Bagua Rolling Step Method

Human bipedal locomotion.
It’s not just a fancy way of saying walking but refers to all the things we do with our legs
to move our bodies from one place to another. Our basic design lets us walk, run, hop, skip and jump, but we are also
capable of modifying these actions for particular purposes. Compare how a ballerina moves across the floor with how
a tap dancer does, or how a basketball player covers ground compared to a soccer player. All are variations of
bipedal locomotion that require specialized training to improve the ability to achieve a specific purpose.
According to the history I learned from my teacher, Shigong John Painter, Jiulong Baguazhang originated with a
family of professional body/security guards who might find themselves engaged with multiple opponents carrying a
variety of weapons on different kinds of terrain. This was not fighting in a ring with a referee. Their work required them
to develop a means of covering ground on foot quickly, changing direction quickly, and evading attacks from any
direction, all while being able to deliver powerful strikes with different weapons and/or different parts of the body.
Spending more than a few seconds in one-on-one duels is too dangerous when your opponent’s friends might attack
at any moment. Continuous movement is safer.
These specific requirements led to the development of the Jiulong walking method that diligent students spend
countless hours practicing. Jiulong ‘walking’ is another specialized form of bipedal locomotion, one specifically
purposed for personal combat on foot. It is not what most would consider normal walking at all, any more than
dancing a tango would be.
Unlike a normal human gait, this walking method utilizes all the leg muscles, lower as well as upper, to propel the
body through space. The direction is horizontal, with no vertical component and the knees maintain slight flexion
throughout the gait cycle. Emphasis is placed on maintaining knee-toe alignment to allow for maximum muscle
coordination (and hence power to accelerate) during the push-off phase of a step while protecting the knees from
rotational stress. The Jiulong gait also allows rapid direction changes that preserve and even add to the body’s
momentum during turns.
The result is a powerful method of moving the body across ground, enabling the student to accelerate and turn with
fluidity and speed. Furthermore, the student learns to blend walking practice with the principles of posture, muscle
control and coordination from training in sitting, standing, and shifting. With practice, the student learns to strike and
deflect strikes with different parts of the body or weapons without breaking stride. The force of the strike comes from
accelerating the whole body in a coordinated manner, not just an arm or leg. It appears that the originators of Jiulong
were aware that Force = Mass x Acceleration, even if high school physics was not in their curriculum.
Jiulong walking has benefits that go beyond utility in combat. It is an excellent method of conditioning the legs that
protects the knee from non-physiological stresses. Its specialized method of transferring body weight helps avoid
slipping on icy, slick surfaces. The impact of landing on one foot with one’s whole body weight is greatly lessened,
even at high speeds.
Not only do I teach this walking method to Jiulong students but also to patients in my care. They have a variety of
chronic pain issues, knee, hip, and back pain in particular, but all who try are able to participate to at least some
degree. When combined with a stable relaxed posture they find this kind of walking less painful and that encourages
them to walk more.
Walking has become a staple of my medical practice as well as my Baguazhang practice and I often reflect on how
something that was developed to help inflict wounds is also a method of healing. Like the art itself, Jiulong walking is
a multi-purpose tool.
Baguazhang Hearts in The Feet
Copyright 2000 IAM Company
Author John P. Painter Ph.D. ND
For some years it was believed that there were four method of blood circulation in the body. During the least few
years a fifth method of increasing the venous flow was brought to the attention of the medical community by Dr.
Michael Gardner and medical researcher Roger Fox. The pair working in England with paralyzed patients subjects
suffering from thrombosis and other related lower limb disorders discovered the "Plantar Heart Pump mechanism:"!
Medical science has for some time known that the action of walking or running aids in the return circulation through
the venous system. No one had suspected that under the arch of the foot covered by the plantar fascia. was a bio-
mechanical pump activating an entire system of deep veins responsible for the recalculation of venous blood to the
heart. The pump consists of a collection of veins composed of the external and internal plantar veins united with the
posterior tibial vein joined by the peroneal veins. This pump is responsible for dramatically increasing venous blood
flow in the lower extremities.
Walking, or running in a manner that allows the heel to touch down first with the weight of the body rolling over the
arch of the foot onto the toes will compress the Plantar heart pump in the feet in the most efficient manner. The
method of walking used in some styles of
Baguazhang acts as a most effective stimulation to this area. Test results using their theory have yielded remarkable
results in healing and the prevention of thrombosis. Paralyzed patients and patients suffering from fractures of the
tibia were placed on a machine which flexed the feet in the correct way .the results in the
words of Roger Fox were. "astounding we never realized this bio-mechanical pump existed."
Tests of this theory at the Life Science Qi Institute using the Baguazhang exercise of walking the circle have shown
that not only does the venous flow improve but also the arterial flow to the feet and legs increases when the walking
style is correctly applied.
Repetitive walking in a circle at a slow to moderate pace produces an overall increase in oxygen and nutrient
exchange by the tissues and promotes more effective circulation in general throughout the entire system. More
circulation means better oxygen and nutrient exchange
and /waste toxin elimination within the total circulation system. This of course translates into improved health,
stamina and fitness throughout the entire body.
BAGUAZHANG WALKING METHODS

If you study the methods and history of Baguazhang before it was turned into sport for tournament display you will
find numerous methods of circle walking steps other than the official sliding step that some claim is the only
Baguazhang stepping pattern. My purpose here is not to argue which steps are correct or incorrect. A step is
a tool used for a specific purpose the master carpenter has many tools and does not try to build a house with his
screwdriver alone.
Nuff said on that!
To really effectively activate the Plantar Heart Pump in walking the popular sliding or mud treading step can be used
so long as there is sufficient time for the base foot to compress fully before the next step. The best method however
for stimulating these pumps is the rolling step, tiger step or leopard stepping method. By what ever name you call it
the step is one in which the heel of the foot should touch town first with the toes arched upward slightly. As you roll
the weight forward on to the arch of the foot it needs to be allowed to flatten against the ground and then flex upward
from the middle ass the weight is transferred to the ball of the foot and toes.
Walking in shoes that do not allow the foot to flex or shoes that have a high instep prevents correct pumping action
from taking place. Therefore it is recommended that for best stimulation of the Plantar Heart Pump comfortable shoes
with no arch supports be worn. All walking exercises should be performed on a firm but never hard surface. The
ideal surfaces are thick grass, or sand. Second best
surfaces are gym mats, followed by thick pile carpeting over a wooden floor. Do not practice this exercise on concrete
or hard unyielding surfaces as damage to the ankle, instep or knee cartilage may result.

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Human bipedal locomotion.

BAGUAZHANG WALKING METHODS

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