Status Updates From Baguazhang: Theory and Appl...

I am glad this book covers theory this extensively. It felt like a mountain of reading initially, but the text delves deeply into topics and sub-topics I have heard little about.

Still slogging through chapter 2, the essence of Baguazhang. It's a lot to absorb.

Still in chapter 2. Content continues to be good. It's slow going, since I'm spending more time on my mud stepping than reading.

Currently reading the translations and analyses of the theory of Baguazhang. I'm taking this section slowly, as there's a lot to be learned and understood. There are some really helpful basics as well as some things that are probably more advanced than where I'm at, so this could be a section I come back to as I proceed in my training. I'll need to look closely at my muddy stepping to see if it's on target.

Still not sure I'm grasping the significance of the bagua (8 trigrams of the yi jing) in baguazhang. The history bit was good. The lineage was dull, but that's to be expected at this point. I know where to find it if I'm interested in it later, when I'm more grounded.

I think that made sense. We'll see if I need to come back and review as I move forward. Not sure all the Chinese words are sticking in my head. We'll see later if that matters. Fortunately, I can always reread if needed.

Help! I'm lost in the Yi Jing! We'll have to see if this next section clears things up, or if I need to take a detour to better understand Yi Jing. I really enjoyed the stories in the Martial Morality section. They illustrated the concepts nicely.

Great explanation of Qi and the difference between internal and external martial arts. Definition of Jin is a bit too vague, and while I have an idea of what is meant, I could be really, really wrong. I love the emphasis on the idea that all styles of martial art have value and that a judgmental attitude toward other styles is clearly not recommended.

Have read the intro and all prefaces, and am now getting into chapter one. So far the language and writing style works well. The historical grounding is about perfect, just enough for understanding, but not so much it overwhelms.