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Due to the complexity
of the Tai Chi and Bagua, below is a simplified explanation of their
application to the different martial arts and there predominate
training methods.
First, the Tai Chi shows the interplay of opposites - mind and body,
strong and weak, night and day. The curved line down the middle
demonstrates the constant change in the balance of yin and yang
at any one time. Together they make up the Tai Chi or the Grand
Ultimate. This interplay of opposites is exemplified by the martial
art style of Tai Chi Chuan. Tai Chi Chuan took the Yang (ie. physical,
strength, aggressiveness, hardness), of external martial arts and
added the principles of Yin (ie. internal health, yielding, softness)
to create first truly complete or balanced martial art. The essence
of Tai Chi is not a style, but a principle that can be applied to
any martial art.
The Tri-grams around the Tai Chi are a binary numbering system of
the I-Ching. The I-Ching is used to plot and conceptualize the varying
amounts of yin and yang at any location in the Tai Chi.

(Ch'ien - Heaven)
Three solid
lines plot the point where the Tai Chi is mostly all yang. The sun
at high noon is considered at its most yang. Hard physical exercise
is also mostly yang. This attribute of being mostly With its attribute
of being mostly hard-physical the Tiger~Crane form is represented
here.

(Tui - Lake)
The sun is at
its most yang state for only a moment then it begins to set. The
two dashes represent yin. Thus from a foundation of yang (ie. the
heat of high noon), the sun starts to cool (yin). By adding the
element of softness to hard-physical the essence of the Northern
Fighting Sets is represented.

(Li - Fire)
Midway between
noon and midnight the balance of night and day become equal. The
heat of the day is the foundation for this point of time with the
cooling of night coming after. The martial art of Eagle Claw has
a balance of external and internal. From the building of tremendous
physical strength internal health is developed.

(Chen - Thunder)
Now, though
mostly night, the heat of the day still has some influence. This
means despite a movement being 30% hard and 70% soft it is still
considered an external movement. The Noble Stances form, with its
physically challenging positions (30% hard) is practiced with its
focus on breathing and relaxing (70%).

(K'un - Earth)
The opposite
of high noon is midnight or the when the day is at its most yin.
Where as yang is hard physical exercise that depletes energy - yin
is mental internal exercise that replenishes energy. This trigram
can be represented by stationary Chi Kung which calms the mind,
in turn relaxing the body, and with the right focus turns oxygen
into energy to be stored and distributed throughout the body.

(Ken - Mountain)
Midnight, like
noon, is but a moment, then the sun begins to rise. Thus from a
foundation of yin (the cool of midnight), the sun starts to rise,
bringing warmth, yang. By adding the element of physical movement
to the internal movement of Chi (energy) one can build health and
physical strength without the normal depletion of energy associated
with external exercise. Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan and Yi Chuan place
mentally moving one's energy before physical movement, therefore
placing yin before yang.

(K'an - Water)
Midway between
midnight and noon the balance between night and day again becomes
50/50. This time the key point is that the cool of night is the
foundation with the heat of day coming after. Chen Style Tai Chi
Chuan and the Cheng Style Bagua Zhang have this balance of internal
an external. From building and using internal strength external
is then developed and exploited.

(Sun - Wood)
Now mostly
day, the cool of night has only a little influence. This means that
the movement executed using hard-physical was initiated and led
by internal Chi. Xing Yi Chuan, Mind Form Boxing, represents this
trigram. It is hard and unyielding, and is the most physical of
the internal martial arts.
This has been
only one method of applying Bagua theory to martial arts training.
With further study, more detailed methods of applying the Bagua
can be used to define and evolve the use of all parts of the body,
fighting applications, and the eight directions of movement.
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