THE CIRCLE

The BaGwa student must understand and practice the fundamental circle walking basics. This is the groundwork. Daily practice will make you internally and externally stronger, improve your balance, develop rooting, clear your mind, sharpen your senses, sharpen your nervous system and sink your breath below the navel. But most importantly, you will integrate the "full-self" with BaGwa practice. Let this be one of your guides in the better understanding and improvement of BaGwa's 2 main circle walking exercises: walking one complete circle and walking the figure 8. With these and their variations you will be on your way developing BaGwa's intricate foot-work, along with body coordination and rooting. Note that for the precise instructions for some of the details of the terms used, and instructions, first study and practise the material in Basics 1 and Basics 2. Material not covered there will be explained in some detail.

Walk the Circle (heel-to-toe). What this means is to circle walk, beginning at a comfortable speed called your natural speed, and walking a small or large circle---or even in a straight line. Begin walking 8 steps for a complete circle, though this is only a customary and not necessary. Incorporate the inside and outside directional changes using the toe-in and toe-out. You may walk with your arms dangling by your sides, covering to the center of the circle, or covering with the lead hand into the circle's center, while the other hand is covering directly out. Arm postures may be used, holding an imaginary vertical or horizontal ball etc. You may practice arm hanging: walking the circle with your arms to the sides, (palms up or down) horizontal with the floor. With the palms down while arm hanging, you may grip small weights, 1 1/4 to 5 or more pounds---depending on your conditioning and internal and external strength. Arm hanging is classical BaGwa conditioning exercise. When doing this, don't lift your shoulders up from their sockets if you get tired.

Walking the circle should be done for 5 minutes a day for beginners, and progress (in time) as gains are made. Once a reasonable level of proficiency is achieved, walk from 20 minutes to 1 hour, at least once a week. This will give you better gains. But work up to this level, slowly, and of course, this should be done with the intention of adding new basics, exercises, drills, partner training and forms.

Walking the circle is a simple yet demanding exercise. It is an exercise for beginners and masters alike. Heed its importance. Once you become comfortable at it, gradually reduce the speed of your walking. Over time, practice walking at a slow and smooth, TaiChi-like, speed called slow speed circle walking. This is where the real work begins. Circle walk with a partner, keeping correct distances. Gradually shorten the distance, just outside contact range. When your partner changes direction, so do you. But later complete and 1/2 changes may be used as fakes; or if your partner performs a change and you are in a good position to attack, take advantage! But don't charge in like an idiot. You will be open for a counter attack.

Another simple exercise for sensitivity is for you and your partner to keep the lead (back of the) forearms connected as you walk. This will force you to use more precise foot-work and develop a sense of contact, distancing and alignment. Keep relaxed. Maintain proper posture, stick lightly and don't bend your body or trip over your feet. Keep strong stances for strong power-lines toward your partner. Practice slow. You will make better gains.

Begin walking faster, until you can accomplish bouts of full-speed circle walking. When you execute a directional change, step away from your imaginary opponent or partner with the foot that is furthest away. For the inside change from a left circle walking stance (toeing in with your right foot), take one longer step with the left foot, then 3 fast short steps.

For the outside change, beginning from the left circle walking stance (toeing out with the left foot), step away with the right foot, then 3 fast steps or, use the left and step away at a 45 degree angle. Depending which foot is furthest from your opponent when you circle walk, using either foot is correct. When you circle walk in the same direction with your partner, say both walking clockwise, don't let him cut in or you will have your side or back exposed. Cut out (walking away at more of an angle by making your step a little wider) to counter your exposed back. Or take on long step or 3 fast short steps. Shorter steps are better for quicker manoeuvrability. Sometimes one long step is all that's needed. Be aware, however, with a long step you are temporary committed. It is more difficult to manoeuvre during and just after taking such a step.

