Page 64 - Robert W. Smith - Pa kua_ Chinese boxing for fitness & self-defense-North Atlantic Books (2003)

It comes down to the fact that in the beginning Pa-kua will seem
for your two feet, you have room to circle. As you circle it is im-
the antithesis of the relaxed and natural boxing it is said to be.
portant to imagine an enemy following you.
Paradoxically, once the postures are learned the student does be-
This practice teaches you to walk without dizziness for long
come more adroit, relaxed, pliable, and powerful than even the
periods on circles of various sizes. While walking, it teaches you
most optimistic might imagine.
how to "circularize" your body so that other circles are added to
In circling, keep your knees bent and let your ankles touch as
the process. These circles, turns, and twists are done to make of
you walk. At first go very slowly and bring your rear foot sus-
your body one unit so that, if an opponent strikes, it takes an
pended to your front ankle. After a slight pause, take the suspended
instant to defend and counterattack him.
foot forward and put it down. The orthodox school (Sun and most After you have practiced the various postures on clockwise and
others) walked with feet separated and did not touch the ankles in
counterclockwise circles of varying sizes, walk a figure 8 between
advancing. Initially, the present method has the virtue of slowing two stations (see Fig. 309). When this is mastered, walk through a
the student down and makes for better stability. For these reasons series of nine in three tiers of three each, circling each station (see
I advocate it at least as a beginning method. Later, you may wish Fig. 310). Go in both directions and arbitrarily use whatever pos-
to follow Sun. As you put your foot down, touch the heel first and ture you wish, but always feel the presence of an enemy. These cir-
then let the rest of the sole fall gradually (this tentativeness is seen cles add variety, but the actions remain the same.
in all the Internal methods and is functionally fine—if the entire If you slowly circle an hour a day, six days a week, you should
sole were placed down at once, an opponent could scoop your foot recognize these changes in yourself within a month.
easily). The toes may be pointed in three ways: (1) directly ahead You are more stable, you do not wobble; your strength has
in a natural step, (2) in k'ou—that is, to turn your toes inward as descended to your lower torso
you advance your outside foot; here the toes may touch first, and
(3) in pai—that is, to turn your toes outward. If your right arm is
extended in the circle you will be walking clockwise and your right
foot will be inside. Your right foot has to pai (toe-out) each step in
order to maintain the circle. If your left hand is in the center,
you will be walking counterclockwise and your left foot, which is
always inside (closest to the center), must toe-out to maintain the
circle. On a small circle, your toe-out will be considerable and on
a large one it will be barely discernible.
The size of the circle and the number of times you circle depends
on the terrain and your own inclination. Initially, a circle with a
diameter of approximately six feet is desirable. Later, you can cir-
cle a huge field or turn almost into yourself; wherever there is room

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