Xingyibaguazhang Distance Learning Program Poll

[GreytoWhite]

Hello Dao Bums,

 

My sifu and I are starting a distance learning program for Kenny Gong's xingyibagua. We have in-person practice here in the Southwest USA but would like this art to be available to the world. For some reason most of the senior practitioners in our style have little interest in perpetuating the art and spreading it to a wider audience. Expect in the next month some significant additions to our site and YouTube channel. For now I would like some information from my fellow Bums about your feelings on distance learning.

Edited October 26, 2016 by GreytoWhite

[GreytoWhite]

I appreciate the responses so far, if there's anything I might have missed that you feel is important to your distance learning experience please let me know.

 

Matt

[Mudfoot]

Depends on the teacher and the material.

I have found filming of actual teaching to be highly informative, although not comparable to live teaching.

[GreytoWhite]

Indeed, that is the structure of the instructional videos we are going to do. We'll have a series of exercises available for free on YouTube within the next two weeks. The series of ~10 videos I am teaching some beginners' material we usually teach from the first two in-person classes to introduce people to the style and some of the energetics. This will only be the first layer. Many of the things we practice look the same externally but focus and intent change as one practices the art. I've already started to share some material with a couple of Bums and have gotten positive feedback.

 

Sifu has a few two year students now locally to go through a lot of the material for the first part of the distance learning program as well as entirely new students who are willing to be on video. I'm already collaborating with a Diné (Navajo) hip hop team for music and possibly a branch school in the Nation. The first year material will probably be three of the five neigong exercises, zhan zhuang, three or four of the five fists, circle walking basics, and the single palm change from the Old Frame Jiang Rong Qiao Bagua. Perhaps some discussion of how certain movements relate to  Paired exercises are fairly simple in our system and are quite necessary. Our xingyi paired exercises are mainly about striking and counter striking to setup further . Whereas the paired circle walking is extremely important for maintaining structure in movement as well as increasing sensitivity.

 

We are actively scouting locations for a weekend seminar in the next six months. Now that enough of us local students have learned the whole five elements form and some have about half of the bagua we can work with a larger group of students and make sure everyone gets enough details to put some real chance of development. Sifu thinks it's better for us who are just a little further along to help beginners because it's material we know, we get better with every person we teach, and we are more aware of the mistakes we made so recently so we can look out for them in others. 

[Vajra Fist]

I'd be interested if the whole system was going to be made available this way. The trouble with most distance learning courses is that only the beginning portion of the teaching is available. So for those who live a great distance away there's no opportunity to master the whole art.

[GreytoWhite]

We're planning to eventually put out the whole system but the only way we can think to advance people to the next level of material is through checking in-person at seminars. The various layers of this stuff run deep and it's impossible to check certain aspects or understand certain skills without feeling them in-person. I'm hoping some of the seniors of our system will change their minds and help spread this.

 

The sad thing is that a lot of the unique and individual training for each student is going to be lost in the distance learning. For instance, I focus on xingyi and the body changing/health aspects because I need that direct energy and motivation as well as to fix my spine and release chronic tension. Another student focuses on bagua and Iron Body because he cosplays as Aang and fights his buddy who trains MMA semi-regularly. Most of the other students learn both simultaneously and one is considering an MMA style gamut of training with xingyibagua for his standup game.

[spiraltao]

I am highly interested!

[Gerard]

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Edited October 28, 2016 by Gerard

[Gerard]

Good luck to the OP!