48 Methods Of Shi Family
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Shi Style Baguazhang Oral Traditions
The 48 Skill Methods
1. Shen Fa -- The Body Method:
The body is like a swimming dragon, a wild goose soaring in the air. Zigzagging, curved and straight, it moves like a snake. Overturn, roll, revolve and turn are dominated by the waist. Move to the corners and side-to-side, advance and retreat, talking and laughing in the center.
2. Mu Ce - Range Estimation:
To resist the enemy when you cross hands, you must first estimate the range. If there is no movement, gaze at the man's shoulder. Calmly and carefully examine his posture. Seek out the way to go. Reconnoitre and reflect. Only the eyes look forward.
3. Yanming - Sharp Eyes:
The heart's emotions are reflected in the eyes like a mirror. See the situation create the emotion, then the posture responds. If you are very fearful and the mind is confused, your eyes will not follow. The hands will be occupied, the feet confused, and you will lose your cleverness
4. Xianxing - In Advance:
The eyes first seek out the enemy's condition. The four sides and eight directions need to be observed clearly. Allow your movement to change irregularly many times. What enters my eye, I instantly understand.
5. Shen Shi - Careful Posture:
The eyes watch the four directions, form and posture are understood. The ears hear in eight directions, movement and stillness are known. The feet tread the eight trigrams, walk the complete circle. Look ahead and behind, capture the enemy's emotion.
6. Bu Fa - Stepping Method:
If you wish to move the extrmeities, the root must move first. Quick hands are inferior to agile stepping. Turning, moving, entering, yeilding only require half a step. The outer boundary is peaceful, the whole form changes.
7. Ta Zong Men - Tread the Center Gate:
Stride forward like a tiger and with the aspect of a hero. Advance and retreat, look around, look for the enemy's trace. The feet tread the center gate and interlink with the enemy's path. The enemy has to defend against strikes to the center.
8. Xie Chu Cheng Ru - Diagonal Leaving, Straight Entering:
With footsteps firm and stable, seek adroit movement. By advancing, retreating, turning, and shifting, seek out the enemy's path. Walking follows the triangle. The toes grip the ground. Diagonal leaving, straight entering, is wonderful and unlimited.
9. Xu Jin - Continuous Advancing:
Develop an offensive posture, the enemy can not move back. Continue advancing with strikes that are difficult to evade. Step and advance the body, then step to the front. The hands, feet, and body must be one and arrive together.
10. Lian Zhui - Continuous Chasing:
I advance. If the enemy retreats, I must follow. One step or two steps, I am continuously stepping to follow. Closely press the enemy so there is no way for him to flee. Continuously advance, victory comes in one step.
11. Xu shi - Empty and Full:
For agile movement in the legs, empty and full need to be understood If you relax the rules then you will be double weighted and sluggish. With changing movements and turning movements the empty foot is agile. With the weight in the full foot, steadiness is preserved.
12. Jin-tui - Advance and Retreat:
The enemy retreats, I advance with my front foot first. The enemy advances, I retreat by moving with my rear foot. The stepping method of advancing and retreating must be agile, Turning, changing, and transforming in accordance with the enemy's emotion
13. Zhang Fa - Palm Method:
In attack and defence, both palms must be lively. The rear palm goes out and the front palm returns. The tiger's mouth and ox's tongue work together: "Follow the curve to arrive at the straight", understand the body's peril.
14. Gong Fang Xiang Ji - Mutual Attack and Defence:
In mutual attack and defence you must remember firmness. My hand goes out, and defends against the man's strike. Advance to attack, defend and ward-off, turn and transform quickly. When you can attack and be successful in defence, your skill starts to become high.
15. Gong Fang Huying - Attack and Defence Working Together:
The hands, going out and blocking, have to work together. Issuing is not correct and yet it is not presumptuous to issue. The postures of attack and defence change many times. Issuing is not the main thing. You must defend against the opponent's issuing.
16. Zhao Fa - Technique Method:
The front arm reaches straight, forming the tiger's mouth. The rear arm hides the ox tongue. Swallowing and spitting, opening and closing, flow with the enemy's emotion. Work together with change, close the enemy's posture.
17. Fa Jing - Issuing Energy:
Store up energy till plentiful, like a bent bow. Issue energy like an arrow, swiftly away from the bowstring. With a single purpose, in one direction, strength issues from the back. Have a sunk appearance, be relaxed completely, qi ought to be first.
