- Yang Lu chan
- Yang Jianhou
- Yang Chengfu
- Zhang Qinlin
- Wang Yen-nien
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- Scott Rodell
- Manuel Rodriguez
- Paul Smith
- Riley J Boyer
Tai Ji Chuan is a term coined by Yang Lu Chan ( born 1799) after decades of research and training in various Chinese Martial Arts (remember taiji is a principle not a set style). Master Yang Lu Chan cemented his place in history through action. Yang Family boxing aka Taiji is not “old” per-say, but is with roots stemming into ancient history( a fact for many martial arts).
Oral history states a few backstories for the founder, Yang Lu Chan. One story states he was a bought and paid for slave to Chen village and this is how he gained access to their skill.. Yet others say he infiltrated the Chen village by deceit to test his ability. Which Story is true depends on who you ask.
According to the Michuan School, it is written that Master Yang called upon the Chen village for instruction (a backdoor way to test someone’s skill), however, the Chen family refused to admit him due to Yang Lu chan not being a member of the Chen family by name. After being refused Yang Lu Chan did eventually gain access as an employed deaf-mute groundskeeper.
ITs said that Yang Lu Chan was allowed, at best, very minimal observation of any martial practice and he never participated in active training while there at Chen Village. In this time he didn’t even practice his own methods but he was very focused on observing even the slightest hint of martial art as Chen Village had a reputation for excellence. He wanted to know what was so special.
You could say that he truly internalized the art as he visualized his studies extensively and in fact exclusively for some say upward of 3 years! Could this be true?? I doubt wasting three years pretending to be a deaf mute servant in-order to learn martial art is accurate…. But who knows.
Either way this story must give credit to Yang Lu Chans dedication to studying the martial arts; he was able to gain skill and lasting notoriety only because of his dedication.
Yang Lu Chan was confident enough in his ability at martial art that he coined his art as Yang family Tai Ji Chuan (note: this is probably first time any gung fu was referred to as Tai Ji). He thereafter became known as Yang Wu Di, or “Yang with no rivals”.
Yang Lu Chan was to instruct the Manchu military police. In doing so he decided to quietly omit and change a few things; despite this stripping down of the process his art remained extraordinarily powerful and soon he had gained even more notoriety. Knowing that hiding secrets from the Manchus was dangerous, he taught the common people of the villages the same as he had taught the Manchu military; this is where we get the common courtyard public teaching of Yang style Tai Ji Chuan such as the the 108 movement and subsequent short formulas.
Yang Lu Chan instructed his Blood family the methods and patterns that he had cultivated but omitted from public eye; this is where the Michuan or hidden fist skills are found. His sons each learned these methods and to their own degree passed them along.
during the communist civil war and japanese invasion happening in China many fled to other countries such as Taiwan, where the MiChuan practice was preserved by Wang Yen Nien student of Zhang Qinlin.
As for me, I first got introduced to Taiji early on although i didn’t practice; my uncle and father were both casual students. This is actually what led me to my south mantis teacher, but I digress. In around 2000 I met some WuDong practitioners in Colorado and although they were no boxers, they moved with grace and flow and proved some useful yoga for me at the time, there focus on chigung was different but ultimately I was more interested in boxing and thus didn’t pursue the practice very far.
I then began a more focused practice of Yang Jia Taiji Chuan in 2007 with my friend and Tong Long training partner, Sifu Paul Smith. This was usually informal instruction in my living room where I eventually learned the 108 courtyard set from Paul Smith. Paul had learned from Sifu Manuel Rodriquez (most known for his Chu Gar Tong Long & avatar cartoon).
I have since continued my practice of Yang Family Boxing casually meeting with various teachers over the years, as I encounter them. Taiji is everywhere but good functional yangjia chuan is rare to find outside of very basic rehabilitation practices.
Eventually my curiosity led me to training at The Great River Taoist Center for a few years. In this time, I would often travel to seasonal intensives and workshops; the focus being on the MiChuan 13 posture and my current study of the 127 form; through this lineage I was also trained in historical swordsmanship (straightsword).