Implement the 3 basic shifts into your circle walking. Implement stance transitions or repositioning with different stances. Add spin-ins and spin-outs---utilizing the mother horse stance and/or pivoting skills. But avoid pivots exceeding 180 degrees without physical support of your partner or opponent. Though in a real situation, sometimes it is necessary. Many rolls are performed with sticking. One such drill entails circle walking with you and your partner. Begin normal circle walking with the left sides into the circle. Make contact with the lead (left) forearms. Note that one person initiates the manoeuvre:

• toe in with the lead left foot
• toe in with the right as you make contact with your high right hand and contact with your back (right side of back), pressing in
• roll anti-clockwise using a mother horse stance by stepping rearwards and over with your left foot
• after the spin, push off with your palms, slapping or striking your partner but not to hard because he is your partner, not a real situation attacker. And/or spiral away

When walking the circle, instead of an inside change, you make walk a smaller circle, either to the inside or outside of your primary circle. With 2 such steps, one changes his direction; with 4 such steps, he one walks a complete smaller circle thus back moving in the same direction. But note that the circles move when working with a partner(s)---unlike practising a solo exercise around a visible circle, painted on the training floor.

Walk the circle while covering to the inside and outside of the circle try these routines:

1. perform 2 high hooking blocks (at the same time) and lower back to your double cover position
2. perform 2 high palm blocks (at the same time)
3. perform 2 low hooking blocks to your sides (at the same time)
4. perform 2 low palm blocks as you take one step rearwards (toe-to-heel)
5. perform a high hooking block to the inside of the circle and at the same time (with the other hand), a low hooking block directly out of the circle. Then alternate, ie., the high circles down to a low hooking block etc.

Practicing circle walking may also be performed while circle blocking and 3 star blocking, both with inside and outside directional changes (and walking smaller circles and 1/2 circles within the larger). For instance, circle walk with your left side in and circle block towards the circle's center. Use right high/left low palm blocks and perform an inside change:

1. toe in with your right foot with the high left hooking block position
2. as you pivot, cut your left block downward and follow with the right
3. step off with your left lead leg as you circle block in the opposite rotation. See the figure 8 pattern performed in the circle blocking transition?

For the outside change, from the left side facing into the circle, and circle blocking with right high/left low palm blocks, perform an outside change:

1. toe out with your left foot and angle down (from the left high hooking block position) your left, performing a left low palm block. Simultaneously, the right performs a high hooking block directly out from the circle
2. pivot, maintaining the arm positions, then circle block the opposite pattern as you step off with the right foot, taking 3 fast short steps (or step away with the left)

Practicing solo circle walking now seems much more than just walking a boring circle. Now try circle blocking and changing the circle blocking pattern via the figure 8 transition pattern without performing a directional change. Try walking full-speed but circle block ultra-slow. Circle block full-speed but walk ultra-slow. Build up and vary your circle walking practice. Try walking with sweeping blocks! Circle walk slowly with your eyes shut or in darkness. This will breed better balance and sharpen your sences. Practice walking backwards slowly (useing the toe-to-heel step). Circle walking practice will develop legs of steel, yet pliable and explosive---true and proven strength instead of the bulky and puerile strength of an external man.

THE FIGURE EIGHT
With the figure 8 walk, one may also "arm hang," etc., and circle block, using its figure 8 transitions. One variant entails adding a lowering palm strike during the circle blocking transition (during the lead toe in and lead toe out, execute the lowering palm strike with the leading side, then lowering it and circling into the new circle blocking direction). For the procedure of the classical figure 8, see Basics 1.

I hope this has served as a good circle walking introduction for those of you who want more to work with than just books, bad schools or no schools. For your information, my BaGwaChang skills were learned from the Tiger Claw School of Self-Defence in Winnipeg. Pat Gallagher is the chief instructor who learned most of his BaGwa from Gong Boa T'sien of the Yin Fu lineage. This piece is Part 1 of 2. Part 2 will deal with "higher level" circle walking manoeuvres entailing further training with a partner: self-defence/fighting manoeuvres, utilizing strikes, sticking; twisting, turning; trapping, locking; rising, dropping and spinning. Remember, BaGwa is not ballet, so don't treat it as such!