18. Yin Shi Li Dao - Adroitly Guiding Action According to Circumstances:
If he is high, strike him low. If he is low, strike him high. With a fat man, strike at him from either corner. If you meet someone long and thin, press toward the inside. The old man cannot move to block.
19. Jie Zhao - Make Contact and Gesture:
The enemy man comes gesturing. Don't block or frame him. Flow with his incoming posture only once. Moving or still, quick or slow, you must close and slap. Follow curve, move toward the straight, multiply his defects.
20. Jie Na - Explaining Seizing:
Qin Na must use a double hand motion. Both hands seize, oneself is empty. No matter what, Qin Na flows with his motion. Pierce the nose or jab the eyeballs and the enemy's posture relaxes.
21. Jie Na - Explaining Seizing:
He seizes me and the flowing posture moves. The flowing posture moves and the seized posture is empty. Even if his Qin Na is very adroit, My movement follows the man and the seize has no skill.
22. Bu Zhong Qin Na - Do Not Stress Seizing:
The Bagua palm method does not stress seizing. If both your hands, seize you suffer a setback. You are only seizing the man and it is not like striking. Depress and bend the man over, many changes are not advisable.
23. Feng Bi - Seal and Close:
The issuing hand flows and follows the enemy's intention to move. To seal and close the enemy I need a lot of skill. If I can seal firmly the posture of the enemy, Victory employs having my hand in the center.
24. Feng Bi - Seal and Close:
Perhaps he has weapons in both hands and is quick like the wind. With one coming and one going, he displays remarkable skill. Close his left hand then his right hand is not used. Both hands coming at the same time is emptyness.
25. Huan Zhao - Returning Techniques:
Sealing and closing strongly is a technique for 'defending the body'. Vigorously seal the man's techniques and do a technique in return. Stick continuously, following and leading the enemy's techniques. Be neither too close nor too far, flow with the enemy's techniques.
26. Yi Gao Yi Zhao - High Skill of One Move:
The strong are victorious over the weak, and their strength shows off their ability. The quick strike the slow, and their skill is in their speed. In these cases the High Skill of One Move is very much needed. Bind their hands and bind their feet to control them.
27. Rangkai Gong Shi - Defend by Getting Out of the Way:
If the other party has the strength of 1000 pounds, issue quickly. If his incoming posture is as violent as a mountain slide, Get out of the way and attack, take advantage of his gaps. Be decisive and mobile, swiftly do a technique in return.
28. Xie Shan - Diagonal Dodging:
The enemy comes in straight and quick like an arrow. First issue to control the his brave and fierce posture. Only meet this emotion, it is not appropriate to retreat. Diagonally moving, dodge and yeild like a spirit.
29. Bu Lan Bu Jia - Don't Block, Don't Frame:
Even when the enemy's posture is ruthless, you have no fear. He strikes at you and you defend against him. Toe out on the diagonal, the way is close. Don't block, don't frame, only once.
30. You Di - Lead the Enemy:
When the enemy doesn't attack, I use motion to draw him out. When his attack comes, I walk to the empty space. I do not rely on hand methods, I rely on stepping methods. Enticed to advance, he falls into air and is subject to my control.
31. Hua Jie - Transformation Understood:
Vertical can understand horizontal, horizontal understands vertical. When a split comes from an oblique angle, I split him. When a leg comes, if the leg is understood, you understand and then attack. The hands and legs go out and steps turn many times.
32. Yuan Xing Hua Jie - Circular Transformation Understood:
He surrounds me and I surround him. With circular turning and walking he can onlyt attack air. Surround, surround one posture, the trail is not fixed. Completely rely on the stepping method and powerful walking.
33. Xie Zheng Huan Hua - Diagonal and True Transformed:
There is straightness within diagonal and diagonalness within straight. The diagonal/true transformation truly is wonderful. When you meet a strong enemy, a strong attack is demanded. Hide suprises within suprises, and the enemy falls into a trap.
34. Zhi Ren - Control the Man:
To control a man, one ought to pierce up towards his eyes. If both eyes suffer damage, then the enemy will be in a bind. The importance of the damage suffered, though small in degree, is not understood. A poke in the eyes is a victory of 1,000 techniques.
35. Dong Jie - Movement Understood:
Use stillness to control motion, leasurely await the work. Use motion to control stillness, rely on skill. The man doesn't know me, but I know the man. Meet strength with wisdom, seek the weak with flaunting techniques.
36. Kai He - Open and CLose:
If you desire to close, the correct form is to open first. Observe that open defends, and closed can know the power. Open is in the center of closed and closed is in the center of open. They can meet at the origin and instantly know minutia.
