The Yang style Tai Chi long form that we practice today is derived from the teachings passed down by Yang Luchan (1799 - 1872) who learned from Cheng Chang-Hsing who was of the Chen family of Chen Village, Hunan province. Scholars generally agree that the Tai Chi teachings were somehow delivered to the Chens and developed by the Chen family. Historical records reveal that Tai Chi Chuan was created during the late Ming/early Ching dynasties, or approximately 350 years ago, however, the Taoist principles it embraces are thousands of years old (many assert Tai Chi Chuan originated from a Taoist Immortal named Chang San-Feng). It combined and developed the various boxing styles that were most effective and popular among the people and the army during the Ming period. Added to this was the ancient Chi Gung meditation and breathing techniques, Taoist Yin/Yang theory, and Chinese medical knowledge concerning circulation of the blood and Chi (energy) to form a martial art that trains both the external and the internal.

The teachings were passed by Yang Luchan to his grandson Yang Cheng-Fu (1883 - 1936) who in an interview in 1930 said that Yang Luchan began studying with Chen Chang-Hsing at the age of ten and he did not return home until sometime in his forties. His story is basically that of a poor boy who became a renowned Martial Arts Master to the Manchu princes. He was the foremost boxer throughout the entire empire. Yang Luchan is the recognized founder of a martial art lineage that has now become a worldwide movement.  However, it is his grandson Yang Cheng-Fu that the world can thank for promoting Tai Chi to its current level of recognition. Yang Cheng-Fu dictated many valuable oral transmissions given directly by Yang Luchan, which today fortunately for us, we have available to study in the English language.

Yang Luchan introduced the Traditional Chen family's long “old and expansive" form to Wu Yu-Hsiang however, he also learned from Chen Yu Pen (Chen Chang-Hsing's junior clansman) the "new and small" style, which Wu combined to develop his own style. Wu passed his new Tai Chi style down to a Manchu named Chuan Yu (1834-1902,) whose son Wu Chien-Chuan (1870 -1942) became the founder of the Tai Chi Wu style. Later a descendant of the Wu style lineage became the founder of another style known as the Sun Tai Chi style.

Yang Luchan had two sons whose names were Yu Pan-Hou (1837 - 1892), and Chien Chien-Hou (1839 - l9l7). Yang Luchan’s son Chien-Chien-hou taught two successors, Chao-hsiung (1862- 1930), and Yang Cheng-Fu(1883-1936) who both taught the Traditional "Old and Expansive" style which was described as "open and soft.... like a needle concealed within cotton". Yang Cheng-Fu was a powerfully built imposing figure of 300 pounds in his later years. He was known to be kind and good-natured and very popular with all his students. Even generals humbled themselves before him. Yang Cheng-Fu had few disciples that passed on his art, some of which were Fu Zhongwen, Chen Wei-Ming, Chen-To and Tung Ying-Chieh.

It was from the Chen family original teachings that Yang Luchan was catapulted from a “humble and poor" status to becoming the “Martial Arts Master to the Manchu Princes”; it was through Yang Cheng Fu's educated disciples that Tai Chi has now become adapted for practice all over the world by martial artists, intellectuals, the sick and the elderly.

 Besides being a highly effective system of self-defense Tai Chi is now well known for its abilities toward developing a peaceful mind, mental and physical health, flexibility, agility,  balance, coordination, and power (internal and external). Tai Chi practice also increases breathing capacity and normalizes and strengthens the circulation of blood and Chi energy throughout the entire body, including the brain and the internal organs.

The Tai Chi form taught at the Praying Mantis-Tai Chi Center is based upon Yang Luchan's original Traditional Long Form which is presently the most popular worldwide. The long form in Chinese is called “Cheung Kuen" meaning "long fist" or, more subtly translated as "endless form". Tai Chi uses circular motions. Circles have no beginning and no end. Within the Tai Chi form are numerous distinct postures that can all potentially link together in endless combinations.

TAI CHI KUEN — COMMENTARY AND INTRODUCTION

By: Chief Instructor Marlon Pilossoph

Tai Chi Kuen is a complete system of Chinese Gung Fu. It has a long history of over 350 years and is now the most widely practiced martial art in the world. The Praying Mantis-Tai Chi Center teaches the Traditional Long Form, Toi Sao (two-person sensitivity exercises), Sahn Sao (two-person self-defense fighting applications), Chi-Gung Acupoint Techniques which are meditative breathing exercises combined with Chinese Acupunture Medical Theory for health and internal development, as well as the Tai Chi Gim (double edged Sword Form).

Tai Chi relies on sensitivity which enables the borrowing of your opponents force. The more force an opponent uses against a Tai Chi practitioner, the more force will be returned back upon them. Its self-defense strategy is to allow your opponent to come in and make contact with you so you can “sense” or “listen” (called “Ting Ging” in Chinese) and thus control and lead their power/body into a disadvantageous position. Then the Tai Chi practitioner will add some of their own power and return all that focused power as a counter attack to defeat their opponent. The counter attack is perfectly timed to be executed precisely as the opponent has been lead into a weak, off-balanced and overextended position, or, at the precise instant when the opponent is in retreat.. The Toi Sao (two-person sensitivity exercises) are specifically designed to develop “Ting Ging”, to hone the practitioners degree and level of sensitivity.

The Tai Chi Sahn Sao exercises the practitioners reflexes or “reaction”.  These are two-person exercises which utilize self-defense techniques extracted directly from the Tai Chi Form. By building good reflex ability the practitioner is able to react instantly and be able to employ the most effective counter attack technique to any particular attack.

Learning the Tai Chi form and performing it correctly takes time, patience and perhaps years of practice and concentration. The form is practiced as slowly as possible to develop the ability to be aware of all the parts of your body which is referred to as “conscious movement”: You should be fully aware of the position and movement of your entire body at all times. This practice is likened to a “moving meditation”. Its slow and gentle practice greatly reduces stress which is the number one cause of disease in the World. The body is moved with the mind, and this movement is combined with deep rhythmic breathing. This process promotes further relaxing and calming of the body and mind which builds up Spirit and internal power and health. The form is practiced slow, thereby developing strong legs, body coordination, balance, control, and flexibility. But, when self-defense becomes necessary, the Tai Chi fighting techniques are delivered with extreme lightening speed, and devastating power!

Once your body is familiar with moving correctly, maintaining the Tai Chi posture throughout the form, and you become familiar enough with the form sequence, you can further enjoy the health benefits of the Tai Chi Form. The Tai Chi posture requires through relaxation that the spine of the body be held in a rounded or “tucked” position. The head is as if suspended from above, the chest concave, the shoulders and elbows dropped, and the bottom of the spine and the chin be tucked in; which, together allows for the proper ability to deflect or to redirect any oncoming attacks and to be able to properly apply Tai Chi’s self-defense applications without the use of “force against force”.

What a novice observer sees while viewing the Tai Chi Form does not necessarily reveal the true nature or application of the movements. All the Tai Chi postures or techniques in the form are very subtle, and each may have many variations of their self-defense applications as well. This is unlike some other external styles of martial arts where you might be able to easily guess the application of the moves in the forms simply by watching what the practitioner is doing.

Tai Chi uses the entire body to generate power. This is accomplished by bringing energy from the ground into the soles of the feet (rooting), first turning on the heel of the back foot, then straightening the back leg to enable the use of the torque of the waist to thus channel the power through the body to the arms, and out the hands, creating a “snap or focus” at the end of each technique. Additionally, the body, hands, and legs, always move as if it is one coherent single unit.