Rooster Baguazhang was taught to Kevin Wikse in the early 2000s.
Birthed from the Fire Gua or Trigram of the I-Ching, Rooster Shape Baguzhang is an animistic personification of fire. Explosive, quick, and always moving, the action of the Rooster is that of a flame’s ability to leap to new and nearby sources of fuel. The Rooster hops and struts like the pops and snaps of a long string of firecrackers; each step and movement of the Rooster is sharp, fast, and powerful.
The Fire Gua or Trigram of the I-Ching is drawn as two unbroken yang lines, top and bottom, with a split ying line sandwiched between them, which denotes the idea that fire possesses qualities of circling and clinging, spiraling around and engulfing its fuel sources. Even while expanding outward, the fire’s primary movement is upward (if only to generate power for the downward).
The Rooster is the same, utilizing rapid spiral stepping, launching kicks, knees, palm strikes, palm/backhand whips (mimicking a rooster’s wings flapping), slicing elbows, and chopping strikes up and down the attacker’s center line with a machine gun rapidity. Rooster overtakes its opponents, similar to how something catches fire. When introducing a new fuel source to the flame, it clings and spreads quickly, devouring it. The Rooster shape sticks to and follows the attacker with a barrage of offense. The opponent is forced into a defensive strategy, more worried about their survival than fighting back.
The Rooster’s upward attacks take full advantage of the spaces in an attacker’s defense as they defensively cover up, attempting to protect themselves. The Rooster strategy likes to leap and hop from opening to opening. An onslaught of attacks from the Rooster has the attacker desperately defending their head, leaving their knees or torso exposed and vulnerable. The Rooster’s leaps and hops are for distance control and crushing the opponent’s foot and toes. Everything is a valid target for the Rooster. As such, it excels in limb destruction and close-range savagery.
The energy of Rooster is akin to Muay Thai. I have been told this by Muay Thai fighters whose faces I’ve cut open with Rooster Shape’s elbows and found themselves being dominated by Rooster’s clinching scheme, which is as ruthless and sophisticated as theirs but free from the parameters of “sport” they have imbued themselves with.
The Rooster Shape of my Baguazhang is a violent but beautiful expression of martial animism merging with the elemental for humans to embody. The dedicated practice of the Rooster Shape promotes total body endurance and improves overall conditioning. The movements stretch and tone the tendons and muscles, which run primarily along the heart meridian, improving blood circulation and cardio function. The hops and leaps improve balance, leg strength, and coordination and strengthen the feet while ridding the body of excess fluids, reducing inflammation and swelling.
Energetically the Rooster builds confidence, stoking the force of will to start projects and seek opportunities. Shamanic/Daoist belief is that practicing the Rooster boosts one’s “yang” energy, producing an aura of self-promotion and increasing personal magnetism. This spiritual influence leads to periods of peace and prolonged. Prosperity due to the influx of new friends and opportunities. Peace because most negative entities know the Rooster is highly ferocious and want to avoid you.
I plan to make my Baguazhang available to the public very soon. I look forward to introducing the complete system of Rooster Shape Baguazhang and sharing with you all the immense benefits its practice has blessed me with.
