of change when two opponents clash in
physical combat. It is these patterns that the Pa
Kua Chang practitioner seeks to understand to
help research the fighting art. Understanding
patterns of change inherent in boxing will allow
a practitioner to gain knowledge of how an
opponent might respond to any given offensive
or defensive gesture.
If a Pa Kua Chang practitioner initiates an
attack, a palm strike to the opponent's face for
instance, one can predict with relative certainty
what the opponent's reactions might be. There
are a certain number of ways that the opponent
might block that strike or there are a given number
of ways that he might choose to move out of the
way of that strike. The opponent might block
with the left hand or the right hand, he might
block to one side or the other, he might block up
or down, he may move his body right or left, he
may move straight back or straight in, he may
duck, etc.
The changes an opponent might make in order
to avoid or block an attack are reflective of the
changes made when one hexagram changes to
another hexagram in one of sixty-three possible
ways. When researching patterns in boxing, the
Pa Kua Chang practitioner first tries to obtain an
intuitive feel for the opponent's predictable
movements regarding the hands, body, and feet.
In Park's school this study is conducted during
two person partner practice. To help facilitate this
study of the opponent's movements, the
opponent's body movement can be easily broken
down into upper body movement (handwork),
middle body movement (bodywork), and lower
body movement (footwork).
Once the practitioner begins to get a basic feel
for predictable patterns regarding the hands, body,
and feet, he or she can then examine patterns of
movement further by studying the possible
movements of all of the opponent's joints. In
other words, the practitioner studies higher level
math. With each successive weapon the opponent
has available, the "mathematics" of his movement
becomes more complicated. A Western boxer will
have two skilled weapons, a Western "sport" kick51

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

boxer will have four skilled weapons; with the

addition of weapons, the combinations become
more complex. One reason Pa Kua Chang is
referred to as a "graduate" level martial art is
because the skilled practitioner knows how to
continuously, rapidly and effectively employ 16
or 17 weapons from all angles and in a seemingly
infinite number of combinations.
A detailed study of how the practitioner might
damage the opponent's attacking weapons,
continuously control the opponent's body, and
always remain in an optimum position to attack
begins with a study of predictable patterns of
change associated with basic attack or defense.
The Pa Kua Chang practitioner will study which of
the opponent's possible reactions might be most
likely to occur in any given situation and then he
will devise combination attacks or counter-attacks
which will overcome those predictable reactions.
He will then practice these combinations on his
own and against partners in practice. He will keep
the combinations and counter-attacks which work
well in partner practice and train those to become
natural body reactions. The ones that don't work
so well, he will discard. This is the way a student
in Park's school will research the fighting method.
Park is fond of saying, "If the student thoroughly
researches one Pa Kua Chang technique he will
learn one hundred techniques." In this manner,
one technique becomes "no technique."
Consistent with the study of predictable
patterns is the study of body types and fighting
styles. The student will research how to best fight
an opponent who is tall, or thin, or big, or fat, or
small, or slow, or quick, etc. Additionally, the
student will consider the best methods to use in
fighting a boxer, a wrestler, a good kicker, someone
skilled and chin na, etc. The ability to quickly
recognize an opponent's strong points based on
his body type, character, and fighting style is an
important part of studying predictable change.
As in all research, if there is sound philosophy,
the research method is not haphazard. We
described earlier how Park was taught to research
and build combinations based on combinatorial
analysis. After the combinations were practiced,
Lu taught Park how to change and vary
combinations based on opponent responses. The
exact method for this research is beyond the scope
52

of this book, however, the theory is similar to that

used in the moving line prediction of the / Ching.
Consistent with the theory of "patterns of
change" symbolized by the hexagram and trigram
models, there are patterns, or principles, of
movement associated with the Pa Kua Chang
form maneuvers and sequences. Just as the trigrams
and hexagrams symbolize dynamic concepts and
thus cannot be too strictly tied to any particular
association or correspondence, a particular Pa Kua
Chang movement in a form sequence should not
be strictly associated with a given "technique." Pa
Kua Chang is not a technique oriented art. The
beginning student may start by training technique
application, however, as the student progresses he
or she should look beyond technique and try to
capture the underlying principle of the movement.
The movements and sequences in any Pa Kua
Chang form relate to patterns and principles of
the fighting system, not "techniques." The
student's job is to strive to understand the
movement beyond a handful of attack and defense
techniques and capture the principle which any
given movement in a form is conveying. Once the
essence of the movement is understood, there are
a limitless number of variations that one can
derive from the principle. Making attachments to
specific attack and defense techniques will severely
limit one's understanding of the principles of
movement inherent in Pa Kua Chang.
Unpredictable Change
Another reason a Pa Kua Chang practitioner
will research predictable patterns is so that he or
she can make his or her own attack combinations
and counterattacks unpredictable. As soon as an
opponent is committed a certain way, the
practitioner will change unpredictably. When
sparring with Park the student will get hit with
palm strikes that seem to come out of nowhere.
This is because Park is a master of making the
opponent think he is going one way when he is
really going another. This ability is characteristic
of any skilled Pa Kua Chang practitioner.
Pa Kua Chang practitioners are famous for
their ability to change rapidly in response to any
of the opponent's movements. Their rapid
changing movements also serve to confuse the
opponent. As soon as the opponent commits in

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

one direction, the Pa Kua Chang practitioner has
changed and is attacking from another direction.
Any good fighter is going to be able to "listen"
or feel what an opponent is doing, or detect what
an opponent is about to do, and respond
accordingly. So what is different about Pa Kua
Chang? The difference is that in Pa Kua Chang the
change is continuous, it is unpredictable, and it is
powerful. Like flowing water constantly changing
direction in accordance with the path of least
resistance, the Pa Kua Chang practitioner
continually changes and flows smoothly into his or
her opponent's weak areas of defense. Once a fight
begins, the Pa Kua Chang practitioner never quits
moving, changing, and attacking until a positive
outcome is obtained.
While T'ai Chi Ch'uan practitioners are also
fond of relating the flowing water analogy to their
art, the Pa Kua Chang practitioner is very crafty in
his application of the ability to "flow" while
changing suddenly and unpredictably to inflict the
greatest amount of damage on an opponent in the
shortest amount of time. For instance, if a Pa Kua
Chang practitioner initiates a throwing technique,
he or she might choose not to continue the full
execution of that throwing technique as a judo
practitioner might. The judo practitioner will
initiate the throw and then follow through with that
throw until the opponent is on the ground. The Pa
Kua Chang practitioner might initiate the throw
and then as soon as the opponent is off balance
and moving towards the ground, the Pa Kua
Chang practitioner will change quickly so that a
palm strike can be delivered to the opponent's face
while he is falling toward the ground. Quick and
complete destruction is the rule.
In many Pa Kua Chang applications, the
practitioner will initiate a technique to get the
opponent moving one way, then suddenly change
to strike directly into the direction the opponent is
moving. Using the opponent's momentum, or
inertia, against him is a favorite technique of the
Pa Kua Chang practitioner.
Knowing how to change and when to change is
a skill that will only come through many hours of
research and partner practice. Once a practitioner
in Park Bok Nam's school has studied the
fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang as described in

this book, Park will teach eight basic Pa Kua

Chang fighting techniques which are practiced
on a straight line repeatedly. When the student
has obtained a certain level of skill with these
eight basic movements, Park will encourage the
students to pair up and use these attacks against a
partner. Each partner will study what defensive
techniques and counter-attacks work well against
these basic attacks.
Only by spending hours with a training partner
acting out "what if" scenarios will a practitioner
gain an innate ability to learn how to apply Pa Kua
Chang. The theory as outlined in this chapter
simply provides the student with a road map.
Five Phase Theory
Everyone who has been associated with any
element of Chinese religion, philosophy,
medicine, or martial arts is probably familiar with
the Five Phase (Wu Hsing) model and its
associated creative and destructive cycles
(shown in the illustration below).
In the creative cycle we see that Water creates
Wood, Wood creates Fire, Fire creates Earth, Earth
creates Metal, and Metal creates Water. Like the
cycle represented by the Later Heaven trigrams,

The Five Phases

53

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

the creative cycle of the five phase model depicts
a never ending generative process. The destructive
cycle depicts Earth destroying Water, Water
destroying Fire, Fire destroying Metal, Metal
destroying Wood, and Wood destroying Earth.

Wu

Hsing

This model is deeply ingrained in Chinese

society and an integral part of Chinese philosophy,
medical theory, martial arts, astronomy, and many
aspects of daily life. While many refer this model
as the "five element" model, the term "phase"
may be more appropriate because it implies that
the model is dynamic. The word "element" implies
a static or concrete representation. Just like there
is a dynamic interplay between yin and yang, there
is also a dynamic interplay between the five phases
and continuous movement among them.
Additionally, there is a continuous ebb and flow
of yin and yang aspects of each of the unique
phases and thus they cannot be considered as
representing static concepts.
Each specific discipline employing the five
phase model will have their unique five phase
correspondences. The relationships of the five
phases as depicted in the creative and destructive
cycles represent a dynamic interplay which is
seeking balance or harmony. The interaction of
the five phases form a system of checks and
balances. If something is in excess it can be put in
check through the destructive cycle, if something
is depleted it can be revived through the creative
cycle. The constant movement of the five phases
in the never ending search for the elusive "perfect"
balance can form a complex web of checks and
balances.
The study of these relationships and
correspondences associated with this model can
become very deep and is well beyond the scope of
this book. However, Park's application of this
model in his fighting art is very straight forward
and thus a detailed study of this model as it is
applied in a field such as medicine is not necessary.
Park Bok Nam was taught to employ this model
54

in two ways. The first method Park was taught is

similar to the way this model is used in some
Hsing-I Ch'uan schools. In Hsing-I Ch'uan, each
of the five elements is associated with one of five
basic striking techniques, or five fists. For example,
on the most basic level, Hsing-I practitioners
relate force applied in a vertical plane (p'i ch'uan)
to the Metal phase. Force applied in a horizontal
plane (peng ch'uan) corresponds to Wood and
force applied on a inclined plane (ts'uan ch'uan)
corresponds to Water, etc.
In application of this model, the Hsing-I Ch'uan
practitioner might use the Metal technique to
create an opportunity to use the Water technique,
followed by the Wood technique, etc., as depicted
in the creative cycle. Similarly, if an opponent
attacked with a Wood technique, the practitioner
might counter that technique with a Metal
technique as depicted in the destructive cycle. In
this manner the Hsing-I Ch'uan practitioner uses
the destructive and creative cycles as research
tools to built attack and defense combinations.
Although the technique correspondences are
not exactly the same as used in Hsing-I, Park was
taught to use this model in a similar manner.
Attack combinations can be built by utilizing the
creative cycle and defense strategies can be studied
utilizing the destructive cycle. For instance, if an
opponent attacks with a quick, fast, expressive
technique (Fire) such as a palm strike to the chest,
the practitioner would counter that with a
receptive, Water, technique such as a yin to yang
changing palm to parry combined with a pivot
step to evade.
The other method Park uses in applying this
model is not so dependent upon exact five phase
correspondences as it is on the general idea of the
creative and destructive cycles. The creative cycle
corresponds to the principles of "joining",
"following", "adhering", "sticking", and/or
"guiding." These principles all describe the
practitioner's ability to follow, guide, stick to,
adhere to, or join with the opponent's force. In
contrast, the destructive cycle corresponds with
the practitioner's ability to damage, destroy or
lock the opponent and/or cut off the opponent's
power.
Many Pa Kua Chang applications, rely on the
ability to adhere or "stick" to an opponent's force,

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

follow, lead, or deflect that force, and then strike

effectively when the opponent is off balance, or
"open." The trick to attaining this skill is in the
development of an innate feel for the "adhere"
component, knowing how to easily and effectively
apply the "deflect" component based on a
knowledge of angles and controlling points, and
then finally apply the "damage" component
powerfully, swiftly and effectively.
In Park's Pa Kua Chang system he trains his
students how to get from the "adhere" to the
"damage" phase of the encounter as rapidly as
possible. As depicted in the five phases model, the
"adhere" and "deflect" components are usually
applied through circular movements while the
"damage" component is applied in a direct, linear
fashion. This concept applies to the footwork,
bodywork, and handwork of Park's Pa Kua Chang.
Park states that if both opponents continue to
move in circles, they will potentially continue
following each other forever. The key is in knowing
how and when to change from the circular to the
linear and vice-versa. The adhering and deflecting
is used to create an opening or an opportunity for
attack. A skilled practitioner can create that
opportunity within seconds of the initial
encounter.
In Park's method, the study of knowing how to
adhere and deflect and when and where to attack
is facilitated through practice of two man drills
which utilize the five phase model correspondence
as a research device.
Conclusion
Given numbers without mathematics, use of
those numbers would be terribly cumbersome.
One could count objects, but counting groups of
objects one by one would prove to be a very
laborsome task. With the tool of addition, groups
of numbers can be counted more efficiently and
thus the job becomes easier. But then again, with
the tools of multiplication and division,
performance of the job becomes even more
efficient. The higher the math becomes, the more
efficiently one can work and the sophistication of
the tasks one can undertake and complete increases
exponentially.

Park Bok Nam states that everyone who has

two arms and two legs starts out with the same set
of "numbers." The skillful, efficient, and effective
application of those numbers dictates the outcome
of a physical encounter. Like in mathematics, the
more highly evolved the principles and theories
of the system, the more efficiently the task can be
accomplished. In the realm of mathematics there
is theoretical mathematics and then there are
applied mathematics. The ones who apply the
mathematics are the ones who get things done.
They design things and they build things.
The Pa Kua Chang theorists were the scholarly
ancestors who took the Chinese theoretical models
and applied them to the art of Pa Kua Chang. The
fighters do not spend much time thinking about
the theory, they simply learn the theory and
apply it. No matter how sound the theory, it does
not do the practitioner much good unless it can be
applied. Although Park relies heavily on the
theory to teach his students, he is also found of
saying, "This martial art should be in your body,
not in your head, and not in your mouth."
In applying the philosophical principles of the
art, Park emphasizes that all three of the principles
which form the equation below should be evident
in every movement of the practice:
Pa Kua Chang Philosophy = Yin Yang Theory +
I-Ching Theory + Wu Using (Five Phase) Theory

Park teaches that if one of these elements is

missing from any movement or application, then
that movement or application is not balanced.
His students strive to seek this balance in their
own movements and also learn how to recognize
a lack of this balance in their opponent. Park
states that developing the physical manifestation
of the principles in oneself is only half of the work.
The other half is learning to recognize what
principles the opponent lacks so that he can be
quickly defeated.
The "research" component of Park's Pa Kua
Chang training and the principles and theories
which form this component provide the student
with the tools necessary to continually strive to
perform the art with more speed, more power,
more efficiently, and more efficaciously. With
these tools at his or her disposal, the student is
55

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

always thinking, researching and growing.
If an opponent attacks me, I can simply move
out of the way, and at the beginning levels of
training that is all I might train to do. However,
once I can do that effectively, then I have to think
about a better way. When during the opponent's
attack is the best time to move out of the way? In
which direction should I move? How close or far
away should I be to set up an optimum counterattack? At what angle should I orient myself in
order to set up for an optimum counter-attack?
What hand technique should I use to parry?
Should I simply parry, or should I also use the
parry as a strike? Remembering that my counterattack should be aimed at an area that will cause
the opponent the most damage and executed so
that I can follow the counter-attack with a rapid

follow-on attack, what counter-attack would be

best for me to employ?
All of these questions are answered while
researching the art in two-man partner practice.
The road map which is used to help answer the
questions concerning distance, timing,
syncopation, evasion, opening, closing, set-ups,
rhythm, angles, combinations, targeting, and all
other attack and defense strategies is drawn from
the Pa Kua Chang theories. The method Park uses
to teach these theories so that they are resident in
the student's body as reflex reactions is to teach
every level of development based on these
principles. Throughout the remainder of this
book, we will discuss how all of Park's fundamental
exercises are built within the framework of these
theories.

56

The Philosophical Roots of Pa Kua Chang

Yin Yang

Pa Kua

Wu Hsing

57

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

58

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Chapter 3

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

59

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Chapter 3

Pa Kua Chang
Footwork
Introduction

and remaining highly mobile. All Pa Kua technique

is initiated by combining footwork and handwork
with hip (yao k'ua) and integrated body movement.
Integration and connection between step, body,
and hand are essential elements to successful
technique application.

f you have ever tried to catch a fish with your

I
bare hands, then you know the frustration of a
martial artist trying to combat a Pa Kua Chang
stylist. Rapidly executed evasive footwork and
swift elusive twisting and turning body
movements are distinctive of Pa Kua Chang. Like
the T'ai Chi Ch'uan practitioner, the Pa Kua
Chang stylist's movements are relaxed, supple,
smooth and continuous. However, while the
T'ai Chi Ch'uan practitioner will usually practice
at a slow steady pace, the Pa Kua Chang
practitioner will vary his rhythm and change
directions quickly. His movements are
continuous, but they are sometimes fast and
sometimes slow, and his flexible body is always
twisting, turning, coiling, and circling. Highly
evasive footwork and snake-like body movements
are characteristic of the style.
One of the most difficult, and perhaps the
most misunderstood, aspects of the art of Pa Kua
Chang is its employment of footwork. The fluid,
swift, continuous movements and applications
of the Pa Kua style are motivated by rapid change
of direction and constant interchange of weight
while the practitioner executes quick, accurate
stepping maneuvers. The practitioner relies on
his footwork to optimally position his body to
avoid an opponent's attack or to set up his own
attack.
The skilled Pa Kua Chang practitioner can
strike an opponent repeatedly with incredible
speed and power while continuously moving

Rooting
In stepping, the Pa Kua Chang practitioner is
fluid, quick and light. His aim is to remain highly
mobile while maintaining body connection and
stability in motion. This stability in motion, or
rootedness, is primarily a product of alignment,
connection, and full body integration.
Maintaining rootedness while remaining light,
agile, and highly mobile is characteristic of Pa Kua
Chang. To some, being light and rooted at the
same time may seem like a contradiction. However,
rootedness results from alignment, not
"heaviness."
When asked to "root," some practitioners will
make their body heavy and imagine that they are
like trees with roots extending from their legs into
the Earth. While this method may help to form a
connection to the Earth, and thus may be a valid
technique in some forms of standing meditation
and ch'i kung, this method is not ideal when
executing the swift foot movement required in a
combat situation. In making the body "heavy,"
foot and body movement become sluggish. If
root is to be maintained while moving rapidly,
this method must be transcended. Park Bok Nam
likes to compare the movement of a Pa Kua Chang

60

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

stylist to that of a cat. He states that a lion or tiger
has a very heavy body, however, all of their
movements appear to be light, supple, and nimble.
While in Beijing, China, in October 1992,I
asked several elder Pa Kua Chang practitioners
what made Pa Kua Chang different from other
martial arts. They stated that the genius of Tung
Hai-Ch'uan's art was that the practitioner could
issue powerful strikes while the feet were in
constant motion. In most martial art styles the
practitioner is mobile, however, prior to striking
he will stabilize himself in order to issue power
from a firmly rooted, or grounded, posture. The
mechanics and training of Pa Kua Chang are such
that the practitioner can issue his power while the
feet are continually moving. Through the correct
practice of Pa Kua Chang footwork and body
movement, the practitioner can develop a "moving
root."
In Pa Kua Chang the practitioner's body
remains light and ready to move even when he is
assuming a static posture. He does not bounce up
and down like the Kickboxer, nor does he anchor
himself into the ground like a practitioner of T'ai
Chi Ch'uan's fixed-step push hands. He is like a
cat ready to pounce. His exterior is still, while his
intention is focused on moving quickly. In most
instances, moving the feet is his first reaction to
an opponent's attack. The practitioner's root is a
function of body alignments and structural
integration. Structural dynamics utilized to
develop ken or "root" in the static "guard stance"
or "dragon posture" of Pa Kua Chang are described
later in this chapter.
Although Park Bok Nam teaches a number of
static postures to his students in the course of their
training program, in execution of Pa Kua Chang,
the static postures are very transitional. The Pa
Kua Chang practitioner will rarely hold a static
stance in combat for more than a second or two.
Pa Kua Chang's strength is in its ability to apply
footwork and thus fighting while continuously
moving the feet is stressed in Park's school.
The Sung Principle
In addition to correct alignments, the
practitioner of Pa Kua Chang will also incorporate
the sung principle. Sung is a Chinese term which
cannot be correctly translated into English using

a one word definition. Sung is often incompletely

translated as "relax." This convenient one word
translation can lead to misunderstanding as sung
has meaning in the martial arts beyond "relax" in
the dictionary's sense of "to make lax or loose."

Sung
The Pa Kua Chang practitioner does not let his
muscles relax in such a manner that the body is
like that of a rag doll. In applying the sung
principle, the body is loose, but it is a rubbery,
springy, "ready for action" kind of looseness. The
muscles do not hang on the structure like heavy,
dead flesh and the eyes to not glaze over like a
zombie or droop as if one is ready to fall asleep.
The whole body should be relaxed, but at the same
time it is alive, alert and ready to move. The body
is like that of a cat ready to pounce on its prey. The
muscles are relaxed, but the intention puts life
into them. If alignment and posture are correct
and the body is sung, the practitioner will be
relaxed and rooted, but the body will be light and
ready to move, the mind will be alert and the spirit
radiant.
Footwork Training
The only way to train stability in motion is to
move. However, the way many martial arts train
alignment, in the developmental stages, is in
standing still. Most martial art training systems
are progressive, starting with static postures
designed to develop connection, alignment,
flexibility, and leg strength. However, in Pa Kua
Chang, since the focus of the art is on moving the
feet, the basic training does not usually include
standing in one place very long. For instance, in
Park Bok Nam's school the student will practice
stepping exercises which require the student to
stop briefly and examine alignments and structural
integration in-between stepping maneuvers. The
student will step, check the posture, step, check
the posture, step, check the posture, etc.
By practicing basic stepping maneuvers such
61

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

as the "Eight Direction Rooted Steps," and the
"pivot steps" while focusing on maintaining
structural alignments and checking these
alignments in-between steps, the student develops
structural integrity and coordinated movement
while also training mobility. As body alignments
become second nature, the student can increase the
speed of consecutive stepping maneuvers and
increase his or her mobility. The goal is to be able
to move swiftly, continuously, smoothly, and
lightly while maintaining structural alignments
and proper full body integration. Executing
consecutive steps in rapid succession also trains
leg strength, stamina, endurance, and
concentration.
In Park's school of Pa Kua Chang the basic
training also involves learning the continuous
movement of Pa Kua Chang circle walking and
the associated k'ou pu and pai pu footwork.
Because the Pa Kua circle walking requires
constant movement and transition of weight,
maintaining root at all times is difficult and so the
beginner spends a lot of time "walking the circle."
Most practitioners are familiar with Pa Kua's
signature circle walking and the various walking
steps (lion step, dragon step, chicken step, etc.) as
well as the k'ou pu and pai pu stepping maneuvers.
However, Pa Kua Chang also employs a great
number of other stepping techniques that are not
commonly associated with the art's popular forms.
Many martial arts practitioners only think of Pa
Kua stepping as being circular because the
majority of popular Pa Kua forms consist mainly
of the circle walking techniques. However,
looking closely at the lineage of Pa Kua Chang as
it descended from Tung Hai-Ch'uan, one will note
that in most lines of transmission the circle
walking was not the only stepping technique
which was taught. In conjunction with the circle
walk the practitioner was also required to become
skilled at a number of other stepping techniques.
For most of Tung's students the foundation
work for other various stepping maneuvers was
done while the practitioner studied another martial
art style. Tung did not accept many students that
did not have a solid background in another art.
Circle walking maybe considered an "advanced"
technique because it requires that one maintain
rootedness while in constant motion. Tung taught

his students to employ the circle walk and the Pa

Kua Chang techniques based on what they already
knew from studying other systems.
Not all Pa Kua teachers required their students
to have a solid foundation in another art before
studying Pa Kua, but would have the student
become proficient in basic stepping methods along
with the circle walk. When the student was
taught fighting skills, the basic stepping methods
would be combined with the circle walking
techniques in order to provide a complete arsenal
of Pa Kua Chang stepping maneuvers. This is the
approach that Park takes in training his students
and this is the approach that is outlined here in
this book.
In terms of functionality, all of these stepping
techniques are very useful fighting maneuvers
and are combined with circle walking and k'ou pu
pai pu in order to provide the Pa Kua
practitioner with a full range of stepping
techniques to use in combat. Thus, although they
come from exercises supplementary to the popular
Pa Kua Chang circle walking forms, these
stepping techniques should not be thought of as
being separate from the art Pa Kua Chang.
Why Concentrate on Footwork First
Park's reason for insisting that the student
concentrate on Pa Kua Chang footwork first is
two-fold. First, he feels that practicing many
hours of Pa Fang Ken Pu (Eight Direction Rooted
Stepping), pivot stepping, k'ou pu pai pu
stepping and circle walking will give the student
a strong foundation in terms of leg strength,
physical endurance, proper stepping mechanics,
and correct Pa Kua Chang body movement. Pa
Kua Chang is an art famous for its footwork and
all its fighting tactics rely on the high degree of
mobility and precise body positioning that
correct footwork provides. While students like
to ask about practicing palm striking methods,
fancy form movements, and offensive fighting
tactics, Park will always tell a story about a
strong man trying to catch a fly, "If a strong man
cannot catch a fly, who is actually stronger?"
Park got his first taste of the effectiveness of Pa
Kua Chang's foot work shortly after he began
practicing at Lu Shui-T'ien's school. Park had
been very proud of the "spinning back kick" that
62

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

research an unlimited number of combinations
and variations based on these principles of
movement.
The theories of circular movement around a
central axis, angular rotation around an axis, and
movement to one of eight directions are derived
from the Eight Trigram circle and are used as
research tools (along with yin/yang theory and five
phase theory) to examine how fighting techniques
might vary or how they can be improved.
Every Pa Kua Chang technique has an optimum
angle from which it is applied. The difference
between a technique performed adequately and
one performed masterfully is dependent upon the
practitioner gaining the optimum positioning
before the technique is applied, applying the
technique at the opportune instant in time, and
maintaining optimum angles during the
technique's execution. Pa Kua Chang is an art of
angles. In all technique execution the Pa Kua
Chang practitioner seeks the path of least resistance
by attacking where the opponent is weakest. The
skilled Pa Kua Chang practitioner has an innate
knowledge of how to seek and maintain the path
of least resistance in applying any technique. The
ability to "be in the right place at the right time"
will first manifest through the footwork skill.

he had developed when he was in high school

studying Tang Soo Do. He had become so fast with
this technique that he could use it with ease
against his Tang Su Do sparring partners. Naturally
when Park first started sparring with Lu's students
he tried to use this technique. Lu saw Park's kick
and said, "You better not do that, you are going to
get hurt." Park didn't believe Lu and so he tried it
again. Lu then whispered something to Park's
sparring partner. The next time Park tried that
kick he found himself flat on the ground. He
could not figure out what had happened. He tried
it again and the same thing happened.
Park was intent on finding out how his
opponent was dumping him on the ground so
easily and so he continued to try his kick. The
result was the same each time and he still could
not figure out what was happening. He tried to
vary his approach, his delivery, his set up, and his
timing, but every time he kicked he ended up on
the ground. Finally he became frustrated and
gave up. Lu said, "I told you, if you try that kick
you will get hurt."
Later, Park became famous in Korea for his
ability to employ fast and effective footwork.
While training with his teacher, he was allowed to
enter several national martial arts tournaments in
Seoul, the nation's capitol. In every fighting
event Park entered, each of his opponents was
knocked on the ground in a matter of seconds.
Park would step, move in and throw. He positioned
his body so quickly and accurately that his
opponent did not have a chance to react before
Park had obtained the optimum throwing angle
and executed his technique. Park moved so swiftly
that spectators wishing to observe how he was
throwing his opponents so fast could not detect
what he was doing.
The second reason Park feels that footwork is
the number one priority in Pa Kua Chang training,
is that by executing these stepping patterns the
practitioner is physically ingraining three of the
fundamental movement principles of Pa Kua
Chang - namely, circular movement around a
central axis, angular rotation around a central
axis, and movement to one of eight directions.
With a knowledge of these three movement
theories, the Pa Kua Chang student can take any
Pa Kua Chang technique executed in a form and

About This Chapter

In this chapter of the book, we will focus on the
four basic components of Pa Kua Chang footwork:
Pa Fang Ken Pu (Eight Direction Rooted Stepping),
Pivot Stepping, Circle Walking, and K'ou Pu/Pai Pu
Stepping. We will detail their execution and
explain how they are derived from the theory of
the Pa Kua diagrams. We will also examine how
these techniques are trained on the intermediate
level and how a practitioner can improve his or
her Pa Kua Chang footwork by researching these
techniques in accordance with the Pa Kua
principles.
Before detailing any of the stepping techniques
in this section it is important that the reader
understand how Bok Nam Park recommends his
students train any Pa Kua Chang exercise or form.
There are six basic training levels to any exercise
in this system. We will outline these levels here in
the footwork chapter, but the reader should keep
63

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

this training sequence in mind when practicing
any of the exercises explained in this book.

executed without a full hand/body/footwork

integration.
The fundamental methods of how to combine
the footwork with the various palm maneuvers
are contained in a later section of this book.

Training Stages
1) Slow and Exact First, each exercise is
executed very slowly with concentration on the
proper body alignments and movements.
The student works the exercise slowly until it
can be executed with exactness and fluidity. In
stepping the student will execute the step, stop to
check the posture and adjust accordingly, then
step again.

5) Refinement As a fifth stage of training any

exercise, the student will work to refine the
movements of the exercise so that the large
movements which were executed in the beginning
stages of training become very small. In footwork
training this would consist of the execution of
footwork combinations in a combat situation
such that there is no wasted movement. In Pa Kua
Chang, all movement is quick and efficient.

2) Power The second stage in training is to

execute the exercise with power. The power in the
stepping techniques is demonstrated when the
steps are executed quickly, fluidly and with
exactness while maintaining a light and agile
body. When this stage is executed, the upper
body, shoulders, and arms are very relaxed and
the footwork is executed quickly without any
wobbling or wavering. Each step is crisp and
explosive.

6) Continuity The sixth and last major stage

of focus in training is to learn how to
continuously connect all movements,
applications, and techniques. The student
works to integrate component parts and
develop tactically sound combinations of hand,
arm, body, and stepping motions. The "linking"
of component parts occurs in a smooth, natural,
fluid, and continuous manner. The student
researches how components are best
connected
and
then
practices
combinations in order to ingrain a reflex body
knowledge of the patterns.

3) Power and Speed

The third stage of
execution of any exercise in Park's system is to
execute the exercise with power and speed. In the
stepping exercises this is trained through the
execution of repeated steps or a combination of
different steps performed in rapid succession.
There should be no bouncing up and down,
shifting of weight from one leg to the other, or
swaying back and forth. The body moves quickly
and smoothly.
Although combinations of techniques and
combinations of body, foot, and hand movements
are an integral part of Park's training program, he
stresses that the student should first work so that
he or she can execute each individual component
with power and speed before combinations are
practiced.
4) Hand + Body + Step Once the practitioner
has developed the ability to execute hand
techniques and footwork with speed and power in
isolation, the fourth stage of execution is to
combine the footwork with body, arm and hand
movements. In Park's system, no movement is
64

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Eight Direction Rooted Stepping

Pa

Fang

Ken

Pu

There are a complete set of "Eight Direction

Rooted Stepping" exercises designed to develop
quick, accurate, rooted, and coordinated stepping
for use in fighting. We will describe the basic set
of exercises in this book. In the basic set of
exercises the practitioner will learn to step straight
forward or backward, side to side, and forward or
backward at 45 degree angles utilizing the "follow
step" or "jump step" foot movement. Basic
exercises also include full stepping (back foot
becomes front foot as in walking) in all directions.
All directional stepping patterns used in these
exercises are based on the geometry of the Pa Kua
diagram as described in the previous chapter.
The basics of some of the "Eight Direction
Rooted Stepping" exercises will be described in
this chapter. However, before we can discuss
stepping, the first requirement is to become
familiar with the "guard" posture Park uses in
fighting.
The Standard Circle Walk Posture

The Stance for Combat

he first component of Park's Pa Kua

Chang footwork training, referred to as
"Eight Direction Rooted Stepping" or Pa
Fang Ken Pu, conditions the practitioner to be
able to coordinate the body and hand with
footwork in order to move quickly out of harm's
way and position the body for optimum angles of
counterattack. The Pa Fang Ken Pu exercises taught
to Park by his teacher Lu Shui-T'ien teach the
student highly functional stepping patterns
utilizing basic stepping techniques executed in
eight directions. These techniques facilitate
the student's development of root while
remaining light and mobile.

Most practitioners are familiar with Pa Kua

Chang's signature "guard" or "eight" stance which
is used in forms practice and "walking the circle"
exercises. The spine is straight, the lower back is
flat, the head is held erect, the shoulders are
relaxed and dropped down, the elbows are pointed
down, the arms are curved, and the knees are bent.
Park states that practicing forms is good exercise
for developing the body and the ch'i. He also
states that the forms contain fighting applications,
however, in order to develop the muscles, joints,
tendons, bones and ch'i, the forms are usually
practiced with the body extended or "open."

65

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Park Bok Nam Demonstrates His Combat Stance

When training specifically for fighting, one will
"close the door" by modifying the body position
slightly so that the opponent's access to the body's
center line above and below the waist is shut off.
"Closing the door" protects the body's chung men
(center gate) and covers avenues of attack. Park
states that in his teacher's Pa Kua Chang system
the rule was; "When practicing for health the
body is open, when practicing for fighting, the
body is closed."
The "guard" stance, or "dragon posture," which
Park teaches to use in fighting is similar to the
stance used by many schools in forms practice,
but there are some minor differences. In the
fighting stance, the weight shifts slightly forward
so that approximately 60% of the weight is on the
back leg and 40% is on the front leg and the
forward foot tucks in slightly. The toes of the
front foot are roughly in line with the toes of the
rear foot as shown in the illustration at right. As
the weight shifts forward, the body is bent slightly
at the hips, but the spine remains straight. In
Chinese martial arts parlance this bending slightly
forward at the hips is called the "tiger's crouch"
and is employed by most systems of boxing.

When assuming this posture, two things occur,

first, and most obvious, is that the knees and
thighs naturally come closer together and thus
the groin area is protected. Secondly, when the
posture is correct, the hip joints will open up and
therefore facilitate flexibility and ease of motion
in the hips. Additionally, when the hips open, the
tan t'ien will expand.
The tan t'ien is located a few inches below the
navel and in towards the center of the body. This
place, which roughly coincides with the body's
center of gravity, is believed to be the body's
central storage and distribution area for ch'i. When
the body posture is correct, the pelvic region will
relax and expand and thus allow the tan t'ien to
store and distribute ch'i more efficiently and
effectively. Park will sometimes encourage
students to place their hands over the tan t'ien

Foot Alignment for the Dragon Posture

66

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

region while standing straight up and then feel

the area expand as the body sinks down into the
proper stance.

