You see a lot of Bagua out there.
You see a lot of videos of Bagua.
But this?
This is Bagua at a level you almost never get to see.
Huang Wan Xiang’s “Wind Sways the Lotus Leaves, Passing Through the Nine Palaces” 風擺荷葉轉九宮 (1980) is a masterclass in movement. Here’s why it’s so good:
1️⃣ Hand & Foot in Perfect Sync (手腳齊到) – Every step, every strike, same-time precision. No lag, no mismatch.
2️⃣ Shen Fa (Body Method) 身法 – The body drives the limbs, never the other way around. The engine is in the core, and it shows.
3️⃣ Continuous Flow – 絲絲入扣 – Every thread of motion is tight, structured, and connected. Think music: this is legato, not staccato.
4️⃣ Light but Rooted Footwork – Floating above the ground yet anchored with structure and intent.
5️⃣ Centered Structure – Upright and balanced (no Leaning Tower of Pisa). You can feel his mental focus just as clearly as his physical alignment.
6️⃣ Bow Structure – 五弓之力 – Spine and limbs rounded, tension alive, structure intact.
Shifu once told me:
No matter how good everybody is, you should have a huge mountain in your heart (the understanding of what high level practice is), this is the only way you won’t be distracted and lose your way in practice so you can conquer the next level.
And as Hotton Sensei puts it:
When you watch somebody that has something nobody else has, then you just got to take a mental snapshot of that thing, and then you’re on a freaking hunt man. You’re trying to duplicate that in your body, and you will get it. Absolutely I think you will get it.”
For #BaguaZhang practitioners, this is one of those snapshots.
Study it. Compare yourself to it. Work at it. Get it.
