By pure happenstance I found THIS.
The moment I saw their form, I was rapped -- as in rapture.
It ticked all my hypothetical boxes.
- Short and simple
- A creative range of moves that were devoid of filigree or extraneous choreography.
- Strikes that emanated from the whole body in the best 'whip rod' traditions of north west China.
- Flexibility in footwork despite the ready flow between the moves.
- A standalone combat logic that did not presume the biangan was being used (a) against swords; (b) other stick fighters; or (c) numerous kung fu opponents a la Jackie Chan movie.
- Most of all, this form understood and respected the biangan for its powerful relationship to the dynamics of the human body. Not just a 'health' wand -- but a magic one.
On top of all that, what is available from their channel is exceedingly generous, as on offer is a series of live streamed Biangan classes from an excellent teacher -- Brian Weaver.
My last preferred form was the popular 81 Biangan sourced from Zhang Xigui. It was long and I found its moves very confusing when I started to learn them. Despite my extensive research, hunting down many videos of the form, I never felt comfortable with it. Its intrinsic logic escaped me.
It was very movie set in assuming any number of opponents hither and yon -- such that the core dynamic of each move got somewhat lost in the stick waving.
The traditional logic of North West Chinese stick usage was lost as Taoism took over.
I thought, blow this! I'll create my own form from what I know of Biangan strikes. A bit of freestyle jumping about and I could settle on a set flow after a lot of practice shaping it into a form that I could embrace.
Now I don't have to. I have found something much better than I could have even imagined.
So I'm away. At it -- one move at a time.
This form is very inventive, and I have asked about its lineage without success. It seems a hybrid -- despite their school being associated with southern kung fu styles and Yang Taichi.
Usual Taichi stick forms-- Taichi gun -- are very stylised seemingly with a preference for 'looks' rather than combativity. This one keeps winding in on itself with a gut curling that is rooted in essential balance and the notions of dantian.
That I dig. Not in any 'chi' sense -- but in pursuit of movement awareness and location.