37. Qu Shou You Zhun - The Outgoing Hand Is the Standard:
It does not matter if he has 1,000 techniques and quickness in 1,000 things; If he is not able to be centered, his effort are in vain. Not stopping is important and not sending out hand. The outgoing hand must instantly be in the enemy's center.
38. Shulian: Skilled/practiced/proficient:
Attack and defend, advance and retreat, because the postures are different. 100 refinements make steel, bitter practice makes you complete. First aim towards being firm and solid, seek to be level and straight. Spiritual wonder is transformed, skill is created in the center.
39. Lingmin - Sensitive/keen/agile/acute:
If the mind is sensitive, its tranformations are inexhaustable. If the eyes are sharp, they can make out the enemy's emotion. If the stepping is agile, the mechanical power is adaptable. If the hand is keen, controling the enemy is the standard.
40. Tu Na - Giving and Receiving:
Inhaling and exhaling, giving and receiving, are controlled from the nose. First it flows throught the Du Mai. Then continues to the Ren Mai to complete the cycle. Qi moves through the body, the will directs its motion.
41. Lizheng Zhudong - Work Hard for the Initiative:
When fighting, you must be able to endure the enemy's atttack. First seek to be invincible, then return the attack. If the posture and surroundings are inferior, toe out and escape. The center having moved, strive for the initiative.
42. Ceshen - On Ones Side:
In the Snake Form Palm, the posture the body overturns to the side. The body must have a twisting movement to use the Snake Form. Both arms go out straight to protect the skull. Expanding and contracting, turning sideways, Snake Spits out its Tongue.
43. Niu Yao - Twist the Waist:
When the enemy attacks, I stick to his body. My hands and feet return to defend and transform him. Turning and revolving, left and right, the waist twists and turns. Take a turn for the better and be out of danger; defeat demands victory.
44. Dang Ji Ji Fa - Prompt Issuing:
The mind takes charge of life, the eyes gaze. The hands and feet coordinate for carefull attack and defence. Search for the man's gaps, strive for motion. Issue promptly, don't hesitate.
45. Bi Shi Ji Xu - Avoid the Enemy's Strength, Strike at his Weakness:
When the enemy punches at your face, Take the lower way and instantly open up. Take him by suprise, unprepared for the attack. Avoid his strength and attack his weak points, victory comes.
46. Ji Ting - Avoid Stopping:
The chaotic original one qi walks heaven's limits. Walking, but not walking too far, the feet change and transform. Bagua's functional movement consists of the walking movements. Standing fixed when convenient becomes fallen flowers.
47. Luo Kong Bu Wen - Fall into Emptyness No Disorder:
Stepping must be lively and the gestures must be accurate. Then, to use 'Falling into Emptiness', the mind must not be disorderly. Curves interlink with curves and are never used up. When there are circles within circles, transformation is created.
48. Li Yi Wei Xian - Ceremony and Righteousness take Precedence:
Esteem virtue, esteem ceremony, don't esteem strength. Esteem wisdom, esteem righteousness, don't esteem bravery. Esteem strength, esteem bravery, strength is the core of strength. When your skill is high, then with one touch, your enemy falls intno emptiness.
Assisting Song:
In Martial Arts, techniques come from theory. If the theory is substantial, then skill can advance. They supplement each other and both can rise high. Constantly improve, have no fixed bounderies. The Inner Gate leads the way, the teacher transmits the instruction. First, toward the firm and stable, seek the level and true. The martial sea has roads, diligently use the boat. Spiritual wonder is transformed and practice is halfway complete.
Joseph Crandall sent these over a period of time to the Bagua List. The following is a forward by him sent to the Bagua List.
Forward: Here are some more goodies from Shi Style Baguazhang. Please bear in mind that I am probably not the best qualified to translate this stuff, but no one else seems to want to do it. Chinese characters often have more than one meaning. In choosing the best meaning I must rely on my own experience with the art and with fighting. Someone else might have another interpretation based on their experience. The martial arts has its own jargon, characters will be used in a martial context that will never show up in a common dictionary. Unless one is privy to the martial meaning of the character, the sentence ends up making no sense. Unfortunately I make mistakes in this area, so you will have to bear with me. Because of the varying ways in which Chinese texts can be interpreted it makes sense to read as many translations as possible in order to sort through the chaff and pick out what pearls may be within. I would encourage anyone with alternate translations to publish and compare with what I submit so that we may all grow in knowledge in the arts.
Joseph Crandall
