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Off-Springs of Yang Style We need to know what the Yang family practiced instead of what they taught the public and before the Yang Style’s off-springs were introduced. According to some within the Yang family’s hometown, it was the best of the Yang family that taught there including Yang Ban Hou, of the 2nd generation. They taught many forms and drills, each focusing on one or more aspects of basic training. Da Jia (large frame), Zhong Jia (mid frame), Xiao Jia (small frame), Kuai Jian (quick frame), Ti Tui Jian (leg frame), Liao Kua Jia Yao (waist) and Kua (hip) frame were used for basic training. Pao Chui (Canon Hammer) was for Fa Jin training, San Shou for sparring, Duan Da for close-range sparring and Dan Tian Kung was for Qi training. Although these forms are still being practiced there today, they don’t look convincing. Maybe this is because they have been reformed or that their essence has just been lost in modern day practice. At least we know that what is practiced today is not all, but a small part of the whole. For some reason, the Yang Family only taught their students parts of a whole. This resulted in three different styles that spun off from the original Yang Style. These styles are:吴(wú,) 武(wǔ,) and 孙(sun.) 吴(wú) Style Yang Lu Chan had 3 outstanding students in Qing Empire’s body guard battalions. 全佑(1834-1902) was one of them and his specialty was deflecting and redirecting. He later furthered his study under Yang Ban Hou (Yang Lu Chan’s son and the best of the Yangs). What he learned was Xiao Jia (small frame.) His son, Wu Jian Quan (1870-1942) learned from him and after gradually forming new characteristics Wu Jian Quan established his own style: wú. Wú Style was known by its deflecting and redirecting. In wú forms, the moves are short and small. These were also the characteristics of Xiao Jia (small frame.) 武(wǔ) 武禹襄（ Wu Yu Xiang (1812-1880) learned Da Jia (large frame) from Yang Lu Chan, but felt he didn’t learn enough. He traveled to Chen Jia Gou in hope to study under Yang Lu Chan’s teacher: Chan Chang Xing. However, when he arrived at Zhao Bao Zhen, a village near Chen Jia Gou, he soon learned that Chen Chang Xing had retired. So he went to study under Chen Chang Xing’s cousin, Chen Qing Ping (1795-1868). Purely by accident, Wu Yu Xiang acquired a book entitled “Tai Chi Quan Pu”. This book is the first book on Tai Chi, as far as we know, and it was because of this book that Tai Chi (the philosophical term) became the name of this unique style of martial art. Wu Yu Xiang later went on to develop and establish his own style: wǔ. It was a mixture of the arts he learned from his two teachers and knowledge that he gained from the book “Tai Chi Quan Pu”. Wǔ Style emphasized using opponent’s forces against them, real fighting and moving the Qi instead of body while training. 孙 (sun) Style. The founder of Sun Style, Sun Lu Tang (1862-1933) was one of the top martial artists of his time and the entire Chinese martial art history even before he studied Tai Chi. He was an expert of Ba Gua Zhang and Xing Yi Quan, both are internal martial arts. He started his Tai Chi training at 52 years old, under Hao Wei Zhen (one of Wu Yu Xiang’s students). He mixed the foot work of Xiang Yi Quan and the body work of Ba Gua Zhang’s to create his own style of Tai Chi: 武(sun) style. He eventually became so well known in Tai Chi that few remembered his accomplishments in Xiang Yi Quan and Ba Gua Zhang. In 1928, when the government established “China National Art (Martial Art) Institute”, he was hired as the dean of internal martial arts, which included Tai Chi, Xiang Yi and Ba Gua Zhang; while Yang Cheng Fu, the head of Yang 2nd generation, was the dean of the school of Tai Chi. Sun Style’s characteristics are very obvious from its foot work: the 2 legs always follow each other. |