Tan

Tien

The bending of the knees will lower the body's

center of gravity and thus increase stability. In
this position the body is "ready" to move and thus
movement in any direction can be executed
quickly. Park teaches that the knees should be
bent so that the body is comfortable and relaxed.
If the body is too upright, balance, stability and
quickness of motion will not be optimal. If the
knees are bent too much, movement will be
sluggish. When training to develop strength in
the legs Park feels that it is all right to assume a low
posture, however, when training for speed, the
body should be in at a mid-level, comfortable
position.
In the combat stance, there should also be a
"spring loading" of the legs. The front leg pushes
towards the back and the back leg pushes forward.
However, this "pushing" is subtle. The practitioner
should not push so hard that he or she becomes
less mobile. The body remains light and ready to
move and thus this "pushing" should simply stem
from an intention to move forward or backward
rapidly.
The forward hand is held at nose height and the
eyes look straight ahead using the space
between the thumb and index finger as a "gun
sight" (see photographs at the top of the previous
page). The lower hand is held three to five inches
below the elbow of the upper arm. Bringing the
lower hand under the elbow of the upper arm
facilitates a rounding of the back and allows the
chest to relax, providing further protection to the
center line. Also, this posture will allow the
shoulders to drop down in a relaxed position and
as the lungs move back, breathing becomes easier.
The shoulders are relaxed, the elbows point
down and the arms maintain a roundness. The
hips are positioned naturally, the navel facing
roughly the same direction as the toes. In this
67

posture, the hands, forearms, knees, and thighs

are in position to easily guard the center line of the
body with little or no wasted movement.
By "spring loading" the legs, the practitioner
can move forward, backward, or side-to-side very
quickly. In fighting, the only time the practitioner
executes a walking step (where the back foot steps
out to become the front foot as in walking) is to
travel a relatively long distance to close the gap
between himself and the opponent, or to maneuver
around the opponent as in circle walking.
In many fighting circumstances the opponent
will be within close range and thus the follow-step
could be better employed. (Keep in mind that
when we speak of combat, we are not talking
about the choreographed dance routines that are
displayed in martial arts movies or contemporary
"wushu" fighting sets. Most real fights are executed
at close range and will be over in a matter of
seconds.) The follow step, which is a familiar
move to Hsing-I Ch'uan practitioners, is the best
way to travel a short distance rapidly with root
and control. The 60/40 weighted stance facilitates
maximum mobility in all directions with the
greatest speed.
If the practitioner is completely back weighted
as in the "guard" stance employed by many styles
in forms practice, it is difficult to move backwards
a short distance with speed. Maintaining high
levels of mobility and speed while traveling
relatively short distances are essential elements in
combat. The Pa Kua Chang practitioner relies on
his footwork to quickly avoid attack and rapidly
seek the optimum angle for counter-attack. Speed
and agility are paramount.
This "combat posture" will feel a bit awkward
to practitioners who have not sufficiently opened
the hip joints. Flexibility and strength in hip
movement is an important component in internal
martial arts practice. When the posture is correct
and the hips open, the student will notice that the
tan t'ien will naturally expand. Most beginning
practitioners are extremely tight in the hips.
Working to achieve the correct body alignment
and distribution of weight in the "combat posture"
and practicing the "Eight Direction Rooted
Stepping" exercise will greatly increase hip
flexibility and strength in hip movement as well
as improve speed, agility, body control, and root.

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

When Lu Shui-T'ien was training with his

teacher in China, his teacher would have him
stand in the back of a horse cart and assume the
dragon stance posture. His teacher, Li Ching-Wu,
would then drive the horse cart at high speeds
down bumpy country roads while Lu was in the
back trying to maintain his balance. Lu Shui-T'ien
did not have a horse cart in Korea, but he would
require Park to engage in a similar practice by
having him ride the bus out into the country side
and back while standing in the isle in the dragon
posture stance.
Some might argue that having a "combat"
ready stance is not realistic because in a real
self-defense situation one will not likely have the
time to assume a "guard" posture. Most real
self-defense situations will occur quickly and in
close quarters. While this is true, training the
guard posture, with a "closed" body, will ingrain
good habits in terms of structure, alignment,
balance, coordination, and body covering that
will serve the practitioner well if there is the time
and space available.
Every fighting situation is different. In some
cases there may only be enough physical space
and time to throw a quick series of elbow strikes to
defend oneself and thus the dragon posture will
not be utilized. However, in many other situations
having a good natural guard posture will be of
great value. Park believes that the more familiar
the practitioner becomes with this posture and
the execution of his or her techniques from this
posture, the faster and more accurate all of the
techniques will become.

will then describe basic stepping patterns utilized

in practicing these steps.
In this section of the book we will talk about
the foot movements alone. We will not discuss
the arm movements which accompany the steps
until a later section which will explain the fan
chang or "overturning palm" mechanics. Park is
adamant when imparting to his students the
importance of ingraining a physical reflex habit
with the footwork movements before attempting
to combine the footwork with hand and arm
techniques. If the footwork is weak, there will be
no foundation.

The Jump Step

Basic Pa Fang Ken Pu Practice
The "jump step," also referred to as the "follow
step" or "forward step" (shang pu), is utilized to
rapidly travel a relatively short distance with root,
balance, and body control. This stepping
maneuver is one of the first stepping exercises
Park teaches. Ideally the practitioner will want to
be able to execute this step quickly in any direction
and, upon conclusion of the first step, be
immediately ready to step once again in any
direction. This requirement makes continuous
root, body control and balance mandatory.
If the practitioner were to step forward and

In the previous section we introduced Pa Fang

Ken Pu by explaining the "ready" or "guard"
posture utilized in this exercise set. Familiarity
with this posture (which Park refers to as the
"Dragon Posture") is essential to success in the Pa
Fang Ken Pu exercise because this posture is assumed
at the conclusion of every stepping movement. In
this section we will describe two of the fundamental
rooted stepping techniques - the "jump" step and
the "full" step. After explaining the fundamental
mechanics of these steps and their variations, we
68

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

allow the forward momentum of the first step to

throw the body slightly out of alignment with the
principles of the "guard" stance (outlined in the
previous section), the next move could not be
executed immediately. When initially practicing
any stepping movements, it is imperative that the
student work to fall directly into the proper" guard "
stance upon conclusion of the movement. The
conclusion of each step is the guard stance, there
should be no extra adjustment necessary.
Grossly defined, the jump step movement
requires the front foot to step out, landing
heel-toe as in walking, and then the rear foot to
follow (traveling the same distance) by dragging
on the ball of the foot to maintain root. Upon
conclusion of the movement, the practitioner
assumes the "guard" stance without having
switched the forward foot. When the front foot
steps out and lands, it remains "tucked in" at a
45 degree angle from the direction of travel (see
illustration on the previous page and photo
sequence below).
This step sounds relatively simple, however, in
order to put "spring" and "power" into the step,
the front foot does not "step" out forward as in
walking, but is sprung forward by the back leg.
Remember that in the "guard" stance the legs are
spring loaded. The front leg is pushing towards
the back and the back leg is pushing forward. In
order to jump step forward the practitioner will
release the front leg and allow the spring loaded
back leg to push the body forward while stepping.
The step is executed explosively. It may help the
student to imagine that all of the joints are like
springs.

As soon as the front heel hits the ground, the

rear foot is brought forward with the ball of the
foot dragging the ground for stability and root.
Again, in order to maintain power in the step, the
rear leg is not haphazardly brought forward. The
rear leg is quickly pulled forward by contracting
the adductor muscles in the back leg (inner thigh)
and pulling with the hamstrings in the front leg.
When the rear foot reaches its final destination,
the heel is quickly placed on the ground.
When stepping, the body must move as an
integrated piece. A common mistake when jump
stepping forward or backward is to let the hips
lead the shoulders causing the body to move in
two separate pieces. The entire body must move
together. The movement should be smooth and
exact. When Park performs this footwork, his
movement is very smooth and natural - cat like.
There is no bobbing, hesitating, weaving,
wobbling, or swaying. All of his moves are very
fluid, swift and exact. Although one is rooted, the
body remains light and very agile. Beginning
students will usually be too heavy and therefore
their movements are slow and cumbersome.
Perhaps the hardest aspect of practicing the
jump step is ending the movement in the picture
perfect "guard" stance. When the step is complete,
the foot spacing should be the same as it was
before the step was executed - the front toe is
angled in, the weight distribution is 60% on the
back leg and 40% on the front leg, the front leg is
pushing back, the back leg is pushing forward,
and the spine is straight, but slightly inclined
forward (we will not worry about the arms right

The Jump Step

69

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

now - they can hang down by the body's sides or

the hands can rest on the hips). When the student
begins practicing this step, it is best to check the
body's posture at the end of each step and make
corrections accordingly. Eventually, no corrections
should be required.
As in all stepping exercises, the jump step is
first practiced at a slow, deliberate pace.
Concentration is placed on executing the step
correctly while maintaining proper body
integration and alignments. After the student has
become comfortable with the mechanics of the
step, he or she will then practice executing the
step quickly and powerfully one step at a time.
The step is executed, the student checks
alignments, then the next step is executed, etc.
After the student is comfortable with stepping
quickly one step at a time and has trained the
body to move fluidly without bouncing or
wobbling, then he or she will practice repeated
steps performed in rapid succession to develop
speed, strength and stamina.
A common mistake in jump step practice is
allowing the front foot and/or rear foot to vary
from the 45 degree "toe-in" position. Typically,
when jump stepping many times in succession,
the beginner will end up with the front foot
pointing straight ahead and/or the back foot
pointing out 90 degrees (to the side). Proper jump
step execution requires flexible ankles, loose hips,
and strong thighs. Until these components are
developed and the proper jump step can be
executed naturally, the student should pay special
attention to maintaining correct alignments after

each successive jump step.

The back jump step (jump stepping backwards)
contains the same mechanics as the front step,
however, the back foot moves first (being sprung
back by the forward leg) and lands toe-heel instead
of heel-toe. After the rear foot steps, the front foot
slides back on the ball of the foot maintaining the
45 degree "toe in."
A common mistake beginners make when jump
stepping backwards is to simply step back and
then drag the forward foot back, this is incorrect.
The back leg steps back, but only after the body is
propelled backwards by the front leg pushing
back. The movements are crisp and explosive.
The entire body springs backward with the push
of the front leg. As soon as the rear leg hits the
ground, the front leg is pulled back swiftly.
The Full Step
The full step movement is executed as in
walking - the rear foot steps forward to become the
front foot. This sounds easy, however, there are a
few details to consider:
1) Because the front foot is angled in at about a 45
degree angle in the "guard" stance, the practitioner
needs to pivot the front foot as the back foot steps
forward. The front foot will rotate through a 90
degree angle so that it ends up angled about 45
degrees to the other side (the direction of forward
movement being the zero degree reference line).
The front foot pivots on the heel for best speed
and stability.

3
The Full Step
70

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

2) As the back foot steps forward, it does not step

too high or too wide - remember the groin area
must remain protected. The stepping foot should
not drag the ground - it is brought up off the
ground a few inches.
3) The student should not allow the body to bob
up and down when stepping - the head stays at the
same level. The movement should be smooth and
fluid. When executing any Pa Kua Chang stepping
maneuver the upper body should remain very
steady and move as an integrated unit with the
lower body movements.
4) As in the jump step, move the entire body as
one integrated piece. At the conclusion of the step
the body should be in the correct guard stance
position.
The full step is illustrated at left and
demonstrated in the photo sequence on the
previous page.
The student should practice this stepping
technique repeatedly until the movement can be

6
The Full Step with a Jump

71

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Full Step with a Jump

executed quickly and continuously in a smooth,

fluid manner. In fighting an opponent will be
keen to any visual or sensory clues which will
"telegraph" a practitioner's movement. When
practicing the stepping exercises, the student
should work to keep the upper body movement
very smooth and subtle so that there is no
"telegraphing" of the footwork by the upper body
movement. If there is any unnecessary movement
of the upper body before, during, or after the
stepping is being executed, the opponent will key
on these movements and use them to his or her
advantage.
The full step movement becomes extremely
important when the practitioner begins to learn
how to employ Pa Kua Chang's various weapons.
If this step has not become a reflex body action
when the practitioner starts to practice basic
weapons skills, maneuverability when working
with a weapon will suffer.

72

If the practitioner needs to travel a longer

distance in one step than that covered by a
comfortable full step, he or she can combine the
full step with a "jump" in order to rapidly travel a
longer distance. Before the stepping foot of a full
step hits the ground, the back leg springs the step
forward, and the stepping foot lands a bit farther
than a normal stride length. As the front heel hits
the ground, the back foot is brought up by dragging
the ball of the foot along the ground (as in the
jump step) so that the feet are spaced the same
distance apart after the step is executed as they
were before stepping. See illustration at left and
photo sequence on the previous page.
The "full step with a jump" (as it will be called
in the remainder of the book) should add
approximately a foot or two to the stepping
distance. One should not try to extend the stepping
distance too far, however, or root, body control,
and stability will be jeopardized.
There are a number of techniques in Pa Kua
Chang which are employed while "stepping
through" the opponent. Once the practitioner
has gained an opening along an angle conducive
to offsetting the opponent's balance, stepping
through the opponent while applying a strike,
throw, or other technique will render the opponent
incapable of swift counter-attack. The hill step
with a jump is ideally used in conjunction with
this variety of technique as the full step helps to
close the gap and the added jump provides the
necessary force to step through the opponent's
center.
The back full step with a jump contains the
same mechanics as the front step, however, the
front foot moves to become the back foot and
lands toe-heel instead of heel-toe.
To effectively utilize these stepping movements
in a self-defense situation they must become
second nature. This requires hours of practice
with basic stepping patterns in order to develop
the muscles properly and attain a "body
knowledge" or "muscle memory" of the proper
stepping movements. In combat the practitioner
cannot think about which step to utilize. Correct
footwork must spring forth spontaneously without
conscious thought.

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Before teaching the student the first basic Pa

Fang Ken Pit combination pattern, Park requires
the student to practice straight line stepping
exercises in order to become familiar with the
jump step, the full step, and the full step with a
jump by themselves. First the student will jump
step forward (with the right leg as the lead leg) the
length of the workout space. Next he or she will
jump step backwards back down the length of the
workout space. After going up and back numerous

times with the right leg forward, the student will

perform the same exercise with the left leg forward.
The next drill is to utilize the full step going in a
straight line forward the length of the workout
space, and then full stepping backwards back to
the starting position. After a number of repetitions,
the student will then be required to perform the
full step with a jump in the same "straight line"
manner.

The Basic Pa Fang Ken Pu Stepping Patterns

nce the student in Park's school learns the
basic Pa Fang Ken Pu stepping techniques
and has executed them repeatedly in
"straight-line" sets, the next stage of
training involves combining the stepping
techniques in a number of different stepping
patterns.
In this section we will describe some
of the basic Pa Fang Ken Pu stepping patterns.

Turn Around and Jump Pattern

After practicing the basic Pa Fang Ken Pu straight
line exercises, the student will then practice an
exercise which combines the forward jump step
and the backward jump step with a full 180 degree
pivot between jump step combinations.
The 180 pivot is a simple "in place" turnaround
executed from the guard stance posture.
Standing in a 60/40 posture the student will
simply pivot on the heels of both feet
simultaneously and turn 180 degrees to face the
other direction (see illustration at right). This
maneuver will be referred to as a "turn-around."
The first Pa Fang Ken Pu stepping pattern
requires the practitioner to jump step forward,
jump step back, turn-around, jump step forward
in the other direction, jump step back, turnaround, etc. This exercise is executed for many
repetitions in order to train the ability to jump
forward and immediately jump back. The
turn-

around maneuver is also very useful when one is

training to fight against multiple opponents.
This exercise is depicted in photographs on the
following page. Photos 1 through 4 show the first
forward jump step. Photos 5 through 7 show the
jump step back. Photos 8 and 9 show the turnaround. Photos 10 and 11 show the jump step
forward in the other direction. Photos 12 and 13
show the jump step back and photos 14 and 15
show the next turnaround.
When Park Bok Nam was first taught this
exercise, his teacher left him alone to practice it
stating, "You practice this until I come back." His
teacher did not return for several hours. In his
teacher's absence Park had become bored with the
exercise and had practiced other things. When
his teacher returned he was asked, " How was your
practice?" Park responded that he had worked
hard on what he was taught. This response was
met with a solid whack to the shoulder from Lu
Shui-T'ien's cane. Lu Said, "You did not practice

73

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

10

15

14

13

12

11

Turn Around and Jump Pattern

74

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

hard enough. Start over and practice again until

I comeback!"
Lu knew that Park had not practiced this one
exercise continuously the entire time he had been
gone because the dirt where Park had been
practicing was not worn down sufficiently to
display several hours of practice with this single
exercise.
After becoming comfortable with the turn
around and jump pattern, the student can practice
a slight variation of this pattern. The variation
simply adds another jump step forward to each
repetition. The pattern will now be: Jump step
forward, jump step forward again, jump step back,
turn-around, jump step forward, jump step forward
again, jump step back, turn-around, etc.
The ability to jump step forward twice in rapid
succession will be a valuable skill in any
self-defense situation. Once the practitioner has
"opened" his or her opponent and gained an
optimum angle of attack, the technique applied
with the first jump step forward will damage or
otherwise offset the opponent while the technique
applied with the second jump step forward will
finish the job. When Pa Kua Chang is applied as
a fighting art, the practitioner will continuously
attack once he or she gains advantage on the
opponent. These continuous attacks are executed
in rapid succession until the opponent is rendered
incapable of continuing the fight.
In Park Bok Nam's school, once the student has
learned how to combine the upper body movement
with the stepping, the repeated jump step stepping
technique is combined with palm, elbow and
shoulder striking combinations so that the student
learns to attack swiftly, continuously and
accurately using combinations of long and short
range attacks. Practicing the two successive jump
step maneuvers in the "turn around and jump"
exercise will serve to build a strong foundation for
future study.

75

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

foot up close to the stationery foot before turning

to step out 90 degrees so that the groin will be
protected when stepping out. The turning of the
upper body is coordinated with the stepping. This
stepping movement is practiced in isolation by
first stepping to turn 90 degrees to the right, then
to the left, then to the right, etc. moving the
length of the workout space in a zig-zag pattern.
The second step, the full step with a 45 degree
turn is executed exactly like the full step with a 90
degree turn, however, the practitioner will angle
45 degrees from the forward direction of travel
instead of 90 degrees (see illustration on the
previous page). Actually, any angle of turn between
a full step straight forward (0 degrees) and 90
degrees is acceptable to practice. Before practicing
the next pattern drill the student should become
familiar with these two turning steps.

The Full Step with a 90 Degree

Turn and the Full Step with a
45 Degree Turn
Before the next two Pa Fung Ken Pit stepping
patterns are taught, there are two other stepping
maneuvers, which are variations of the full step,
that need to be practiced. These are the "full step
with a 90 degree turn" and the "full step with a 45
degree turn." In the 90 degree step, the rear foot is
brought up to the position of the forward foot and
then, instead of stepping straight forward as in the
full step described above, it steps out straight to
the side (90 degrees). See the illustration on the
previous page and photo sequence below.
The full step with a jump is usually utilized in
conjunction with the 90 degree turning step. If
the left leg is forward, the 90 degree turn will be to
the right. It is important to bring the stepping

Full Step with a 90 Degree Turn

76

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Stepping to Four Directions

Once the student has spent a sufficient
amount of time with the stepping exercises
described above, he or she learns another of
the many Pa Fang Ken Pu stepping patterns.
This next pattern is arranged in four
directions. The student starts in the center of
an imaginary "+" sign or cross. The stepping
movements are as follows:
1) The first movement is to jump step
forward along one of the four directions.
For ease of explanation we will assume the
right leg is forward and the practitioner is
facing North when the exercise begins (see
illustration 1 below).
2) The second movement is a full step with a
jumpback along the same line of travel (now
the left leg is forward and the practitioner
is back in the center of the cross, still
facing North see illustration 2 on the
next page.
3) The third move will be a 90 degree full step
with a jump turning to the right (East). The
practitioner is now at the far end of the eastern
leg of the cross with the right foot forward
{see illustration 3).
4) The fourth move is a full step back with a
jump (now the left leg is forward) The
practitioner is back in the center of the cross
and is still facing East (see illustration 4).
5) As one can probably guess, the next move
is a 90 degree full step with a jump, again
turning to the right. The practitioner is
now facing South and the right leg is
forward (see illustration 5).
6) Another full step back with a jump will
place the practitioner back in the center, left
leg forward, facing South (see illustration 6).
7) Another 90 degree full step with a
jump, turning to the right will place the
practitioner out on the Western leg of the
cross, right leg forward (see illustration 7).
8) A full step back with a jump and the
practitioner is back in the center of the cross,
left leg forward, and facing West (see
illustration 8).

9) The ninth move will be a 90 degree full

step with a jump to the North and will end
up being the same step as the original step of
the exercise. The practitioner will end up
with the right leg forward, facing North
(see illustration 9).
This pattern is repeated over and
over transitioning the four legs of the cross
as many times as desired. To balance the
exercise, the practitioner will start with the
left leg forward and perform the same
exercise
rotating
in
the
other
(counter-clockwise) direction the same
number of times that he or she performed in
the clockwise pattern.
This pattern is excellent for building
experience in learning how to maintain
balance and stability while moving rapidly.
To execute this pattern rapidly the student
should work to assume the perfect guard
stance at the end of each stepping maneuver.
The reader also may notice that many of the
combination stepping patterns are trained so
that one may engage multiple opponents. Pa
Kua Chang practitioners are famous for
their ability to fight with several opponents at
the same time and all Pa Kua Chang schools
include training which addresses the multiple
opponent scenario. While practicing any of
the Pa Fang Ken Pu stepping patterns, Park
encourages the student to take the basic
pattern and create variations. For example,
examining possible variations of the
stepping to four directions pattern, the
student might add a jump step forward
followed by a jump step backward after
executing each of the 90 degree full step
maneuvers. In this manner the "cross"
pattern is maintained, however, a few extra
steps are added to the end of each leg.

77

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Stepping to Four Directions

78

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

The Y Stepping Pattern

79

79

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

The "Y" Stepping Pattern

The next stepping pattern which is practiced
in conjunction with the Pa Fang Ken Pu steps is the
"Y" pattern (see illustrations on the previous
page). With the left leg forward in the dragon
posture, the practitioner will first execute a full
step with a jump (figure #1). This step is followed
by a full step with a 45 degree turn (figure #2). This
45 degree step is executed exactly like the full step
with a 90 degree turn, however, the practitioner
only angles 45 degrees. The practitioner has now
traced one half of a "Y" pattern on the ground.
The next step is a jump step straight back
{figure #3) and this is then followed by a full step
back, however, the full step back is executed so
that the body turns as it is stepping back so that
the feet trace the base of the "Y" as shown in the
illustration (figure #4). The practitioner is now
back at the starting position, however, the right
leg is now forward.
The steps are now repeated. Since the right
foot is now forward, the full step with a 45 degree
turn is executed to the right (as shown in
illustrations 5-9 on the next page) and thus the
other side of the " Y" is traced by the movement of
the feet. This pattern, as shown in the two
illustrations, is practiced repeatedly.
Once the student has a good feel for the "Y"
stepping pattern, he or she can vary this pattern
by adding the " Y" step to the Four Corners Stepping
Pattern. In this variation, once the student has
traced the first "Y," the next step executed is a 90
degree turning step along the second direction of
the four corners. By replacing the first full step of
each repeating " Y" pattern with a 90 degree turning
step, the practitioner will be tracing the pattern
shown in the illustration at right.
In execution of both the Four Corners Stepping
pattern and the "Y" stepping pattern the
practitioner works to transition smoothly and
fluidly from one step to the next. The student will
first execute the steps slowly in order to concentrate
on the exact stepping movements. Later, the
student will practice stepping quickly.
When stepping quickly, using any combination
of Pa Fang Ken Pu preset patterns, there is a
tendency to anticipate the next step in the
80

Four Direction Y Stepping

sequence. If the next step is anticipated, the
student becomes sloppy in that the guard stance
posture is not executed fully at the conclusion of
each step. The importance of landing exactly in
the guard stance posture at the conclusion of each
stepping movement cannot be overemphasized.
The practitioner should never sacrifice accuracy
in order to increase speed. Ideally, one will
practice such that accuracy can be maintained
while moving quickly.
The "V" Step
There is one last Pa Fang Ken Pit step which we
would like to cover in this chapter. Park refers to
this step as the "V" step. The "V" step combines
the jump step and the full step with a jump,
however, the angles at which these steps are
executed are slightly different from the standard
steps. Additionally, the steps are combined in
such a manner that the jump step has not quite
been completed before the full step with a jump is
executed. This step is used to move out of the path
of an opponent's attack and rapidly counterattack in the same stepping motion.
To execute this step from the guard stance
posture, the practitioner will first jump step,

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Pa Fang Ken Pu Stepping and the

Pa Kua Diagram

however, the jump step is executed at a 45 degree

angle instead of straight forward. Additionally,
the rear foot is not brought forward as in the
standard jump step. As soon as the front foot
lands, the rear foot steps out as in the full step with
a 90 degree turn. Just before the rear foot reaches
it's final destination, the original lead foot springs
the step forward as in the full step with a jump.
This step is depicted in the illustration above.

Previously we discussed three different

movement principles which were based on the
geometrical configuration of the Pa Kua diagrams.
These were: circular movement around a central
axis, angular rotation around an axis, and linear
movement in eight directions. It is not difficult to
see that all of the Pa Fang Ken Pu maneuvers and
patterns are derived from the Pa Kua diagrams
principle of linear movement in eight directions.
The basis of this theory of movement, simply
stated, is that if the practitioner is standing in one
location focusing outward (the center of the
practitioner's body being viewed as the point
from which movement is initiated ), there are an
infinite number of linear directions the practitioner
could move. A workable model which is used in
theory to represent the infinite number of
directions which move outward from a central
point is given by the eight major directions of the
Pa Kua (or the compass) as shown in the illustration
below.
Utilizing this model (with the understanding
that the eight directions are really representative
of an infinite number of possible directions), we
can expand the concept by recognizing that once
the practitioner moves along one of these eight
directions and stops, he or she again has the
ability to move along one of the eight different
directions. We can represent this expanded view

Illustration 1 - The Eight Directions

81

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

by placing another Pa Kua diagram at the tip of

each of the lines of the original diagram as shown
in illustration 2 below. This view could again be
expanded by placing another Pa Kua diagram at
the tip of each of these diagrams. This model
indicates that each time a practitioner moves the
center line of the body, there is once again an
infinite number of directions he or she could
move.
Looking at these two illustrations, we can see
how all of the basic Pa Fang Ken Pu exercises were
developed. If the practitioner is located at the
center of the Pa Kua diagram (illustration 1), he or
she could jump step or full step forward or
backward along the three forward moving lines,
or the three backward moving lines. In most
cases, movement along the forward moving lines
would be on the offensive, while movement along
the backward moving lines would be defensive.
Movement along the lines which go to either side
is accomplished by executing the full step with a
90 degree turn. Therefore, all eight directions of
the Pa Kua diagram are covered by utilizing the
basic Pa Fang Ken Pu steps. Similarly, looking at
illustration 2 below, we can see that all of the basic
stepping patterns conform with the patterns

Illustration 2 - Multiple Eight Direction

Patterns

82

depicted in this diagram. For instance, the "Y"

pattern begins on the center diagram, moves to
the top diagram to transverse the upper portions
of the "Y" and then proceeds back to the central
diagram.
With the knowledge of the directions and
patterns of the Pa Kua diagrams as depicted in
illustration 2, the practitioner can develop a large
number of stepping combinations to practice
when utilizing the Pa Fang Ken Pu steps.
Intermediate and advance Pa Fang Ken Pu stepping
methods are all based on this formation of multiple
Pa Kua diagrams. Employment of this theory
assumes that the central axis of the practitioner's
body is the center of the diagram. The relationship
of the practitioner's center to the opponent's
center is of concern to the Pa Kua Chang
practitioner in combat.
By practicing the Pa Fang Ken Pu stepping
exercises, and the follow-on Pa Fang Ken Pu
two-person drills, the practitioner will gain an
experiential knowledge of how to move his or her
center body in relation to an opponent's center
body movement. The Pa Kua practitioner will
constantly seek to open up the opponent's center
door, or chung men, while guarding his own from
being opened by the opponent. The Pa Fang Ken
Pu stepping exercises teach the practitioner how
to avoid an opponent's attack and how to attack,
or counter-attack the opponent's body utilizing
optimum attacking angles. In order to fully
appreciate how this theory further applies to Pa
Kua Chang combat tactics, we must first examine
the other two theories of movement associated
with the Pa Kua diagram's geometry by discussing
the other Pa Kua Chang basic footwork
components.

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

The Pivot Step

pivot should be practiced first and the mechanics
of the 90 degree pivot applied identically to all
pivoting angles. As in the last section on Pa Fang
Ken Pit, we will only concern ourselves with the
movement of the legs for now. Adding arm
movements to the stepping techniques will be
described in a later section of the book.
Assuming the guard position ("dragon
posture") with the left foot forward, the 90 degree
pivot to the right is executed by simultaneously
shifting the weight forward slightly while pushing
off the back foot and "swinging" the body 90
degrees to the right as a door swings on its hinges.
The pivot occurs on the ball of the front foot. The
movement should be swift and fluid and the body
should move as one integrated unit. The body
does not bob up and down or wobble side to side.
The foot, leg, and body pivot together, as one
piece, around the fixed front foot - it is a
one-count movement.
The back foot movement and the torquing of the
body around the ball of the front foot occurs
simultaneously and all parts of the body stop
moving at the same instant. The final position
should be exactly the same as the starting position
(the guard stance). During the transition the
weight is shifted from 40/60 to approximately 50/
50, however, when the movement is finished the
practitioner is once again in a 40/60 stance. If
the left foot is forward and the practitioner is

n the last section, the basics of the jump step,

full step, and full step with a 90 degree turn
were explained and a few stepping exercises
were outlined. In this section the pivot step will
be described and exercises which combine the
pivot step with the full step and jump step will be
presented.
The pivot step is primarily employed as a
defense maneuver to avoid an attack and position
one's body optimally for counter-attack without
loosing any ground. As the attacker advances, the
practitioner will pivot to the right or left on the
front foot. The front foot is planted and the back
foot moves through an arc which is consistent
with the degree or angle of the pivot. The exact
angle of the arc that the back foot travels will
depend on the body's position in relation to the
opponent and his direction of attack and thus is
situational. Although there are a infinite number
of pivoting angles, the primary angles are
consistent with the eight directions of the Pa Kua
diagram, i.e. 45, 90, 135, and 180 degrees. When
pivoting, the practitioner will seek to place his or
her body at an angle conducive to optimal counterattack. The beauty of this move is that the
practitioner can avoid the opponent's attack with
minimal engagement and no loss of ground.
Although pivoting angles are numerous, the
mechanics of the 90 degree pivot will be described
here to facilitate easy explanation. The 90 degree

The 90 Degree Forward Pivot Step

83

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

90 Degree Forward Pivot

Step

90 Degree Backward Pivot

Step

pivoting forward (to the right), the back foot

will only come off of the ground slightly
while it is in motion. When pivoting back (to
the left) the back foot will not come off the
ground at all. The ball of the foot will drag
the ground as the body pivots into position.
The forward and backward pivot steps are
illustrated above and demonstrated in the
photo sequences below and on the previous
page.
There are a number of ways to practice the
pivot step by itself. One can pivot 90 degrees to the
left and then pivot 90 degrees back to the right, or
pivot 90 degrees to the right, then another 90
degree to the right, then back 180 degrees, etc.

Any combinations of pivoting angles

and directions is suitable to practice.
The 90 degree pivot step will typically be
utilized to move to the side of an opponent when
the opponent is striking or kicking forcefully. If
the pivot is timed correctly in this situation, the
momentum of the opponent's force will carry
him forward and the practitioner will end up at
an optimum angle for counter-attack. The 135
degree step is an excellent maneuver to use in
combination with the k'ou pu step in order to
quickly position oneself behind the opponent.
The pivoting angles which arc less than 90
degrees are typically utilized to make small
adjustments when preparing to

The 90 Degree Backward Pivot Step

84

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

jump step forward for an attack.

After having gained some familiarity with the
pivot step, it is advantageous for the student to
practice this maneuver in conjunction with the
jump step or full step techniques that were
presented in the previous section. There are two
main combination patterns that Park Bok Nam
has his students practice. The first pattern Park
refers to as an attack-defense-attack sequence.
In this exercise the practitioner jump steps
forward to simulate an attack, then pivot steps to
the left or right to simulate avoiding an
opponent's counter-attack, and then the
practitioner jump steps forward once again to
initiate another attack. This sequence is
performed rapidly, however, stability, accuracy,
and control must be maintained. The full step
can be substituted for either of the jump step
portions of this sequence.
The next exercise is similar to the first, but it
is practiced in a defense-attack-defense order.
The practitioner will first pivot step to the left or
right, then jump step forward and lastly pivot
step again to the right or left. By practicing these
two exercises, the practitioner will become
accustomed to combining the pivot step with the
other stepping maneuvers and the combination
of defense and immediate counter-attack or
attack and immediate counter-defense will
become habit.
Practicing the pivot step as a defensive
maneuver and the jump step or full step with a
jump as an offensive maneuver in combination
forms the basis of Park's stepping combination
drills. Consistent with combinatorial analysis,
given two unique items (attack and defense) in
sets of three (as in attack-defense-attack) one
will find that there are eight possible
combinations of stepping patterns. Letting A =
attack (jump step) and D = defense (pivot step),
the eight possible three step combinations are as
follows:
A+D+A
D+A+D
A+A+D
D+D+A
A+D+D
D+A+A
A+A+A
D+D+D

Students in Park's school will practice all of

these combinations, however, the first four are
practiced the most frequently. Although it is an
option, Park is not particularly fond of the D + D +
D combination as he feels that if the practitioner
utilizes three defensive maneuvers without an
attack, he or she is simply running away.
Once the practitioner has become familiar
with these combinations, the combinatorial
patterns become slightly more complex. The
attack component of the previous equations is
divided into long attack (full step with a jump) and
short attack (jump step). With this added into the
number of possible combinations, letting LA =
long attack and SA = sort attack, the first
combination of A+D + A now expands to
become:
SA + D + SA
SA + D + LA
LA + D + SA
LA + D + LA
The student will now practice the basic
combinations with this added variation to obtain
skill in combining pivot steps with both long and
short range attacks.
Pivoting Around the Rear Foot
After the student has become comfortable with the
ability to pivot around the front foot to the right
and to the left, there are some more advanced
pivoting techniques to practice which involve
pivoting on the rear foot. A pivot on the rear foot
which is less than or equal to 90 degrees is very
similar to Pa Kua's characteristic pai pu step which
is covered later in this section of the book.
Additionally, if you think about it, a 180 degree
pivot around the rear foot is exactly like the full
step backwards which was discussed earlier in this
chapter. The rear foot pivot step which Park
teaches that is different than other steps, is a 270
degree pivot of the front foot around the rear foot.
In executing this 270 degree pivot, the
practitioner will bring the front foot back as if to
step straight back, however, the foot will continue
moving back passed the 180 degree position until
it reaches the 270 degree position as shown in the
85

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

270 Degree Rear Foot Pivot Step

illustration on the next page. This step is executed
when the opponent is moving towards the
practitioner's center line at a high speed and with
excess momentum. This step allows the
practitioner to step back out of the way of the
aggressive forward attack and pivot the body to set
up for counter attack. As the front foot is arching
back into the 270 degree position, the ball of the
foot will drag the ground for stability.
Of course, most of the time the correct counter
attack angle in this situation will be closer to a 225
degree angle than 270 degree, however, in
practicing the more difficult 270 degree pivot the
practitioner will easily be able to execute pivoting
angles less than 270 degrees.

practitioner is pivoting on and the body's central

axis is rotating around that point.
In the Pa Fang Ken Pu steps, the center of the Pa
Kua diagram corresponded with the central axis of
the practitioner's own body. When analyzing the
movement associated with the pivot step, the
center of the diagram is placed at the axis of
rotation of the pivot, namely the ball of the pivot
foot. This point will usually be located somewhere
between the central axis of the practitioner's body
and the central axis of the opponent's body.
Many times, but not always, this point will
correspond with the first point of contact between
the practitioner's body and the opponent's body.
While the Pa Fang Ken Pu steps are typically
utilized in offensive maneuvers when moving the
center of one's body in towards the center of the
opponent's body, the pivot steps are defensive
maneuvers the practitioner will utilize to quickly
move the center of his or her body out of the
opponent's line of attack. Again, the degree
which the practitioner's center will rotate away
from the opponent's direct line of attack will
depend on the opponent's movement in relation
to both direction and velocity. In partner practice
the student will work to gain experiential
knowledge of correct timing and optimum angle
of the pivot in the pivot step application.

