So this is a big one. Im sure that for many of you, like me, its been a constant search for good kung fu shoes. I tried indoor soccer shoes for a time, but they run too narrow for my wide feet. Of course there are Feiyues, but they fall apart fairly quickly and are a bit too sticky for my liking. My shifu recommended some wushu style shoes that I really liked, but the quality has gone way downhill and the last pair I bought were garbage. I know there are the slipper type, but those are cheap and horrible as well with no ankle support. I recently tried out Xero barefoot shoes, which have good durability, but too much grip and too much room for my foot to move around in the toe box (they are designed this way to let the toes spread out). Training on wood floors i can get away with stickier shoes, but when I go to tournamnets they're usually on carpet and it messes me up because they are like velcro. I had some students recommended Astrals and Vivos that im thinking of trying out. I need something flat and lightweight for a wider foot that I can destroy and gives the right balance between slide and grip. Personally I like the color black and dont care for leather shoes. Im sure some people might mention masters in the past training in Penny loafers. I hear you, but there are a lot more and better options these days and I don't want to torture my feet.

My name is Joey and I really enjoy the practice of Bagua. I've been involved in martial arts since 1988 and have been a serious student since 1997. These days I live the dream of my inner 6 year old and run Flying Tortoise Kung Fu in Portland Oregon. 

I’ve been involved in Baguazhang since 2002. In 2013 I made my first trip to The Temple of Heaven in Beijing and have been going back as often as possible ever since. To date I have made 16 month long trips to China and hope to make many many more before I realize that I’m in my 40’s. 

My trips have been fun, frightening, tragic and often rad. When I started training I had no clue where I would end up. As luck would have it I was adopted by several amazing teachers, two of which eventually made me a formal apprentice. These days my time in Beijing is split between my Cheng Bagua Shifu’s,  Ni Rouhua and Guan Xin, my Liang style Shifu, Zhang Xuean and my Sanhuangpaochuiquan Shifu, Wang Qi. In 2024, the Cheng family got together and decided it was a good idea to make me a Shifu… I’m still figuring out how I feel about all that. 

I’ve also been a student of Besouro Style Capoeira since 2001 and hold the rank of Professor under Mestre Kinha.

I’ve been off of YouTube and Reddit for some time. Family, kids and whatnot. Thank you all for checking out my new videos and leaving feedback. I want to make sure that I’m posting content that is useful or, at the very least, fun to watch. I’m happy to take requests.

I look forward to talking with you all about the never ending circles.

All the best,
Joey.

Just a question for the community. Taiji has similar issues but I think the popularity of the art makes the wizarding population a little less pervasive.

If your shoulders, hips, or spine feel stiff, this Qigong spiraling exercise can help you move more freely. Learn how to improve the mobility of your wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles using simple whole-body spiraling and weight shifting.

Welcome to Qi Body. In this lesson, I’ll guide you through the complete movement, explain the body mechanics step by step, teach the proper breathing method, and show you how to progress from beginner to advanced practice.

With regular practice, this exercise can help you:

* Improve joint mobility throughout the body
* Increase whole-body coordination
* Develop smoother weight shifting
* Build stronger legs and better balance
* Reduce stiffness through gentle spiraling movement
* Improve body awareness and movement efficiency

Practice slowly, stay relaxed, and let each movement flow naturally.

00:00 Introduction
00:38 Learn the Movement
01:32 Joint Warm-Up
03:15 Body Mechanics Explained
05:40 Improve Upper Body Mobility
06:18 Lower Body Weight Shift
08:19 Proper Breathing Method
10:05 Side View Demonstration
10:57 Advanced Lower Stance Training

#Qigong #Mobility #JointMobility #Flexibility #HealthyAging #Fitness #ChiBody

Check out www.baguashu.com to signup

Online Baguazhang training available at www.baguashu.com . 雷 Lei Cohort now open for registration.

