Self-teaching Pa Kua
Zapanaz
I know this question is kind of wrong from the get-go, and that no
competent teacher would get behind the idea of somebody trying to
self-teach Pa Kua or any other martial art.
Over the last year or so, I started adding Pa Kua to the exercise I do
in the morning, supplanting a more conventional aerobic exercise sort
of routine. I was always drawn to Pa Kua for some reason, it feels
really natural to me. I started trying to practice it years ago and
didn't really stick to it much. Even so, one of the few times time I
was in a self-defence type situation (just a pointless shoving match
with a drunk guy), I instinctively used a Pa Kua sort of move, and it
worked very well, I had him off me and on the ground in one nice
smooth motion without hurting him. Despite the fact that I was
primarily practicing karate at the time. I guess Pa Kua gives me
options other than punching somebody's lights out, which would have
been overkill in that case.
What I plan to do is find a local Pa Kua teacher, but I will probably
only be able to meet with him once a month or so. If he's willing I
will meet up with him and have him watch me practice and correct
things I'm doing wrong. Also I have a friend who I might be able to
con into sparring with me periodically. He has practiced martial arts
all his life and also works as a bouncer in a bar so he would probably
be great for practice applying techniques against unpredictable,
real-life type attacking.
It's not an ideal situation, I know, but from a practical point of
view it's what is going to be workable for me.
Anyway, all of that and I haven't asked my actual question yet. I
googled around about this same question and every time I saw people
discussing it, the discussion got stuck on "don't try to self-teach",
so I sort of anticipated that.
The book I have been working from is Robert W. Smith's "Pa Kua:
Chinese Boxing for Fitness and Self-Defence".
I'm wondering if there are people here who know this book and what
their opinion of it is.
Some of the exercises feel unnatural to me and impractical (although
as I say, overall it feels very natural). This could very well be, as
I discussed earlier about self-teaching, that I am just not "getting"
them and I'm not really doing them right.
Also I know some of it is that I am still working through the
"exercises" section of the book. When I look ahead at the later
sections, applied techniques and forms, I can see that some of the
strange-seeming moves make sense when you put them together later.
It's kind of like "wax on, wax off" in Karate Kid, it makes sense
later.
But I don't know, without a teacher i'm not sure. Maybe this is the
wrong book. Robert W. Smith seems to have been very competent and to
have known what he was doing, from reading about him, but I could of
course be wrong. Maybe this book is a dead end.
Anyway, thanks for any opinions on this.
--
Zapanaz
International Satanic Conspiracy
Customer Support Specialist
http://joecosby.com/
There's No 'My Kid Has Cancer' In Team
:: Currently listening to Sonata in D Minor L.108, 1738, by Scarlatti/John Williams, from "John Williams - The Baroque Album"
Herbert Cannon
You will be much better off with an instructor even for short periods of
time. That being said - do what you can and learn what you can.
shuu...@gmail.com
> What I plan to do is find a local Pa Kua teacher, but I will probably
> only be able to meet with him once a month or so. If he's willing I
> will meet up with him and have him watch me practice and correct
> things I'm doing wrong. Also I have a friend who I might be able to
> con into sparring with me periodically. He has practiced martial arts
> all his life and also works as a bouncer in a bar so he would probably
> be great for practice applying techniques against unpredictable,
> real-life type attacking.
Assuming that this teacher is willing, just be aware that this will
take you a long, long, long time and that it is likely you will never
achieve any degree of real skill in this art. Not saying that to
discourage you; it's just the way things work. Especially with
something like Pa Kua which is highly dependent on exact movements and
balance. There is only so much you can learn from a book or even from
a video in this type of system; and in this case, you're talking about
a system that takes a long time to get good at even WITH an
instructor.
If you're okay with spending a long time on something and making very
slow progress, no problem. That can be extremely rewarding. Just be
sure you know what you're getting into.
If you like the whole "redirection of force" thing, you might want to
also consider something like Judo.
Neil Gendzwill
>
> If you like the whole "redirection of force" thing, you might want to
> also consider something like Judo.
Drink!
Neil
Zapanaz
Yeah thanks for the head's up. That was the impression I got about Pa
Kua, that it was a very long study under the best circumstances. My
mindset is to do it for it's own sake, with the work itself being the
goal, if that makes any sense. Judo as you say would be more
practical in self-defence terms. I don't know why I have such a
strong attraction to Pa Kua but I guess I'm stuck on it.
You aren't familiar with the Robert Smith book by any chance, are you?
Do you have any particular recommendations as far as books or videos?
