Baguazhang
Officially Baguazhang (八卦掌, 'Eight Trigrams Palm')
CHINESE INTERNAL MARTIAL ART (mid-19th c, Dong Haichuan) built around CIRCULAR WALKING + SPIRAL PALM STRIKES. Practitioners circle a center point while executing palm techniques based on the 8 TRIGRAMS of the I Ching. One of the 3 major CHINESE INTERNAL ARTS alongside TAI CHI + XINGYIQUAN. Renowned for its EVASIVE FOOTWORK + spinning body movement + palm-focused striking. Practiced worldwide; UNESCO-recognized Chinese cultural heritage.
Quick facts
Category
Combat Sports
Type
Individual
Players
1–2
Duration
~60 min
Where played
both
Country of origin
🇨🇳 China
Estimated origin
Mid-19th c Dong Haichuan; spread through his students to global following 20th c
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Combat + health via circular walking, spiral energy, + evasive palm strikes.
Rules
Basic rules
Continuous circular walking around center point
Signature footwork.
8 Palm changes correspond to 8 I Ching trigrams
Philosophical basis.
Body constantly twists + coils generating spiral power
Internal energy technique.
Palm strikes (rather than fists) — thrust, chop, uppercut, lift, sweep
Distinctive weapon.
Scoring
Not primarily competitive; wushu tournaments have baguazhang divisions.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Wushu competition (form performance) | Judged technical + expressive |
| Traditional bagua tournaments (rare) | Application-based |
Win condition · Personal mastery is the primary goal.
Equipment
Loose clothing + soft-soled shoes
For continuous walking
Optional weapons: broadsword (dao), straight sword (jian), spear
Advanced training
Terminology
- Bagua
- 'Eight Trigrams' of the I Ching.
- Zhang
- 'Palm' — the primary striking tool.
- Circle walking (Zou Zhuan)
- The foundational training method.
- Palm change
- Transition between the 8 palm positions.
Where it is played
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Dong Haichuan (founder)
- Yin Fu + Cheng Tinghua (main disciple lineages)
- Sun Lutang (crossed with xingyi + tai chi)
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Baguazhang— Wikipedia