Started out with some hsingyi and pakua with an American named Wilson who taught some of Robert Smith's info which was primarily Gao style and Cheng Pan Ling style from Taiwan.

Later I met Weiqi He, she taught Cheng Baguazhang- she had learned a wushu form from Sun Zi Jun.

While in college in Richmond Va I studied directly with Park Bok Nam and Glen Moore in Lu Shuai Tien's Pakua. Park has the books: Fundamentals of Pakuachang I and II. This information is most valuable and complete for beginners. Park is very clear on the methods, principles, and theory.

Later I did a year of Gao pakua with George Wood who is a disciple of Luo De xiu. There is alot of good applications and take-downs for fighting taught.

Now I start people off with what I learned form Park and then introduce some of the Gao training, and make the Cheng bagua form as advanced.

Notes

Here is basically an outline of what my bagua combatives class looks like:

warm-ups-
1-14. neck, spine bending forward/back, side stretch, heel stretch, waist rotations, wrist and ankles, 8 dan tien kicks left and right, 8 straight leg kicks left and right, 8 cross body kicks left and right, 8 outside stretch kicks left and right, 8 side kicks left and right, 8 back heel kicks left and right, drop stance drill, slap body drill.

solo palm drills-
shaking palm, dragon back, lifting palm, throwing palm, slapping palm, ect.

palm drills on focus mitts
1. individual palm drills on mitts
2. combining palm drills on mitts

stance work without hands-
jump step, full jump step, back step, full back step, pivot step, kou pu bai pu. ba fa gen bu, circle walking and 8 different changes.

add hands-
fan chang/shaking palm strikes

8 bagua kicks
drills on muay thai pads- warm ups- 10 round kicks left and right, 10 push kicks left and right, 10 side kicks left and right
create functional kick combos-
sample- low hook kick, round kick, side kick
front kick, round kick, side kick
double side kicks
low hook kick, side kick, knee to body

adding hands with kicks or kicks with hands-
basic-
2 palm strikes, 2 round kicks.
push kick, round kick, 4 palm strikes
2 palm strikes, 4 clinch knees- push opponent off and round kick

start working with bagua concepts-
fighting from center of circle going out- linear attack
fighting from outside of circle going in- linear attack
fighting on circle and working inward- small circular attack
fighting on circle and working inward- large circular attack

researching applications from forms
1. strikes
2. qi-na
3. throws/takedown
4. finishes

two person drills
1. flow drills
2. attack defense drills- countering
3. ji ben shou fa drills

4. tui shou/rou shou

5. simulated sparring/san shou