I recently purchased this book, "Beginning Bagua". It is a really good introduction and reference to Gao style Baguazhang. The text is in plain english and the diagrams and photos are clear and informative.
Beginning Bagua is probably the most down to earth, practical book about Bagua currently available.
It is written with the goal of providing concrete, directly useful information on Bagua. This book covers the basics of body use stepping, static posture training, Qigong, key movements, striking and throwing applications, circle walking as well as how Bagua's intellectual framework applies to martial tactics and to general training.
Much of what you will find in this book is useful not just to practitioners of Bagua, but to martial artists in general.
Beginning Bagua is extensively illustrated with photos of both solo movements, basic exercises, palm changes and martial applications.
Bagua is often presented as mysterious, complicated and difficult. It certainly requires study and practice, but this book provides the keys to make sense of the 'abstract' movements, to see the logic behind them and begin to develop useful skills. This book can save you a lot of grief and confusion!
The information itself is presented in a straight forward way, based on direct experience and written with at least occasional humour.
Beginning Bagua is the first book in a series that will look at aspects of Bagua with increasing detail and an emphasis on practicality.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next instalment! It is the most-read martial arts text on my Kindle app.
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