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Liu Dekuan won his great reputation when he worked in a famous security company
before he went to Beijing. He challenged Master Dong Haichuan but lost, so he
decided to study Bagua Zhang with Master Dong. From his studies he found that many
of the techniques in Bagua are taught from walking the circles; but this way always
made it difficult for people to understand Bagua. If they paid attention to
developing fighting skills when they walked the circle, they easily overlooked
development of internal components. Only a few people could do both well.
So he made a new form that included sixty-four fighting skills practiced in a
straight line. Every skill came from traditional Bagua but was not practiced by
walking the circle. He suggested that people should first practice internal
components from circle walking, and then practice fighting skills using his
straight form. Most Bagua masters accepted this idea. His form was called Liu
style Bagua, Bagua Sanshow, or straight Bagua. Today most Bagua groups combine
this straight Bagua style in their practice. Nobody practices it alone; most
people study it in conjunction with circle walking.