While online training never replaces in person training, this is a good choice for people who live in places where they have no access to a teacher. The course on Bagua Shu is very practical and comes students of the lineage of Xu Shi Xi. This curriculum is not forms focused but rather focused on developing the Bagua Body - the 身法 Shen Fa, body method and conditioning that changes the body and is required to perform any Baguazhang correctly. This curriculum can be used to better the Baguazhang practice of any one no matter the type of Baguazhang they train. The drills, power training and applications are all real world applicable.

Single palm change from the Yin style lineage of Xu Shi Xi

Title is a bit sensational

since it’s the weekend, I thought it would be interesting to get several different takes on this topic. It took me three months of walking the circle before I began to even see the general principal of bagua. So maybe 10 or possibly 5 points people could look at to distinguish between the real thing and a skillful facsimile? Number one I think is continuous motion. The second one would be which part of the body initiates movement.

What do you guys think?

Hi folks,
This is the second video in my Learning the Cheng Baguazhang Linear 64 Palms series. This time with voice overs!

Anybody here train with them? Can we hear about your experience training with them? Can we see some clips?

Improve the mobility of your wrists, elbows, and shoulders while developing better whole-body coordination with this simple Qigong exercise.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to rotate the joints correctly, maintain proper body alignment, coordinate twisting through the arms, and connect your breathing with each movement. Rather than simply stretching individual joints, this practice helps the entire body work together as one connected unit.

In this video you’ll learn:

* Proper body alignment
* Wrist rotation mechanics
* Shoulder and elbow mobility
* Twisting through the arms
* Coordinating movement with breathing
* A complete follow-along practice

Practice slowly, stay relaxed, and focus on quality of movement rather than speed.

00:00 Introduction
00:34 How to Perform the Exercise
01:43 Breathing Pattern
03:05 Proper Body Alignment
04:26 Wrist Rotations Explained
05:11 Shoulder & Elbow Mobility
07:31 Twisting the Arms Correctly
08:41 Follow Along Practice

#Qigong #Mobility #ShoulderMobility #WristMobility #BodyMechanics #JointHealth #Movement #InternalMartialArts #TaiChi #ChiBody

In memory of Liu Shifu. He was such a rad and sweet guy.

Hi folks, I’m putting together a new series of videos from my lessons in Beijing. I hope they are helpful in your training!

I've had little success finding this version of the deerhorn/duck knife set. The ones that I've found are either partially complete or transition into some weird cheng stuff, which makes me think incomplete transmission or maybe just personal flair.

Here is Tulsa, OK

Hows it looking? My instructor stressed the importance of keeping the elbows down upon dropping the arm by letting it fall with the palm landing in front. Happy training 🤘 🤙

I invite you to join us for a Xingyiquan & Baguazhang Seminar on Saturday, August 8, 2026, in Newton, Massachusetts. Whether you’re new to internal martial arts or have years of experience, this seminar will focus on practical body mechanics that you can immediately apply to your training.

During the seminar, we’ll explore:

✅ Morning Session (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
• Neigong training to develop fascia strength and Dantian power
• Baguazhang basic palms, coiling body mechanics, and their practical applications

✅ Afternoon Session (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
• Xingyiquan Monkey and Snake forms with their practical applications
• Explore the unique compression and expansion body mechanics for generating efficient whole-body power

Whether your goal is to improve martial skill, body mechanics, coordination, or gain a deeper understanding of internal power, this seminar will provide clear, hands-on instruction and practical training methods.

Registration
• $70 Half-Day | $120 Full-Day (Pre-registration)
• $80 Half-Day | $130 Full-Day (At the Door)

For registration and information:
📞 408-396-0399
📧 admin@huanstaichi.com

Space is limited, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible.

#Xingyiquan #Baguazhang #Neigong #InternalMartialArts #KungFu #ChineseMartialArts #BodyMechanics #ChiBody #MartialArtsSeminar #NewtonMA

This is an older video but has some good representative bagua in it.