Pivot Stepping and the

Pa Kua Diagram
In the section on Pa Fang Ken Pu stepping we
described how the Pa Fang Ken Pu steps were
associated with the Pa Kua diagram's eight
directions. As one might guess, the pivot steps are
also associated with the eight directions of the Pa
Kua diagram, but in a slightly different manner.
The pivot steps adhere to the theory of angular
rotation around a central axis. In this case the
central axis is the ball of the foot which the

86

Angular Rotation Around a Central Axis

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Circle Walking
ractitioners who have studied Pa Kua Chang
for any length of time, are no doubt familiar
with Pa Kua Chang's circle walking practice.
Walking the circle is the cornerstone of the
art, all major systems of Pa Kua Chang
(even those who practice straight line sets)
practice this method and thus "walking in a
circle" has become Pa Kua Chang's trademark.
However, even though the circle walking
practice is common to all major systems, a
student who has studied the art from a
variety of different teachers can quickly become

The Standard Circle Walking Posture

frustrated when trying to investigate exactly how

circle walking practice is performed.
There are at least a dozen different walking
techniques and each teacher seems to have their
own detailed criteria for practicing these
techniques. Investigating the art of circle walking,
one may run across some of the following: the
lion step, the dragon step, the chicken step, the
tiger step, the snake step, the crane step, the
rippling step, the mud walking step, the shake
step, the stomp step, the hesitation step, the
continuous step, the sliding step, the digging heel
step, the gliding step, and even steps such as the
camel step and the elephant step. Some of these
are different names describing the same step and
others are steps used only for specific leg strength
training. One will also encounter Pa kua Chang
schools who walk the circle painstakingly slow
and others who walk very fast. Then one may also
encounter the lower, middle, and upper basin
position along with a wide variety of upper body
postures one might assume while walking. To the
beginning student who simply wants to know
how to walk the circle, all of this may seem very
confusing.
Natural and Comfortable
Park Bok Nam's approach to teaching the
beginning student the circle walk practice is very
straight forward and simple. His guidance to the
beginner is to walk at a natural walking pace (not
too slow and not too fast) with a natural heel-toe
walking gate (lion step). Primarily, Park wants the
student's body to feel natural and comfortable
when walking the circle. If the practitioner feels
natural and comfortable, less fatigue will be
experienced and the practitioner can practice
longer. Important points which Park stresses to
the beginner are all aimed at allowing the body to
feel relaxed and comfortable while maintaining
certain structural alignments.
The upper body posture is exactly like the
dragon posture described previously, however,
the hips are rotated in towards the center of the
circle (about 45 degree off the path of the circle),
87

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

the forward (upper) palm is facing the center of

the circle, and the eyes are looking towards the
center of the circle through the index finger and
thumb of the upper hand. The lower hand is held
3 to 5 inches below the elbow of the upper arm.
The shoulders are relaxed and allowed to drop
down, the back is slightly rounded. The elbows
are bent slightly and allowed to sink down. How
much do you bend the elbow? As an example,
Park will tell the student to first hold the upper
arm out with the elbow locked all the way and
stiffen the arm. From this position, he will then
tell the student to relax the arm. The elbow will
drop down into a natural, comfortable position,
but it will not be bent too much. This is the correct
elbow position for the upper arm.
The head is positioned so that the eyes are
looking straight (not up, down, or to the side).
The head and neck position is critical to avoid
stress and strain in the neck and eyes after walking
for an extended period of time. If the eyes are not
looking straight and the neck is not held erect, the
eyes and/or neck can become tired or stiff after 10
to 15 minutes of walking. When muscles become
tired or stiff, ch'i does not circulate properly and
becomes stagnant in that area. When ch'i becomes
stagnant in the head and around the eyes, it can
be dangerous. Park refers to this as shang ch'i
(rising ch'i). Shang ch'i can build up pressure in the
head and cause severe headaches which may last
for weeks.
If any area of the body experiences fatigue after
10 to 15 minutes of circle walking practice, the
posture is not correct. If the body alignments are
correct and the body is relaxed, one should be able
to walk the circle for hours without feeling a great
deal of muscle fatigue. If the student can learn to
walk while feeling comfortable and relaxed for a
period of 20 to 30 minutes and practice everyday,
the circle walking practice will improve
considerably. Park states that it takes
approximately one year of circle walk practice for
one hour everyday to begin to understand correct
circle walking. With each successive year of
practice, the understanding of this Pa Kua Chang
component will deepen.
After Park had been practicing the circle walk
for an hour everyday for over a year, he told his
teacher that he now had an understanding of the
88

circle walk practice. Lu Shui-T'ien simply laughed

and told him to keep practicing. After another
year of practicing the circle walk for one hour a
day, Park told his teacher, "You were right Sifu,
last year when I thought that I understood the
circle walk, I really did not. Now after another
year of practice, I can understand this method."
Lu laughed at him again and told him to keep
practicing. Park now says that with every passing
year a new element of the circle walk practice will
reveal itself. Park, after 32 years of practicing Pa
Kua Chang, still practices walking the circle for
one hour every day.
Making the Body Light
The number one priority after feeling natural
and comfortable in the circle walk practice is to
make the body feel light. In order to accomplish
this, Park tells the student to imagine that he or
she is walking on thin ice. Additionally, when
walking, the practitioner's feet should not make
any noise when contacting or leaving the ground.
Working to make the body feel light when walking
the circle will help increase the mobility and
speed in all footwork.
Lu Shui-T'ien was fond of having his students
play a game in order to practice walking quietly.
This game required one student to sit with his eyes
closed in the center of a circle while two other
students walked around him. When Lu said stop,
the two students walking would stop in place and,
without opening his eyes, the student sitting in
the middle was required to point to where each
student had stopped and identify the student.
This game required the two students who were
walking to be very quiet in their stepping to try
and fool the student in the middle. The student
in the middle improved his awareness skills by
having to listen for any sound which would
identify the students who were walking.
The knees should be bent when walking, but
they are not bent too deeply when first practicing
the exercise. The deeper the practitioner bends
the knees, the better for leg conditioning, however,
they are not bent so much that the practitioner
cannot walk for at least 30 minutes without fatigue.
Beginners will start off walking in a relatively high
posture for the first few weeks and then gradually
bend the knees a little more as leg strength

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

improves.
When applying the circle walk tactics in combat
the practitioner will employ a mid-level,
comfortable stance throughout the majority of
any encounter. Although there are applications
for the low posture, this posture is only assumed
for those specific applications, not in general
footwork application. Walking too low will be
sluggish. In combat nimble and swift footwork is
the priority.
Park teaches that the knees should be bent so
that the body is comfortable and relaxed. If the
body is too upright, balance, stability and quickness
of motion will not be optimal and the ch 'i will not
sink to the tan t'ien. If the knees are bent too
much, movement will be sluggish.
When practicing the circle walk, the foot
placement should be as shown in the illustration
above. The outside foot (foot furthest from the
center of the circle) cuts in approximately 45
degrees to an imaginary line which is tangent to
the circle. The inside foot steps relatively straight
ahead (parallel to the line which is tangent to the
circle). Angling the outside foot helps the
practitioner circumnavigate the arc of the circle.
The exact angle of the outside foot will depend on

the size of the circle, however, as stated above, this

foot will usually angle in approximately 45 degrees.
When walking the circle, the body should not
bob up and down, sway side-to-side, or rock back
and forth. The upper body should be stable and
motionless. Tactically, if the head and upper
body are not stable and steady with every step it is
easy for the opponent to predict when the
practitioner is going to move. For instance is the
practitioner's head bobs up and down with every
walking step the opponent can detect this pattern
and use it to his advantage. When the head bobs
up the opponent knows that the practitioner is
going to take a step and thus he is "telegraphing"
his movement.
A key element in basic circle walk practice for
the purpose of ch'i development is to keep the tan
t'ien stable and calm. If the body bobs up and
down or rocks back and forth or wobbles side to
side, the tan t'ien area will expand and contract
with the movement. Park likes to have the student
walk around an object such as a pole or tree which
has a line drawn on it at eye level. This helps to
maintain a focus while walking and gives a point
of reference to help maintain a steady upper body
position.
Having a consistent central focus point will
also aid in cultivating the meditative aspects of
the circle walk practice. The circle walk practice
should not be seen as solely a physical exercise
designed to increase balance and stability while
walking. It is also a practice which helps the
practitioner improve concentration and focus
while remaining relaxed and in constant motion.
Circle Walk Practice

Park will have the beginning student walk the

circle keeping the above mentioned guidelines in
mind for at least one year before further instruction
is given. Park's philosophy is that the only way to
learn how to walk the circle is by walking the circle
- working to obtain a "body knowledge." His
approach is, "Don't talk about it, don't think
about it, just do it."
Intellectual examination of the circle walk
practice will not be of much assistance. Really the
only way to improve the circle walk practice and
deepen the understanding of this method is to
spend a lot of time walking the circle. If the
89

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

student adheres to the above mentioned

guidelines, the technique will be correct, questions
will be answered, and improvement through hours
of practice will be inevitable.
Why should one practice walking in circles so
much? Aside from the fact that the circle walk
practice will help improve concentration and
focus, develop strong legs, aid in ch'i development,
and improve physical and respiratory stamina,
this practice helps the practitioner develop the
ability to remain relaxed, integrated, stable, and
rooted while in constant motion. This ability is
vital when applying Pa Kua Chang as a fighting
art.

The basic circle walk practice is typically

performed while the practitioner is holding one
posture (the dragon posture) or a series of static
upper body positions as demonstrated in the ch'i
kung circle walking form presented in Chapter 6 of
this book. Holding these static upper body postures
enables the practitioner to develop his or her body
and forge strong structural connections and
alignments. This practice is similar to the chan
chuang standing meditation practiced performed
by many Hsing-I, I-Ch'uan, and Shaolin schools,
however, in Pa Kua the practitioner does not
stand still while holding these postures, he walks.
Maintaining structural integrity and root while
constantly walking is the first stage of learning
how to apply powerful strikes to an opponent
while remaining in constant motion. As discussed
previously, this ability is characteristic of Pa Kua
Chang.
The Dragon Step
After practicing the circle walk utilizing the
heel-toe "lion step" for a considerable length of
time, Park will teach the student how to walk
using the "dragon step" (also referred to as the
"snake step" or "mud walking step"). In the
dragon step the heel is only brought up off the
ground slightly when stepping and as the foot is
brought forward, the bottom of the foot remains
parallel to the floor and hovers just slightly above
the floor. When the foot has come forward and is
ready to step down, it is placed on the ground such
that the entire foot lands flatly on the ground at
the same instant. There is no heel-toe rolling
motion as in the lion step. The dragon step is a bit
more difficult to perform than the natural
heel-toe walk of the lion step, however its
advantage is that it helps bring ch'i down to the
legs and feet and thus it is a good method to
employ in ch 'i kung circle walking practice.
Park Bok Nam divides his Pa Kua Chang forms
training into two categories; ch'i kung forms and
combat forms. While all forms should be
consistent with the body alignments and principles
associated with a full ch'i flow, the ch'i kung forms
are practiced with ch'i awareness and development
as a focus. The ch 'i kung forms are not as complex
as the fighting forms and the postures and
movements are more "open" or stretched out

Walking around a central object such as a

Pole or Tree helps maintain focus.

90

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Photo 1

Photo 5

Photo 9

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 7

Photo 6

Photo 10

Photo 11

Opening the Circle Walk Practice

91

Photo 4

Photo 8

Photo 12

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 13

Photo 14

than those of the combat forms. Park states that

a rule of his Pa Kua Chang method is, "When
practicing for ch'i cultivation the body is "open,"
when practicing for fighting, the body is "closed."
Additionally, the ch'i kung forms will be used by
the beginning and intermediate students to help
obtain and maintain a strong ch'i flow in the
body. At the advanced stages the practitioner
should be able to maintain a full body ch'i feeling
during all maneuvers regardless of their
complexity.
The intermediate student in Park's school will
practice the dragon step while executing the ch'i
kung circle walking forms, however, the lion step
is always used in the combat forms. Park's number
one priority when performing Pa Kua movements
is that they feel natural and comfortable. When
executing the quick, evasive footwork of Pa Kua
Chang the steps must be light, quick, and natural.
Why isn't the dragon step used in combat? Park
has two answers. First, he points out that there is
no animal in nature that walks with their feet
sliding out in front of them and no human being
naturally walks this way. It is not a natural step.
Like many other of Pa Kua's circle walking
methods, this step is a training step used for a
specific training purpose.
The second reason Park feels that the dragon
step is not to be used in combat is that it is not
suitable for rough and rocky terrain. The fighting
surface will not always be smooth and even. The
Pa Kua combat circle walking step is executed very
92

quickly and is frequently executed around very

small circles, executed while changing directions
rapidly, and executed on all kinds of terrain. From
Park's experience, and the experience of his
teacher, the best step to use in all of these situations
is the lion step.
While Park Bok Nam only teaches two different
stepping techniques associated with the circle
walk practice, he is quick to admit that this does
not mean these two methods are the only methods
available. Park's philosophy is that whatever
walking method a practitioner uses is good as long
as the practitioner has a good reason for using that
method, and they can demonstrate how the
method can be employed effectively.
Park is adamant that his students know why
every part of his Pa Kua Chang system is practiced
and how it is applied. He thinks that if someone
were to ask one of his students why they practice
in a certain manner and that student cannot
answer the question with anything better than,
"That is the way my teacher told me to do it" then
his teacher's Pa Kua Chang method will "lose
face." Park loves for students to ask "Why?"

Opening the Circle Walk Practice

The standard opening sequence of movements
performed prior to beginning the circle walk
practice will vary from one school to the other.
Just as in the circle walk stepping itself, no one can
say that one school is correct and the other is
incorrect. Whenever someone asks Park Bok Nam
what he thinks about the way another Pa Kua
Chang school executes any movements or
techniques, Park's answer will always be, "If there
is a good reason why they do that and they can
show that it works, then it is good." The standard
opening sequence executed in Park's school before
the circle walk practice is described below and
demonstrated in the photographs on the previous
page.
1) To begin the circle walk practice the practitioner
will stand with the center of the circle directly to
his or her left. The feet are together and facing
forward. The practitioner should be facing the
Northern direction and thus the center of the
circle is West. The practitioner is relaxed. The first

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Changing Directions on the Circle

move executed is a toe-out with the left foot 45
degrees (in towards the circle's center). As the foot
turns out, the body also turns 45 degrees so that
the practitioner is now facing Northwest. Facing
Northwest is the standard starting direction in
many schools of Pa Kua Chang because in the
Later Heaven arrangement of the trigrams the
trigram Ch'ien (Heaven) resides in that position
(see photo 1 on the page before last).
2) The arms slowly raise up straight out in front
of the body. The arms and shoulders remain
relaxed (photos 2 and 3).
3) The arms slowly move out to the sides of the
body. The body remains relaxed, do not allow the
shoulders to raise up (photos 4, 5 and 6).
4) The arms move back towards the center of the
body {photo 7). As the arms move back in, the left
hand comes under the right elbow and the right
hand is held up at eye level. This hand posture is
exactly like that held in the dragon posture
described at the beginning of this chapter. Both
hands are along the body's center line. The knees
bend as the arms move toward the center.
The
eyes look through the space between the index
finger and thumb of the right hand as if peering
through a gun sight (photos 8 and 9).
5) The left foot toes out slightly as the right foot
steps forward. Both hands turn over so that
the palms face up. The left hand is held near the
right elbow. The feet are in the pai pu position,
the weight is distributed equally (photo 10).
The left foot steps into k'ou pu. As the left
foot
steps, the left arm comes under the right.
The right palm is facing down, the left palm is
facing up. The practitioner's back is to the center
of the circle (photo 11).
7) The body turns back to face the path of the
circle as the left hand comes up and out in front
of the face. The right hand is positioned below the
left elbow. The practitioner is now in the "dragon"
posture (photos 12 and 13).
8) The practitioners steps off with the rear foot
and begins to walk the circle holding the dragon
posture. The eyes look into the center of the circle
(photo 14).
6)

Park teaches the beginning student a very

simple and straight forward technique for
changing directions on the circle while executing
the circle walk practice. When desiring to change
directions, the practitioner will first k'ou pu (k'ou
pu is described later in this chapter) with the
outside foot (see photo 2 on the next page). The
weight transitions to this leg as both palms begin
to transition to yang palms (facing up). The lower
palm comes up under the elbow of the upper arm
as in the straight fan chang maneuver described in
the next chapter (see photo 3).
As the wrist of the lower palm slides up the
forearm of the upper arm, the body swivels around
its center and the inside foot (which is about to
become the new outside foot) pivots on the heel.
Therefore, as the palms pass the "wrist-on-wrist"
position, the feet are both facing opposite the
direction the practitioner was originally walking
(see photos 4 and 5). The practitioner will now
step-off in the other direction with the back foot
(inside foot) and begin walking as the palms
slowly change to yin palms once again (see photos
6 and 7).
When the practitioner executes the k 'ou pu and
the palms begin to change, the intention, or
focus, is shifted from the old upper palm to the
palm that will be the new upper palm. The focus
is shifted when the palms reach the wrist-on-wrist
position. The palms change slowly as the
practitioner walks so that the "ch'i feeling" will
not be lost and the palms will remain full of ch'i.
If the beginner turns the palms over too quickly,
he or she will loose the full feeling of ch'i in the
palms that was generated during the practice.
As the student in Park's school becomes more
familiar with the circle walk practice and the basic
directional change, more complex direction
changes will be taught. When the combat forms
are practiced the changes become even more
complex and are executed rapidly. This basic
change of direction outlined above forms the
basis for further study as the student learns to
change smoothly without a break in body
connection or loss of ch'i.

93

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 5

Photo 3

Photo 6

Photo 4

Photo 7

Changing Directions on the Circle

Completing the Circle Walk Practice
When completing the circle walk practice
session, the practitioner in Park's school will not
end the practice haphazardly. While walking the
circle the practitioner has maintained a high
degree of focused concentration and an increased
level of ch'i flow through the body, especially in
the palms. In order to increase the awareness of
ch'i in the body and begin to forge a mind/body/
nervous system connection, the practitioner will
transition smoothly out of the focused attention
and heightened state of awareness built during
the circle walk practice. Concentration on the
mind/body/nervous system connection will serve

94

the practitioner well when the need arrises in

combat or health building to elicit this mind and
body state rapidly.
While continuing to walk the circle and
focusing into the center of the circle, the
practitioner will allow the bottom hand to move
out to the side while the upper palm remains in
position as shown in the series of photographs on
the next page (photos 1 through 3). While the
bottom palm is moving, both palms remain in the
yin palm position. When the bottom hand has
been fully extended out to the side, the palms turn
up and the arms begin to move upward (photos 4
through 6). Then the hands move overhead, the
palms turn down and the hands are brought down

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Photo 1

Photo 5

Photo 3

Photo 2

Photo 7

Photo 6

Photo 9

Photo 10

Completing the Circle Walk Practice

95

Photo 4

Photo 8

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

the front of the body (photos 7 through 9). When

the hands have reached a natural and relaxed
position resting by the sides of the body, the
practitioner stops walking and turns in to face the
center of the circle (photo 10). The practitioner
continues to walk while the arms are moving, the
walking stops when the hands reach the relaxed
position by the sides (photo 10). (The photos do
not depict continuous movement due to the
difficulty of shooting a sequence of photos while
the practitioner walks in a circle.)
The practitioner will remain standing in a
comfortable posture with the hands resting down
by the sides of the body for several minutes.
Attention is focused on the palms and the ch'i that
has gathered there. After practicing any exercise
which is designed to bring ch'i to the palms, Park
recommends that the student allow the hands to
hang loosely by the sides, relax all of the body's
joints, and place the concentration on what Park
calls the "ch'i feeling." Typically this "ch'i feeling"
will first manifest itself in the hands as fullness,
heat, and/or tingling.
When the practitioner has obtained this ch'i
feeling during the execution of any exercise, he or
she will want to relax for several minutes and
concentrate on this feeling after the exercise has
been completed. By concentrating on the feeling,
a mind/body/nervous system connection
associated with this feeling will develop. The
more developed this connection becomes, the
easier it will be for the practitioner to bring ch'i to
the palms. With continued practice, the student
will be able to produce this effect just by thinking
about it. Later, increased amounts of ch'i will flow
to the palms naturally, when it is needed, without
conscious thought.
One goal in practicing Pa Kua as a self-defense
art is to be able to move ch'i very rapidly to the
palms (or any other part of the body) when
striking. When the mind/body/nervous system
connection has been fully developed, as soon as
the body moves the ch'i will be there and the
movement of ch'i to the palm will be rapid and
spontaneous. Forging the mind/body/nervous
system connection during and after the circle
walk practice will help the practitioner reach this
goal.
Park also recommends that after the circle walk
96

practice has been concluded the student maintain

a relaxed body state and not lift anything heavy or
perform vigorous exercise for 30 to 45 minutes. In
Park's school the basic circle walk practice is
always the last exercise performed in any training
session.
Park suggests that if the practitioner desires to
walk the circle for 30 minutes a day, it is better to
walk for 30 minutes at one time rather than
walking 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes
in the evening. When practicing the circle walk,
it is best to walk a minimum of 15 minutes after
every training session. Therefore, if the student
works out twice a day, he or she might walk 30
minutes after the morning session and 15 minutes
after the evening session if there is little time
available. Of course, the more circle walking the
better. One hour is optimal.
When Park was training with Lu Shui-T'ien,
his teacher would take him to a local park and tell
him to walk the circle for an hour. Lu would then
go for a walk and return an hour later. The first
time this happened, Park became bored with the
circle walk and practiced some other things while
his teacher was gone. When Lu returned he
walked over to Park and put one hand on Park's
chest and another hand on his back. After Park
took one breath, Lu hit him with the hand that
was on his chest and dropped him to his knees. Lu
exclaimed, "You did not practice walking the
circle for the whole hour, your ch'i is not strong
enough!"
Park had to admit that he had not walked the
circle for the entire hour and so Lu sat down on a
bench and Park had to walk the circle for a full
hour while his teacher watched to make sure he
did it. Park states that Lu could walk the circle for
hours at a time. Even when he was in his seventies,
Lu could walk the circle longer than any of his
students.
Lu, who always felt that practicing in a natural
environment was best, would always practice his
circle walk outside on a dirt surface. He would
wear a hat and heavy coat when traveling to the
practice area and then take the hat and coat off
when practicing. Immediately after finishing his
practice he would put the hat and coat back on to
keep his body warm and conserve the ch'i he had
developed during the practice.

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Circle Walking Patterns

The standard circle walking practice in Park's
school consists of walking continuously around a
single circle of a consistent diameter for a desired
period of time, changing directions, and then
walking around the circle in the opposite direction
for the same period of time and continuously
repeating this pattern for as long as desired.
Beginning students should walk at least 15-20
minutes at a time. More advanced students should
walk even longer. The longer the better.
The change of direction used by the beginner
is as described in this chapter, however, as the
student gains experience and ability the change of
direction will become more complex. While
walking the practitioner will build a strong,
balanced ch'i feeling throughout the body. The
change of direction facilitates a movement and
readjustment of the ch'i that has been brought to
the practitioner's awareness while walking. The
simple change of direction readjusts, or moves the
ch 'i in a simple manner. Once the student develops
an awareness and connection with this simple ch'i
movement, the practitioner is taught slightly more
complex changing gestures so that the ch'i is
directed differently. The more complex changes
are taught in a progressive manner so that the
student eventually learns how to direct and control
the ch'i while performing any of Pa Kua Chang's
complex movements.
The student in Park's school will spend a lot of
time with standard circle walk pattern, however,
this practice is only one of many circle walking
patterns which are contained in Lu Shui-T'ien's
method. The second pattern which the student in
Park's school will practice is modeled after the t'ai
chi diagram and is shown in the illustration at
right. The arrows indicate the walking pattern.
The palm change in this pattern is executed as the
practitioner transitions through the middle of the
circle. As the practitioner steps off the line of the
circle along the line which goes through the
circle's center, he or she begins to perform the
basic straight fan chang maneuver (as described in
the next chapter).
Other circle walking patterns, which the student
in Park's school will practice, involve combining
large circles with smaller circles and walking in

Yin Yang Circle Walking Pattern

different spiralling patterns. Pa Kua Chang
footwork, as it is applied in self-defense, can
become very complex. The practitioner sometimes
walks in large circles and sometimes in very small
circles. The small circles change instantly to larger
circles and the large ones rapidly change to small
depending on the technique applied and the
reaction of the opponent. Through the practice of
a large variety of circular walking patterns the
student can become accustomed to maintaining
root, ch'i awareness, and full body coordination
while walking very tight circles or changing circular
patterns quickly.
Since this book is designed to only cover the
fundamentals of Park's Pa Kua Chang method,
the additional circle walking patterns and their
associated palm changes will not be explained in
any detail in this book. However, examples of a
few of the other circle walking patterns are shown
on the next page. Each of these patterns are
practiced separately at first and then the student
learns how to combine the patterns. The student
also learns the when's, how's and why's of the each
different pattern's applications.

Circle Walking and the Pa Kua Diagram

Since the Pa Fang Ken Pu steps exemplified
linear movement along eight directions, and the
pivot step is associated with angular rotation
around a central axis, it is not hard to guess that
the circle walking technique is the physical
employment of the principle associated with
97

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Spiraling Patterns

Two Circle Pattern

Nine Palace Pattern

Multi-Circle Patterns
circular movement around a central axis. Whereas
the center of movement in the Pa Fang Ken Pit
steps is the practitioner's own body center, and
the axis of angular rotation in the pivot step is a
point in-between the practitioner and the
opponent (the ball of the practitioner's pivot
foot), the central axis in the circle walk practice is
usually the central axis of the opponent's body,
although in some instances itcan be located at the
point of contact between the practitioner and the
opponent.
While the Pa Fang Ken Pu steps are characteristic
of one being in the center and focusing outward,
the circle walking practice lends the opposite
perspective of being on the outside and focusing
in toward the center. However, there is also
another principle of movement which is associated
with the Pa Kua diagram depicted at right which
entails the practitioner being in the circle's center
and focusing outward while moving in circular
patterns. This principle is extremely important in
Pa Kua Chang body movement and is characteristic
of movements the practitioner performs with the
shoulders and hips rotating around the his or her
central axis. This principle will be discussed in
detail in the next chapter.

98

As the reader can see from the various circle

walking patterns described in the last section, the
circle's center can change rapidly and the circles
can be large or small or change rapidly from large
to small as in the spiraling pattern.
A theoretical explanation of how all of the
patterns associated with the Pa Kua Chang diagram
are combined in forming a complete arsenal of Pa
Kua Chang stepping techniques will be discussed
later in this chapter. However, first we will describe
Pa Kua's characteristic k 'ou pu and pai pu footwork.

Circular Rotation Around a Central Axis

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

K'ou Pu and Pai Pu Stepping

ike the Pa Fang Ken Pu steps, the pivot
steps, and the circle walking, k'ou pu
(hooking step) and pai pu (swinging
step) stepping help build the base of Pa Kua
Chang footwork and mobility. Anyone who
has practiced any Pa Kua Chang form is no
doubt familiar with the k'ou pu and pai pu
footwork. Typically these foot movements
are utilized to change direction when
walking the circle and are integral parts of
most of the familiar palm changes of the
popular Pa Kua Chang forms. The most
familiar utilization of k'ou pu and pai pu is
shown in the illustration on the next page.
While walking the circle, the practitioner
will first toe-in with the outside foot
(illustrations 1 and 2) and assume the pa (eight)

stance. This movement is called k'ou pu.

The stance is called the "eight stance"
because the feet form a pattern similar to the
Chinese character for the number eight (see
illustration and photographs below). When in
the eight stance, the weight is distributed
evenly.
A slight variation of the k'ou pu "eight"
stance is also common. This variation is
called the k'ou pu "T" stance. In this stance
the feet form a "T" shape (imaginary lines
extending from each foot will cross and
form a "T") as shown in the photograph on
the next page. In the "eight" stance, both
feet turn in approximately 45. In the k 'ou
pu "T" stance one foot turns in more than the
other.

The K'ou Pu Step

K'ou

Pu

The K'ou Pu "Eight" Stance (back view)

The K'ou Pu "Eight" Stance (front view)

99

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

The K'ou Pu "T" Stance

The k'ou pu movement is typically
followed by pai pu when changing directions
on the circle (see illustration and photos on
the next page). Although there are a
number of various arm movements
associated with the k'ou pu and pai pu
footwork, the hand movements which Park
uses most frequently in conjunction with
these steps are described later in the book.
From the k'ou pu or the pai pu foot
movement, there are many follow-on
steps a practitioner can execute, it all
depends on the function, associated
upper body movement, and the response of the

opponent. Many times in the popular Pa Kua

Chang forms, the pai pu will be followed by
another k'ou pu.
In the illustration at the bottom of the page, we
show a typical k'ou pu pai pu sequence used when
changing directions on the circle. While walking,
the practitioner will first k'ou pu with the outside
foot (illustration #2). The practitioner will now be
facing the center of the circle. The next step is a
pai pu in the opposite direction from the original
walking direction (illustration #3). From this
position, the practitioner can step off and walk the
circle as we described in the circle walking section
of this chapter. However, in this series of
illustrations we have the practitioner executing
another k'ou pu. The practitioner is now facing
away from the center of the circle (illustration 4).
From here the practitioner will execute another pai
pu and then step off to walk the circle in the other
direction (illustrations #5 and #6). There are a
great number of different palm techniques that can
be executed with this footwork sequence.
However, we will not address these changes in this
book.
Because of the frequency at which the k'ou pu
and pai pu stepping maneuvers are executed in Pa
Kua Chang forms and because these maneuvers
are highly functional when used in conjunction
with a large variety of palm techniques, Park will
have the student become very familiar with these
steps by practicing an exercise executing only

1 - Walking 2 - K'ou Pu 3 - Pai Pu 4 - K'ou Pu 5 - Pai Pu 6 - Walking

CCW
CW
Typical K'ou Pu Pai Pu Stepping Applied to a Basic Palm Change

100

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

successive k'ou pu and pai pu steps until these

steps are executed correctly and the
movements become natural.

Pai

Pu

The PaiPu Step

Basic K'ou Pu Pai Pu Exercise

In this k'ou pu pai pu exercise, the student
will move along a straight line as shown in
the illustration below. From the pai pu
stance, the practitioner will first execute k 'ou
pu, then pai pu, then k'ou pu again
repeatedly.
This exercise utilizes what is called the
"90 degree" k'ou pu because when the
practitioner steps, the body is facing the
direction 90 degrees away from the starting
direction. The standard k'ou pu as shown in
the circle walking illustration can be a "45
degree" k'ou pu or a "90 degree" k'ou pu.
In the "45 degree" k'ou pu the practitioner

Pai Pu (front view)

Pai Pu (side view)

101

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

takes the k'ou pu step without pivoting on the

front foot and thus the body is facing 45 degrees
from the direction of original travel. In order to
execute the 90 degree k'ou pu, the practitioner will
allow the lead foot to pivot slightly as the rear foot
comes forward and toes-in (see illustration at
right).
When practicing this exercise, the practitioner
works to make the movements crisp and exact
while maintaining balance, root, and alignment.
In Park's school, the k'ou pu and pai pu footwork
are primarily used when executing tight turning
movements and/or quick change of direction.
Unless the student has spent a considerable
amount of time practicing the basic k'ou pu and
pai pu steps, advanced footwork application will
be difficult.
K'ou Pu Variations

After the student is comfortable with this

exercise, Park will add a slight variation which
requires the student to pivot farther on the front
foot as the k'ou pu step is being executed. Instead
of the body ending up facing the 90 angle to the
path the student was originally facing, the body
pivots 180 degrees during the k'ou pu step and
the student now faces directly opposite the
direction he was originally facing. This step is
referred to as the "180 degree" k'ou pu (see the
illustration at right).
This practice modifies the simple k'ou pu and
pai pu footwork in accordance with the principle
of angular rotation around a central point and
thus is, in a sense, combining the k'ou pu step with
the pivot step. Following this theory, there are
many different pivoting angles that one can
practice and utilize in fighting while executing
the k'ou pu and/or pai pu steps. The illustrations at
right show the 45, 90, and 180 degree k'ou pu
steps. Employment of each of these stepping
maneuvers, or variations thereof will be dictated
by the movement of the opponent.
Pai Pu Variations
Just as the k'ou pu maneuver can be varied and
adjusted as the situation dictates, the pai pu
maneuver can be similarly modified. The
"swinging out" motion of the pai pu step can be
varied to fit any angle between 0 and 180. The
102

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

will now be facing away from the circle's center.

Now the practitioner will execute a 135 pai pu
with the left foot followed by a k'ou pu with the
right foot. The practitioner is now in k'ou pu
facing the center of the circle once again. He or
she will continue this pattern over and over. The
pattern followed by this repetitive stepping pattern
is a circle as depicted in the illustration.

180 Degree Pai Pu Step

pai pu maneuver shown on the previous page
could be referred to as a 90 pai pu as the feet are
roughly at 90 angles. This is the most common
pai pu stepping angle, however, this step can
easily be executed at various other angles as the
situation dictates. Another common pai pu angle
is 180 as shown above. We will refer to this step
as a 180 pai pu as the toes of each foot face
directly away from each other. This step is
employed in tight turns and changing of direction
and is considered to be an advanced maneuver
because it should not be practiced until the
student has gained a considerable amount of
flexibility in the hip joints. In execution of this
step, the hips must be able to open so that there is
no torque experienced in the knee joints. If the
practitioner's hips are not sufficiently loose, there
is danger of damaging the knees. If the student
cannot keep the knees facing the same direction
as the toes, this maneuver should not be practiced.
Intermediate K'ou Pu Pai Pu Exercise
Once the student has developed enough hip
flexibility to practice the 180 pai pu properly,
Park will teach another k'ou pu pai pu stepping
exercise. This exercise consists of successive k'ou
pu and pai pu steps executed in a circular pattern
as shown in the illustration on the next page.
Starting in the k'ou pu position facing the
center of the circle, the student will execute a pai
pu of approximately 135 with the right foot. The
left foot will then step into k'ou pu. The practitioner

Combining the Stepping Methods

By applying the Pa Kua diagram geometric
principles to k'ou pu and pai pu stepping, these
two stepping patterns can be explored far beyond
the typical functions which they serve in most
popular Pa Kua Chang forms. When the
practitioner combines the k'ou pu and the pai pu
footwork with Pa Fang Ken Pu steps, pivot steps,
and circle walking in various patterns and
sequences, he or she can learn to double or triple
their knowledge of stepping maneuvers.
Park encourages his students to experiment
with various combinations of all the basic stepping
patterns to see which ones work well. The student
will first imagining that an opponent is
continuously attacking and practice working out
stepping patterns to avoid the attacks and set up for
counterattack. In examining the best footwork
solution available in avoiding an attack, the
student will research beyond a simple "get out of
the way" solution. In researching any component
of Pa Kua Chang the student should always think
about the linking aspect or " What comes next?"
When an evasive technique is employed it
should be executed so that the practitioner evades
while simultaneously placing his or her body in
the optimum position for counterattack and in
such a position that it would be difficult for the
opponent to continue his attack. When any
research is conducted, the student always
considers the follow-on possibilities and how they
might be handled in the most efficient manner.
After researching stepping methods with an
imaginary opponent, the student practices the
stepping with a partner in two-person stepping
exercises. Park firmly believes that the only way a
student will develop the ability to fight is to
engage in hundreds of hours of partner work. Like
all aspects of Park's training system, partner work
starts out very simple and progresses gradually.

