Yin Fu Ba Gua – Is It Really Unique?

Yin Fu Ba Gua is considered to be a unique style of Kung Fu. This video presents material that questions that claim.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka4CS59XTzA]

A web page duplicate of this video is also provided for those who prefer to read, and for more leisurely study.

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This video is titled “ Yin Fu Ba Gua, is it really unique? “

The country of China is known for it’s development of hand to hand combat systems, which in China are called kung fu. These hand to hand combat systems, are divided into different types and different levels. Traditionally, a person would practice a low level style of kung fu until they were good at it. Then, after they were prepared, they would begin to practice a high level style of kung fu.

Ba Gua is the name of one of the kung fu styles, that is considered to be high level. There are variations in the way Ba Gua is practiced, within the Ba Gua style. As might be expected in a competitive environment like hand to hand combat systems, some of the variations of Ba Gua are considered to be superior to the others, even though they are all called Ba Gua.

Some of the Ba Gua variations are considered rare, because there are not very many people who know that variation of Ba Gua, or very many people who teach that variation of Ba Gua. And some of the Ba Gua variations are considered unique, because of the way in which they are performed.

Yin Fu Ba Gua, is one of the variations of Ba Gua within the Ba Gua style. There are various claims that the Yin Fu Style of Ba Gua is unique. This video addresses the question “Is Yin Fu Ba Gua really unique?”

One reason that Yin Fu Ba Gua is claimed to be unique, is because of the body posture used to perform Yin Fu Ba Gua. The practitioner of Yin Fu Ba Gua will lower their body, then stick their butt out to the rear, while simultaneously pulling their chest up and back. Pulling the chest up and back, causes the chest to spread out wide.

This picture shows two people holding the Yin Fu Ba Gua stance.

Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-TwoPeopleInStance 

The arrows on this picure emphasize how the woman’s butt sticks out to the rear.

 Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-ButtOutToRear

The arrows on this picture emphasize how the chest is pulled upwards and backwards.

 Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-ChestUpAndOut

Is the body posture demonstrated in this picture really unique? Does Yin Fu Ba Gua possess some secret knowledge that only they have, that made them choose this body posture to base their Ba Gua style on?

The answer to those questions is no. The body posture used in the Yin Fu style of Ba Gua, is not unique.

The next part of the video will show some people dancing. Please examine what the people do when they perform the dance.

The people in the dance lower their bodies,

 Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-DancersLowerTheirBodies

 

stick their butt out behind them,

 Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-DancersStickButtOut

and pull their chest upwards and backwards.

Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-DancersChestUpBack 

This picture compares the people demonstrating the Yin Fu Ba Gua posture to the dancer doing the African Dance.

Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-DancerBaGuaStanceCompare 

All of the people have their butt pointing to the rear.

 Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-AllButtsToRear

All of the people have their chest pulled upwards and backwards.

 Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-AllChestsUpBack

The posture of the dancer and the Yin Fu Ba Gua people are similar enough, that the dancer could be said to be dancing in the Yin Fu Ba Gua posture, or the Yin Fu Ba Gua people, could be said to be doing Ba Gua in the African Dance posture.

This example of the African dance posture, proves that the body posture of the Yin Fu style of Ba Gua is not unique.

This knowledge of the similarity between the African dance and Yin Fu Ba Gua, can be useful to people who want to learn Yin Fu Ba Gua. A person who wants to learn Yin Fu Ba Gua, but cannot find an instructor, could practice the African dance while they looked for an instructor.

Instead of wasting the time it takes to find an instructor, the person could be practicing the basic Yin Fu Ba Gua stance all that time, by doing the African dance.

By the time the person finds an instructor and is ready to begin Yin Fu Ba Gua classes, their stance would already be so strong from practicing the African dance, that they could begin high level Ba Gua practice immediately, instead of spending the first year or two of expensive classes, practicing and gaining strength in the basic Yin Fu Ba Gua stance. .

Finally, the curious person will want to ask themselves a question. The Ba Gua people and the African dancers hold the same posture. But the African dancers move their legs from side to side when they dance, as shown in this video clip. Yin Fu Ba Gua, does not contain any side to side movement of the legs.

Why do the African dancers move their legs from side to side, while holding the Yin Fu Ba Gua posture? Why don’t the Yin Fu Ba Gua people move their legs from side to side?

Could it be possible that the African dancers know something that the Yin Fu Ba Gua people don’t, and that is why they swing their legs from side to side?

 Yin_Fu_Ba_Gua_Unique-DancerBaGuaStanceCompare