Yang Family Legacy  

Yang Family Style Taiji is the progenitor for most of the popular forms of taiji in the world today - Classical Yang, Chen Man Ching style, Simplified 24 & 48 movements.  Laoshr Mark's initial certification was Yang Family taiji (see lineage chart).  Yang style is difficult to do well because it expresses a large circulation of qi within a medium sized frame.  

 

Excerpt from Mark's book:  Tai Chi, Xing-Yi, and Baguaquan Throwing By Way of Our Modern Masters.

     Yang Family taijiquan spirals the energy of chansijin in more understated and implied manners than does Chen style.  For instance, the conventional taiji movement known as “Roll Back, Press, and Push,” which is found in all styles of taijiquan and that originated from the Chen style, is known in the Yang style as “Hold Bird’s Tail.”  It was apparently adapted by the Yang style founder, Yang Lu-chan, who supposedly formalized the movement of nei jia energy through this universal posture that in other styles of taijiquan became known as “Raise Hands” (also called “Play the Guitar” or “Fiddle”). 

Master Choy Kam Man 

Great grandmaster Yang Chen Fu 

     

  Old Yang Style Influences


This style can be recognized by it's repeated Grasp the Bird's Tail sequence.


The following ten essential points of Yang Family’s 108 posture tai chi chuan form preserve classical principles that I have put into modern martial terms and ascribed to CPL’s 99 posture long form:

1. Xu ling ding jin – “Empty spirit (insubstantial energy) extends to head top.”  This is the classical principle of allowing shen to rise in an upward direction through your body.
2.  Dong zhong qiu jing – “Tranquility in movement.”  Your calm movement of energy deceives the human eye.
3.  Chen jian zhui zhou – “Sink shoulders, drop elbows, settle wrists, and extend fingers.”  Keep your shoulders down, suspend your elbows, and link your wrists and fingers when you press through the bowing of your arms.
4.  Han xiong ba bei – “Sink your chest and lift your back.”  Round your torso, while flexing your thoracic hinge.
5.  Song yao – “Loosen (relax) your waist.”  Separate your waist from your hips and lead your movements with your ball-bearing-like waist turning.       
6.   Fen xu shi – “Distinguish substantial and insubstantial.”  Don’t double weight your body’s left side to right side alignment, nor upper from lower body arrangement, nor front to back alignment.
7.  Nei wai xiang he – “Combine your internal and external energies.”  Link your mind intent with your jin energies as you coordinate all your joints.
8.  Yong yi bu yang li – “Use your mind intent instead of force.”  Allow your mind’s intention to move your body first to lead energy to your muscles.
9.  Shang xia xiang sui – “Integrate your upper and lower body.”  Contra-laterally, link your left leg to your right arm and your left arm to your right leg.
10. Xiang lian bu duan –  “Continuous without interruption.”  Move smoothly and rhythmically.