103

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Intermediate K'ou Pu Pai Pu stepping Pattern

Each partner exercise builds upon the last until
finally the partners are engaging in all out free
style sparring.
Having the knowledge and experience to take
any one technique out of any Pa Kua Chang form
and research variations to get a feel for how that
technique might be applied in any given situation
is a skill that Park demands of his students. With
a thorough knowledge of Pa Kua Chang footwork

104

and palm striking fundamentals (which are based

on the theories of yin/yang, the five phases, and
the eight trigram circle) this skill is not so hard to
obtain.
The next section of this book will explore some
of the relationships between the footwork
described above and the theories of the eight
trigram circle.

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Combining the Pa Kua Chang

Footwork Techniques

hus far in this chapter we have introduced

the reader to a variety of Pa Kua Chang's
basic stepping techniques as taught by Park
Bok Nam. The student in Park's school will spend
many hours practicing each one of these stepping
techniques in isolation, however, practicing the
stepping exercises by themselves is only the first
level of learning how to apply the stepping
movements in a self-defense situation.
After developing basic skills with each separate
Pa Kua Chang footwork technique, the practitioner
in Park's school must learn how to combine the
techniques so as to move naturally, swiftly, and
fluidly from one stepping technique to another.
The combinations of stepping methods a
practitioner uses in combat should arise
spontaneously in response to any of the opponent's
movements. This ability requires an innate "body
knowledge" of the stepping techniques and how
to best apply them. When practicing two-person
stepping drills with Park, the student is constantly
frustrated because no matter where he or she
moves, Park has either moved in behind the
student or has a knee in the student's groin.
Reaction Drills
The first exercise Park will have a student
practice in order to learn how to combine stepping
techniques is a reaction drill in which a partner or
group leader will randomly call out a series of
stepping techniques and the students will execute
the techniques as they are called out. This exercise
is a good tool to use in order to test the student's
ability to assume the correct posture upon
completion of each stepping maneuver. If the
correct posture is not assumed immediately after
executing a step, the next step cannot be executed
rapidly. Park also uses this exercise to check how
much a student has been practicing. When Park
calls out a stepping technique, if the student
hesitates, has to think about the step before

executing it, or steps incorrectly, he knows that

the student has not spent enough practice time
with the basic footwork drills.
Typically this exercise is used in conjunction
with the Pa Fang Ken Pit steps combined with the
pivot steps, however, circle walking and k'ou pu
pai pu can be easily added to the sequence of steps
called out by the group leader. Developing the
ability to change immediately to either the jump
step or pivot step while circle walking, or to
change to circle walking after executing any of the
other steps, will greatly improve the practitioner's
ability to apply Pa Kua Chang footwork in combat.
The ability to move rapidly from the circular
footwork to the linear footwork and back again is
a vital skill. In many instances, researching these
combinations is accomplished using the five phase
model. The circular pattern of the creative cycle
and linear pattern of the destructive cycle models
are applied directly to the footwork in this instance.
Researching Combinations
Park states that after practicing the stepping
exercises and drills, the student needs to research
the principles of the stepping patterns he or she
has learned and discover how the steps can be
combined most efficiently. After researching the
stepping combinations, the student will then
practice the combinations which seem to work
well. The majority of the stepping combinations
are practiced in accordance with the theory of
combinations outlined in the pivot step section
of this chapter. Once the student finds an attack/
defense stepping combination which works well,
he or she will practice all of the possible
combinations of the particular stepping sequence.
An example of how an attack/defense/attack
sequence is practiced given the jump step as an
attack and the pivot step as a defense was outlined
in the pivot step section of this chapter. Many
other combinations of stepping patterns can be
105

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

practiced in this manner.

Park will generally teach a few basic
combinations to get the student started, however,
he feels that the student should not be "spoon
fed." Once the student has an experiential
understanding of the basic steps and basic patterns,
Park feels that the student should research further
combinations based on the theory of the Eight
Trigrams, Yin and Yang, and the Five Phases. Park
will check the student's progress and lend advice,
but it is the student's job to work out the
combinations on their own. He feels that if the
students discover the combinations on their own,
the combinations will not be forgotten and the
students will have a better understanding of how
to apply Pa Kua Chang footwork as a result of the
research. Park feels that without this kind of
"homework" the student's ability to really
understand how Pa Kua Chang is used in
self-defense will not grow to its full potential.
In conjunction with researching combinations
and patterns, the student is encouraged to use his
or her imagination and "shadow box" with an
imaginary opponent by using the stepping patterns
and combinations to avoid attack and seek
optimum angles of counter-attack. Park
emphasizes that this is a very important step in
the training process. By brainstorming and
developing "what if" scenarios to work out against
an imaginary opponent, the student can get a feel
for what stepping patterns will work and then
practice how to best vary those patterns in
hypothetical situations. Also, working against an
imaginary opponent will add a degree of realism
to the practice and thus the student will not fall
into the trap of becoming too mechanical in
performing repetitious movements.
The final phase in training Pa Kua Chang
footwork combinations is to actually apply the
stepping movements while working with a partner.
Park will first teach his students a basic
two-person stepping exercise which will help
the students get a feel for working jump step and
pivot step combinations against an opponent.
Following this exercise, the students will practice a
"freestyle" stepping exercise. These two exercises
are described below.

106

The Guard Stance Posture

Stability

Line of Stability and Instability in the

Guard Stance Posture

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Basic Two-Person Stepping Exercise

Theoretically, when a martial artist assumes a
stance, there are lines along which that stance is
strong and stable, and there are lines along which
the stance will be weak. By "lines" we are referring
to lines, or angles, along which outside force
could be applied. For instance, if someone were to
assume the guard stance posture shown in the
photograph on the previous page, the lines of
greatest stability and instability would be as shown
in the illustration. Obviously, if someone were to
attack a person standing in this posture, the attack
would best be directed along the line of instability.
Not only is the stance less stable along this line,
but the opponent's body is "open." With this
concept in mind, the first basic two-person
exercise, and the follow-on freestyle exercise, are
practiced so that the student learns how to utilize
footwork in order to position his or her body
along the line of instability of the opponent while
keeping the opponent from maneuvering to a
position along his or her line of instability.
The basic two-person stepping exercise consists
of each partner utilizing a jump step and pivot
step combination in succession to alternately
attempt to pivot to a position along the partner's
line of instability and then jump step along that
line through the partner's body. When the first
partner attempts to perform the jump step, the
second partner will pivot step out of the way (90
degree pivot). This sequence is shown in the
illustration at right and the photographs on the
next page.
When this exercise is first practiced the students
will maintain the jump step/pivot step
combination in order to help develop a feel for the
timing involved when moving out of the way of
an opponent's direct attack and subsequently
launching a quick counterattack. Once each
partner feels comfortable with this exercise, they
will then move on to a similar freestyle exercise
which combines all of the Pa Kua Chang footwork.

107

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Partner #1

Partner #1 Jumps
Forward

Partner #2 Jumps
Forward

Partner #2 Pivots

Partner #1 Pivots

Partner #2

The Basic Partner Exercise

Freestyle Two-Person
Stepping Exercise
Earlier in this book, and in the preceding
sections of this chapter, we briefly discussed the
combinatorial theory which is inherent in the /
Chins and the three geometric principles of
movement which Park interprets from the Pa Kua
Diagrams. Additionally, we also discussed the
theory of yin and yang and the yin yang
representation in the T'ai Chi Diagram. When
researching stepping combinations in individual
training and in the freestyle two-person exercise,

108

students discover how these fundamental

principles of Pa Kua Chang apply directly to the
application and training of Pa Kua Chang footwork.
While the freestyle stepping exercise is performed
as a game to see which partner can uproot, or
unbalance the other, it is also a learning experience
and should be approached as such. If both partners
work together to investigate the direct applications
of theoretical concepts to the physical footwork
training in Pa Kua Chang, they will better
understand how one might use these theories to
research and further develop the art.
While examining the principles of movement
which are symbolized by the arrangements of the
Pa Kua diagram in the proceeding sections of this

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

chapter on Pa Kua Chang footwork, we have

explained that there are generally three principles
of movement and three axes of rotation. The
principles of movement are circular movement
around a central axis, angular rotation around an
axis, and linear movement in eight directions.
The three axes of rotation are: the central axis of
the practitioner's body, the central axis of the
opponent's body, and a vertical axis formed at the
point (or points) of contact between the two
opponents.
If we represent the opponent's body, the
practitioner's body, and a central point in-between
the two bodies by the center of three separate Pa
Kua diagrams, we get the representation shown in
the illustration on the previous page. Using these
three diagrams in relation to each other and the
steps associated with the geometry of each, the
practitioner can better understand how stepping
combinations work.
While it is interesting to contemplate these
three diagrams as representations of the principles
associated with Pa Kua Chang stepping, the models
will not be of any use unless the steps are practiced
physically. In teaching, Park does not place
emphasis on the diagram representation, his
emphasis is on the performance of the physical
movements. The real research is done with physical
practice against real partners, not on the drawing
board with the diagrams. Knowing the theory
simply aids the practitioner's research and
development efforts in practice.
In the previous section of this chapter, we
discussed optimum angles of attack in conjunction
with a basic partner exercise. The next level of this
exercise is to practice "freestyle." Each partner
can use any combination of stepping patterns
in an attempt to offset the other partner. This

exercise is practiced with the footwork alone.

The arms are held behind the back. One partner
will offset the other by "stepping through" the
partner's body at an optimum attacking angle
and knocking him or her off balance.
Park feels that it is extremely important that
students practice two-person drills using
footwork alone for a significant amount of time
before adding hand and arm movements. Once
the hands and arms come into play, the student
tends to lose concentration on the footwork. All
of Pa Kua Chang's applications involve
positioning the body optimally before, during,
and after technique execution by utilizing
skillful footwork methods. If students first work
to develop the footwork component fully and
make the stepping principles reflex actions in the
body, the hand, arm and leg techniques become
much easier to learn and apply.
This exercise proves to be a "testing ground"
for all of the stepping combinations that the
student has practiced and researched on his or
her own. Up to this point in the training program
the student has only practiced pre-set
combinations and patterns and combinations
researched through the "shadow boxing"
practice. Now is the time to put those patterns
and combinations to the test against a real
partner and see which ones work and which
ones are not so effective. Again, this is a
laboratory, not a field of competition. If one
partner easily offsets another, both partners
should analyze what happened and why. In this
manner both partners learn from the other's
mistakes. Each partner takes note of what works
well and what doesn't. When each student
returns to his or her individual practice, they
know exactly what they need to work on.

109

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Pa Kua Chang Footwork - Conclusion

pending hours stepping up and down the

length of a room may seem like a laborsome
task, but in order to condition the body
properly and develop a "muscle-memory" of the
stepping movements, this kind of labor is required.
Anyone who has watched Park apply these
movements in a self-defense demonstration is
immediately convinced of their effectiveness and
necessity.
By "putting in the hours" with the stepping
exercises, researching the patterns, visualizing
imaginary partners, and working with real
opponents, the practitioner will eventually
develop an innate feel for how to move his or her
feet optimally in a combat situation. When the
practitioner can naturally respond to an
opponent's movements with skill, little effort,
and no thought, they will have embodied the
principle of wu-wei and thus will have achieved a
high level of internal boxing skill.
Park Bok Nam firmly believes that the most
important component to learn thoroughly before
attempting to apply Pa Kua Chang as a combat art
is Pa Kua Chang footwork. Learning how to get
out of the way of an opponent's attack while
simultaneously placing one's self in the optimum
position for counterattack is the first step in
learning how to fight. It is an extremely important
step, and one that many practitioners tend to
ignore. Footwork is not glamorous, it is not much
fun, and it is not easy. However, in Pa Kua Chang
as taught by Park it is extremely important. No
matter how powerful an opponent's strike, if the
practitioner is not there when it lands, all the
opponent's effort has been wasted.
The Pa Kua Chang practitioner is a footwork
specialist. Walking in circular patterns is the
trademark of his art, however, the extent of his
footwork arsenal extends far beyond circular
stepping. He circles, pivots, moves straight in,
pivots again, changes direction and then continues
to circle. His footwork is constantly adapting and
changing in response to the opponent's
movements. His ability to initiate one technique
110

and then change rapidly keys off of his constantly

changing footwork.
Footwork is the foundation for all of Pa Kua
Chang's applications and special techniques
-even Pa Kua chin na and throwing techniques
are executed through the footwork. Pa Kua
practitioners are well known for their evasive
maneuvers. Without an extensive experiential
knowledge of Pa Kua Chang footwork, the
practitioner will have difficulty grasping the
essence of this art. Park believes that unless the Pa
Kua Chang student has a thorough experiential
knowledge of footwork, he or she will never be
able to thoroughly understand how Pa Kua Chang
is used as a fighting art.
In summary, we will use mathematical type
equations to list all of the components of Pa Kua
Chang footwork that have been discussed in this
chapter. The first equation lists the major footwork
components outlined in this book.

Pa Kua Chang Basic Footwork = Eight

Directions Rooted Steps + Pivot Step + Circle
Walk + K'ou Pu Pai Pu
Next we will break down each of these components
into their main sub-components:
Eight Direction Rooted Steps = Jump Step+Full Step +
Full Step with a Jump + 90 Degree Step + V-step

Further sub-components of this equation

include practicing all of these steps on the right
and left sides and moving both forward and
backward.
Pivot Step = Front Foot Pivot + Back Foot Pivot

Further sub-components of this equation

include practicing these pivot steps on both the
right and left side and pivoting through all pivoting
angles.

Pa Kua Chang Footwork

Circle Walk =
Circle Pattern + Tai Chi
Diagram Pattern + Spiral Pattern + Multi-Circle
Patterns

Further sub-components of this equation

include practicing all of the circle walk patterns at
varying speeds (slow, medium, fast) and in high,
middle, and low stances and employing both the
lion and dragon steps.
K'ou Pu Pai Pu = 90 degree + 180 degree

Further sub-components of this equation

include practicing all stepping angles associated
with these two maneuvers.
Each of the main sub-sub-components of Pa
Kua Chang's footwork sub-components might be
detailed as follows:
Jump Step = Forward Jump Step (Left and Right) +
Backward Jump Step (Left and Right)
Full Step =

Backward Full Step (Left and Right)

Full Step with a Jump = Forward Full Step with a Jump
(Left and Right) + Backward Full Step with a Jump
(Left and Right)
90 Degree Step = Forward 90 Degree Step (Left and
Right) + Backward 90 Degree Step (Left and Right)
Front Foot Pivot Step = 45 Degree Pivot + 90 Degree
Pivot + 135 Degree Pivot + 180 Degree Pivot
Rear Foot Pivot Step - 45 Degree Pivot + 90 Degree
Pivot +135 Degree Pivot + 270 Degree Pivot

By starting practice with the lowest level of

sub-components and building gradually towards
the combination of all footwork components, the
Pa Kua Chang practitioner in Park Bok Nam's
school develops a complete and well integrated
set of footwork fundamentals as a foundation to
further study in Pa Kua Chang.

Forward Full Step (Left and Right) +

111

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

112

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

Chapter 4

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

113

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Chapter 4

Pa Kua Chang
BodyTraining

wo important aspects of any Chinese

martial art system are flexibility and leg
strength. Without building these two
components early on in the training program,
the student will always have problems with
relaxation, correct body alignment, and the
mechanics of correct movement associated with
the art. In this chapter we will introduce exercises
which are designed to help increase both leg
strength and body flexibility.
Park Bok Nam's Training Program

When a new student enters Park Bok Nam's Pa

Kua Chang school, Park will first evaluate the
student's level of flexibility, coordination, balance,
strength, and general health to determine the
student's strengths and weaknesses. Based on this
evaluation, Park will develop a training program

Park Bok Nam demonstrates his

high degree of flexibility

114

which will be uniquely designed for that student

in order to prepare his or her body for the study of
Pa Kua Chang. Students who enter the school
with a low level of physical skill, or in poor health,
will start out slowly with basic conditioning and
flexibility exercises. Students who have had some
background in internal martial arts and have
developed some skills previously will skip the very
basic exercises and will be taught at a much faster
pace.
The student with some martial arts background
and a body which is in good physical shape will
usually start with the material which is contained
in this book. If the student practices hard and
shows progress, everything in this book is taught
within the first 6 to 8 months. Within the first
week of practice, the student will be shown the
basic Pa Fang Ken Pu steps, the circle walk, the
breathing and ch 7 kung exercises described in the
ch'i kung chapter of this book, the tou chang
exercise described in the palm exercise chapter,
and the fan chang (overturning palm) exercises
which are described in this chapter.
Once a student has been taught most of the
material which is contained in this book, he or she
will then learn a series of eight Pa Kua ch'i kung
movement exercises which serve to increase overall
body flexibility, especially in and around the
spine and the body's joints, in order to improve
the body's overall physical condition and increase
the student's ch'i awareness, feeling, and
circulation to distal points of the body. The
movements in this exercise set are a bit more
complicated than anything we have described in
this book.

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

This ch'i kung exercise set is followed by a series

of eight Pa Kua palm training exercises (not related
to the eight mother palms) which develop internal
striking mechanics. Eight elbow exercises and
eight kicking exercises are also taught in
conjunction with the palm training exercises.
Additionally, the student will learn eight "straight
line" Pa Kua Chang sets which consist of a series
of tactical fighting techniques practiced repeatedly
while moving in a straight line.
All of the exercises listed above are designed to
increase flexibility in the hips, spine, and shoulder
joints, train the proper mechanics associated with
internal arts movement, and increase coordination
and stability while moving rapidly and applying
power. Additionally, these exercises develop the
practitioner's chi feeling (sensitivity) and generate
the ability to move ch'i through the whole body
(improve distal circulation). All of this material is
taught prior to any Pa Kua Chang tactical circle
walking form sequence. The student who practices
hard would typically learn all of this material
within the first 10 to 12 months of practice.
In conjunction with the material listed above,
the student will learn a basic ch'i kung circle
walking form (as shown in the ch 'i kung chapter of
this book). This form consists of eight "animal"
static upper body postures which are held while
walking the circle. When the student first learns
these postures, the changes in-between the
postures are simple. After the student can change
smoothly and maintain a constant feeling of ch'i
throughout the body while working with the
simple changes, more complex changes are taught.
In conjunction with the ch'i kung form, Park's
students learn eight exercises which prepare the
student's body for the first eight changes of the
first of four Pa Kua Chang combat forms. Park's
circular combat forms are taught in progressive
stages. The eight preliminary exercises contain
movements which are found in the eight kuas of
the first form. The student will practice these
exercises as repetitive training drills before
practicing them in conjunction with walking on
the circle. The student will typically learn the first
combat form within the first 12 to 14 months of
training. Once the student can demonstrate the
ability to move smoothly through the first combat
form, the second combat form will be taught.

Each progressive stage of combat forms which

Park teaches builds on the changes that were
trained in the previous form so that when the
student learns the 64 changes of the final open
hand form, all of the movements will be familiar
and natural and the student will have a full
knowledge of the form's applications. In addition
to the combat circle walking forms, Park also
teaches his intermediate students an eight-section,
or eight "road", "straight line" combat form.
While learning the combat forms in progressive
stages, the student will also begin to learn basic
training exercises with the staff and the broad
sword. In Park's school the student will eventually
learn how to use a multitude of Pa Kua Chang
weapons. Park's favorites are the staff, the spear,
the straight sword, the broad sword, and the short
knives.
Park's approach to teaching all aspects of Pa
Kua Chang - form, fighting, palm striking, ch'i
kung, breathing, meditation - is very systematic,
115

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

allowing the student to develop gradually and

fully so that there are no weak areas, missing
pieces, or bad habits. He strongly believes that
students should start out with very simple
movements and exercises and work with them
until basic skills are developed before moving on
to anything more complex.
Park believes that before a student can learn Pa
Kua Chang forms, he or she needs to have a body
which is ready to learn Pa Kua Chang forms. This
"Pa Kua Chang body" is developed beyond normal
levels of flexibility (especially in the hips, spine,
and shoulder areas), coordination (which includes
maintaining proper body connections and
structural alignments when moving), balance, leg
strength, endurance, and ch'i awareness.
In Parks school, development of flexible hips,
spine, and shoulders in conjunction with full

body movement is initiated with the first of several

introductory palm changing drills. We will discuss
a few of these introductory exercises in this chapter.
The first set of exercises, fan chang (overturning
palm) set, will not only help to loosen up the hips,
spine, and shoulders, but will teach the basic
movements and mechanics utilized in the tan
huan chang (single palm change) maneuver. Fan
chang is also combined with the stepping
maneuvers of the Pa Fang Ken Pit when the arm
movements are combined with the steps.
Park teaches three versions of fan chang - straight
fan chang, circle fan chang, and t'ien (heaven) fan
chang. We will discuss these three exercises in this
section. The fan chang section will be followed by
an exercise called "Scooping the Moon from the
Sea Bottom."

The Fan Chang Exercises

otation is extremely important to the Pa

Kua Chang practitioner. The ability to
rotate the body around its central axis in a
coordinated, integrated fashion is necessary if the
practitioner hopes to develop the striking power
inherent in Pa Kua Chang's movements. Rotating
the shoulders and hips in unison around the
central line of the torso (line running from the
crown of the head to the perineum), rotating the
arms around their central line (the bones of the
arms) and rotating the legs around their center
(the bones of the legs) all with the correct
coordination and timing is where much of the
power in Pa Kua Chang movement is initiated.
The majority of all Pa Kua Chang's techniques
involve rotating or twisting the torso and the four
limbs. The twisting of the legs drives the twisting
of the body, the rotation of the body drives the
movement of the arms, and the rotation of the
arms helps supply power to the palms.
The ability to rotate the four limbs and the
body around their respective centers is enhanced
when the hips, shoulders and spine are loose and
flexible. One of the first exercise sets a student in
116

Fan

Chang

Park's school will learn is designed to insure that

the hips, shoulders and spine are loose and can
rotate fully and that the legs, torso, and arms
move in a coordinated and integrated fashion.
The first exercise of this set, called straight fan
chang, is introduced below.

Straight Fan Chang

This first exercise, straight fan chang, is simply
an introduction to the basic mechanics of the
palm movement. Although the movements of
this exercise may seem simple, correct performance
of the fan chang maneuver is vital as the
"overturning palm" mechanics form the basis for
many of the Pa Kua palm changes and help to

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

Photo 1

Photo 6

Photo 7

Photo 8

The Straight Fan Chang Exercise

117

Photo 5

Photo 4

Photo 3

Photo 2

Photo 9

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

develop the mechanics of correct Pa Kua Chang

movement.
To begin the exercise, the arms are held in the
"guard stance" position (described in the previous
chapter). The forward hand is held at nose height
and the eyes look straight ahead, using the space
between the thumb and index finger as a "gun
sight" (see photo # 1 on the previous page). The
lower hand is held just below the elbow of the
upper arm (3-5 inches). The hips and torso are
angled comfortably (about 45 degrees). The
shoulders are in line with the hips and thus the
shoulder on the side of the upper arm is angled
forward of the body's central axis, while the
shoulder on the side of the lower hand is slightly
behind the body's central axis (see shoulder and
hip alignment diagram below). In this exercise,
the body's central axis remains vertical.
The back is rounded slightly as if the spine were
a hinge and the two sides of the back moved
forward around the spine. The scapula move out
to the sides slightly, however the practitioner
does not allow the scapula to ride up. When the
back is rounded in this manner the shoulders will
ride forward slightly, however, do not pull forward
from the shoulder, simply round the back. If the
student allows the shoulders to project too far
forward, he or she will lose the proper shoulder/
hip alignment. Both shoulders and both elbows
are dropped down. When the shoulders drop
down and the back is rounded slightly, the body's
center line is protected and the lungs move to the
back to facilitate ease in breathing.
The lower hand is held under the upper elbow
to help close the body's center line. In addition,
when the lower hand is close to the upper elbow
the practitioner can quickly execute the fan chang

Twist left

maneuver. Tactically, this move, as it is described

below, will serve to clear an opponent's attempt to
engage or grab the outstretched upper arm.
Fan chang is also typically executed in
conjunction with the k'ou pu and pai pu
footwork when the practitioner is changing
direction. If the lower hand is held too low or
too far away from the upper elbow, the center
line of the body will be open and the speed and
accuracy needed to properly execute a tactical
palm change will be inhibited. In the correct
position, the lower hand is held close enough to
the upper elbow to facilitate rapid execution of the
fan chang maneuver and at the same time it is
held far enough from the body so it can rapidly
intercept a low punch or kick.
In this exercise, the feet, ankles, and knees are
held together comfortably (no need to press them
together), and the toes are facing forward. For
ease of explanation, the movement will first be
grossly defined and then we will follow up by
discussing the subtleties, connections, and body
relationships in more detail. We will start by
defining the arm movement, but keep in mind, in
all Pa Kua Chang movement the arms do not
move independently of the body. We start by
explaining only what the arms are doing for ease
of explanation.
From the starting position, both palms begin
to turn over as the lower hand moves up and out
to the side (under the elbow of the upper arm) and
the practitioner begins to inhale. As the lower
palm begins to turn, the index finger runs along
the back of the elbow of the upper arm. The palm
continues to move out to the side as it turns so
that by the time the palm is facing up, the wrist of
the lower hand is touching the area of the upper
arm just behind the elbow (see photo # 2). By the

Center

Twist Right

Shoulder and Hip Alignments in Straight Fan Chang Execution

118

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

time the bottom hand reaches this position, both
palms should be facing up (yang palm). (Note: In
Pa Kua Chang parlance when a palm is facing up
it is referred to as being yang and when the palm
is facing down it is called yin. We will utilize this
terminology in the remainder of this book.) The
upper palm remains extended and at nose height
so that the face will remain covered during the
move.
Next, the lower hand moves up along the
upper arm with the wrist remaining in contact
with the forearm of the upper arm as it moves. If
the lower hand is not extended out to the side
such that the wrist is in contact with the forearm
of the upper hand, the practitioner will not have
the mechanical advantage necessary to clear away
an opponent who has grabbed the forward hand
or arm.
Once the lower palm reaches the height of the
upper palm (wrist on wrist - see photo # 3), the
upper palm begins to move down, the palms
begin to turn and the practitioner starts to exhale.
The lower palm becomes the upper palm and the
arms fall into the "guard stance" position on the
other side (see photos 4 and 5). With this
movement the shoulder and hip on the side of the
new upper hand will be forward of the body's
central axis because the hips are angled
approximately 45 degrees (see illustration on the
previous page). Once the palms have changed,
the practitioner will change the palms back by
executing the same sequence of maneuvers (see
photos 6 through 9).
In Pa Kua movement, the hands and arms do
not move independently of the body. Now that
the reader has a basic idea of what the hands and
arms are doing, we will investigate the straight fan
chang maneuver in order to examine what the
entire body is doing.
When performing fan chang, the entire body
will swivel back and forth around the body's
central axis with the changing of the palms. The
central axis of the body is defined by the imaginary
line drawn from the crown of the head down
through the perineum ( i n acupuncture
terminology the line would be drawn from the pai
hui through the hui yin). The entire body will
move as one integrated piece around the central
axis, but the motivation for the movement will

come from the ground up. The hips and shoulders

will always move together and remain aligned
(see illustration on previous page).
When practicing this exercise, the practitioner
should feel the upper body movement being
motivated from the heels and up through the
muscles of the inner thighs. Each leg rotates
around its respective center and this leg rotation
in turn rotates the hips and body. The knees
should not move, they should remain facing
forward and thus the leg rotation primarily applies
to the thighs.
In Pa Kua Chang, the movement of what the
Chinese call the yao kua is very important. The yao
k'ua includes the areas of the body we in the West
refer to as the inner thighs, hips and waist. Too
often beginning practitioners will only twist the
waist when executing a maneuver. If one only
turns the waist, the proper hip and shoulder
alignments will suffer. The practitioner should
develop the ability to be able to twist the body
from the thighs so that the hips and waist twist
and the shoulders and hips always remain in
alignment. The fan chang series of exercises will
help the practitioner loosen the muscles in the
inner thighs, buttocks, and hips so that the
necessary degree of flexibility is attained and
proper alignments can be maintained.
In the straight fan chang exercise, the body
swivels back and forth around its central axis as
the palms change. The head remains facing the
front. The practitioner works to perform the
exercise so that the body's central axis remains
stationery, the body does not bob up and down
nor wobble back and forth - it swivels around its
center. The shoulders are relaxed, and the palm
movement is smooth.
The practitioner should rotate the hips to the
full 45 degree position with each change of the
palms. The hips and shoulders should always
remain aligned. The illustration at the bottom of
the previous page illustrates the hip and shoulder
positioning for this exercise.
The timing of the palm change is also
important. The palms do not start to turn over
until after the arms are at the wrist-on-wrist
position shown in photo #3 on page 117. In the
starting position the hips and torso are facing a 45
degree angle from the forward position (where the
119

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 2

Photo 1

Photo 4

Photo 3

Photo 5

Straight Fan Chang Partner Exercise

eyes are looking). The turning of the hips back
towards the center initiates the arm movement.
As the hips reach the position facing squarely
forward, the hands are at the wrist-on-wrist
position of photo #3 on page 117. As the hips
continue to rotate the palm extends forward of
the wrist-on-wrist position until the arm reaches
its full extension and then the palm turns over
smoothly as the hips reach their full rotation.
Straight Fan Chang Partner Exercise
To get a feel for the proper timing of the palm
changing from yang to yin, one can practice the
straight fan chang drill with a partner. In this
exercise, both partners face each other in the
dragon stance posture with the wrist of the forward
arm resting on each other {see photo #1 above).

120

The back of one partner's upper palm is against

the back of the other partner's upper palm. Both
partners execute the straight fan chang exercise at
the same time (see photo #2). As each partner
reaches the wrist-on-wrist position (see photo #3),
the changing bottom palms start to engage each
other. As the movement continues, the wrist of
the new upper palm should be in contact with the
wrist of the partner's new upper palm (see photo
#4) and then the palms turn over. The first
repetition is complete (see photo #5 above).
Students practicing this exercise will notice
that if both partners turn the palms over at the
right time, the palms will both stay in the center
line of the body. However, if one partner turns the
palm over at the wrong time, his or her palm will
be moved out to the side slightly by the partner's

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

changing palm. If this occurs, then the student

knows that his or her palm change was not executed
at the proper time. When practicing this partner drill,
the students should not use force or arm strength to
press against the partner's arm. As in all Pa Kua
Chang techniques, positive results are obtained
through the execution of correct mechanics of the
movement and alignments of the body, not gross
muscle strength.
The straight fan chang exercise is strictly an
exercise designed to train the mechanics of the fan
chang maneuver. The practitioner should not try to
put excessive strength or power into the movements,
concentration is on being fluid and relaxed. Errors
typically made by beginners are: allowing the
shoulders to rise up, not turning the hips far enough,
not maintaining the shoulder/ hip alignments, not
turning the palm over at the proper time, and not
keeping the upper hand high enough during the
change to protect the face. Remember, the upper
hand does not start to move until the lower hand is
up to the wrist-on-wrist position. This way the face
is always protected.

Circle Fan Chang

The circle fan chang exercise employs the same
basic palm movements as the straight fan chang
exercise, however, the palm changes are more
gradual and the torso twists so that the conclusion of
the change occurs with the head and palms facing
180 degrees from the starting position. During the
course of each palm change the head and upper
torso will rotate 360 degrees, the palms gradually
change during the course of the body rotation.
Although the upper body rotates through the
circumference of a circle, the feet and knees always
remain pointing in the same direction. This exercise
is the first in a series which help to really stretch and
open up the hips, spine, upper and lower back, and
shoulders.
The student begins this exercise facing forward
in the guard position (starting with the left palm
as the upper palm as in straight fan chang, see
photo #1 on the next page). The student then
begins to inhale and executes the first fan
chang as in the straight fan chang exercise.
Once the bottom palm has reached the wrist-on-wrist

position, the student begins to exhale as the torso

starts to turn (to the right) and the upper (left) palm
begins to slide down the inside of the forearm of
the right arm with the palm still facing up (yang).
The torso continues to twist towards the right. The
palms remain in the yang orientation (insure upper
palm is up high enough to protect the face) until
they reach the 90 degree position straight out to the
body's side (see photo #4). From this position the
palms start to turn as the body continues to twist.
When the practitioner has completed the 180
degree rotation, the palms have changed to yin
(guard position), and the practitioner is facing
directly behind the direction he or she started from
(see photo #6).
From this position the student begins to inhale
and executes the fan chang once again as the body
twists back to the front (see photo #9). When
facing back towards the front, the palms are both
facing up (yang position) and the right wrist is on
top of the left wrist (see photo #10). From here the
student begins to exhale and the body continues to
twist to the other side and execute the same
maneuver (see photos 11-13). During the exercise
the eyes always look in the direction of the upper
palm and the body should rotate around its central
axis. The practitioner does not let the body wobble
side-to-side when twisting.
To help the student remember the positioning of
the palms while they transition through the 360
degree turn, Park uses an analogy to the times of
day. The position directly in front of the
practitioner (i.e. the direction the toes are pointing)
is referred to as noon and is the supreme yang
position (both palms are facing up). The position
directly behind the practitioner is midnight, or the
extreme yin position (both palms are angled facing
down in the guard position).
If the practitioner is circling to the right (as
shown in the illustration on page 123) the fan
chang begins at the midnight direction with the
palms in the yin position. As the practitioner
begins to twist the body and inhale, the palms
begin to change from yin to yang; this is analogous
to sunrise. By the time the hips are facing forward
(same direction as the toes) the palms are at the
mid-day position, and have changed to the yang
palms. As the body continues to twist to the right
the practitioner begins to exhale and the palms
121

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 1

Photo 5

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 7

Photo 6

Circle Fan Chang Exercise

122

Photo 4

Photo 8

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

Photo 9

Photo 10

Photo 11

Photo 12

Photo 13

Circle Fan Chang Exercise (continued)

start to change again, transitioning from yang to
yin. This change is analogous to sunset. When the
body has twisted to the maximum extent (palms
facing rear or midnight position), the palms are
back in the yin position. At this point the
practitioner starts to inhale and twists the body
back to the left and thus the sun rises again.
The Chinese believe that the energy of the day is
strongest when yin is changing to yang (sunrise)
and when yang is changing to yin (sunset). This
theory carries over to the changing of the palms.
The palm movements are most powerful when the
yin palm is changing to the yang palm and when
the yang palm is changing to a the yin palm.
Typically the yin changing to yang will be used in
conjunction with a defensive maneuver, such as a
parry or to free one's self from a grab, and the yang
changing to yin will be used in conjunction with an
offensive strike.
The circle fan chang exercise will not only
increase flexibility in the hips, spine and shoulders,
but it also serves to train equilibrium, balance,
coordination and the ability to rotate the body,
from the feet up, around its central axis. Careful
attention to precise movement and positioning of
the palms will also ingrain habits that will serve
one well when practicing Pa Kua formsor fighting.

