As an ordinary man teaching ordinary people, I am still learning and evolving daily. Being part of a great lineage or having great teachers means very little unless we make the art our own, bring it alive by developing deep basics and then testing our skills in the cauldron of everyday life. There are many dedicated martial artists teaching out there, and I respect all of you who discipline yourself through traditional martial arts as brothers and sisters on this path of cultivation. 

Some of my students have been kind enough to give some thoughts on the training here -

Baguaquan is highly  applicable to law enforcement as well as self defence situations. Few systems can apply engaging the aggressor on their weak sides as effectively. 

I have known and trained under Alex since 2002 and have found him to be a person of high integrity and care & compassion for others. It is my deepest honour to call him teacher and friend.

-Kevin Ho (Singapore)

Chief Instructor, Self Defence Asia.

(Former Singapore Police Force Tactical Emergency Response Team Officer.)

I have known and learned from Alex for some years now, and so im quite comfortable in stating that Alex has deep knowledge, experience and skill - in all aspects of the neijia arts.

Alex is great at communicating the requirements and pathways to make the arts work, and he knows how to train them for both cultivation and actual usage.

Above all, and most importantly, Alex is a person of honesty, virtue and integrity. This manifests equally in his personal dealings as well as in his teaching and guidance in the arts.

Kasper, security professional and long time martial artist (Europe)

I've known Alex for a long time but have only had the privilege of learning from him for the last 3 years or so. My background is primarily in Bagua and Xing Yi with an emphasis on the more practical/self defence side of the arts. 

Alex is able break down and explain the principle behind a movement and how it can be adapted effectively in self defence as well as the specialised force powering that movement and the martial spirit associated with it, phenomenal!

Alex has deepened my practise and understanding of these arts on many levels and I am truly grateful for the energy and time spent to impart the wisdom of the old masters. A kind and generous teacher with deep skill, I highly recommend seeking him out.

 Luke Shevlin (UK)

I have enjoyed practicing Baguaquan over the past few years and have found it beneficial for both my physical and mental health. The training is useful for improving body control, joint stability, and self-defence skills. Regular training can also help one develop a calm and peaceful mind. The classes are very enjoyable, and I can always find something to improve during each session. I highly recommend these classes to anyone who would like to train both their body and mind. BZ Zhu (China)

我在过去的几年一直很享受练习八卦掌的过程。八卦掌的练习对我的身心健康都很有益。练习有助于提高身体控制能力、关节稳定性以及自我防卫技能。规律的练习也能帮助人培养平静安宁的心境。课程非常有趣，在训练中我总能发现可以继续努力和改进的地方。我强烈推荐这些课程给希望锻炼身体和意志的人。

Every good teacher brings their own experiences into their teaching, rather than just being a carbon copy of their teacher. The art I teach has many influences along with the core basics from Master He Jinghan and Marpa Chen - testing the martial skills against fighters from many other systems and countries, the experiences gained through security work, using the art's healing aspect to survive and recover from serious injury, and also the learnings received earlier including childhood training in a rare Shaolin family art and further training under several excellent teachers .

There are no secrets except for the making the basics alive in you to the extent that you can trust them in life or death situations, and this applies as much to the cultivation work as the combative methods. Learning lots of long forms, no matter how much people build myths around them – the 18 this and 64 hands of that – is useless unless every single aspect of that form becomes alive and real in you. For real life or death combat and cultivation you are better off doing very few things extremely well, going so deep that they are truly alive in you.

In reality you need touch the teacher to feel what is going on, to feel the unique nuances of the force, to be corrected again and again in subtle points over long period of time, to enter into a relationship when a true heart to heart transmission occurs - this is Gongfu. Although teaching by video is certainly an excellent tool, I advise you all to find a living teacher as well, and then the videos become far more meaningful. 

What I teach here is based on this understanding, and you will find in the live classes hours of research and explanation about core theories and foundation skills, previously untransmitted skills usually kept within closed-door schools, and how to bring them alive in combat. There are many approaches, this is the one I utilise in seeking to pass on this profound and practical tradition.

A recent video interview I did

discussing my journey through the martial arts can be found here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPCOP_5P5zQ

Some videos of techniques can be found at my Youtube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfNS9cnj23g

Our website is

lineofintent.com

If you have any questions about these profound and practical internal martial arts, please contact me.