Phil:
I think your best answer is to go to a school that is teaching baji as a regular part of their curriculum. The issues that you raise are not, in my experience, very important in the first 3-4 years of learning baji (I know, I am really going to catch Heill for that one). Before baji was only available to formal students (disciples) and you had to follow my teacher for 6 to 8 years before you even saw baji (bagua is even more closed). During those years, our school, if you could call it that, was never more than 15-20 students and it was not really publicly available.
I can only speak from the experience of my teacher and his way. Initially, everyone started in 8 step praying mantis with many two man drills and even a praying mantis pushing hands. Look at some of the stuff Tainan Mantis has on video. For fighting in a ring, students train differently.
Other schools start students off in long fist.
It would be a great error to underestimate the necessary conditioning for the effectiveness in baji. You also spend a lot of time punching but 99% of this must be done on your own. There really aren’t that many baji fighters around that I am aware of. Structuring baji training is not done in class. Class is for learning how to do it.
Some of the young guys in baji that I know are also learning some ground fighting techniques, wrestling, judo and even some boxing from a former golden gloves champion–this is set for the ring. One of our students, Joe Bryne is just getting the program started and he has a lot of ring experience and was a high school wrestling champ. He and my teacher will be exploring baji along these lines.
Let me change the old saying:
Many come calling but few take it on.
Many of us got started far too late in baji to really reap its complete fighting benefits (age is a reality). We will see in the next 10 years how well baji does as it becomes more public and available. Its in the hands of a new generation of young practitioners and I wish them well.
Here is the life cycle of training that GM Liu wrote:
"There are four stages of learning marital arts which are based on the Si Xiang. The first stage is childhood in which the student must learn the basics and train continuously with rest. This requires instruction from a good teacher and will yield a solid foundation in the art. The second stage is the teenage years when one should practice the basics until they become natural. The third stage is during the adult years when one should take what one has learned and develop a higher level of skill by a careful investigation of the arts. Thereby the knowledge and skill attained at this stage will yield greater growth and wisdom. The fourth stage is in the years of old age. This is the time to nurture one’s skills. It is at this time that the martial arts practitioner will preserve and protect the level of skill developed in all of the previous stages. "
"Certainty, Calmness, Peacefulness, and Smoothness are the Basic Ways of Nurturing the Heart and Temperament.
These four principles must always be applied in the practice of the martial arts. Certainty or solidity is essential in order to maintain proper postures. Peacefulness or tranquility must be maintained when going through movements (a form) and executing a technique. Carefulness, in the form of calmness, must be maintained so as to avoid injury. Smoothness must be used in transition moves in order to defeat your opponent. "
The Late Liu Yun Qiao
Good luck in your training.