--
Joe Cosby
http://joecosby.com/
"So what if a piece of wood discovers it's a violin?"
-A.Rimbaud
:: Currently listening to Romanian Gypsy, 2005, by Illie Natalia, from "Bedouin Caf�"
Mark Goldberg
> You aren't familiar with the Robert Smith book by any chance, are you?
> Do you have any particular recommendations as far as books or videos?
>
you like the idea of a peculiar skill set.
Ok... but you can't learn it from a book.
That said. You could get healthy, and fit, and learn practical self
defense. If you ever actually meet someone who has real ba kua skills
you could judge those skills and costs of attaining that versus the
myraid judo course, inexpensively priced with many many clubs to try out
and see if you are getting all you need.
Just to study something that can't be learned alone, leaves your hobby
desire as questionable. Why not self taught origami- at least that you
could self judge for it's beauty and subtlety without an expert to guide
you.
Mark
Appledog
>
> What I plan to do is find a local Pa Kua teacher, but I will probably
> only be able to meet with him once a month or so. If he's willing I
> will meet up with him and have him watch me practice and correct
> things I'm doing wrong.
Two things. One, that isn't really self-teaching. Two, if you are a
dedicated student and plan to do pa kua for a very long time, that's
all you really need.
Good luck.
> The book I have been working from is Robert W. Smith's "Pa Kua:
> Chinese Boxing for Fitness and Self-Defence".
p.s. that book isn't very good.
-
Mark Goldberg
....That was the impression I got about Pa
> Kua, that it was a very long study under the best circumstances. My
> mindset is to do it for it's own sake, with the work itself being the
> goal, if that makes any sense. Judo as you say would be more
> practical in self-defence terms. I don't know why I have such a
> strong attraction to Pa Kua but I guess I'm stuck on it.
>
> You aren't familiar with the Robert Smith book by any chance, are you?
> Do you have any particular recommendations as far as books or videos?
>
I don't think you understand why you have the mindset... why would you
be so attracted to it if you couldn't get quality instruction, that
might give you some perhaps reliable understanding? Why study something
that you obviously can't really understand, from pictures, and a
description?
Your signature gave me a hint...."So what if a piece of wood discovers
it's a violin?"
-A.Rimbaud
I remember reading Artie R's "I sat beauty upon my knee, and I cursed
her, and I reviled her, This vision proves I have dreamed"
That he was homosexual was given, that he didn't have a clue as to the
meaning of 'beauty' or what to do with it, was somewhat more curious,
even scary. Well... I was 19 when I read that, and I thought about it
from time to time.
Now, you're back with old artie quotes..." so what if a piece of wood
discovers it's a violin" and the answer is......
because.
Forget, Pa Gua, you're wasting your time, and it's time.
If you want to find beauty,on your own, take up origami.
If you want a 'skill' learn a skill, don't play with pictures.
If you want to fight, learn how to fight.
And if you really want that ba gua skill, don't waste time with some
book, but go find someone who actually has the skill, ask them to show
you what it is, and then, make a determination from them if you can
learn it.
JMO
Zapanaz
Thanks very much for the help, are there any you would recommend?
--
Joe Cosby
http://joecosby.com/
It is easier to yell about something happening on the other side of the planet than to do something about your own neighborhood.
- nenslo
:: Currently listening to Main Score Part 1, 1962, by Charles Mingus, from "Epitaph"
Appledog
> Appledog hunched over a computer, typing feverishly;
> Thunder crashed, Appledog laughed madly, then wrote:
>
>
>
> >On May 1, 12:28 pm, Zapanaz <http://joecosby.com/code/mail.pl> wrote:
>
> >> What I plan to do is find a local Pa Kua teacher, but I will probably
> >> only be able to meet with him once a month or so. If he's willing I
> >> will meet up with him and have him watch me practice and correct
> >> things I'm doing wrong.
>
> >Two things. One, that isn't really self-teaching. Two, if you are a
> >dedicated student and plan to do pa kua for a very long time, that's
> >all you really need.
>
> >Good luck.
>
> >> The book I have been working from is Robert W. Smith's "Pa Kua:
> >> Chinese Boxing for Fitness and Self-Defence".
>
> >p.s. that book isn't very good.
>
> >-
>
> Thanks very much for the help, are there any you would recommend?
No.. it's been my experience that books and magazines about martial
arts are next to useless. Magazines are full of posturing and crap,
and books can't ensure you have the basics down pat so nearly all
books only cover the basics (and then, incompletely).
Your other idea about learning from someone was good though.
-