Both of the fan chang exercises outlined above

are also excellent training tools used in developing
the ability to concentrate ch'i in the palms and
move ch'i from one palm to the other. When
practicing the exercises, the practitioner should

Mid-night
(Yin
Palms)
Circle Fan Chang (Right)

123

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

insure that the palm movements are smooth and

a continuous "ch'i feeling" is maintained in the
palms. The practitioner's intention should be
focused on the upper palm. When executing the
change, as the lower palm replaces the upper palm
the intention switches to the new upper palm.

During the execution of this exercise the

practitioner will inhale as the palms go overhead
(photos 1 through 4) and exhale as the body twists
and the palmsaredirected towards the rear (photos
4 through 6). During the position shown in photo
4, the practitioner transitions from inhale to
exhale.

T'ien Fan Chang

T'ien fan chang is similar to the circle fan chang

exercise introduced previously, however, it works

to develop more flexibility in the upper back and
neck. This exercise is typically practiced after
executing a number of repetitions of the circle fan
chang exercise and thus in the beginning posture
of this exercise the palms and eyes are facing 180
degrees from the direction the feet are pointing
(see photo #1 on the next page). From this
position, the exercise proceeds just as the circle
fan chang. First, the lower (left) and upper (right)
palms begin to overturn as the body twists back
towards the front. As the palms are overturning,
the left palm comes up underneath the right
elbow (see photo #2). Now, as the torso continues
to twist back towards the front, the left palm
begins to follow the right forearm and comes
straight up over the head as the palms change (see
photo #3). Then the left palm moves up and
directly over the head (see photo #4). The palms
face down and the eyes look at the left (upper)
palm.
The body continues to twist and the palms
overturn; the palms then come straight down into
the same posture the practitioner started with, but
on the other side (see photos 5 and 6). From here
the steps are repeated going back in the other
direction (see photos 7-11). As the palms come up
over the head, the practitioner does not lean back.
The head simply tilts back to look at the palms as
they are going over the head.

T'ien

Fan

Chang
124

Combining the Three

Fan Chang Exercises
The straight fan chang, circle fan chang, and
t'ien fan chang exercises can be practiced together
as one continuous exercise set to help increase
flexibility, build leg strength, and ingrain proper
palm changing mechanics. Additionally, each
exercise helps to bring ch'i to the palms.
When first starting to practice these fan chang
exercises, the beginning student will probably
experience stiffness and lack of mobility in the
hips, waist, back, and shoulders and thus the ch'i
flow to the hands may not be felt to a strong
degree. However, once the student has practiced
for several months the hips, back, and shoulders
will begin to loosen up and he or she will feel more
comfortable and relaxed executing the
movements. When the spine and surrounding
muscles become supple, "energy gates" which are
located along the spine begin to open. As the
entire body becomes more flexible and these
energy gates begin to open, ch'i flow to the palms
will increase dramatically and will be more
noticeable. When the student reaches this stage
of training, the intent of the exercises can be
changed and the exercises can be used as powerful
ch'i circulation exercises.
To facilitate maximum ch'i development, each
repetition of each of the three exercises is practiced
slowly and deliberately with the intention focused
on the lead, or forward, palm. After the student's
body has reached a sufficient level of flexibility.
Park will teach the student to practice these three
exercises together as a complete set. The set
begins with straight fan chang which is repeated
for as many repetitions as desired. It is best to
execute at least 15 repetitions on each side. After
executing the straight fan chang exercise for at

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

Photo 1

Photo 7

Photo 8

Photo 5

Photo 4

Photo 3

Photo 2

Photo 9

Photo 10

The T'ien Fan Chang Exercise

125

125

Photo 6

Photo 11

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

least 15 repetitions, the practitioner will transition

directly into the circle fan chang exercise and
execute it at least 15 times on each side. After the
last repetition of circle fan chang, the practitioner
will go directly into the t'ien fan chang exercise.
When at least 15 repetitions of t'ien fan chang
exercise have been executed, the practitioner will
switch back to the circle fan chang exercise once
again.
After executing at least 15 repetitions of the
circle fan chang exercise, the practitioner will once
again execute the straight fan chang exercise.
Upon completion of the second set of straight fan
chang, the practitioner will then allow the hands
to slowly fall down by his or her sides and stand
for a few moments to allow the ch'i to settle.
After any exercise which is designed to bring
ch'i to the palms, one should allow the hands to
hang loosely by the sides and concentrate on
what Park calls the "ch'i feeling." Typically this
feeling will first manifest itself in the hands as
fullness, heat, and/or tingling. When the student
has obtained this feeling during the execution of
a ch'i circulation exercise, he or she will want to
relax for several minutes and concentrate on this
feeling after the exercise has been completed.
By concentrating on the "ch'i feeling," the
student will begin to develop a mind/nervous
system/body connection associated with this
feeling. The more developed this connection
becomes, the easier it will be for the student to
bring ch'i to the palms. With continued practice,
the student will be able to produce this effect just
by thinking about it. Later, increased amounts of
ch'i will flow to the palms naturally, when it is
needed, without conscious thought.
One goal in practicing Pa Kua as a self-defense art
is to be able to move ch'i very rapidly to the
palms (or any other part of the body) when
striking. When the mind/nervous system/body
connection has been fully developed, as soon as
the body moves, the ch'i will be there. The
movement of ch'i to the palm will be rapid and
spontaneous. Forging the mind/nervous system/
body connection during and after the fan chang
exercises will help the practitioner reach this goal.
Throughout the entire fan chang set, the
awareness is focused on maintaining the "ch'i
feeling," With continued practice, this feeling
126

should be experienced throughout the entire body.

The ch'i feeling is typically felt in the hands first,
however, this feeling will eventually be sensed in
the arms, shoulders, torso, and legs as the
practitioner's body awareness improves. As the
ch'i feeling is experienced moving up the arms
and to the rest of the body, the student will also
experience the ch'i moving deeper into the body.
In terms of ch 'i circulation, Park speaks of three
areas of concern: the skin, the nerves, and the
bones. By "circulation of ch'i in the skin" Park is
referring to circulation through the meridians
and channels defined in traditional Chinese
medicine. This would include circulation in the
major meridians and channels as well as the
smaller network of collaterals, or lo. The sensation
of ch'i and blood circulation at the skin level will
typically be the first the student will experience. If
the student has practiced ch'i kung or internal
martial arts for any length of time he or she is most
likely familiar with this sensation.
Circulation of ch 'i in the nerves is slightly more
advanced and will usually be experienced after
the student has been practicing ch'i kung for a
fairly long time, although it will vary from person
to person. The student will typically experience a
sensation in the hands, or other part of the body,
like an electrical shock or current when ch 'i begins
to circulate at this level. This feeling can be
somewhat uncomfortable at first.
Feeling the ch'i circulation in the bones is
usually experienced at the more advanced stages
of practice. This sensation is experienced within
the bones themselves. Again, the exact sensation
will vary from person to person. When a student
begins to feel ch'i circulation at the nerve or bone
level, Park will modify their training program to
help bring the student to still higher levels of
experience. See the chapter of this book on Pa Kua
Ch'i Kung for further details about Park's ch'i kung
system.
The fan chang exercise sequence is one of many
exercises that comprise the ch'i circulation
component of Park's ch'i kung system. The other
components of his ch'i kung system include
breathing exercises and meditation exercises.
Although, at the beginning levels of practice, all
three of these components are practiced separately
in specific exercises designed to develop one

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

particular component, not including one of these
components in a training program will seriously
hinder development of the other components.
Park feels that if a student only practices moving
ch'i kung exercises and/or form routines without
also practicing breathing and meditation exercises,
the student will reach a plateau in their
development.
When Park teaches ch'i kung seminars he will
ask students what experiences they have had with
feeling ch 'i. Most will indicate that after a number
of months of training they experienced the heat,
fullness, and/or tingling sensations in their hands
and various other parts of their body. Since the
first experience with this ch'i sensation, most
students have gradually felt stronger degrees of
these same sensations, but have not had any other
drastically different experiences. In Park's view,
these students have reached a plateau in their
training and have not progressed because they
have not had adequate breathing and meditation
training in conjunction with their other practices.
Park states that once a certain level is reached, the
breathing practice changes in order to take the
student to higher levels. To Park, breathing
training is a very important part of practice. Since
Park teaches breathing and meditation methods
by prescription only, his complete breath training
system will not be discussed in this book.
An eventual goal of training to maintain a full
body ch 'i feeling during the execution of relatively
simple training drills, such as the three fan chang
exercises, is to be able to maintain the full body
ch'i feeling while executing the complex turning,
twisting, and coiling movements associated with
Pa Kua Chang. This is not an easy task. The

training must progress gradually and flexibility is

an important aspect of this progression. The more
flexibility, relaxation, and suppleness the
practitioner can develop in his or her muscles,
joints, and tendons, the easier it will be to generate
strong, balanced ch'i flow and maintain a full
body ch 'i feeling.
After a student can maintain a full body ch'i
feeling while executing the simple fan chang
sequence, Park introduces the student to a more
complex set of body movements. This exercise set
consists of a preliminary, or warm-up, exercise
followed by eight other exercises designed to
increase flexibility and balance the ch 'i flow in the
body. The warm-up exercise to this set is the circle
fan chang exercise and the first of the eight ch'i
kung exercises is the t'ien fan chang exercise. The
next seven exercises are more complex and thus
the practitioner should have a strong foundation
with the fan chang exercises before attempting the
full ch'i kung set. Once this set is practiced for a
sufficient amount of time, the student will then
graduate to a simple Pa Kua Chang circle walking
Ch'i Kung form.

Through a progressive methodology, starting

with very simple exercises and working gradually
to more complex exercises, the student's
development will be complete. The fan chang
series of exercises are taught to the beginner to
help build the fundamental martial art
requirements of flexibility and leg strength, but
additionally these exercises will help the student
obtain a muscle memory of proper palm changing
mechanics and help develop strong ch'i circulation
while executing these movements.

127

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Scooping the Moon from the Sea Bottom

he "Scooping the Moon from the Sea

Bottom" (Hai Ti Lao Yue) exercise is one of
the most physically demanding of the basic
body conditioning exercises taught in Park's
school. While this exercise will certainly help the
practitioner develop a great amount of leg strength
and flexibility, it is also designed to help the
student learn how to rotate the body around its
central axis on an inclined plane. While learning
how to rotate the body around its center in an
upright posture with the legs together was relatively
simple in the fan chang exercises, it becomes much
more difficult in this exercise because the body is
in an extended "bow" stance. Rotating the hips
correctly in this position requires a greater degree
of hip flexibility and thus maintaining full body
integration and coordination becomes more
difficult. This exercise is executed as follows:
1) To begin the exercise the practitioner will
assume the "guard" stance described in the
previous chapter and as shown in photograph #1
on the next page.
2) Next the practitioner toes-out with the rear leg
as the weight shifts back. The lower hand moves
in towards the body's center with the palm up and
the upper hand hooks in so the fingers are facing
the body as shown in photo #2.
3) The upper (right) palm then turns over and
circles to the right side of the body as shown in
photo #3. The left hand remains in front of the
chest with the palm facing up as shown in photo
#3.
4) From here the body begins to drop down on the
left leg as the right palm slides down the right side
of the body. The palm is still facing up. The left

Hai

Ti

palm is still facing up and held close to the chest

as shown in photo #4.
5) The body continues to drop down on the left
leg and the right palm continues to slide along the
right side of the body until is has extended out
past the right foot as shown in photo #5.
6) From this position, the practitioner pushes off
the left leg and the weight begins to transition to
the right. As the weight transitions and the body
begins to come up on the right side, the right palm
turns over 360 degrees. Both palms are now still
facing upwards and the right palm performs a
scooping motion as if "scooping the moon from
the sea bottom" as shown in photos #6 and #7.
7) The left leg continues to push until it has fully
extended and the right palm has also extended
out fully and is held up at eye level. Both palms
are still facing up as shown in photo #8. Notice
that the feet have pivoted on the heels and are
now facing 45 degrees from the frontward
orientation.
8) From this position the left palm pierces straight
upward underneath the right arm and continues
upward until it is fully extended as shown in
photos #9 and #10.
9) Now the right palm pierces straight up and out
underneath the left arm as shown in photos #11
and #12 and then again the left palm pierces
straight up underneath the right palm as shown in
photos #13 and #14. The palms remain facing up
throughout these three consecutive piercing
maneuvers.
When executing the three upward piercing
movements with the palms, the practitioner
concentrates on making this a full body movement.

Lao

128

Yue

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 7

Photo 8

Photo 9

Photo 10

Photo 11

Photo 12

Photo 13

Photo 15

Photo 14

The "Scooping Moon From Sea Bottom" Exercise

129

Photo 16

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 17

Photo 19

Photo 18

Photo 21

Photo 23

Photo 22

Photo 25

Photo 20

Photo 26

Photo 24

Photo 27

The "Scooping Moon From Sea Bottom" Exercise (continued)

The body rotates in its entirety around a line that
is drawn from the back heel up through the crown
of the head. The back leg rotates around its center
from the ankle up to the hip. The hips rotate
around the center of the pelvis and the shoulders
move in unison with the hips. Beginners will
typically move only the shoulders and arms when
executing this movement. This is incorrect. The
shoulders and hips remain aligned and thus to
execute this movement correctly, the hip joints
must be very loose and flexible.
10) After the left palm has pierced the second
time, the left wrist bends and the fingers of the left
palm point in towards the left armpit and the left
palm descends down the left side of the body as

130

shown in photos #15 and #16. The movement is

then repeated on the other side as shown in photo
#16 through #27. The full exercise (both sides) is
repeated for at least 10 to 20 repetitions.
Except for the 360 degree rotation of the palms
when scooping up on one side or the other, the
palms remain facing upwards throughout the
exercise. Park recommends that students imagine
that they are holding something in the palm
during execution of the exercise as this imagery
will help bring ch'i to the hands.
At first these movements are executed slowly.
The student will want to concentrate on the
correct body alignments and hip rotation. Later,
the exercise can be performed at a greater speed

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

with the piercing movements of the palms being

executed very rapidly.
"Scooping Moon From Sea Bottom" Variation
Another version of the "Scooping Moon From
Sea Bottom" exercise can be practiced which is
executed in the same manner, however, the
practitioner does not bend down low when
transitioning from one side to the other. This
version is demonstrated in the photographs below
and on the next page.
Instead of bending down into the low posture
and then transitioning up into the extended bow
stance as in the previous exercise, the practitioner
performing this exercise will twist from one side
to the other in the standard dragon posture stance.
The footwork for this exercise is executed exactly
as discussed in the footwork chapter when the
"turnaround" footwork maneuver was presented.
From the dragon posture (photo 1) the
practitioner will begin to hook the lower hand

Photo 1

Photo 5

Photo 2

around the front of the body as in the previous

exercise. However, instead of allowing the hand
to turn under towards the armpit right away, the
practitioner leads this movement with the elbow
as shown in photo 3 below. One can imagine this
movement blocking an attack to the ribs.
After the elbow comes back to the rib area, the
hand then turns and curls under the armpit as
shown in photo 4. From this position, the hand
spears straight out as if to attack the opponent's
armpit (see photo 5). The practitioner now
executes the "turnaround" footwork while
simultaneously allowing the palm to overturn as
the feet change (see photo 6).
The practitioner will now execute the three
piercing palm maneuvers as they were executed in
the previous exercise (see photos 7 through 11).
After executing three consecutive piercing palms,
the practitioner transitions to the other side and
repeats the exercise as shown in photos 12 through
21 on the next page.

Photo 3

Photo 6

Photo 7

The "Scooping Moon From Sea Bottom" Exercise Variation

131

Photo 4

Photo 8

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 9

Photo 10

Photo 11

Photo 12

Photo 13

Photo 14

Photo 15

Photo 16

Photo 17

Photo 18

Photo 19

Photo 21

Photo 20

The "Scooping Moon From Sea Bottom" Exercise Variation (continued)

132

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

The Circle Principle

hen teaching students Pa Kua Chang's

circle walking exercise, Park is quick
to point out that the circle walking
footwork is but a small piece of Pa Kua Chang's
overall "circle principle." We have already seen
that, in relation to the circular arrangement of the
Eight Trigrams, there are a number of ways to
utilize circular geometry in relation to Pa Kua
Chang movement.
The equation Park uses
to describe the circle principle is as follows:
Circle Principle = Circular Stepping + Body Circle
+ Hand Circle

In this equation the "body circle" subcomponent not only refers to the three principles
of movement of circular movement around a
central axis, angular movement around a central
axis, and linear movement in one of eight
directions, which are associated with the Pa Kua
diagram as discussed in the footwork chapter, but
also refers to the body's rotation around its own
central axis, which we have discussed in this
chapter.
One might define the body's rotation around
its center as the movement associated with
different parts of the body moving angularly, or
circularly around the body's center and therefore,
if we place a Pa Kua diagram at the body's center,
this fourth movement principle is consistent with
the three described earlier. What the equation
shown above says is that all four of the ideas
which relate to the circular geometry of the Pa Kua
diagram will apply equally to foot movement,
body movement, and hand movement in Pa Kua
Chang application.
The circular movement concepts which relate
to the footwork were described in the footwork
chapter of this book. The "body circle" and "hand
circle" components are discussed here briefly.

133

Body Circle
"Body circle" can include any one of a number
of different circular or rotational articulations as
follows:
1) Part of the body rotating around its central axis.
The central axis of the torso is the centerline of the
body. The central axis of any of the body's limbs
would be the bones of those limbs.
2) Part of the body rotating or circling around a
central point. These central points are usually
located at the body's joints. Any one of the body's
joints can pivot or rotate around many of the
other joints. For instance the hand (finger joints)
can circle using the wrist, the elbow, the shoulder,
or the hip as central points of rotation.
3) The pivoting or circling of the whole body
around points such as the front foot, the back
foot, the opponent, or the point of contact between
the practitioner and the opponent.
Typically, in Pa Kua Chang, many of these
circular and rotational motions are occurring
simultaneously in any given movement or
technique.
Hand Circle
The "hand circle" sub-component of this
equation can refer to such movements as:
1) A sweeping circular motion of the hand (through
very small or larger arcs).
2) A wrapping type motion of the hand like a
snake wrapping around a tree limb.
3) The rotation of the forearm around its central
axis such as that occurring when the practitioner
changes from yin palm to yang palm or vice-versa.
If one were to place an imaginary Pa Kua
diagram in the air, the four components of
movement discussed above all apply to the hand,
or the elbow. The hand can move linearly in one
of eight directions from a central point; the hand
can move in a circle around a central point (which
would include spiraling and wrapping); the hand
can move in an angular rotation around the wrist

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

joint, around the elbow joint, around the shoulder

joint or even around the central axis of the body
(hip joints) as in the circle fan chang exercise; and
the hand/forearm can move around the central
axis of the forearm. Just as the theory of the Pa Kua
diagram's geometry is applied to the stepping and
body movement, it can also be applied to the
hand movement to research optimal ways of
combining and executing techniques.
Hand + Body + Step
In Park's view, the equation shown for the
"Circle Principle" not only depicts that the three
elements of Circular Footwork, Body Circle, and
Hand Circle are all basic components of the
principle, it also indicates that all three of these
components should be present together in any
technique. Park uses the simple example of an
opponent throwing a straight punch at his chest.
In the first photo shown below, an opponent
throws a punch at Park's chest and Park uses a yin
palm changing to yang palm technique to block
the punch (Hand Circle). This technique will
work fine in some instances, however, if the
opponent is very fast, or has a very powerful
punch, the strike could break through this defense
and thus the technique is incomplete.
In the second photo, Park combines the yin
and yang turning of the hand with the pivoting of
the body around its central axis (Body Circle +

Hand Only
(Without Body and Step)

Hand Circle) to defend against the attack. In this

instance, if the opponent's strike were to get past
the hand technique, the body will no longer be in
the direct path of the strike. The turning of the
body solves the problem of the first strike, however,
Park is now in a vulnerable position because the
body is not aligned with the stance and thus the
opponent's next attack could mean trouble.
In the third photograph Park executes the
hand technique (changing from yin to yang and
back again with the step) with the turning of the
body and circular footwork in the form of a pivot
step around the front foot (Circular Stepping +
Body Circle + Hand Circle). With this technique,
he has not only completely moved out of the way
of the first strike, but he has placed himself in a
position where he can easily counter-attack.
Executing the Circular Stepping in conjunction
with the Circular Body movement and Circular
Hand movement will always provide the most
complete technique in either attack or defense.
All Pa Kua Chang movement contain elements
of circular motion - the twisting, rotating, and
circling of the various parts of the body and palms
are movements which help define Pa Kua Chang
and thus there is much more circling in Pa Kua
than just the circle the practitioner will walk
around.

Hand + Body
(Without Step)

134

Hand + Body + Step

(Complete)

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

Combining the Palm Work with Pa Kua Stepping

the fan chang exercises. From the guard
stance, the simple rule of thumb to follow
is: if the practitioner changes the lead foot
when stepping (as in the "full step"
movement), he or she will execute straight
fan chang at the same time. This movement
is demonstrated in the photos below
(sequence goes from right to left).

ll technique application in Pa Kua

Chang involves a combination of
footwork, body movement, and hand
movement. In Park Bok Nam's school,
after the student has worked on the
footwork, body work, and hand work
which has been described in this book thus far,
he or she will then combine these
components so that all footwork drills will
involve an integrated full body movement in
conjunction with simple hand techniques.
It is important to keep in mind that when
we discuss combining hand, body, and
footwork that there will always be full body
coordination, integration, and connection.
When the hand, body, and feet move
together, they should always be properly
aligned
and
structurally
connected.
Practicing the basic footwork drills in
conjunction with simple hand techniques will
help the student forge these connections.

Full Step + Fan Chang

The fan chang maneuver is executed with
the full step, the full step with a jump, and
the 90 degree turning step movements that
were discussed in the footwork chapter of
this book. The photographs on this page
and the next page demonstrate these
hand/step combinations.
The full step with fan chang is executed as
follows: From the guard stance position (photo
1), the practitioner will begin to execute fan
chang in order to block an opponent's strike or
clear his arm away if the opponent has grabbed
(see photo 2). As the palms change, the
practitioner will step forward with the rear foot
(photo 3). When the forward step has been
completed, the palms have changed and the
practitioner is back in the guard stance on the
other side (opposite foot and hand are forward see photos 4 and 5).

Hand + Body + Step

Bringing together the hand, body, and
stepping movements is not difficult if the
student is familiar with the "Guard" or
"Dragon" Posture, the Pa Fang Ken Pit
stepping patterns, the pivot step, and the
hand and body movements associated with

The full step executed with the fang chang maneuver

135

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

The full step with a jump executed with the fang chang maneuver

The 90 degree turning step executed with the fang chang maneuver

136

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

When executing this move in a fighting

situation, there is a strike (application of internal
power) incorporated in the fan chang maneuver,
however, this should not be practiced until the
student learns the mechanics of an internal strike
so that the application of the technique will be
properly executed. When this move is first
taught the student works to make the movement
smooth, relaxed, and fluid. The "power" will be
added after the student has spent a sufficient
amount of time with the palm exercises
described in the palm training chapter of this
book.
The student should practice the straight fan
chang maneuver in conjunction with the full
step, full step with a jump, and the full step with
a 90 degree turn until the movements can be
executed fluidly, smoothly, and naturally. The
changing of the palms and the conclusion of the
step should always coincide. In execution of
these maneuvers, shoulder and hip alignment
should always be maintained.
When changing the palms in conjunction
with the full step with a 90 degree turn, the
practitioner will insure that the palms always
stay in front of the face. Turning the palms to
the 90 degree angle before turning the face
and/or body will leave the face unprotected. The
same is true if the body and face turn to the 90
degree angle before the palms. The turning of
the palms and body should coincide as shown in
the photo sequence on the previous page.
The practitioner should be able to execute the
hand and body movement simultaneously and
end up back in the perfect guard stance posture
after the movement has been executed with no
adjustments or additional movements required.
This hand/step combination is first executed
slowly and deliberately so that the student can
concentrate on the correct body mechanics.
Later, the student can practice moving faster.
Eventually the student will add power to the
changing of the palms so that the overturning
lead palm is employed as a striking palm.
Adding power to the palm movement in
combination with stepping maneuvers will be
described in a later chapter of this book.

Changing Step Partner Exercise

Once the student becomes familiar with the
full step and fan chang combination, he or she
can practice this combination with a partner.
Earlier in this chapter we discussed a two person
straight fan chang drill. This next partner drill is
executed in the same fashion, however, a full
step forward and subsequent full step back is
added with the changing of the palms. The
exercise is executed as follows:
1) Both partners assume the dragon stance
posture and face each other as shown in photo #1
on the next page.
2) Both partners begin to execute the fan chang
maneuver as shown in photo #2.
3) As the bottom hand begins to slide up the
forearm to the wrist-on-wrist position partner A
executes a full step forward and partner B
executes a full step back. Notice that in photo
#3 both partners have reached the wrist-on-wrist
position and they have both executed a full step.
4) The fan chang maneuver continues (photos
#4 and #5). As we discussed when explaining the
straight fan chang partner exercise, both partners
will remain guarded and protected if they both
execute the fan chang properly.
5) At the conclusion of the fan chang, both
partners will begin to execute fan chang again
(photo #6).
6) As the bottom hand begins to slide up the
forearm to the wrist-on-wrist position partner B
executes a full step forward and partner A
executes a full step back (photo #7). The fan
chang maneuver continues to completion
(photos# 8 and #9).
7) The partners continue executing this
stepping/palm changing exercise repeatedly.
Yin Yang Changing Palm with
Jump and Pivot Steps
In the execution of Pa Kua Chang footwork, if
the practitioner does not change the lead foot when
stepping, as in the "jump step" and "pivot step"
maneuvers, he or she will not execute fan chang,
however, the palms will change from yin palms
(facing down) to yang palms (facing up) and
back again as the step is executed. The lead palm
137

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 7

Photo 8

Photo 9

Changing Step Partner Exercise

138

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Changing yin palm to yang palm and back again

stays the same, it simply turns over and turns
back as the practitioner steps. This palm
movement sounds very simple, however, it
is important to remember that the palm
does not move independently of the body.
The movement of changing a palm from yang
to yin, or vice-versa, is driven by the rotation
of the hips around the body's central axis.
The mechanics of this movement are
discussed below. We will first describe
how to turn the palm from yin to yang and
back again while standing still and then

explain how this is accomplished in

conjunction with the jump step and the
pivot step footwork.
Changing Yin to Yang and Back Again
If the practitioner assumes the dragon
posture and desires to change the palms
from yin to yang, the first motion of the
body is for the hip on the side of the upper
palm to pull back (see photo #2 above).
The motion of the hip pulling back will
cause the shoulder to pull back also as the

Execution of the Jump Step with the Overturning Palms

139

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Execution of the Pivot Step with the Overturning Palms

practitioner retains the hip/shoulder alignments.
As the shoulder pulls back, the palm turns from
yin (facing down) to yang (facing up). In a sense,
the body is simply turning around its center and
the palm moves with it. As the palm moves, the
forearm rotates and the palm changes.
When changing the palm from yin to yang it is
essential that the practitioner maintain correct
body alignments. As the hips and shoulders
rotate the shoulders should remain relaxed and
dropped down. The student should not allow the
shoulders to ride up. Also, the shoulder/hip
alignment should be maintained. There is a
tendency in beginners to let the shoulder on the
side of the upper palm pull back too far.
Additionally, the knees should not wobble from
side to side as the hips turn. The knees should
remain facing the same direction as the toes.
In order to change the palms from yang back to
yin, the practitioner will simply rotate the hips
back to the original position. As the hips and
shoulders rotate, the forearms rotate and the
palms overturn.
Executing the Jump Step with the Yin Yang
Changing Palms
Once the student has practiced changing the
palms from yin to yangin the static dragon posture,
it is easy to add the mechanics of the yin yang
changing palms to the jump step maneuver. From
the dragon stance posture, the practitioner will
pull back the hip on the side of the upper palm to
change the palms from yin to yang as described in
the last section (see photos 1 and 2 on the bottom
140

of the previous page). As soon as the palms have

changed from yin to yang, the practitioner will
jump step. As the jump step is executed, the body
will rotate around its center so that the hip and
shoulder which were pulled back rotate forward
during the jump and the palm changes from yang
back to yin (see photos 3 through 5). After the
jump has been executed the practitioner is back in
the perfect dragon posture.
Executing the Pivot Step with the Yin Yang
Changing Palms
Like the jump step, the pivot step maneuver is
also executed with the yin yang changing palms
hand gesture. When executing the pivot from the
guard stance, as the body pivots around the front
foot, the palm changes from yin to yang as shown
in the sequence of photographs as the top of this
page. Because the pivot step is primarily a defensive
technique and is typically followed by an
immediate offensive attack, the practitioner will
not change the palm back from yang to yin at the
conclusion of the pivot maneuver. As depicted in
the photo sequence above, the palm will remain
in the yang palm position at the end of the pivot
step and will change back to yin as the follow-on
attack step is executed. A defense/attack sequence
is described in the next section.
Defense + Attack + Defense
Since the pivot step is primarily a defensive
maneuver and is always used in combination
with an offensive attack, we will now discuss the

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

1
5

10

Defense + Attack + Defense Sequence

yin to yang changing palms used in conjunction
with the pivot step by describing the " defense +
attack + defense" exercise addressed in the last
chapter, only this time we will include the hand
movements.
In the "defense + attack + defense" sequence,
the first move which is executed is the pivot step
as described in the last section (as shown in
photographs 1-5 above). After the pivot step is
executed, the practitioner will immediately execute
a jump step attack and the palm will change from
yang to yin (see photos 6 and 7 above). Immediately
after the jump step is executed, the practitioner
performs the next pivot step, the palms change
once again from yin to yang. This combination
sequence is repeated over and over so that the
practitioner gains a body knowledge of the pivot
step/jump step combination.

While all eight of the possible three-element

combinations as discussed in the footwork chapter
can be practiced with the hand work as described
above, Park will usually have the student
concentrate on the following combinations:
D+A+D
A+D+A

A+A + D
D+A+A
When practicing the "overturning palms"
maneuver in conjunction with the stepping, the
student works to make the palm changes smooth
and the stepping quick and light. When the
practitioner moves, the footwork and hand
movements are performed together so that the
hand maneuver is completed at the same time as

141

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 5

Photo 4

Photo 3

Photo 6

Photo 7

Circle walk change of direction utilizing the mechanics

trained in the circle fan chang exercise
the footwork. At the conclusion of the movement,
the practitioner should end up back in the perfect
"guard" posture; the hand and foot movement
having reached completion simultaneously. All
movements should be smooth, fluid, and relaxed.

142

At this point, in the training process the student

does not try to put power into the palm work (as
if striking someone) - this component will be
added later.

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

Fan Chang and Walking the Circle

The circle fan chang exercise is designed to
prepare the student for changing direction while
walking the circle. When executing fan chang in
conjunction with the Pa Fang Ken Pu steps, the
hands are out in front of the body and change
along the direction of movement. When the
practitioner walks the circle, the hands are facing
into the center of the circle and the direction of
movement is along the path of the circle, thus the
torso is twisted slightly to the side (about 45
degrees). While walking the circle and executing a
simple change of direction facing inside the circle
(nei chang), the practitioner will k'ou pu, turn, and
then step off in the other direction as demonstrated
in the footwork section of this book. When
executing this footwork, the practitioner will
simultaneously execute the fan chang maneuver
with the palms.
When this change of direction was discussed
previously, a simple straight fan chang maneuver
was executed, however, there is a variation which
employs a wider upper body turning radius and
thus the mechanics trained in the circle fan chang
exercise are employed. During the execution of
this change, the direction the palms are facing
transitions from one side of the body to the other in
a wide turning radius as shown in the photos on
the previous page. This is only a 180 degree
change in direction, however, the 360 degree body
turning executed in the circle fan chang exercise
will help loosen the body and train the mechanics
associated with this movement.
The full 360 degree turning motion of the circle
fan chang exercise helps to loosen the hips and
stretch the adductor muscles of the inner thighs so
that the body twisting motion executed in
conjunction with the Pa Kua Chang circle walking
and associated palm changes can be executed
properly. A common mistake beginning
practitioners make in alignment when holding the
circle walking dragon posture is to twist at the
waist, not the hips. This is incorrect. The
practitioner wants to always maintain the hip and
shoulder alignment. If the practitioner twists at the
waist, the hips and shoulders are not aligned and
the chain of power will be broken at the waist.
In order to twist the body correctly the

practitioner should turn the body at the hips, not

the waist. Turning at the hips requires a flexible
waist and strong, flexible inner thigh muscles.
The circle fan chang exercise helps to train this
component and thus the circle walking posture
and change of direction become easier for the
student to execute.
The basic circle walk change of direction
variation which is taught in Park's school after the
student has become familiar with the circle fan
chang exercise is shown on the previous page.
Hand Movement with
K'ou Pu and Pai Pu
The k'ou pu and pat pu foot maneuvers have
numerous arm positions which may be executed
in conjunction with the footwork, however, in
this section we will introduce a few of the most
common arm positions utilized in Park Bok
Nam's school when executing the k'ou pu and pai
pu footwork.
The arm position the student in Park's school
will first learn to execute with the pai pu
footwork is referred to as the "giraffe" posture.
This posture is traditionally referred to as the
"unicorn" posture, however, Park calls it "giraffe"
because the execution of the movement
resembles a giraffe whipping its neck. This hand
posture is shown in the photograph below. Both
palms face upward {yang palms). The forward
palm is at eye level and the rear palm is held
close to the elbow of the forward palm.

Pai Pu
Giraffe Posture

143

K'ou Pu
Snake Posture

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

12

11

10

Execution of Kou Pu and Pai Pu Stepping with the Hand Work

144

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

K'ou Pu
Hiding Flower Under Leaf Posture
The arm position associated with the k'ou pu
footwork can be either the "white snake" posture
or the "hiding flower under leaf" posture. These
two postures are shown in the photographs on
page 143 and above, respectively. The reader will
notice that the only difference between the two
postures is that in the snake posture the bottom
palm is facing down and the practitioner looks at
the upper palm and in the "hiding flower under
leaf" posture the bottom palm is facing up and the
practitioner looks at the lower palm. Although
the palm one looks at will depend on which palm
is the "active" palm and thus is situational, looking
at the upper palm in the snake posture and the
lower palm in the "hiding flower" posture is a
general rule Park will give to beginners.
Another rule for beginners when executing
these two k'ou pu postures is that if the practitioner
is stepping into k'ou pu and he or she is facing the
center of the circle, the snake posture is executed.
If the practitioner is stepping into k'ou pu and he
or she is facing away from the circle's center, the
"hiding flower under leaf" posture is executed.
When executing a simple change of direction on
the circle, execution of the 90 degree k'ou pu will
orient the practitioner so that he or she is facing

the center of the circle and thus the snake posture

is executed. The "hiding" flower posture is typically
used in more complex changing maneuvers.
In the snake posture, which is traditionally
called "white snake coils its body," Park uses the
snake analogy to help the student understand the
alignments in this posture. He states the upper
hand is the snake's head and the lower hand is the
snake's tail. In most applications involving this
posture, the upper hand is the active, or striking
hand and thus the practitioner watches the snakes
head. The arms and upper back form the body of
the snake. The forearms are held approximately
parallel to the ground. The upper hand, or snake's
head, extends beyond the elbow of the lower arm
and the lower hand, or snakes's tail, extends out
beyond the elbow of the upper arm. The lower
hand is tucked in closer to the body than the
upper hand. In other words, the lower hand is
closer to the armpit than the upper arm is to the
shoulder. These alignments are simple to
remember if one envisions a snake coiled up and
ready to strike.
Lu Shui-T'ien explained to Park that in China
the white snake was known for it ability to crush
whatever it wrapped its body around. This
particular breed of snake was known to have been
strong enough to wrap its body around the bottom
of a horses leg and break the horse's ankle. Lu said
that he remembers throwing large pieces of
bamboo near the white snake and watching the
snake wrap its body around the bamboo and crush
it.
In the "hiding flower under leaf" posture the
practitioner will rotate the hips as far as possible
and watch the bottom hand so that the entire
spine and neck will twist and stretch. The twisting
primarily occurs in the thigh and hip area (yao
k'ua). Even though the practitioner is twisting as
far as possible, the hips and shoulders should still
be aligned. If the practitioner cannot maintain
proper hip and shoulder alignment, he or she
should not twist quite as far. Beginning students
tend to allow the waist to turn farther than the
hips and thus the shoulder and hip alignment is
lost.

