Baguazhang · Taiji · Chaquan
Training the body to stay whole when life tries to pull it apart.
Not invented. Inherited.
I teach Kungfu. Specifically, three lineages: Chaquan/Imperial Longfist, Wu-style Taiji, and Baguazhang. Each transmitted intact — no adaptations for modern audiences, no sport modifications, no performance requirements.
These practices didn't begin with me, and they didn't begin in one place. They accumulated — carried, adapted, refined across centuries and cultures. I received them. I transmit them. That is the work.
The difference between knowledge and embodiment defines our path.
Rooted in The Palace Standard.
How We Work
Individual assessment. Progressive training. No rush.
Training is in-person when possible. Frequency adapts to your life, but the program is complete — all components work together.
You won't be given pieces to keep and pieces to skip. The system functions as a whole. If you're looking for a path of real depth to commit to — one where results compound — this may be the path you've been searching for.
What a Session Looks Like
Sessions run 60 to 90 minutes, in-person in Surrey, BC — Greater Vancouver area. You train outdoors when weather permits — on natural ground, under open sky. This isn't aesthetic preference. The body learns differently on uneven terrain. However we will train indoors any time you wish - your choice. Indoors when the weather is bad as well.
Each session builds on the last. You'll work through structure and breathing first, then move into forms — empty-hand and weapons. Perception drills develop your capacity to read and respond before conscious thought catches up. Combat application comes progressively, layered in as your structure and awareness can support it.
Nothing is rushed. Nothing is skipped. Every component exists because the system requires it.
About
I'm 72. I require no medications... no joint replacements... no devices to help me function. I come and go in health and safety — anywhere I want with confidence.
This is not an exception. It's the standard this transmission aims for. My Sifu, Xu Gongwei (1916–2004), learned from Yu Zhensheng, who trained under Sai Hehong starting at age 7 and then Yang Hongxiu the progenitor of Yang style Chaquan and Kungfu brother of Sai Hehong for more than 25 years. Zhou Yifan (Forbidden City guard) taught the Taiji transmission. These practitioners were known for their supurb skills and vitality that extended well past a century.
My goal is to help you stay healthy, strong, and energized — structurally natural, safe, and self-reliant. Assured in body and mind.
That's The Palace Standard. A single discipline. A tradition passed on to deliver exactly this.
For over fifty years I've practiced this system. It encompasses Baguazhang, Taiji, Chaquan, and Qigong. I teach what was transmitted to me — unmodified forms, the complete system. I use modified versions only as tools to help you acquire the full forms, not as replacements.
I'm an engineer by training. I study biomechanics, biosignals, movement science. Not for academic credential. For clarity about what actually works in the body.
I'm building on something that lasts. Not just for myself. For whoever is willing to do the work.
What You'll Develop
Perception
Pre-cognitive sensory registration before thought intervenes. Trainable through methodical practice. This precedes examination, precedes knowledge — it's the raw input the system operates on.
Structure
Forces converge through natural body configuration. No straight lines. No gym mechanics. Forces move through rotation and spiral, following how the body is actually built.
Combat Training
We include combat practice — it's part of the tradition. It's not street-fighting practice. Not sport fighting practice. Real combat training that engages the body-mind under stress. Introduced progressively. You learn what you're ready for. No rushing. No forcing.
It trains cognitive and neurological systems in a way nothing else does. Stress is managed, not avoided. You will probably never have to use it. Peace of mind if you do.
Regulation
Breath as governor for your autonomic nervous system. Panic, freeze, blackout are not inevitable. They're capacities you can learn to regulate under pressure.
Confidence
Quiet, easeful, settling. Not bravado. The assurance of a body that knows its capacity.
Cognitive Resilience
This kind of combat training rewires stress response. It extends beyond the training floor into everyday life.
Heritage
Centuries of critical practice produced something no longer theoretical — it's what works. Not invention. Transmission. This lineage has produced practitioners who lived past 100 and remained physically capable well into their final years.
We don't trade in conceptual knowledge. You can find that anywhere. The work is living knowledge — what the body knows and can do, not what the mind can store. That gap between the two is where the depth lives.
Who This Serves
People committed to health, longevity, structural strength, and cognitive resilience. Serious practitioners who understand this as a path of genuine and sustained practice." People who respect what combat training offers without conflating it with aggression.
Leaders. Parents. Professionals. Aging adults who refuse decline as a given. Anyone willing to commit to genuine, consistent practice for results that compound.
If your priority is fitness or sports performance, that's fine. What matters is willingness to train the complete program.
Application
If you're interested, fill this out. Short. Just enough to understand why you're reaching out and what you're looking for.
I respond personally. Sometimes with questions back to you. Sometimes with a clear no. Either way, honest.
The intake isn't open all year. When it's full, it's full. When it opens again, I'll announce it.
Phone: (604) 786-0874 · Email: johnspak@fistsofmysteryandtruth.com