Ba Gua Zhang: The Gentle Fist

     The martial arts are still a relatively new concept for Americans. While the practice of Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Kung Fu are becoming more widely practiced in the United States, other martial art styles fall by the wayside. I decided to take it upon myself to explore one such obscure style. The style of choice is Ba Gua Zhang. This style seemed particularly interesting to me because I discovered that I knew absolutely nothing about it, other than the fact that it is used in "Naruto" and "Avatar: The Last Airbender." What is Ba Gua Zhang really? Almost every martial art style is associated with an animal or element. What is Ba Gua Zhang associated with? Where did this style come from? What does it mean? Al of these questions spewed out onto a web browser, and answers were soon found.
     Ba Gua Zhang is considered to be a new martial art, being that it was developed in the 19th century and most other martial arts are significantly older. It was founded by a man named Don Hai Quan, who is said to have learned it from Daoist and Buddhist masters. This was an astonishing piece of information to learn. This martial art, in its association with Taoism and Buddhism, is based on the concept of duality and harmony. The name Ba Gua Zhnag translates to mean Eight Trigram Palm which, for anyone who watches Naruto, is known to be the stlye of choice for the Hyuuga Clan, and is often referred to as the Gentle Fist Style. Gentle Fist was chosen as an alternate name due to the open palm contact that this stlye impliments. The stlye is based in China and was taught by Quan mostly in Beijing.
     I was able to find out that Ba Gua Zhang is, in fact, associated with the air element, but not only the air element. As the name, Eight Trigram Palm, may suggest to some people, this style has eight "folds," or associations. The style is actually associated with Sky, Wind, Water, Mountain, Earth, Thunder, Fire, and Cloud. Although, that is only one interpretation. I have failed, as of yet, to find more than three "experts" who agree on the meaning of each trigram. Each element is considered to be one step on the eightfold path that is Ba Gua Zhang. As far as animals go, there are also eight associations for this style. They are Unicorn, Dragon, Hawk, Monkey, Lion, Phoenix, Snake, and Bear. Again, these may not be accurate.
     I am still learning about the art, and I hope to find enough information to satisfy my thirst for Eastern knowledge. I desire to know so much more and to share it with my audience. When I learn enough about this martial art it will be posted, it will be printed, and it will be distributed.