145

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Pa Kua Chang Body Training - Conclusion

n the last chapter we emphasized the

importance of Pa Kua Chang footwork,
however, as important as the footwork is,
unless the practitioner can learn to move the body
in a coordinated, integrated fashion with the
stepping maneuvers, the results of effective
stepping will not reach fruition. In this chapter
we have discussed the basics of Pa Kua Chang
body movement through the mechanics of the
fan chang exercises and the "Scooping Moon From
Sea Bottom" exercise. As simple as these exercises
might seem, the student who practices them on a
regular basis will reap great benefits in terms of
proper Pa Kua Chang body movement. With a
strong foundation forged in these simple exercises,
the student will be ready to effectively handle the
more complex body movements associated with
Pa Kua Chang.
The body rotations which were discussed in
this chapter are vital to effective Pa Kua Chang
application. When these body rotations are used
in conjunction with Pa Kua Chang stepping
techniques, the Pa Kua practitioner can easily find
openings in the opponent's defense and rapidly
destroy an opponent in a situation which calls for
such action.
Park Bok Nam tells a story about a time when
his teacher met an Aikido instructor who was a
friend of Park's. Lu Shui-T'ien, Park and his friend
went on a walk and discussed martial arts. At one
point in the conversation the Aikido instructor
grabbed Lu Shui-T'ien's arm. Lu quickly changed
his palm from yin to yang as he shook his body and
allowed the palm to whip out as it overturned.
The Aikido instructor was thrown to the ground.
Lu kept walking.
Later, Park asked his teacher, "Why were you
so mean to my friend?" Lu said, "He is an internal
martial artist. I do not know how skilled he is with
his ch'i and I do not know his intentions in
grabbing me. He should not touch me unless he
asks."
The story exhibits how the correct body
rotations applied at the proper angles and with
146

the correct timing can be very effective. These

connections are trained through hours of practice
with simple exercises such as the fan chang set.
Lu Shui-T'ien's use of the body movements of
Pa Kua Chang in combination with Pa Kua Chang
stepping was so effective that he could immediately
enter the weak spot in any opponent's defense
and he passed this skill on to Park. Park said that
Lu told him, "If you have a container of water and
that container has a hole in it, the water will leak
out of that hole no matter how small a hole it is."
Lu said that similarly, a Pa Kua Chang practitioner
finds the opening in an opponent's defense no
matter how small. As soon as the opening presents
itself, like water running out of a hole in a plastic
bag, the Pa Kua practitioner is flowing through
that hole.
In this chapter basic body movements were
presented and then these movements were
combined with Pa Kua Chang stepping techniques.
When first combining the hand, body, and foot
movement the student in Park's school will strive
to execute these movement smoothly and fluidly
while remaining relaxed and comfortable. In the
beginning stages of this training "power"
application is not a concern of the student.
The student in Park's school does not apply
striking power to the "foot + body + hand"
movements until he or she has spent a considerable
amount of time practicing palm striking exercises
so that the he or she can learn how to develop the
mechanics of applying power prior to having to
worry about how to apply powerful strikes in
conjunction with the steps. The next chapter
discusses the basics of power development using
Pa Kua Chang palm exercises as a vehicle.

Pa Kua Chang Body Training

Ch'i Coordinated with the Strength

Eyes Coordinated with the Hands
Body Coordinated with the Steps

147

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

148

Chapter 5

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

149

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Chapter 5

Pa Kua Chang
Palm Training

lthough a Pa Kua Chang practitioner in

combat will strike with the fist, the palm, the
wrist, the elbow, the shoulder, the hip, the
knee, the heel, the foot, the head and multiple
combinations thereof, this art has become famous
for its development of devastating palm strikes. A
skilled practitioner of Pa Kua Chang can deliver a
powerful palm strike from any distance, at any
angle, at any time, and from any direction. Thunder
Palm, Hurricane Palm, Lightning Palm, Crushing
Palm, Vibrating Palm, Splitting Palm, call the
variations what you will, the end result is usually the
same - devastation of the opponent in combat.
In Park's method, there are two important
components which the practitioner must develop in
order to begin to achieve an effective internal palm
strike. First, the mechanics of physical movement
and the physical body alignments must be correct.
Second, the practitioner must be able to move ch'i
from the tan t'ien to the palm instantaneously. The
second requirement is discussed in the Pa Kua Ch'i
Kung chapter of this book. The first requirement,
palm mechanics, is outlined in this chapter.
However, before the palm mechanics are explained,
we will discuss Park's interpretation of what is
meant by "internal power."

Internal Power vs. External Power

Park Bok Nam does not like to talk much about
the details of energetics, anatomy, and physiology
which are involved in the application of an
150

"internal" strike. All of Park's teaching is very direct

and is focused on the student being able to actually
accomplish the task rather than understand in
intricate detail how the task was accomplished.
When it comes to "internal" striking, if the student
has never experienced an internal strike, Park will
first give them a taste of what it feels like and then
teach them exercises designed to learn how to
develop it. Park feels that it is better for the student
to practice an exercise that will develop the skill
rather than talk about how it is done.
When teaching internal striking mechanics,
Park prefers to perform the technique and have the
student feel Park's body while the technique is
being performed. He feels that by having the
student feel what is going on with his body the
student will develop a much better sense of what is
happening than if he were to try and explain it in
words.
There are two things that a student will
immediately notice when Park gives them a small
taste of an internal strike. The first thing observed is
that Park does not have to move very much in order
to deliver an incredibly powerful strike. A small,
quick shake of Park's body is enough to knock a big
man off his feet. Secondly, the student will notice
that the strike penetrates very deep inside the body
and stays inside the body. These are two of the main
characteristics of an internal strike: it can be
delivered through very small body articulations, and
it penetrates deep inside the body of the person on
the receiving end. This is much different than the
effects commonly connected with an external strike.

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

Park defines "external power," in an equation
form, as follows:
External Power = Speed + Distance + Mass

Anyone who has taken high school physics

will notice that this equation looks very similar to
the familiar equation: force = mass times
acceleration (f=ma). The application of external
force is effective when a mass (the fist, foot, etc.)
is moved with accelerated speed through a
distance. The greater the mass, the faster the
movement, or the greater the distance traveled at
an accelerated speed, the greater the damage on
impact. Makes sense, right? If a big guy takes a big
swing at someone and hits them with a large
meaty fist, it is going to hurt. At this point in the
lecture, Park usually shows the class how skinny
his arms are and then asks the biggest guy in class
to come up to the front of the room. He places his
palm on the big guy's chest, and without pulling
his palm off the guy's chest at all, Park shakes his
body slightly, the guy's knees buckle and he hits
the floor.
Park explains that internal power is much
different than external power. When applying
internal power, one does not need mass, does not
need distance, and the person on the receiving
end does not feel damage on the surface of his
body as he would in an external strike, he feels it
inside. There are no bruises, contusions or other
external signs of being hit. The damage is done
deep inside the body. Lu Shui-T'ien was well
known in Korea for his ability to hit a watermelon
with a palm strike and turn the insides into liquid.
The external watermelon rind would not be broken
at all, yet when someone cut the melon open the
meat of the watermelon looked as though it had
been blasted with a shotgun.
This description of internal power is not news
to people who have been practicing internal
martial arts. The desire to develop this kind of
power is probably why many people are interested
in the "internal styles." But how do you develop
this power? Some like to profess that it requires
years and years of practice with "secret" training
methods. Park doesn't feel this way. Development
of this ability does take work, however, there is no
big secret and there is no "magic." It just requires

a lot of dedication to the practice of proper

mechanics and correct ch'i kung and there can be
no missing pieces. This is why Park's training
program is so systematic and why he requires
precision in the performance of basic exercises
before students are allowed to progress. He does
not believe that the practitioner will get there by
just practicing choreographed form routines.
Park defines "internal power," in an equation
form, as follows:
Internal Power = Internal Striking Mechanics + Ch'i
Movement

Where:
Ch'i Movement=Mind (Intention)+Fluid and Relaxed
Body Movement + Breathing

Analyzing these equations, it is easy to see why

this striking method is called "internal." The
development of internal striking mechanics
requires the student to start with exercises which
condition the muscles, joints, tendons, and
ligaments to work in a coordinated, integrated
fashion while the body remains relaxed, supple,
and structurally aligned. Once development along
these lines has occurred through the practice of
large body movements, the student will work to
refine the movements so that the same result can
be obtained through smaller and more subtle
movements. The student is taking large physical
movements and "internalizing" them.
In addition to the physical mechanics involved
in the development of an internal strike, the
practitioner will work to develop the ch'i
component as well. This training involves
breathing exercises, meditation, and nonspecific
body movement exercises all focused on improving
distal circulation of ch'i in the body, balancing the
ch 'i in the body, unifying the body's strength, and
focusing the mind. The focus of much of this
training is turned inward and thus it is easy to see
why this component adds to the "internal" aspect
of the strike.
If the student spends a few hours every day
training the components of internal striking in a
progressive manner, internal striking power is
attainable. In Park's system, ch'i development is
151

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

trained through a series of progressive meditation,

breathing, and ch'i kung exercises. In the beginning
levels of training the student will practice these
components separately (i.e. when first practicing
ch'i kung body movement exercises, the beginner
will not worry about a specific breathing pattern
but instead concentrate on obtaining the "ch'i
feeling"). Each component is developed to some
extent separately and then the pieces are brought
together so that the meditation, breathing, and
ch 'i fcn# movements are practiced simultaneously.
(A complete description of Park's basic Pa Kua ch 'i
kung training is included later in this book.) After
this stage of development, these components are
then combined with striking mechanics to develop
internal striking skill.
Striking mechanics are developed in Park's
school while practicing a series of eight palm
striking exercises followed by a series of eight

elbow striking exercises. These are then followed

by a series of "speed combination" exercises. The
speed combinations combine the palm and elbow
strikes and teach the student how to apply multiple
strikes rapidly. Park's teacher, Lu Shui-T'ien,
required him to train each one of the eight palm
striking exercises for one hour each day for a
period of six months before the next palm exercise
was taught. At this rate, it took Park 48 months
before he learned all eight of the palm exercises
and thus Park refers to this training sequence as
"48 month palm." Park does not require his
students to practice each palm for such a long
time before teaching the next exercise in the
sequence, however, he recommends that if the
student really wants to develop exceptional striking
power, he or she practice as it was traditionally
taught.

The Basic Palm Exercises

efore being introduced to the "48 month

palm" exercises the student in Park's school
will learn two preliminary palm striking
exercises - the first is called tou chang (shaking
palm) and the second is the "dragon back" exercise.
The tou chang exercise begins to develop the
student's ability to relax the body and extend
power from the heels up to the palm while rotating
the hips and shoulders around the body's central
axis. Concentration is focused on completely
relaxing the arm, shoulder, and back so that the
power is generated from a full body motion and
there are no tense areas to block the flow of energy
or chain of continuous motion. In this section we
will describe these two fundamental exercises and
then we will describe the first two of the "48
month palm" exercises.

Tou

Chang
152

Tou Chang
The goal in developing the first stages of
internal striking power in Pa Kua Chang is to
cultivate an unbroken chain of fluid movement
which extends from the feet all the way up through
the palm. To avoid broken links in this chain, the
entire body must be loose and flexible, especially
in and around the joints. If there are tight or
restricted areas, there will be a kink in the chain.
Because the chain of movement is from the ground
up, Park starts the student training the mechanics
from the palm down. The rationale here is simple.
If the practitioner trains the mechanics that will
develop power initiating in the hips or lower back
before having developed proper movement,
flexibility, and softness in the upper back,
shoulders and arms, the power being generated
from the hips and lower back will become restricted
when it reaches the upper back, shoulder, or arm
and this can cause injury. Thus, although the
striking force is coming up from the ground and
channeled through the rotation of the hips and
shoulders around the body's central axis, the

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

Photo 2

Photo 1

Photo 5

Photo 3

Photo 6

Photo 4

Photo 7

The Tou Chang Exercise (slow set - front view)

focus of the ton cluing exercise is to relax the
arm, shoulder and upper back while
training the mechanics of proper motion in
these areas.
Park came to his Pa Kua Chang teacher
after having studied a Korean "hard style"
for a number of years. When his teacher first
taught him the tou chang exercise, Park's
upper body movement was very stiff and
mechanical. To help remedy the situation,
Lu Shui-T'ien had Park do nothing but
follow and observe two cats which lived at
Lu's house. Lu told Park to carefully watch
the way these cats walked, ran, jumped,
pounced, played, and hunted. Everyday for
two weeks when Park came to practice he
was told, "Go watch the cats." Lu's
message was that the only way Park would
learn how to properly move his body in Pa Kua

Chang was to learn how to be as flexible,

smooth, supple, fluid, light, and quick as the
cats.
The tou chang exercise is executed as
follows:
1) Stand in a "horse" stance with both palms
face up and resting by the sides of the rib
cage. See photo 1 front view (above) and
photo 1 side view (on the next page).
2) One palm moves straight out and rises up
at approximately a 45 degree angle.
See
photo 2, front view and photo 2, side view.
3) The palm continues to rise up until it
reaches approximately eye level. The
extension of the palm is motivated by the
hips and shoulders moving in unison
around the central axis of the body. The
body's central axis is the imaginary line
which extends from the crown of the head down

153

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 2

Photo 1

Photo 3

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 4

Photo 7

The Tou Chang Exercise (slow set - side view)

through the perineum ( i n acupuncture

terminology the line would be drawn from the
pai hui through the hui yin). See photo 3,
front view and photo 3, side view.
4) As the hips and shoulders reach the
full extension of their rotation, the palm
changes from yang (facing up) to yin (facing
down, or out away from the body). The
knees remain facing forward.
Do not
allow the knees to wobble or sway with the
twisting of the hips. See photo 4, front view
and photo 4, side view.
5) Repeat steps ( 1 ) through (4) with
the opposite palm. The palm that was just
thrown moves back to the original position
beside the rib cage as the next palm is
thrown out (see photos 5 through 7 front
view and side view).

154

When executing the tou chang maneuver

it is important to keep the palm facing up
until just before the hip and shoulder reach
the point of maximum rotation and the
strike is applied.
The Chinese view the energy of the day
as being strongest when yin is changing to
yang (sunrise) and when yang is changing to
yin (sunset). This theory carries over to the
changing of the palms as well. The palm
movements are most powerful when the yin
palm is changing to the yang palm or when
the yang palm is changing to a the yin palm.
Typically the yin changing to yang will be
used in conjunction with a defensive
maneuver, such as a parry or when freeing
one's self from an opponent's grab, and the yang

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

changing to yin will be used in conjunction with
an offensive strike.

principle through an example. He states that if a

person was to put a healthy arm in a sling for a
week and not use that arm at all, when the arm
came out of the sling it would be stiff and hard to
move even though it was healthy when it went
into the sling. It is stiff because it was not used and
therefore the mind did not think about moving
the arm. Because the mind did not send signals
for the arm to move (place intent in the arm) the
energy and nerve impulse travel to that arm was
minimal. Although the muscles in the arm are
healthy they do not operate properly without
continual stimulation from the mind and nervous
system.
When the body moves slowly and the intention
is focused on that movement, more energy,
blood, and nerve impulse moves into the areas of
the body where the intent is focused. Because the
body is moving slow, more muscle control is

Training Stages
As stated in the footwork chapter, Park
encourages his students to train any exercise
that he teaches in several progressive stages.
First the exercise is executed very slowly with
concentration on the proper body alignments
and the correct mechanics of the movements.
The student works the exercise slowly until it can
be executed with exactness and fluidity. During
the tou chang exercise the mind is focused on the
striking palm. By focusing intently on the striking
palm the student begins to form a mind/body/
nervous system connection. The mind intention
is what leads the energy movement in the body, if
the intention is keen, the energy movement is
full, complete, and rapid. Park often explains this

The Tou Chang Exercise (fast set)

155

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

required. When more muscle control is required

and the intention is sending more nerve impulses
to the muscles, more muscle fibers are activated
and thus the muscles are trained more completely.
Additionally, because the practitioner strives to
relax the major muscle groups while in motion,
secondary muscle groups, which may not usually
be under conscious control, come into action to
help move the body and thus there is a more
complete muscle development in the execution
of the movement. When the muscles are trained
in this manner and the intention is focused, a
seemingly unnatural amount of strength can be
developed. This component is trained very fully
in T'ai Chi Ch'uan and I-Ch'uan practice.
The next step is to execute the exercise with
power. The power in the tou chang exercise is
generated by a quick and aggressive rotation of
the hips and shoulders moving in unison around
the body's central axis. When this stage is
executed, the upper body, shoulders, and arms are
very relaxed. The arm is thrown out in a movement
similar to the cracking of a whip. The intention,
alignments, mechanics, and muscles are
conditioned properly during the first, or slow
movement, stage. This second stage takes these
components and brings them all together in a
quick burst in order to develop "short" or "shock"
power. The difference between "long" or "heavy"
power and "short" or "shock" power will be
explained later in this chapter. The photo sequence
on the previous page demonstrates this exercise
executed with power.
The third stage of execution of any exercise in
Park's system is to execute the exercise with power
and speed. In the tou chang exercise the element
of speed is added by executing left/right striking
combinations in rapid succession. The left palm
is thrown with power and then this strike is
immediately followed by a quick powerful strike
with the right hand. This exercise enables the
practitioner to develop the ability to move the
upper body quickly around the body's central
axis. During the exercise, the student should
concentrate on keeping the body vertical and
stable. There should be no bouncing up and
down, shifting of weight from one leg to the
other, or swaying back and forth. The body
simply rotates quickly around its center.
156

The fourth stage of execution is to combine the

palm exercise with Pa Kua Chang footwork. This
stage is divided into two "sub-stages." The first
sub-stage is to practice the footwork and hand
work in combination through slow deliberate
movements as described in the previous chapter.
The second sub-stage is to add power into the
striking and stepping combination. Adding
powerful strikes in combination with the stepping
movements will be described later in this chapter.
In the fifth stage of training any exercise the
student will work to refine the movements of the
exercise so that large movements become very
small. After training the tou chang exercise for
a sufficient amount of time the practitioner
should be able to lay his or her palm on an
opponent's body and, without pulling the palm
back off of the body at all, apply a very powerful
strike with a quick "shaking" of the body around
its central axis. The power from this "shaking" of
the body is similar to that achieved by a dog
shaking water off of its wet coat.
The sixth stage of training these exercises is
to work on linking continuous combinations of
the palm strikes with elbow strikes and footwork.
In Park's system this component is trained by
first executing a variety of "speed combination"
drills while standing in a static posture and
later executing the same combinations together
with stepping maneuvers.
Breathing
Correct breathing in conjunction with proper
body motion is critical in the development of the
internal strike. The mechanics of correct
breathing during the execution of a strike will
significantly enhance the movement of ch'i in
the body. Rapid movement of ch'i from the tan
t'ien to the palm is a crucial component of the
internal striking ability. In order to develop this
ability fully, specific ch'i kung breathing methods
are practiced so that the tan t'ien and the ch'i are
developed in a progressive manner. The basics of
this process are outlined in the chi kung chapter of
this book.
While executing the basic palm exercises
which are described in this book, the practitioner
will exhale forcefully through the nose in unison
with the striking motion. The practitioner will

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

also audibly "grunt" as the air is passing out of the

nose. The exact sound of the "grunt" at this point
is nonspecific.
In order to help propel ch'i from the lower
abdomen to the palm when executing the palm
strike, the inhale and exhale are executed in a
specific manner. When the practitioner inhales,
he or she allows the entire lower abdomen to
expand. There should be expansion in both the
forward and backward directions as shown in
the illustration above. The practitioner should
work to allow the expansion to occur in the lowest
portion of the abdomen (in the pelvic region,
below the belly). Remember that the tan t'ien is
located approximately three inches below the
navel and thus expansion of the tan t'ien occurs
much lower than the belly.
Development of correct abdominal breathing
is trained in Park's school through a series of
progressive breathing exercises. The basic
breathing exercises which are taught prior to the

abdominal development exercises are outlined in the

ch'i kung section of this book.
After inhaling fully, the practitioner will exhale by
physically contracting the lower abdomen and thus
applying pressure on all sides of the tan t'ien. Making
the audible "grunt" with the exhale will help the
abdomen contract properly. When the abdomen has
been fully contracted the practitioner will not relax
the abdominal muscles, but will still maintain a slight
tension in the lower abdomen as if to hold the tan
t'ien slightly compressed until the next inhale. The
exhale is short and sharp. The compression on the
lower tan t'ien will help "pump" the ch'i throughout
the body. With the intention and correct body motion
guiding the ch'i, it will naturally be directed to the
palm. Beginning students should not concentrate too
much on the breathing mechanics. The audible
exhale will be enough to allow the lower abdomen to
contract. Beginners should focus on the proper
physical mechanics of the tou chang movement and
on keeping the body relaxed. After the student has
been properly trained through a correct series of
Park's "prescription" breathing exercises, the lower
abdominal breathing will be developed and the
student can work to integrate the breathing with the
palm striking exercise in a more complete manner.
Because the tou chang breathing method,
combined with the relaxed body, vigorous whipping
motion of the body around its center, and focus
intention on the palms, helps to stimulate the flow of
ch'i and blood in the entire body, Park recommends
that even students who are not interested in learning
how to defend themselves practice this exercise. Park
has a number of students who come to study with
him in order to improve their health. He will devise a
unique training program for each individual which
will allow the body's health to improve in a safe,
gentle manner. When the student's body has
progressed to the stage where they can properly
execute the tou chang exercise, Park will have them
practice this exercise in order to allow the body to
further loosen and relax while the pumping of the tan
t'ien and the whipping motion of the exercise
stimulate ch'i flow in areas that are obstructed.

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The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Photo 1

Photo 4

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 5

Photo 6

The Dragon Back Exercise (slow set)

By simply working diligently with the tou
Chang exercise everyday, the practitioner can
develop an incredible amount of striking power.
Lu Shui-T'ien told Park that when he was in
China, traveling on horse back, a farmer saw him
on the road late one night and invited him to take
his night's rest at his home. When the farmer
found out who Lu was, he asked if he could teach
him something about martial arts before he left
the next day. In gratitude for the farmer's kindness
in giving him a place to sleep for the night, Lu
taught him the tou cluing exercise.
Two years later Lu happened by the same area
of the country and stopped to see the farmer. Lu
had not expected the farmer to have practiced the

158

exercise, however, the farmer told him that he

had indeed practiced everyday. The farmer was
proud of the ability he had developed and wanted
to give Lu a demonstration. He brought out one
of his sheep and struck it with his palm. The sheep
let out a cry and was stunned for a moment but
then walked away as though nothing had
happened. Lu congratulated the farmer on his
practice and was surprised that he had practice so
hard for two years on this one exercise. "What's
the point?", one might ask. Nothing happened to
the sheep, right? The next day when they went
outside, the sheep was dead. When they cut it
open they saw that it had bleed to death internally.

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

Dragon Back

encourage the flow of chi from the tan tien,

along the spine and out to the palms. As in the row
chang exercise, once the muscles have been
trained by executing the exercise through a large
range of motion, the motion is refined so that the
effect is achieved while the body movement is
minimal, or in many cases, undetectable to an
untrained observer. Park can execute this spine
rippling mechanic so subtly that it is
undetectable to the eye, however, if one were to
place their hand on his spine when he is striking,
the slight rippling motion of the spine can be
felt.
A verbal explanation of this exercise is very
difficult and photos are not much help, this is one
reason why this book comes with a companion
video in which the exercises are demonstrated by
Park himself. The mechanics of this motion are
very similar to those used in cracking a whip, but
now the whip is the practitioners spine.
The

After the student has developed flexibility,

fluidity of motion, and the proper mechanics
associated with the tou chang exercise, Park will
teach another preliminary exercise which is
practiced prior to learning the first of the "48
month palms." This exercise trains the back and
spine to perform what Park calls the "dragon
back" movement.
The "dragon back" movement is a segmented
whipping of the spine to produce a "whip cracking"
effect at the palms. The whipping of the spine is
executed in this exercise through a large range of
motion so that the muscles of the upper and lower
back which surround the spine become loose and
supple. Suppleness along the spine will not only
help the practitioner in the mechanical execution
of this component of striking, but will also

The Dragon Back Exercise (fast set)

159

10

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

"dragon back" exercise is executed as follows:

1) The practitioner assumes a "horse" stance with
the palms facing up and extended out in front of the
body as shown in photo 1 on the previous page. The
shoulders are relaxed and held naturally.
2) The coccyx is tucked under while the area of the
lower back known in Chinese medicine as the ming
men (located between the second and third lumbar
vertebra) is pulled back. The palms remain facing
up and extended out slightly. The shoulders remain
relaxed. See photo 2.
3) The middle back arches like a cat getting ready to
pounce. The transition from step (2) to step (3)
should be smooth, fluid, and continuous. The
shoulders remain relaxed and dropped down even
though the upper back is arched. The palms remain
extended. See photo 3.
4) As the "ripple" or "wave" continues up to the
upper part of the back, the lower back, which has
been tucked under, flattens out to prepare for the
next undulation, resembling the snapping motion
executed when cracking a whip. The practitioner
has now rippled a wave all the way up the spine and
is back in a position similar to that shown in photo 1
(see photo 4). The motion the practitioner has
executed so far is similar to the motion used when
drawing back a whip right before executing the
quick cracking motion.
This first wave is
executed slowly and with relatively large
movements (a big wave).
5) From the position in step (4) the practitioner will
tuck the coccyx under once again, however, this
time it snaps quickly and sends another wave,
which moves much more rapidly than the first, back
up the spine (photo 5). The practitioner will allow
this small, fast wave to extend out the arms and as
the wave reaches the end of the arms the palms turn
over (see photo 6). This "cracking" wave is much
more subtle than the first "wind-up" wave.
During the execution of this exercise the entire
upper body remains relaxed and the movement is
motivated by the pelvis rocking forward, then
rocking back, and then snapping forward. The
shoulders should remain relaxed and dropped
down throughout the entire exercise. If the
shoulders and arms are not relaxed sufficiently,
the snapping motion of the spine will create a
small whiplash-like effect in the neck and head
160

which may cause discomfort. If the shoulders and

arms are relaxed, all the power generated in the
back will travel out to the palms and thus will not
go up to the head.
This exercise is demonstrated at full speed in the
sequence of photos shown on the previous page.
This sequence should give the reader a better
understanding of the mechanics involved.
Single Palm Change Exercise
(Tan Huan Chang)
After having practiced the tou chang and
"dragon back" exercises for a sufficient amount of
time, Park will then teach the student the first of the
eight "48 month" palms. In this first palm exercise,
tan huan chang or single palm change exercise, the
practitioner will learn to combine the "dragon back"
mechanics with the rotation of the body around its
central axis which was practiced in the tou chang
exercise. When the performing these mechanics
correctly and combining them with the ch'i
component, a tremendous amount of power can be
generated with very small, subtle movements.
While producing a great amount of power
through small, subtle movements is an eventual
goal in internal arts practice, before small
movements can be used effectively, the body is
trained through practice with larger movements and
the use of force which is not so subtle. Although
this force is applied while the practitioner maintains
a relaxed body, it is still ming ching, or obvious
power, which is being applied during the initial
training stages. The practitioner starts the training
process with large movements so that the muscles,
joints, tendons, bones, and ligaments can be
properly stretched, loosened, and otherwise
developed. The practitioner can only move on to
small, subtle movements after the body has been

Tan

Huan

Chang

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

Photo 1

Photo 3

Photo 2

Photo 5

Photo 9

Photo 4

Photo 7

Photo 6

Photo 10

Photo 11

The Single Palm Change {Tan Huan Chang) Exercise (slow set)

161

Photo 8

Photo 12

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

10

11

12

The Single Palm Change (Tan Huan Chang) Exercise (fast set)

162

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

13

17

14

18

15

16

19

20

The Single Palm Change (Tan Huan Chang) Exercise (fast set - con't)
fully developed. Thus, while the movements in
the tan huan chang exercise are large at first, they
become very small and are executed quickly in
actual application.
The tan huan chang exercise is executed as
follows:
1) The practitioner assumes a dragon stance
posture with the arms held as shown in
photograph 1 on page 161. Both palms are facing
up. The upper palm is held at eye level and the
lower palm is held near the elbow of the upper
palm.
2) The practitioner steps out in an extended
"bow" stance while maintaining the same upper
body position (see photo 2).
3) From the posture above, the practitioner
begins to execute the "dragon back" motion with
the back while simultaneously twisting at the

hips and pulling back the hip which is on the side

of the striking hand (see photo 3). The body and
hand movements are greatly exaggerated when
the beginner first starts practicing this exercise.
Remember, at this stage it is a body conditioning
exercise. When these striking mechanics are
applied in combat, the movement is so small it is
barely apparent to the observer. 4) The
practitioner continues with the dragon back
movement. As the second wave is whipped out,
the hip which was pulled back is also thrown
forward with the palm strike. As in the previous
two exercises, the palm does not turn over until
just before the hip reaches its full extension. The
full extension of the hip is timed to occur
simultaneously with the second whipping motion
of the dragon back body action. See photos 4 and
5.

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The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

5) From this position the practitioner will

draw the front leg back and assume a "cat"
stance with the majority of the weight on the
back leg. While the forward leg is drawing
back, the practitioner executes the fan chang
maneuver. See photos 6 and 7.
6) Now the practitioner begins the dragon
back motion again in order to prepare to
throw the other palm (photo 8). As the
back arches, the hip on the side of the
striking hand also pulls back.
7) As the second wave of the dragon back
cracks, the hip is thrown forward and the
palm is thrown (see photo 9).
8) The practitioner executes fan chang once
again while stepping forward into the
extended bow

Photo 1

Photo 4

stance posture in preparation for the next

repetition of the exercise. See photos 10 through
12.
The fast set sequence is shown on the previous
two pages.
Double Palm Change Exercise
(Shuang Huan Chang)
The next exercise in the "48 month" palm
series is known as the "double palm change
exercise." In this exercise, the practitioner will
perform the double palm striking movement
which was executed in the dragon back exercise,
however it is now performed from the dragon
stance posture instead of the horse stance. This

Photo 2

Photo 5

Photo 3

Photo 6

The Double Palm Change (Shuang Huan Chang) Exercise (slow set)

164

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

11

12

13

10

14

The Double Palm Change (Shuang Huan Chang) Exercise (fast set)

165

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

footwork and snake-like body movements

characteristic of Pa Kua Chang, these palms seem
to appear out of nowhere and are delivered with
an unbelievable amount of power.

Shuang

Huan

Chang

Controlling the Power

exercise is depicted as a slow set in the photographs

below and as a fast set in the photographs on the
opposite page.
In performing this exercise the practitioner
will start from the dragon stance posture with the
palms held out at eye level, both palms facing up
(see photo 1 on page 164). From this position the
practitioner will execute the dragon back
movement as practiced in the dragon back exercise.
This movement is best displayed in the fast set
series on the opposite page (photos 1 through 8).
The slow set is performed in the same manner as
the fast set, however, in the slow set the focus is on
stretching the spine and maintaining the proper
mechanics while in the fast set the focus is on
getting power to the palms.
After the strike has been thrown, the
practitioner will drop the hands down by the sides
(as shown in photo 4 of the slow sequence), bring
the hands up and out to the sides (see slow
sequence photo 5, fast sequence photos 10 through
12), and then the hands come over top and back
to the starting position (see photos 12 through 14
of the fast set).
The practitioner will practice this set for as
many repetitions as desired and then switch to the
other side by stepping back and allowing the
opposite foot to be forward.
Through diligent practice of the tou chang and
"dragon back" exercises, the follow-on "48 month"
palm exercises, and the ch'i kung associated with
these palm methods, the Pa Kua Chang practitioner
in Park's school learns to develop an extremely
powerful palm strike which, eventually, will
require very little body motion to execute. Because
the Pa Kua Chang practitioner can apply his palm
strikes at close range and at any angle with little or
no "pull-back" or "wind-up" and because these
palm applications are combined with the evasive

166

Once the student in Park's school has practiced

all of the "48 month" palms for a sufficient
amount of time, Park will then teach the student
how to control the power that the student can
now generate. Through practice of the "48 month"
palms in conjunction with the breathing and ch'i
kung exercises taught in Park's school, the student
can generate a tremendous amount of power in a
strike. Unless the student learns how to control
this power, it can be very dangerous when the
student is learning how to spar with training
partners. In addition to learning how to control
the power in terms of magnitude of force, the
student will also learn how to focus and direct the
power in this stage of training.
Park tells a story about one of his students in
Korea who loved to practice the "48 month palms."
Everyday when the student came to practice, the
palm exercises where the only thing he would
perform. He spent hours everyday working with
these exercises. One day the student had to go to
his employer's house to pick up something for his
boss. When the student approached the front
door, his boss' dog came running at him and leapt
towards him. The student smacked the dog to
stop him. The dog yelped and then ran away. The
next day the dog was dead. When the vet opened
the dog up to see why it had died, he saw that the
dog's internal organs had been ruptured and the
dog had bled to death internally. This student
had not learned to control his power and had
inflicted unnecessary damage on the dog.
Park speaks of many exercises that his teacher
taught him in order to learn how to control, focus,
and direct the power he had developed while
practicing the "48 month" palm exercises. Each
of the "48 month" palms has a separate series of
follow-on training exercises which involve striking
various types of objects and apparatus. These
exercises are designed to develop the practitioner's

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

ability to control the amount of power in a strike and

also control where the force of the strike is directed
and to what degree the force of the strike will
penetrate the body which is being hit. The majority
of these exercises are designed to learn how to
control what Park calls the "shock" power. Some
also refer to this expression of force as "short"
energy.
"Shock" vs. "Heavy"
There are generally two types of power
application which Park speaks of in the internal
martial arts. The first, which he calls "heavy ch 'i", is
also referred to as "long energy" or "long force." This
application of force is exemplified in a T'ai Chi push.
When this kind of technique is applied, the opponent,
when thrown or pushed, will generally travel a long
distance, as if being picked up and carried away.
When a "long" energy technique is executed the
practitioner's force is applied over a relatively long
period of time (long meaning a few seconds).
Someone who is very good at applying long energy
can apply it so smoothly and subtly that the opponent
is not even aware it is occurring; he or she suddenly
finds themselves airborne without knowing how it
happened. Usually long, or heavy, energy is a
smooth application of power and although the
opponent is thrown a long distance, they are
generally not damaged internally.
The application of what Park calls "shock ch'i"
(also referred to as "short" energy) is quite different.
In terms of time vs. power, all of the power in a pure
shock technique is applied instantaneously (see "time
vs. force" illustration). If the strike is executed
correctly, the energy from this strike will penetrate
deep into the opponent's body and stay there.
The force of the shock strike is not comparable to
that of the "battering ram effect" which plows
through the opponent, the "hammer effect" which
inflicts damage topically, or the "axe effect" which
seems to cut through the opponent. The force of this
strike penetrates the opponent's body and
reverberates inside that body. A person on the
receiving end of this strike does not feel as if he or
she were pushed, smacked, yanked, or slammed;
they feel as though they were "shocked" or otherwise
severely rattled from the inside out.

