Originally published in 1967, Pa-Kua was the West’s first look into the esoteric Chinese martial arts. It has been a valued and sought after text ever since. It was put out of print in the 1970s, but since that time interest in the martial arts have continued to skyrocket. Pa-Kua gives an introduction to the little known mystical martial art from China, Pa Kua Chang (also known as Ba Gua Zhang), translated as "Eight Trigram Boxing". Smith describes its history, profiles its great practitioners and gives a series of unique exercises, illustrating the solo practice and their fighting applications.
No ONE, least of all the author, would have thought that a book
written and first issued thirty years ago would be republished in a
new century. Pa-Kua: Chinese Boxing for Fitness and Self-Defense
was the first book on "palm boxing" to be released in English.
Over the years it gained many readers and helped to introduce
this art to the western world. For many, it would be their first notion
of Chinese internal boxing (nei-chia). Taiji and Hsing-i combine
with Pa-Kua to make up the internal or soft boxing system as distinguished
from the hard boxing usually subsumed under the name
Shaolin.
I had studied all three under top-drawer teachers in Taiwan
(including Paul Kuo, Wang Shu-chin, and Hung I-hsiang). Whatever
proficiency I gained was because of their skill. I was very lucky.
Now so many years later, I'm pleased to see Pa-Kua emerge
again. I hope it helps a new generation to find joy in this old but
evergreen art.