Taiyi Fire Dragon Fist comes from the art of Bagua. Like Tai Chi, Bagua is an internal practice that emphasizes soft, circular movements. Created by Grandmaster Dong Haichuan during the Qing Dynasty, Bagua is based upon the Book of Changes. Taiyi Fire Dragon Fist is not only a system of self defense. It is also considered as a longevity practice that cultivates balance and harmony within the practitioner. Grandmaster Lu Zijian was born in 1893 in the Chinese district of Chongqing in Sichuan Province. He is one of the few recipients of ninth duan, the highest level of martial arts mastery bestowed in China today. He is known as the Great Knight of the Yellow River . Upon the release of this video in America, Grandmaster Lu is still alive and well at 114. He attributes his longevity to the practice of Taiyi Fire Dragon Fist. The Legendary Grandmasters of China series showcases many of the leading elder grandmasters of China. The footage was collected from 1983 to 1986 during China s National Martial Arts Survey. When the department in charge of this survey was shut down by the government, much of the data was lost. Fortunately, some footage was recovered and has been re-mastered to include new lesson material. Each form demonstrated by the Grandmasters is broken down for instructional purposes by leading contemporary practitioners of these styles. TC Media is proud to present these historic videos in order to preserve the legacy of these extraordinary Grandmasters.
J**R
Refreshing Bagua Form
Refreshing Bagua formThis is a very intriguing Bagua form. It is very energetic and aggressive. Many Bagua forms are either linear traversing first in one direction then spinning around and traveling back to the starting point. Yes you might be twisting and turning along the way, yet you are still moving in a straight line direction. Other Bagua forms move in a circle simulating maneuvering around an opponent then once the opponent presents an attack you immediately counter by moving off the line of attack, while redirecting the opponent's strikes then flowing in with a powerful counter strike of your own.This Taiyi Fire Dragon Palm form is totally wild. First off he starts off more in a stationary location performing some deflection movements followed quickly by a strong strike, then spins around and we're dashing off into a straight line barrage of attacks one simulating a tiger pouncing on its prey, next thing we're headed back in a straight line performing lots of sweeping aside or deflecting type motions as we advance, then we switch to circular Bagua into a tight 4 step circle step in one direction, spin around and again a tight 4 step circle back in the other direction then spring off into another linear series and more. The strategy on this form is radical switching between stationary, linear and circular movement and from defense to aggressive offense.After a brief introduction and some history about Grandmaster Lu Zijian there is a complete demonstration of the form, first from Grandmaster Lu Zijian out in nature, then again by a younger Bagua man with a computer generated background of earth and sky. Next is the form one set of movements at a time performed again by both. Next is a partner demonstration of some fighting movements of the form. These are performed fast by two younger Bagua men, starting on the defense then a quick transition to offense, then a repeat with auto pause and explanation of each movement during the combat.Subtitles are both in Chinese and English simultaneously. Audio is Chinese. All moves are demonstrated by Grandmaster Lu Zijian outside in nature. All moves are repeated by a younger Bagua man with a computer gaming style background of earth and sky take your pick which you want to follow along with.
B**R
Tribute to the older generation of practitioners.
This is more of a tribute to an older generation of practitioners.This starts out with an older gentleman demonstrating the form. He is surprisingly spry and agile for someone of his apparent age. (Good testimony to the healthful benefits to regular form practice.)And then a younger gentleman does the forms and then demonstrates them with another gentleman.This part is done somewhat fast and without very much explanation.Also it looks like they superimposed the people on a computer game program with moving clouds. Since you want to be orienting people's positions by reference to where they are by their relationship to their background this is somewhat distracting and disorienting.I would recommend this for people that want to get a sense of how the earlier generations practiced the forms. Or for people that already know Bagua and are looking for something more to expand their skill set.
C**S
Not what I expected
Great material from an incredible practitioner of the art. That being said, It was presented very cartoony and not at all geared to learn anything useful from. Save your money and look at something different.