(Time vs. Force Applied graphs suggested by Ken Fish)

In most instances the force of the "shock"

strike is not applied until after the practitioner's
hand is on the opponent's body. When the strike
is applied, the subtle whipping of the body through
segmented articulations of the joints expresses a
powerful force initiating from the ground and
traveling up and out to the hand. The shaking of
the body which accompanies the whipping force
results in this force being applied for only a
fraction of a second. This extremely short, focused
expression of force produces a concussive effect in
the opponent's body. The effect of this explosive
force being applied and then instantaneously
taken away causes the opponent's body to collapse

167

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

on itself as muscles will go into spasm in reaction

to the force. Primary targets for induction of
spasm are the heart and lungs of the opponent.
This "shock" application is very dangerous as it
can cause the opponent's internal body tissue to
rupture and tear or it can induce severe secondary
muscle spasm. A person hit with pure shock
energy will not be thrown back at all, they will
simply drop where they are standing or double
over in pain. If the opponent is thrown back, the
technique was not purely applied. The goal is to
get all of the energy and force of the strike to
remain inside the opponent's body, not travel
through the opponent. This occurs when the
tremendous force is applied for an instant and
then taken away.
If a martial arts practitioner applies power
quickly and the opponent is thrown backward,
the power application is not true "shock" power,
it is lies somewhere between the "shock" power
and the "long" or "heavy" power. If one were to
consider the "shock" power as being yang and the
"long" power as being yin, the relative nature of
the yin and yang analogy would tell us that there
would be a continuum of power application
variations based on a mixture of "shock" and
"long" power. Part of the control aspect of learning
how to strike involves controlling the percentages
of these two striking components in any given
strike. In some instances a practitioner will want
to apply a pure "shock" strike, while in other
situations a "heavy" strike would be better
employed. In many other situations a strike
containing a mixture of these characteristics is
appropriate.
Training how to "shake" the body as a dog
shakes when throwing water of its coat by learning
how to rapidly rotating the hips and shoulders in
an explosive manner around the body's central
axis is initiated through practice of the "tow chang"
exercise. Training how to "whip" the striking arm
by generating power through segmented joint
articulations was initiated through practice of the
"dragon back" exercise. Becoming skilled at these
two exercises forms the first stage of learning how
to apply "shock" power. As the mechanics are
continually trained and the movements become
more and more subtle, a quick shaking motion of
the body is all that is required to deliver a deadly
168

striking technique. When this power is applied

correctly, there is literally a whiplash like effect
inside the opponent's body. A short shock wave
enters the opponent's body and reverberates.
Controlling the "Shock"
When Park first began to train how to control
the "shock" strike, he was living in his teacher's
home. His teacher hung a medium size bag full of
saw dust in the bathroom doorway. Every time
Park entered or left the bathroom he had to strike
this bag with full force and the bag was not to
swing. If the bag moved laterally when it was
struck, the shock strike was not applied purely.
The bag could shake or bounce when it was hit,
but not swing or sway.
One important point worth mentioning; when
Park was trained he spent a few years working with
only the tou chang and dragon back exercise before
he was taught the first "48 month palm" exercise.
Subsequently he spent 4 years practicing the 8
palms of the "48 month palm" method. It was
only after all of that training that he was taught
any palm striking methods which involved hitting
an object or apparatus. Like the exercises described
in this chapter, all of the "48 month palm" exercises
first involve striking into the air without hitting
an object. Obviously if one is training to defend
themselves and strike people, it would be wise to
obtain a feeling for what it would be like to hit
solid objects by doing so in training. Hitting a
solid object, such as a person, is much different
than just hitting air.
The reason Park insists that a student not hit a
solid object until the student has spent a long time
practicing the "48 month" palm exercises is simple.
When practicing the correct mechanics of an
internal "shock" strike, if the student hits a solid
object before the body is conditioned fully, it is
very easy to cause damage to the body. The
mechanics of the movement, structural
alignments, and fullness of ch'i to the palm and
arm must all be in place before Park will allow a
student to hit a solid object. If this type of strike
is applied incorrectly, it is very easy for the "shock"
which is applied to come back into the
practitioner's arm and cause damage. Even when
a student in Park's school begins training to hit
objects, the objects are never too solid or heavy

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

and always have some "give" to them. Another

method that Park used to train "shock" power
was to hit and break a board which was floating
in water. In order to be able to break the board,
all of the force from the strike must stay in the
board. If too much force moves beyond the
board, the board will simply bob up and down in
the water and will not break.
In order to learn how to make the shock of this
strike penetrate, Lu Shui-T'ien had Park practice
another method which involved a large bucket of
water. However, this time instead of keeping the
energy on the surface in order to break a board, the
"shock" of the strike had to penetrate the water
and break a cake of tofu that was placed in the
bottom of the bucket. Park states that his teacher
could slap the top surface of the water without
hardly any water being splashed and the cake of
tofu in the bottom of the bucket would explode.
A third method trained Park's ability to control
the depth and direction of the force. This method
involved hitting a watermelon. The rind of the
water melon could not be damaged by the strike,
however, the inside of the watermelon would be
destroyed. Lu Shui-T'ien could call out which part
of the watermelon's insides would be damaged
before he hit the melon. He would say, left side,
right side, middle, bottom, or top, and whatever
he called, when they cut the melon open, that was
the part that was damaged. Park was required to
learn to perform this same exercise.
Lu Shui-T'ien's ability to direct and control
his power was phenomenal. Park said that one
day he was outside of Lu's house practicing and he
heard Lu arguing with his son. Lu got so mad at
his son that he shot the tip of his cane within
inches of his son's head and it penetrated the
middle of a window glass pane. The spearing of
the cane through the window pane had been so
fast and powerful that the window pane did not
shatter. The cane's tip simply knocked out a
"bullet hole" in the center of the window. Lu's
son ran outside after his father had almost hit him
with the cane. Lu Shu-Te looked at Park and said,
"Did you see what he did! I know my father is mad
at me, but I am so proud of him. I don't think
many people in the world could ever do that."

Why Strike with the Palm?

We mentioned at the top of this chapter that
the Pa Kua Chang style of Chinese martial arts has
become famous for its employment of devastating
palm strikes. One might ask why a fighting art
would focus on the development of a palm strike
when so many other martial styles and pugilistic
sports employ the fist as the primary weapon.
Park states that in striking with the palm, the
practitioner gains a greater amount of control
over the force which is produced from the striking
mechanics associated with the Pa Kua Chang
movements. It is easier to produce the implosion
force of the "shock" strike inside the opponent's
body if the palm is used as the striking weapon
and it is easier to control the direction of that
force. Because of the way the joints are articulated
in producing the "shock" force, the palm allows
for a more refined control of both the physical
force and the ch'i that is expressed in this strike.

Intermediate Palm Training

Methods
As we have mentioned previously, after the
student in Park's school has become proficient in
the tou chang exercise and the dragon back exercise
he or she will then start training the "48 month"
palm exercises. The first two of those palm
training exercises are the single palm change (tan
huan chang) exercise and the double palm
change (shuang huan chang) exercise. The
remaining six of the eight "48 month" palms will
not be presented in this book, however, since Park
will be presenting these palm training skills in
the future in video format and in his seminars,
we list their names here in English and Chinese
for reference:

169

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

develop a full arsenal of defense and attack options

in combat. Whereas the "48 month" palms are
single palm techniques practiced repeatedly to
develop power in applying the palm striking skills
in all directions, the supplementary palms are
primarily made up of striking combinations. These
combinations are not developed from any of the
"48 month" palms, however, many are derived
from techniques which appear in the Pa Kua
Chang combat forms. Park believes that after the
student has practiced these palms in isolated,
repetitive sets, he or she will be able to easily apply
them in forms practice. As we have stated earlier
in this book, the philosophy behind this method
of practice is that the practitioner develops
proficiency and skill with any movement while
practicing that movement in an isolated, repetitive
manner. In this manner the mechanics are trained,
the body is developed, and a "muscle memory" is
ingrained. After all of this development occurs,
the student can then use the forms practice to
refine these skills and link them with other skills.
The first few supplementary palms a student
will learn are as follows:

Each of these palm exercises is designed to train

specific striking mechanics. By diligently
practicing each of these exercises thousands of
times the student in Park's school learns how to
use the palm in striking upward, downward, to
the side, to the rear, forward and diagonally in an
efficient and effective manner. By gaining a body
knowledge through these repetitive exercises, the
practitioner can easily understand how each
movement of a form can be applied in a tactical
situation and how each movement can be varied
in order to be adopted to fit the changes which
inevitably occur in the heat of combat.
Supplementary Palms
In addition to the "48 month" palms, the
student in Park's school will learn and practice
supplementary palm striking skills in order to

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Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

Fighting Skill: Adding Power and Speed

Adding Power to the
"Hand + Step + Body" Equation
Looking back at the exercise described earlier
in this book where the fan chang technique was
combined with footwork, one may wonder how
this slight turning of the palm can generate enough
power to damage an opponent. Keep in mind that
the application of an internal strike is much
different than the familiar "external" punch, or
external strike. As we have stated above, the
application of a powerful internal strike does not
require a "pull back and throw" type movement as
is executed in an external strike. An internal strike
can be "thrown" effectively from zero distance.
In Park's school, after the student has worked
with a few of the palm exercises and begins to
develop the basic striking mechanics, these
mechanics are applied to the "hand + body
movement + footwork" equation and the student
begins to understand how the simple fan chang
movement can produce a damaging attack. The
stepping exercises start to look much different at
this point. Until this stage in the training process
the student has only practiced coordinating the
fan chang movement with the stepping patterns as
was discussed in the previous chapter. As we have
mentioned in this chapter, training slowly and
methodically not only helps the student learn
how to execute the movements correctly in a
fluid, smooth, and relaxed manner, but also helps
the student develop the "heavy" or "long" energy
application of the movement and condition the
body for the next level of training.
The next stage in the training process is to add
the quick snapping, or whipping, motion
developed in the palm exercises to the fan chang
maneuver executed in conjunction with the steps.
The steps are now executed quickly and powerfully
as are the changes. The student will practice these
"hand+step+power" exercises just as the stepping
exercises were first practiced. Simple straight line
sets are practiced, then stepping patterns are

practiced, and then stepping combinations are

practiced.
After the student has become familiar with
these exercises, Park will teach a series of eight
"straight-line" fighting sets. Each of these sets
consist of two or three defense/attack
combinations which are practiced while stepping
forward along a straight line utilizing either the
jump step, the full step, or the full step with a
jump. The combinations expressed in these sets
are designed to be utilized in opening up an
opponent's body, or blocking an opponent's
attack, and then moving in for an attack. After
the student shows some proficiency in performing
these sets in straight-line practice, the student will
then pair up with a partner and research attack
and defense strategies using these techniques.
First the partner practice is performed with the
partners facing each other squarely and later the
partner's learn to employ these techniques while
walking the circle.
Through the partner practice the student will
gain experiential knowledge pertaining to the
utilization of hand, body, and footwork in setting
up an attack, opening up the an opponent for easy
attack, evading an attack and counter-attacking,
and obtaining superior body positioning. Once
these skills are developed to a sufficient level of
proficiency, the student will study combining
skills which were developed in the "48 month"
palm set, the supplementary palm set and the
eight elbow set with the straight line attacking
drills.

Adding Speed to the Equation

Park Bok Nam's equation for overall Pa Kua
Chang fighting skill reads as follows:

Fighting Skill=Hand+Body+Step +
Internal Power + Speed

171

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

The sub-components of this equation, as discussed

thus far in this book, are as follows:
Hand Skill = Fan Chang + Circle Principle + "48
Month " Palms + Supplementary Palms
Body Skill = Flexibility + Stability + Coordination +
Integration+Relaxation + Connection + Circle Principle
Stepping Skill = Pa Fang Ken Pu + Circle Walk +
Pivot Step + K'ou Pu Pai Pu
Internal Power = Striking Mechanics + Ch 'i Movement

Hopefully the reader now has a fundamental

understanding of how Park teaches his students to
develop these four sub-components of the fighting
skill equation. We have yet to fully discuss the last
element of this equation, which is "speed."
Although, as one might imagine, this component
does involve "swiftness of action," Park prefers to
teach his students to develop this component
while focused on "economy of motion."
In developing speed, one school of thought
would employ training which will condition the
practitioner to move faster through a given
distance. While this is an appropriate approach,
it is really a dead end street as the human body can
only be trained to move so fast and as the body
ages, that speed is naturally diminished. Instead
of increasing the velocity at which the distance is
traveled, Park's approach is to teach the student
how to decrease the distance.
Decreasing the distance one has to travel in
order to apply his or her fighting art is attained
through a study of geometry and combinations.
The blueprint for this study is found in the
combinations and angles described by the eight
trigrams and their corresponding geometrical
arrangements.
One rule of thumb Park will have his students
utilize in developing the economy of motion
necessary to increase fighting speed is "attack the
closest part of the opponent's body with whichever
one of your weapons is closest." An example Park
likes to give to demonstrate this rule is as follows:
If opponent "A" exposes his flank to opponent
"B" as depicted in the illustration on the next
172

page, and "B" executes a side kick to that open

area, one option "A" might employ to block that
kick is to block down with his hand as shown in
illustration #2. The problem with this block is
that it is very slow. The blocking hand has to
travel through an 180 arc to reach the kicking
foot. No matter how hard "A" practices that
blocking technique, he or she will only get the
hand to move so fast through that 180 arc.
A much better solution to the problem is
shown in illustration #3. "A" simply lowers the
elbow and strikes the incoming foot. In order to
make this technique work best, "A" will pivot step
while he or she is striking with the elbow. If the
pivot step is employed, the kick will not land even
if the elbow strike misses its mark.
Although this example is very simple, one can
see how the employment of smart and efficient
methods of attack and defense can increase the
practitioner's overall speed in combat. All of the
"speed combination" exercises that a student in
Park's school learns to employ are based on well
researched attack and defense combinations that
allow the practitioner to be very fast and efficient
when employing this fighting method.
Researching optimum angles of movement
and striking combinations to develop speed is
rooted in the Pa Kua Chang philosophy of the
eight direction circle and the eight diagram
combinations (hexagrams). While a complete
discussion of how these angles and combinations
are used to develop incredible speed is beyond the
scope of this book, the underlying premise is that
the less movement the practitioner has to make
when blocking, evading, or striking, the faster he
or she is going to be.
Once a practitioner has developed the ability
to strike using internal power, little or no
movement is required to issue an effective strike.
Given this internal striking ability and knowledge
of how to combine blocking and striking
movements using the hands, wrists, elbows,
shoulders, hips, knees, heels, and feet as weapons,
one can begin to see how a practitioner can learn
to dispense a lot of damage on an opponent in a
very short amount of time.

Pa Kua Chang Palm Training

173

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

174

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

Chapter 6

Pa Kua Chang Chi Kung

175

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Chapter 6

Pa Kua Chang
Chi Kung
I

n Park's Pa Kua Chang system, the development

of ch'i through the practice of breathing
exercises, meditation, and nonspecific body
movements designed to increase distal circulation
of ch'i and blood in the body are extremely
important components in the overall Pa Kua
Chang training program. Everyone has ch'i in
their body, however, in some instances it is weak
in areas and in other instances it does not flow
smoothly or fully due to blockages. The goal of
ch'i kung practice is to develop a full, balanced
expression of the ch'i in the body. When the ch'i
is full, balanced, and can flow without obstruction,
the body's power can be optimally coordinated
and unified for a specific purpose. Whether this
purpose be healing or self-defense, the first priority
of a ch'i kung system should be to balance the
body's energy.
As we mentioned in the introduction to this
book, every complete Chinese martial arts system
will include elements of the following:
1) Ch'i Kung - breath control, visualization, and
non-specific body movement techniques for
various purposes - increased circulation to the
distal points of the extremities, increased vital
capacity, meditation, and ch'i development.
2) Nei Kung - training designed specifically for
the development of muscle groups, ligaments,
and tendons not usually under conscious control.
3) Wai Kung - external, i.e. visible, aspects of
any martial art including firm balance, flexibility,
good posture and stance work, proper structural
and mechanical alignment, coordination, and
stability.

176

Ideally, these elements will be developed in a

progressive, balanced curriculum designed by an
experienced teacher who will guide each student's
individual development. Pa Kua Chang, being a
complete martial art system, contains elements of
all three of these disciplines.
In its final form. Pa Kua Chang movement will
contain all of these elements integrated together.
However, in Park Bok Nam's school the beginning
students will train specific exercises designed to
develop these three components separately. In
this section of the book we will present the basic
level of Park's Pa Kua Chang ch'i kung system.
What is Ch'i?
We will not try to strictly define ch'i in this
book, but we are going to make the assumption
that everyone has something in their body which
the Chinese call "ch'i." We are going to further
assume that this ch'i can be divided into the two
general categories of internal ch'i (nei ch'i) and
external ch'i (wai ch'i).
Park likes to give the following example to help
define these two different types of "energy" in the
body. Take two individuals and send them to
work; one goes to a construction job and digs
ditches, the other goes to an office job, sits at a
desk, answers the phone and works on a computer.
At the end of the day, both of these individuals
feel tired even though their respective expenditure
of energy is quite different. The construction
worker has spent a lot of physical, external energy;
the office worker has expended a lot of internal,
mental energy. Even though the work performed
and the energy expended is quite different, they

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

both feel fatigue because they both have expended

equal amounts of energy. This example of the
difference between internal and external energy
expenditure, although simple, will be enough to
give the reader an idea of how Park defines internal
and external ch'i on the most basic level.
While a practitioner of Traditional Chinese
Medicine will define ch'i in much more complex
terms, Park generally believes in keeping
explanations very simple and letting the student
reach deeper levels of understanding through
direct experience. There is no need to strictly
define ch'i or try and measure it, or even try to
prove its existence through scientific methods.
Any sort of definition or categorization would
only serve to place bounds on one's potential
experience. Those that experience it will know it
and those that don't will never know.
Park's concern is that students gain an
awareness of a feeling in the body which he calls
the "ch'i feeling." Once the student gains an
awareness of this feeling, he or she will learn to
cultivate the feeling, deepen the awareness of the
feeling, and utilize the results of the cultivation
for both martial and healing purposes. What it is,
where it comes from, and how it works is of little
concern if the student can learn to use the results
of the ch'i cultivation effectively.
When teaching, Park will give a student an
exercise which produces specific results and allow
the student to explain what he or she is feeling
rather than give the student lectures on what he
or she is supposed to be feeling. All the anatomy,
physiology, and bioelectromagnetics lectures in
the world will not take the place of actual practice.
Park's philosophy is that if the student wants to
know what ch'i is, they execute the exercises
which are designed to cultivate ch'i and increase
awareness of ch'i, not sit and talk about it.
Park emphasizes that there is a big difference
between knowing something in the head and
knowing something in the body. When it is
"known" it in the body it becomes a reflex
occurrence and it will not soon be "forgotten."
Once when Lu Shui-T'ien was teaching, Park started
to take notes on what his teacher was saying. His
teacher asked, "What are you doing?" Park replied
that he was taking notes so he would not forget
what his teacher was telling him. Park's teacher

took away the notebook and said, "You go outside

right now and practice this 1,000 times. This is
the only way you will remember!"
Once the student has experienced a sensation
as a result of an exercise, Park will ask the student
to explain what he or she has felt and then guide
the student to deeper experience by adding to the
exercise or by teaching a higher level technique.
In this manner, all of the student's knowledge of
ch'i, or martial arts practice in general, is
experiential.
The Ch'i Phenomenon
Park Bok Nam speaks of ch'i very matter of
factly. There is no reason to become mystical,
esoteric, or secretive about ch 'i or its development.
The awareness of ch'i, the movement of ch'i, the
balancing of ch'i, the opening of ch'i blockages,
the usage of ch 'i in martial arts, the usage of ch 'i in
healing; these are not great achievements which
one should hunger to attain. Ch 'i is not something
to be worshiped and ch'i related phenomenon is
not something to be hungered for. Goals should
not be set around achieving any particular ch'i
sensation, ability, or technique.
Park believes that a student should simply
practice in a natural, well balanced manner and
let the ch'i be itself. If the training method is
correct, positive results will occur. Once results do
occur, the student should not become attached to
them, as there is always something more. Students
who hunger for phenomenal ch'i experience will
usually run into problems.
When a student reaches a certain level of ch'i
awareness or ability to utilize ch'i, Park simply
takes these developments as guideposts in
designing the student's training program. When
the student reaches a new level, Park knows it is
time to change the student's training. He does not
allow the student to become hung-up on any
particular ch'i sensation. Park changes each
student's training program based on their
individual experiences so that they can grasp the
next level of experience.
Changing, or adding to, the basic training
exercises is an integral part of continual
development. Park's experience has told him that
once a practitioner reaches a certain level of
development with one exercise, he or she needs to
177

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

change the exercise, or change the breathing

technique, or the change the meditation in order
to progress further. No matter what the individual's
experience, there is always something more.
If the practice is not continually changed at
key points in the developmental process, the
student will stagnate. However, the only person
who can tell the student how and when to change
an exercise in order to reach higher levels is an
experienced teacher. Everyone is different and
thus there are no cookbook methods - all ch'i kung
practice should be closely monitored by an
experienced instructor. In the realm of ch'i kung,
an exercise that could help one person could
easily damage another.
Balancing Internal and External
In order to live a healthy life, an individual
should exercise (in a balanced manner) both the
internal ch 'i and the external ch 'i. External exercise
(swimming, biking, running, weight lifting,
martial arts forms and fighting, etc.) will strengthen
the external, but will not efficiently or fully exercise
the internal. Internal exercise (breath control,
meditation, visualization, yoga, and other ch'i
fcun^training methods) will not efficiently or fully
train the external, but will develop the internal.
To achieve optimum levels of health, martial arts
development, or fighting skill, internal and
external training should be balanced.
Modern health, fitness, and physical education
disciplines tend to emphasis the external methods
of physical development. However, in terms of
health and longevity, internal development is
equally, if not more, important. As a simple
example Park likes to point out that a man who is
physically very strong can easily be overcome by
internal disorder or disease while an old person,
who may be physically weak in terms of muscle
strength, could be very robust and strong internally
and thus live a long, healthy life.
While internal martial arts practice is designed
to train the internal and the external together,
bringing these elements together at the same time
is very difficult for the beginning or intermediate
level student. Until the student reaches an
advanced stage of practice and can fully integrate
the internal and the external in practice, Park feels
that supplemental internal training, such as
178

breathing exercises, meditation exercises, and

specific ch'i circulation exercises should be
practiced.
The Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung System
Park's system of ch'i kung has three component
parts. These components are initially trained
separately in a series of progressive exercises so
that the practitioner can develop each component
in isolation. Once a student has reached certain
levels of development in each of the component
areas, more advanced training is initiated which
combines the component elements. The
component parts in this system include breathing
development and breath control exercises to help
increase the body's vital capacity, meditation
exercises to help increase awareness, focus and
concentration, and body movement exercises to
help increase circulation of blood and ch 'i. Park's
"equation" for ch'i development is as follows:
Ch'i Development = Breathing+Body Movement
+ Mind (Intention)

Park believes that each component of this

equation should be trained in isolation starting
with very simple exercises. If a beginning student
were to try and train breath control, meditation/
visualization, and body movement in the same
exercise he or she would not gain full benefit from
the exercise - it is too much to digest all at once.
There is also a higher risk of developing an internal
disorder when something too difficult is attempted
by a novice. One of Park's favorite phrases in this
regard is, "You cannot feed a baby steak."
All systems of ch'i kung will contain elements
similar to those listed above and the simple ch'i
kung methods discussed in this book, although
attributed to Pa Kua Chang, will not differ much
from other system's methods. Ch'i kung
development which is specific to Pa Kua Chang
will not be attempted until the student has
experience with the fundamental methods of ch'i
development. The three component parts of
Park's Pa Kua Chang ch 'i kung training are discussed
in this chapter with an explanation of some of the
introductory exercises.

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

Breathing Exercises

hen referring to internal development,

the first aspect that Park likes to address
is breathing.
He points out that
a person can live for a number of weeks
without food, and days without water, but one
cannot survive more than several minutes
without air. Developing the ability to breathe
efficiently and fully will greatly improve the
quality of life and health of an individual.
Replenishment of expended energy in the body
is accomplished through the intake of food and
air. If one's breathing is inefficient, the body can
easily expend more energy than is replenished.
Park feels that one reason so many people become
very tired by the end of the day is that their
breathing process is inefficient. Through breathing
development and breath control exercises one
can learn to breathe fully and efficiently, help the
body rid itself of toxins, and strengthen the body's
vital capacity.
Breathing exercises and breath control are also
key elements in developing skill in internal martial
arts practice. To effectively apply " internal energy,"
whether it is in a martial application or healing
application, a practitioner needs to not only
develop proper alignments and mechanics, but
they also need to develop the ability to concentrate
ch'i in their body and move it with the mind. This
is no small task. However, through breathing
exercises, combined with meditation and other
ch'i kung work, this ability can eventually be
attained.
Breath control and development exercises are
powerful techniques which can greatly improve
health, longevity and martial arts development,
however, if practiced incorrectly they can also be
very dangerous. Moreover, a breathing exercise
practiced perfectly by one whose body is not
ready, or is not suited, for that specific exercise can
also cause damage. Park teaches breathing exercises
as an integral part of his program, however, his
teaching is by prescription. Each student is given
personal breathing exercises based on their unique

needs and their level of development. Park explains

that a doctor who is treating a number of patients
will not prescribe the same thing to everyone.
One person may need more of a certain vitamin,
one may need to increase mineral intake, another
may need to cut back on cholesterol, etc. Park uses
the same approach when assigning breathing
techniques to students. His teacher taught him
over twenty breathing methods, each with a
specific purpose and designed to provide a different
result.
Park also states that the amount of time one
practices ch'i kung is an important factor in proper
development. When speaking of ch'i training,
Park likes to use the analogy of cooking food. He
says that when cooking, if the food is not cooked
long enough it is not ready for eating. If the food
is cooked too long, then it is overdone and not
good to eat either. Park firmly believes that
students who are practicing intermediate or
advanced breathing techniques should be
monitored closely by a competent instructor. The
instructor will need to continuously fine-tune the
student's practice so that the ch'i is "cooked"
enough, but not too much.
Although Park's approach to teaching breathing
exercises is by prescription, there are two basic
breathing techniques that he will give to almost
all of his students in order to build a foundation.
(Students who should not practice these exercises
are those with asthma, high blood pressure, and/
or other heart or lung disorders. These students
will be given separate exercises). When a student
begins in Park's school he or she will be given
three breathing exercises, the first two build a
foundation and the third is the prescription
breathing. Park will generally give the student a
new breathing exercise every 3-4 months
depending on his or her progress. When practicing
breathing, the student will always practice the
first two foundation breathing exercises prior to
the third prescription exercise. When the student
is ready for a higher level technique, the third
179

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

exercise is discarded and replaced with a new

breathing exercise, however, the first two remain
the same.
The first two fundamental breathing exercises
Park teaches are the "cleansing breath" and the
"filling breath." Park's philosophy is that before
the ch'i development breathing exercises are
practiced, the air in the body needs to be clean and
the lungs need to be working at full capacity.
When we breathe, we inhale good air (what Park
calls "life force energy"), however with that good
air we also take in dirty air (what Park calls "bad
chemicals"). Anyone who has read the ingredients
label on most processed or packaged food also
knows that we consume "bad chemicals" in our
food as well. In order to operate efficiently, the
body will naturally try to rid itself of these bad
chemicals. One device the body employs is the
digestive/elimination system and another is the
respiratory system. With the exhale, the body will
eliminate some of the "bad chemicals" it has
consumed. The majority of this cleaning process
is accomplished at night while the body rests. If
the reader wants to test this theory, have someone
smell your breath when you first wake up. What
most people call halitosis, Park calls "getting rid of
bad chemicals." The "cleansing breath" exercise
is designed to help the practitioner eliminate the
bad chemicals from the body before he or she
practices the ch 'i development breathing exercises.
The second breathing exercise which is
practiced prior to the ch'i development breathing
exercises is the "filling breath." Most breathing
exercises from the East Indian or Chinese yogic
traditions focus the breath down in the lower
abdomen or tan t'ien. Park states that while the
student should eventually learn this type of
breathing, a preliminary step is to insure that all
five lobes of the lungs are able to fill to capacity.
Individuals who have never practiced breathing
exercises will usually take shallow breaths. Shallow
breathing only exercises the upper part of the
lungs and thus breathing is inefficient. On the
other hand, some individuals who have been
practicing only lower abdomen breathing exercises
for a number of years will tend to breathe only in
their lower abdomen and the upper chest becomes
tight and thus full breathing capacity is restricted.
By practicing the "filling breath" everyday before
180

the ch'i development breathing exercises, the

practitioner will insure that all the lobes of the
lungs are exercised and the chest can expand
properly.
Park recommends that when practicing
breathing exercises it is best to practice them in
the morning before ten o'clock. The optimum
time for practice is the period of time from
one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour
after sunrise. During this period of time the air is
best for breathing because when the sun is rising,
the night air, which is yin, is changing to the day
air, which is yang. In Chinese yin-yang theory,
when yin is in the process of changing to yang (or
vice-versa), the energy is strongest. It is best to
practice breathing exercises outdoors and facing
the sun. If practicing indoors, the practitioner
may open a window to get fresh air and even if
indoors, it is still best to face the sun.
Although Park recommends that his students
practice the breathing exercises before ten o'clock
in the morning, this is strictly a guideline. The
underlying factor to consider when determining
the best time of day to practice breathing exercises
is the balance of yin and yang energy in the air. As
a rule of thumb, cold, wet air is yin and warm, dry
air is yang. Therefore, Park says that if a person
lives in Texas and it is summer time, by ten o'clock
in the morning it will be too hot (too much yang
air) to practice breathing exercises efficiently. On
the other hand, Park also recommends that if it is
raining for three days in a row, the student skip
the breathing exercises for a day because the air is
too wet (yin).
A practitioner can gain benefit by practicing
breathing exercises at anytime - in other words,
practicing a correct breathing technique at the
wrong time of the day will not generally damage
the body. However, when the air is too yin or too
yang, the benefit gained will not be worth the
effort expended. If the student sticks with
practicing sometime between one half hour before
sunrise and one half hour after sunrise, he or she
will gain the most benefit for the effort expended.
As for the correct body posture to use while
practicing breathing exercises, Park states that as
long as the body is relaxed and natural, the posture
is correct. The practitioner can sit on the floor, in
a chair, or stand. Sitting on the edge of a straight

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

backed chair, with the spine straight and hands

placed on the knees will probably be most
comfortable. The tongue lightly touches the
upper palate behind the front teeth. Placing the
hands on the knees will help to complete an
"energy circuit" in thebody. If the lower abdomen
area is weak, Park will recommend that the student
place his or her hands there.
The two basic breathing exercises are described
below:

In this analogy, the air in the bottle corresponds

to the bad chemicals in the air which was inhaled
and the water corresponds to the life force energy.
If the practitioner exhales very slowly through a
small opening between the lips, only the bad
chemicals will escape and the life force energy will
be retained. If the exhale is rapid and in large
quantity, life force energy will escape along with
the bad chemicals.
The cleansing breath exercise should be
practiced each morning 15 times.

The Cleansing Breath

The Filling Breath

As described above, the purpose for the

cleansing breath is to "clean" the air we inhale,
separating the "life force energy" from the "bad
chemicals." To practice this breathing method
the practitioner will sit in a comfortable position
as described above and initiate the exercise by
taking a long, deep inhale through the nose,
filling the chest cavity with air. At the conclusion
of the inhale, the practitioner begins to exhale
through the mouth. The lips are mostly closed
during the exhale. The practitioner will only
allow a very small hole to open between the lips
and exhales slowly through this hole. The length
of the exhale should be two to three times the
length of the inhale, however, the practitioner
will want to remain comfortable. Park advises
students not to try and force the inhale or exhale
to be so long that the student is not comfortable.
The purpose of exhaling slowly through a very
small opening in between the lips is to allow the
"bad chemicals" to escape while retaining the
"life force energy." Park explains through a simple
analogy. Imagine you have a clear plastic bottle in
your hand which is three-quarters full of water
and has a nozzle at the top (like one of those
plastic ketchup or mustard bottles you see in a
diner). Imagine you are holding the bottle so that
the nozzle is facing up. If you squeeze the bottle
very slowly and then stop applying pressure just
before the water comes out of the nozzle, the only
thing that escapes is the air that was in the top
quarter of the bottle. On the other hand, if you
were to squeeze the bottle rapidly with force, the
air would come out and you would also lose part
of the water.

After executing the cleansing breath exercise,

the student in Park's school will then practice the
"filling breath." The filling breath exercise is very
straight forward. It is designed to help the chest
cavity expand completely and thus allow all five
lobes of the lungs to fill with air. In this exercise,

181

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

the practitioner will inhale slowly through the

nose while trying to expand the chest cavity to full
capacity. When no more air can be taken in, he or
she will then exhale slowly through the nose. The
exhale should be 2-3 times the length of the
inhale. During any breathing exercise the
practitioner should remain comfortable. If the
inhale is too great, too forceful, or too slow, the
practitioner may start to fee! uncomfortable or get
a slight headache when exhaling. If this is
experienced Park advises the student to back off
and be more gentle. He recommends that his
students should always be gentle, comfortable
and relaxed during the breathing exercises and
advises them to never be forceful or attempt to
rush progress. The filling breath exercise is
executed 10 times.
Prescription Breathing
After "warming up" with the cleansing breath
and the filling breath exercises, the practitioner
will then execute the prescription breathing
exercise. This exercise is personally assigned by
Park and progress is monitored closely. The
exercise is based on individual needs and thus is

different for each student. This third exercise is

practiced for as many repetitions as the student
desires, but the minimum number executed is 15.
The student will typically practice this exercise for
a minimum of three months at which time Park
will check the individual's progress by feeling
different areas of the their body while they inhale
and exhale. If the student is ready to progress, he
or she will discard the old prescription breathing
and be given a new one to practice.
After the student has developed sufficient levels
of breath control and improved their breathing
capacity through the progressive stages of closely
monitored prescription breathing, Park will begin
to explain to the student how the breathing
method is combined with the palm exercises. As
mentioned in the previous chapter. Park believes
that even if the student's palm striking mechanics
are flawless, they will not reach the higher levels
of striking ability without combining these
mechanics with the correct breathing and ch'i
movement method. The equation for internal
power must be complete in order to achieve the
highest levels of practice. The ch'i movement part
of that equation is discussed in the next section.

Basic Ch'i Circulation Exercise

he second part of Park's Pa Kua Chang

ch'i kung training system involves
body movements which are designed to
improve distal circulation of blood and ch'i.
This series of exercises starts out with a very
simple exercise which will aid the student in
initially attaining the "ch'i feeling."
Typically this feeling will first manifest
itself in the hands as fullness, heat, and/ or
tingling. The practitioner will continue to
practice this first exercise, which Park calls
the "basic ch'i exercise" until the "ch'i
feeling" is experienced throughout the body.
Park's "basic ch'i exercise" is performed as follows:
1) The practitioner stands in a relaxed posture
with the feet parallel and slightly farther than
shoulder width apart. The hands hang comfortably
182

down by the sides as shown in photo 1. The eyes

are closed, the tongue is on the soft palate behind
the upper teeth and the shoulders are relaxed.
2) From the starting position, the practitioner will
raise the hands, with the palms facing up, until they
reach shoulder height. The shoulders remain
relaxed and the elbows are slightly bent (see photos
2 and 3).
3) From this position the palms turn in towards
each other as the arms move out to the sides. The
hands continue to move out to the sides until they
are almost extended out directly to the sides (see
photos 4 and 5). The shoulders remain relaxed
and the elbows are slightly bent.
4) Now the arms come back in towards each other
traveling the same path as when they were out to
the sides (see photo 6).

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

10

11

12

Basic Ch'i Circulation Exercise

5) From here the arms bend and the hands

come in towards the shoulders with the
palms facing out away from the body (see
photo 7 and 8).
6) Now push the hands back out as if
pushing something away from the body
(see photo 9).
7) Finally, the arms come down and with
the palms facing down as if pushing on a
table (see photos 10 and 11).
8) When the hands get down to waist height,
you totally relax the body and allow the arms
to hang loosely by the sides (see photo 12).
9) Repeat steps 1 through 8 for at least
15 repetitions.
While performing the exercise the body,
shoulders, and arms should be completely relaxed.
The movements should be executed using only

about ten percent muscle strength (children

should use 20 percent). Concentration is
focused on the hands and the awareness is
tuned into trying to perceive the ch'i feeling.
At this stage of training, the body movement
is not chained to the breathing and the student
does not try to use mental visualization to
achieve movement of energy in the body or
illicit a particular sensation. Remember that
Park likes the student to train each component
in isolation before the components are
combined. The main purpose of this exercise
is to become aware of the chi feeling in the
body. Throughout this entire exercise set, the
awareness is focused on maintaining a "ch'i
feeling."
Upon completion of the entire set of repetitions
of the basic ch'i circulation exercise, the student

183

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

will then allow the hands to slowly fall down by

the sides of the body and then he or she will stand
quietly for a few moments to allow the ch'i to
settle. After any exercise which is designed to
bring ch'i to distal points in the body, the
practitioner should allow the hands to hang loosely
by the sides and concentrate on what Park calls
the "ch'i feeling."
Typically this ch'i feeling will first manifest
itself in the hands as fullness, heat, and/or tingling.
When students have obtained this feeling during
the execution of any ch 'i circulation exercise, Park
recommends that they relax for several minutes
and concentrate on this feeling after the exercise
has been completed. By concentrating on the
feeling, the student begins to develop a mind/
body/nervous system connection associated with
this feeling. The more developed this connection
becomes, the easier it will be to bring ch'i to the
palms. With continued practice, the student will
be able to produce this effect just by thinking
about it. Later, increased amounts of ch 'i will flow
to the palms naturally, when it is needed, without
conscious thought.
One goal in practicing Pa Kua as a self-defense
art is to be able to move ch'i very rapidly to the
palms (or any other part of the body) when
striking. When the mind/body/nervous system
connection has been fully developed, as soon as
the body moves, the ch'i will be there. The
movement of ch'i to the palm will be rapid and
spontaneous. Forging the mind/body/nervous
system connection during and after the basic ch'i
circulation exercises will help the practitioner
reach this goal.
While the main purpose of this exercise will be
to give the student a feeling of ch 'i, this is also a ch 'i
balancing exercise. Any ch'i kung exercise which
contains non-specific symmetrical body
movement and is practiced with a calm mind and
relaxed muscles will help to balance the ch 'i in the
body. Areas in the body which are weak will
naturally receive attention in terms of increased
ch'i and blood flow. When the mind is calm and
the circulation in the body is increased, the body,
in its innate wisdom, will balance itself. The
breathing exercises, which are practiced before
the basic ch'i exercise, will "prime the pump" by
collecting ch 'i in the body. The movements of the
184

basic ch'i exercise will help distribute that ch'i

where it is most needed.
A third benefit of this exercise is achieved
through the performance of the slow, focused
movements. As we stated in the previous chapter,
when the body moves slowly in a relaxed manner
and the intention is focused, a more complete
physical development occurs. Secondary muscles
are conditioned and the body learns to act in an
integrated, connected fashion. In this particular
exercise all of the major motions which the hands
and arms can perform are executed. They move
up and down, in and out, and side to side. By
repeating this exercise many times, the body is
conditioned to move in a manner consistent with
the internal martial arts principles.
An eventual goal of Pa Kua ch'i kung training is
to maintain the full body ch'i feeling and whole
body connection while executing the complex
turning, twisting, and coiling movements
associated with Pa Kua Chang. This is not an easy
task, and thus the training should progress
gradually. After the student can maintain the full
body ch 'i feeling in the basic ch 'i exercise, a slightly
more complex ch'i kung set is practiced which
begins to incorporate some of Pa Kua Chang's
characteristic body movements. Once this basic
ch 'i kung set is practiced for a sufficient amount of
time, the student will then graduate to a more
complex set of exercises and then to simple Pa Kua
Chang ch'i kung circle walking form.
As in all aspects of training, Park starts the
student practicing the ch'i kung form with very
simple movements and then continues to add
more complex maneuvers in progressive stages.
The focus of the ch 'i kung form will be to maintain
the full body ch'i feeling, however, by this stage in
the training process the student will begin
experiencing this "feeling" at deeper levels in the
body.
As we have discussed in the chapter of body
movement, the straight fan chang, circle fan chang,
and t'ien fan chang exercises can also be practiced
together as one continuous "ch'i circulation"
exercise to help bring ch 'i to the palms and increase
the overall ch'i feeling in the body.

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

Ch'i Awareness
As we have mentioned above, the feeling of
ch'i in the body will usually first be experienced
in the palms, however, with continued practice, it
will be experienced throughout the entire body.
The feeling is typically felt in the hands first,
however, it will eventually be sensed in the arms,
shoulders, torso, and legs. As the ch'i feeling is
experienced moving up the arms and to the rest of
the body, the practitioner will also gain an
awareness of the ch'i moving deeper into the
body.
In terms of ch'i circulation, Park speaks of three
areas of concern: the skin, the nerves, and the
bones. By "circulation of ch'i in the skin" Park is
referring to circulation through the meridians and
channels defined in traditional Chinese medicine.
This would include circulation in the major
meridians and channels as well as the smaller
network of collaterals, or lo. The sensation of ch'i
and blood circulation at the skin level will
typically be the first ch'i awareness the student
will experience. If anyone has practiced ch'i kung
or internal martial arts for any length of time they
will most likely be familiar with this sensation.
Circulation of ch 'i in the nerves is slightly
more advanced and will usually be experienced
after the student has been practicing ch'i kung for
a fairly long time, although it will vary from
person to person. The student will typically
experience a sensation in the hands, or other part
of the body, like an electrical shock or current
when ch 'i begins to circulate at this level. This
feeling can be somewhat uncomfortable at first.
Feeling the ch'i circulation in the bones is
usually experienced at the more advanced stages
of practice. This sensation is experienced within
the bones. Again, the exact sensation will vary
from person to person. When a student begins to
feel ch'i circulation at the nerve or bone level,
Park will modify their training program to help
bring the student to still higher levels of
experience.
When Park teaches ch'i kung seminars, he will
ask students what experiences they have had with
feeling ch 'i. Most will indicate that after a number
of months of training they experienced the heat,
fullness, and/or tingling sensations in their hands
and various other parts of their body. Since the

first experience with this ch'i sensation, most

students have gradually felt stronger degrees of
these same sensations, but have not had any other
drastically different experiences. In Park's view,
these students have reached a plateau in their
training and have not progressed because they
have not had adequate breathing and meditation
training in conjunction with their other practices.
Park states that once a certain level is reached, the
breathing practice or meditation practice changes
in order to take the student to higher levels.
An eventual goal of training to maintain a full
body ch 'i feeling during the execution of relatively
simple training drills, such as the basic ch'i
circulation exercise and the three fan chang
exercises, is to be able to maintain the full body
ch'i feeling while executing the complex turning,
twisting, and coiling movements associated with
Pa Kua Chang. This is not an easy task. The
training must progress gradually. The more
flexibility, relaxation, and suppleness the
practitioner can develop in his muscles, joints,
and tendons, the easier it will be to generate
strong, balanced ch'i flow and maintain a full
body ch'i feeling.
Through a progressive methodology, starting
with very simple exercises and working gradually
to more complex exercises, the student's
development will be complete.

185

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Meditation Exercises

he term "meditation" means many different

things to different people. Depending on the
intent and focus of the meditative process a
wide variety of results can be obtained. Some
individuals meditate to reduce stress and tension,
others meditate to increase levels of awareness or
improve the ability to concentrate, while many
others meditate for spiritual development. The
type of meditative technique practiced will depend
on the result one wants to obtain.
Like all techniques taught in Park's school, the
first meditation exercise the student will learn is
very direct and simple. This method is designed to
help relax the body and mind and improve the
ability to concentrate and maintain focus. Calming
the mind and maintaining focused on one thing
will help increase the ability to concentrate and
will aid in the body's natural recovery and
replenishment process. When the mind is calm and
focused, the body, in its innate wisdom, will begin
to naturally rejuvenate its energy and heal itself.
Practicing the stepping exercises, palm
exercises, and body training exercises as described
in this book is very physically demanding exercise.
If the practitioner does not balance this external
exercise with internal exercises such as the
breathing exercises, ch'i circulation exercises, and
meditation exercises as outlined in this chapter, the
body will break down. Without a balanced training
program, the student will have trouble continuing
to practice a very hard external training routine.
Exercises which are designed to replenish
expended energy are equally as important as
exercises designed to increase fighting skill.
The practitioner will start the basic meditation
exercise sitting in a comfortable position with the
eyes closed. The breathing is relaxed and follows a
natural rhythm, the meditation at this level is not
chained to a breathing technique. While
maintaining a natural breathing rhythm, a relaxed
body and mental calmness; the practitioner starts

186

slowly counting backwards from 300. Each

number is visualized clearly in the mind's eye and
spoken, either silently or aloud. Exactly what
form the number appears when visualized will
vary with each person. It is best to keep it plain
and simple. While counting, the mind will
inevitably wonder off to other thoughts and the
practitioner will loose track of the numbers. Each
time this happens, come back to the counting.
Park recommends that the student practice the
meditation exercise in a quiet, comfortable
location free from distraction. Any external
distraction can easily take the mind off the focus
of the meditation. A quiet and comfortable
environment facilitates better focus, increased
levels of relaxation, and deeper meditation. Park
states that during the last several years of his life
Lu Shui-T'ien spent much of his time in meditation.
Park was forbidden to enter his teacher's room
when his teacher was meditating. On one occasion
Park forgot and opened the door to his teacher's
room. As the door swung open Park was hit in the
head with a book that Lu had flung across the
room. Lu said, "I told you not to enter my room

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

when I was meditating!"

Park will occasionally check the student's
progress by having the student perform the
meditation and count out loud. If the student has
developed their ability to concentrate sufficiently,
Park will allow them to move up to a higher
number, maybe 500, Eventually the students will
move on to other concentration and visualization
techniques which will help their ability to maintain
mental calmness and focus for longer periods of
time. The above mentioned visualizations are not
chained to the breathing and do not entail
visualizing the circulation of ch'i in the body or
attempting to move ch 'i with the mind. Remember,
every part of Park's ch'i kung training is practiced
in isolation until the student has attained certain
levels of development.
While there are many techniques which involve
mental visualization to aid the flow of ch 'i through
specific meridians or to certain points of the
anatomy, Park says that these exercises are
dangerous for the beginning student to practice.
While these exercises are valid at a certain stage of
training, the beginner to meditation has not yet
developed the ability to focus the attention,
without distraction, long enough to practice
visualization techniques effectively. Park states
that the practitioner is not ready for visualization
techniques which involve ch 'i circulation until he
or she can maintain meditative focus while
counting from 500 down to 0 slowly. If the
practitioner tries this exercise and looses count or

becomes distracted from the steady, deliberate

counting, then he or she is not ready for ch'i
movement visualization techniques.
If the practitioner is mentally moving ch'i
through the body - through the "microcosmic
orbit" or any of the other circuits used in popular
ch 'i kung training - and he or she cannot maintain
complete focus and concentration on what they
are doing, they are in danger of having an over
abundance of ch'i get trapped in the head. Once
a sufficient amount of ch'i is flowing in the body
through mental visualization, if the mind becomes
distracted, the ch'i will rise to the head. Park calls
this shang ch 'i (rising ch'i). Shang ch'i can result in
severe headaches, intense pressure in the head, or
migraines and is not much fun. Sometimes it
takes weeks to go away.
Brand new students may not be in a lot of
danger because they have not built up strong
enough energy in the body. However, once the
practitioner has practiced the powerful breathing
exercises and ch'i circulation exercises for a few
months, your ch'i is sufficiently strong enough to
cause damage if the ch 'i kung meditation is practiced
incorrectly. This is one reason why meditative
techniques are kept separate from ch'i circulation
and breathing training in Park's school until the
student has developed to certain levels in all three
of these areas. Only an experienced teacher will
know when you are ready to move on to advanced
ch'i circulation visualization techniques.

187

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

Ch'i Kung Circle Walk Form

Park Bok Nam believes that the Pa Kua Chang
practitioner should be able to maintain the "full
body ch'i feeling" which has been developed
through the meditation, breathing, and ch'i
circulation exercises while performing any of the
complex turning and twisting movements
associated with this fighting art. To that end, the
first form a student in Park's school will encounter
is a basic ch 'i kung circle walking form, the purpose
of which is strictly ch'i development and training
alignments.
Park feels that if the student begins with a form
that is too complex, he or she will not be able to
maintain the full body ch'i feeling and he or she
will not fully understand the subtle mechanics of
each movement. Once the student can maintain
the full ch'i feeling during this simple form,
executed with simple changes, more complex
changes are added which serve to train the ch'i in
various ways.
Park's simple Pa Kua ch'i kung circle walking
form is described in this section. The form consists
of walking the circle in both the clockwise and
counter-clockwise directions while holding a series
of static upper body postures. The practitioner
holds one posture while walking the circle in one
direction, executes a simple directional change,
and then walks the circle in the other direction

188

holding that same posture on the other side.

Once the practitioner has walked around the
circle in both directions holding one posture, he
or she executes a change and walks in the original
direction holding the next posture in the series.
The first posture held in this form is a
"warm-up" posture which proceeds the core form
of eight "animal" postures. The number of times
the practitioner walks around the circle holding
each posture will vary from person to person the longer the better. Park recommends that the
practitioner continue to walk the circle holding
the first posture until the full body ch'i feeling is
obtained. Once the practitioner has cultivated
this feeling, he or she changes direction. The
change of direction is executed in such a manner
that the practitioner does not loose the ch 'i feeli ng
that was developed during the previous walking.
In order to insure the feeling is not lost during the
change, the change must be executed in a smooth,
continuous manner. The practitioner walks the
circle the same number of times in each direction.
Once the student has practiced the basic ch'i
kung circle walking form, which we present here,
for a sufficient amount of time and can maintain
the full body ch 'i feeling throughout the entire set,
Park will begin to add more complex transitions
and changes to the set.

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

1 - Start standing with

the feet together and
body relaxed. Face the
path of the circle.

5 - Bring the arms back

in towards the center.
The left hand comes
under the right elbow.
Both hands are along
the body's center line.
The knees bend as the
arms move toward the
center.

2 - Slowly raise the

arms straight out in
front. The body and
shoulders
remain
relaxed.

6 - Toe-out with the left

foot as the right foot
steps forward. Both
hands turn over so that
the palms face up. The
feet are in pai pu.

3 - Slowly turn the

hands in preparation to
move out to the sides.

4 - Slowly move the arms out to

the sides. Relax the body and
shoulders.

7 - Step into k'ou pu.

The left arm comes
under the right. The
right palm is facing
down, the left palm is
facing up. The back is
to the center of the
circle.

189

8 - The body turns back

to face the path of the
circle as the left hand
comes up and out in
front of the face. The
right hand is positioned
behind the left elbow.

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

9 - The palms turn over.

The practitioner has
assumed the "dragon"
posture.

10 - Step out and start

walking the circle.
The eyes look into the
center of the circle.

11 - Kou pu and bring

the left arm over the
right, both palms facing
down. The body faces
the center of the circle.
This is the "white
snake"
changing
posture.

13 - Kou pit facing the

center of the circle. The
left hand comes under the
right, both palms facing up.
The right hand remains at
face level. The eyes look at
the right (inside) palm.
This is the "panther"
changing posture.

14 - Turn the body to

the right as the left arm
is raised up to eye level,
palm facing up. The
right arm comes up
over the head, palm
facing down. This is
the "lion" posture.
Walk the circle holding
this posture.

15 - When ready to
execute a change of
direction, slowly drop
the right arm down and
bring it under the left
elbow as the palms turn
over. Transition back
to the "dragon" posture
while walking.

190

12 - Twist the body to

the left. The right arm
comes out in front of
the face and the left
hand comes down
under the right elbow.
Walk the circle holding
the "dragon" posture.

16 - Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
right
arm
underneath the left.
Eyes look at the left
(inside) hand.

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

17 - Twist the body to

the left and transition
to the "lion" posture on
the other side. Begin
walking the circle in
this direction holding
the lion posture.

21 - Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
right
arm
underneath the left.
Eyes look at the left
(inside) hand.

18 - When ready to
change directions,
slowly transition back
to the "dragon" posture
while continuously
walking.

22 - Twist the body to

the left and transition
into the "giraffe"
posture on the other
side. Walk the circle
holding this posture.

191

19 Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
left
arm
underneath the right.
Eyes look at the right
(inside) hand.

20 - Twist the body to

the right and transition
into the "giraffe"
(unicorn) posture. The
left hand (palm up) is
held at face level and
the right hand is by the
left elbow (palm down).

23 - Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
left
arm
underneath the right.
Eyes look at the right
(inside) hand.

24 - Twist the "body to

the right as the left
arm drops down by the
right hip, palm facing
down. Bring the right
hand up over the head,
palm facing up. This
is the "snake" posture.
Walk holding this
posture.

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

25 Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
twist the body to the
left. As the body twists,
the left arm begins to
move up in front of the
body and the right arm
begins to move down
with the palm down.

26 - The left arm

continues to move up
and the right arm
moves down as the
palm turns over to face
up.

27 - The left palm

begins to turn as it
reaches face height.

28 - The left palm

continues turning over
and as the right palm
reaches hip level it
turns over to face down.

29 - Step off in the other

direction and walk the
circle holding the
"snake" posture.

30 - When ready to
change direction again,
start to bring the left
hand down and the
right hand up while
continuing to walk.

31 - Execute the fan

chang maneuver while
walking.

32 - Transition back to
the "dragon" posture
after the fan chang.

192

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

33 Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
left
arm
underneath the right.
Eyes look at the right
(inside) hand.

37 - When ready to
change directions,
slowly transition back
to the "dragon" posture
while continuously
walking.

35 - As the left palm

moves outward, the
right palm moves
upward.

34 - Begin to twist the

body to the right and
commence the fan
chang maneuver.

39 - Twist the body to

the left and begin to
transition to the
"swallow" posture on
the other side.

38 Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
right
arm
underneath the left.
Eyes look at the left
(inside) hand.

193

36 - The left hand comes

up in front of the face
and points back toward
the left (palm facing up)
and the right hand
comes up over the head
and turns to face up
and back to the left.
Walk holding the
"swallow" posture.

40 - Continuing the
transition to "swallow."

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

41 - Walk the circle

holding the "swallow"
posture.

42 - When ready to
change directions,
slowly transition back
to the "dragon" posture.

43 - Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
left
arm
underneath the right.
Eyes look at the right
(inside) hand.

44 - Twist to the right

and allow the left hand
to slide up next to the
right. The forearms
touch and the palms
face upward with the
fingers pointing out.

45 - Separate the hands

and allow them to move
out to the sides.

46 - Extend the hands

fully and begin to walk.
The shoulders are
relaxed and the elbows
are slightly dropped.
This is the "dragon
flying" posture. Walk
the circle.

47 - Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
right
arm
underneath the left.
Eyes look at the left
(inside) hand.

48 - Twist to the left

and allow the right
hand to slide up next to
the left. The forearms
touch and the palms
face upward with the
fingers pointing out.

194

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Rung

49 - Separate the hands

and allow them to move
out to the sides.

50 - Extend the hands

fully and begin to walk.
The shoulders are
relaxed and the elbows
are slightly dropped.
Walk in the other
direction in the "dragon
flying" posture.

51 - Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
left
arm
underneath the right.
Eyes look at the right
(inside) hand.

52 - Keep the arms

crossed while the palms
turn over.

53 - Twist to the right

and allow the arms to
separate and move
down.

54 - Extend the hands

fully, fingers pointing
forward, and begin to
walk. The shoulders
are relaxed and the
elbows are slightly
dropped. Walk the
circle in the "bear"
posture.

55 - Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
right
arm
underneath the left.
Eyes look at the left
(inside) hand.

56 - Keep the arms

crossed while the palms
turn over.

195

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

57 - Twist to the right

and allow the arms to
separate and move
down. Walk in the
other direction holding
the "bear" posture.

58 Kou pu facing
the center of the circle
and
assume
the
panther
changing
posture with t h e
left
arm
underneath the right.
Eyes look at the right
(inside) hand.

59 - Keep the arms

crossed while the palms
turn over.

60 - Twist to the right

and allow the arms to
separate and move
outward at shoulder
level.

61 - Extend the hands

fully, fingers pointing
outward, hands at
shoulder height and
begin to walk. Walk
the circle in the
"phoenix" posture.

62 Kou pu facing
the center of the circle
and
assume
the
panther
changing
posture with t h e
right
arm
underneath the left.
Eyes look at the left
I inside) hand.

63 - Keep the arms

crossed while the palms
turn over.

64 - Twist to the left

and allow the arms to
separate and move
outward at shoulder
level.

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Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

65 - Extend the hands

fully, fingers pointing
outward, hands at
shoulder height and
begin to walk. Walk
the circle in the
"phoenix" posture.

66 Kou pu facing
the center of the circle
and
assume
the
panther
changing
posture with t h e
right
arm
underneath the left.
Eyes look at the left
(inside) hand.

67 - Begin to twist to
the right and allow the
left palm to slide up the
right forearm as in the
fan chang maneuver.

68 - Continue twisting
to the right and bring
the forearms together.
The palms face up with
the fingers pointing
outward. Stretch the
lower back. The palms
are at eye level.

69 - Twist the body back

toward the center of the
circle and begin
walking in the
"monkey" posture.

70 - Kou pu facing the

center of the circle and
assume the panther
changing posture with
the
left
arm
underneath the right.
Eyes look at the right
(inside) hand.

71 - Twist to the left

and bring the forearms
together. The palms
face up with the fingers
pointing outward.
Stretch the lower back.
The palms are at eye
level.

72-Twist the body

back toward the center
of the circle and
begin w a l k i n g i n
the
"monkey"
posture.

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The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

73 - While continuing
to walk, let the arms
separate and move out
to the sides.

77 - The hands continue

to fall while the
practitioner continues
to walk.

74 - Once the arms get

out to the sides, the
arms start to move up.

75 - Once the arms are

over the head, they
start to come back
down.

79 - Just before the

hands fall all the way
down by the sides, turn
the body in towards the
center of the circle, stop
walking and relax the
entire body.

78 - The hands continue

to fall while the
practitioner continues
to walk.

198

76 - Allow the hands to

come down the center
line of the body, palms
facing down.

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

Putting It All Together

nce the student has developed all of the

component parts of the ch'i kung
practice, the training will shift and the
student will then begin to learn how to piece
together ail of the component parts and execute
them simultaneously. Park is fond of saying that
no matter how good the parts of an engine are,
unless you know how to put them together to
build the engine, you don't have anything but a
pile of expensive parts. Although the elements of
the Pa Kua Chang ch'i kung system are trained
separately at first, the key to advanced
development is in knowing how to fit the
component parts together to form the complete
equation.
Ch'i Development = Mind + Breathing +Body
movement

However, the manner in which all of these

pieces fit together and the specific training
employed to accomplish this is beyond the scope
of this book and should only be attempted under
the guidance of an experienced teacher. As we
have emphasized throughout this book, the
beginner will practice the components separately.
However, this is not accomplished in a random
manner. There is a specific sequence utilized in
daily training in order to achieve the best results.
When practicing the complete spectrum of a
martial arts training system including the ch'i
kung, nei kung, and wai kung components, the ch'i
kung is always practiced as the last part of any
practice session. The external is trained first and
then you move towards the internal practice to
end the workout. If practicing all three elements
of this ch'i kung method, the first exercise to
practice is the breathing component. The
breathing exercises will help relax and calm the
body while gathering the ch'i that will be utilized
during the ch'i circulation practice.
After the breathing exercises, the next
component that will be trained is the meditation

exercise. The breathing exercises, which help to

calm the mind, relax the body and cleanse the
system prepares the practitioner to obtain the best
results from meditative practice. After meditation,
the ch'i circulation exercise is practiced. This
exercise will help circulate and balance the energy
in the body. After practicing the ch'i circulation
exercise, the practitioner will want to remain
relaxed and calm for ten to fifteen minutes and
not practice any "external" exercise for
appropriately one hour. This will give the newly
circulated ch'i and blood time to help the body
heal itself without disturbance.

Conclusion
This section has provided a brief introduction
to the ch'i kung training system of Park Bok Nam.
The exercises described above will typically be
given to the beginner during his or her first few
weeks of training and thus they are very basic.
Park's complete system of ch'i kung training is
designed to gradually lead the beginner from
these basics through progressively advanced
techniques in a balanced and individually
prescribed curriculum. In order to gain the greatest
benefit from ch'i kung practice it is wise to
participate in a balanced, progressive program
under the guidance of a qualified instructor. If the
student starts out with very simple exercises and
builds slowly without trying to rush results,
development will be complete and the student
will avoid complications.

199

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

200

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

Chapter 7

Conclusion

ome of the characteristics of Pa Kua Chang

are as follows: high mobility attained
through evasive footwork; quick
directional changes; supple twisting, turning, and
coiling body movements; smooth, continuous,
flowing motion; varied rhythm and tempo;
economy of movement; relaxed, stable, and
connected body; close-in fighting techniques; and
powerful palm strikes which seem to appear out of
nowhere. The skilled Pa Kua Chang stylist is able
to change, adapt, and vary his movement to
ideally fit any given situation. He acts quickly,
efficiently, and with purpose. His spontaneous
response to his opponent's movement springs
forth from an innate body knowledge of Pa Kua
Chang principles which have been trained through
hundreds of hours of repetitive drills.
As we have emphasized throughout this book,
Park Bok Nam believes that the ability to adapt,
change, and respond spontaneously to any given
situation cannot be attained if the practitioner
has only been taught a structured form set and
some basic self-defense techniques based on the
form movements. Training must be much deeper
and be built up systematically from a strong
foundation of Pa Kua Chang fundamentals.
The beginner in Park's school will be given
fundamental training drills which specifically train
each of the components we have emphasized in
this book. These components are first trained in
isolation so that the student can fully develop
each piece before the components are fit together.
The beginner in Park's school will first practice
exercises which train flexibility, balance, stability,
coordination, and full body integration in order
to develop what Park calls a "kung fu body." In
conjunction with this "external" training, the
student will also begin practicing basic breathing,

meditation, and ch'i kung, or "internal" exercises.

Park strongly believes that there should be a
balance between internal and external training.
Basic stance work and flexibility training are
followed by specific exercises which isolate the
footwork components of Pa Kua Chang practice
and teach the student to develop a "body
knowledge" of Pa Kua footwork principles, theory,
and usage. Park says that if you want to use Pa Kua
in fighting, knowing something in your head is
no good, you have to "know it in your body" and
it has to be a reflex action. Repetitive footwork
drills are practiced for hours a day for months at
a time before the practitioner can even begin to
develop this "body knowledge."
Footwork drills are the most important part of
Park's training program because he believes that
unless the Pa Kua Chang practitioner knows how
the Pa Kua Chang footwork is used, he or she will
never know how to fight using Pa Kua Chang.
Footwork drills are followed by similar repetitive
exercises which isolate the components of
blocking, seizing, trapping, palm striking, elbow
striking, sweeping, kicking, throwing and overall
coordinated body motion.
At the next level of training, exercises which
combine footwork with hand techniques are
practiced. Each stage of training is designed to
teach the student how Pa Kua Chang is specifically
applied in fighting. At each level the student
learns to how the principle is applied, when it is
applied, and why it is applied. Once a fundamental
principle begins to become a reflex action, then
the student works with a partner to learn how to
vary the response based on the partner's
movements.
Through partner practice the student researches
how to obtain optimal body position at all times

201

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

through use of footwork and how to continuously

attack using effective, lightning-fast striking
combinations. The tools the student uses to help
research the fighting method are found in the
Chinese theories of yin yang, wu hsing, and pa kua.
In this book we have tried to present a very
detailed description of Pa Kua Chang's
fundamentals as taught by Park Bok Nam. The
training presented in this book is very basic. The
student in Park's school will be taught all of this
material within the first year or two of practice.

202

This material lays the foundation. Without

practicing the material contained in this book for
many hundreds of hours, Park feels that the student
in his program will not be able to get very far in
developing real fighting skill utilizing the art of Pa
Kua Chang.
We hope that the reader has been able to gain
some valuable insights into the study of this
magnificent art by reading this book and practicing
the exercises.
Comments and questions are welcome.

Pa Kua Chang Ch'i Kung

List of References
1. Bell, EX, Men of Mathematics, Simon & Schuster,
New York, 1937.
2. Brennan, Herbie, The Synchronistic Barometer,
Analog Science Fiction/ Science Fact, August
1973
3. Fung Yu-Lan, A History of Chinese Philosophy,
Volume II, Commercial Press, Shanghai, China,
1934, republished Princeton University Press,
1973.
4. Govinda, Lama Anagarika, The Inner Structure of
the I-Ching, Wheelwright Press, San Francisco,
1981
5. K'ang Ko-Wu, "Studying the Origins of Pa Kua
Chang", 1984
6. Larre, Claude, Survey of Traditional Chinese
Medicine, Institut Ricci, Paris, 1986.
7. Wong, K. Chimin and Wu Lien-Teh, History of
Chinese Medicine, National Quarantine Service,
Shanghai, China, 1936.

203

The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang

204

Appendix

Chiang Shan Pa Kua Chang

Association

n1987 Park Bok Nam opened his

school in Richmond, Virginia and
began teaching his teacher's Pa Kua
Chang method in the United States. For the
first few years teaching here, Park kept a
fairly low profile. He was happy teaching a
handful of dedicated students in Richmond.
One of Park's first students in Richmond,
other than his long time student Glenn
Wright, was Glen Moore. When Moore met
Park he was a twenty year martial arts
veteran who had studied Escrima, Amis,
Wing Chun, T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Pa Kua
Chang among other arts and was already a
skilled fighter. Glen has studied Pa Kua
Chang with Park since 1987 and now helps
Park run the school in Richmond.
By 1990 the word was out that Park was
very skilled at Pa Kua Chang and students
from Northern Virginia, Maryland, and
North Carolina had begun traveling to
Richmond to study with him. At the
encouragement of some of these students,
Park began teaching seminars in Maryland
and New York. The seminars were very well
received and so a student of Park's, Greg
Hatza, who was traveling from Baltimore to
Richmond every week to study with him
arranged for Park to teach a weekly class in
Towson, Maryland. This class started in
November 1991 and currently students from
Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
New Jersey, and New York travel to Towson
to study with Park once a week. Greg Hatza
is Park's senior student in this class.
In addition to the regularly scheduled
seminars Park teaches in Maryland and New
York, which started in 1991, he has also

taught seminars in Texas, Florida, Colorado,

California, Massachusetts, and Washington
State. All of these seminars have been well
received and Park plans to continue
teaching seminars throughout the county.
Those readers who are interested in
attending one of Park Bok Nam's Pa Kua
Chang seminars can write to High View
Publications for a current seminar schedule
or contact Park directly.
Park's Assistant Instructors
As of April 1993, Park Bok Nam has
designated four students in the United States
who are authorized to teach the material
which is printed in this book. These students
are as follows:
1) Glenn Wright - Glenn is Park Bok
Nam's senior student in the United States
and has been studying with Park since
1978. Glen currently resides in Tacoma,
Washington.
2) Glen Moore - Glen has been studying
with Park since Park arrived in the United
States in 1987. He currently helps Park run
his school in Richmond, Virginia.
3) Greg Hatza - Greg, who has been
studying with Park since 1990, is the senior
student at Park's Saturday class in Towson,
Maryland. Additionally, Greg continues to
study with Park privately on a weekly basis
at Park's school in Richmond.
4) Dan Miller - Dan is the co-author of
this book and the director and producer of
the companion video to this book. He
currently resides in Pacific Grove, California.
He has been studying with Park since 1991
and helps organize and facilitate Park Bok

205

Nam's West Coast seminars. He is also the

publisher and editor of the Pa Kua Chang
Journal, a bi-monthly publication covering
all aspects and all styles of Pa Kua Chang.
Park Bok Nam has authorized each of
these individuals to begin teaching students
under his supervision. Anyone wishing to
contact any of these individuals, please
write to:
High View Publications
P.O. Box 51967 Pacific
Grove, CA 93950 (408)
655-2990

Plans for the Future

In 1992 Park Bok Nam and his students formed the
Ch'iang Shan Pa Kua Chang Association. This
association was formed to help promote the art of
Pa Kua Chang and the Pa Kua Chang of Lu
Shui-T'ien in the United States. Ch'iang Shan is the
Pa Kua Chang generation name given to Park Bok
Nam by his teacher when Park was accepted as a

206

formal disciple in the lineage of Tung

Hai-Ch'uan. Each of the generations in
Tung's lineage has a generation name
associated with it. Park is of the Ch'iang (6th)
generation.
Every year (starting in 1992) Park holds a
Pa Kua Chang training camp in the
mountains of West Virginia. This camp is
open to all of Park's students and provides an
opportunity for everyone studying Park's Pa
Kua Chang in the United States to train
together and get to know each other. The
camp also acts as the yearly Association
meeting and Park uses the opportunity to
promote students and accept formal disciples
if he feels any students are ready for
promotion. This camp is open to all
interested Pa Kua Chang practitioners,
however, Association members pay a
discount price. Those readers who may be
interested in the Pa Kua Chang Association
can contact Glenn Moore by writing to the
following address:
Pa Kua Kung Fu School
11101 Midlothian Turnpike
Richmond, VA 23236 (804)
794-8384
In addition to this book and its
companion video, Park plans to continue to
present his material in video format so that he
can share his method with interested
students in the United States who may not
have the opportunity to study with him
directly on a regular basis. Additionally, he
will be increasing and expanding his seminar
program in the United States and Europe. In
March, 1993 he conducted his first
European seminar in Italy.
Park Bok Nam's goal is to share his Pa
Kua Chang knowledge and experience with
interested students so that the next
generation of Pa Kua Chang practitioners
can carry on the Pa Kua Chang lineage and
the art of Pa Kua Chang will continue to be
respected in martial arts circles.

About the Author

A native of Springfiled, Virginia, Dan Miller graduated from
the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in
1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and accepted a
commission in the United States Marine Corps. He subsequently
served for ten years as an officer of Marines. While in the
military he was sent to study at the Naval Postgraduate School
in Monterey, California (1987-1989) and earned a Masters
Degree in Electrical Engineering.
Dan began his study of Chinese martial arts in 1983 with T'ai
Chi Ch'uan. He has since spent time studying T'ai Chi Ch'uan,
Hsing-I Ch'uan, and Pa Kua Chang. In 1990 he and his wife
founded High View Publications and began publishing the Pa
Kua Chang Newsletter. In 1992 the newsletter was upgraded to a
Journal. In July 1992 Dan left the military service and now lives
in Pacific Grove, California where he is writing and publishing
full time.

207