Table Of ContentTAI CHI
Introduction to Yang Style Tai Chi
M a s t e r S i m o n Wo n g
INTRODUCTION
PREFACE Chi Kung breathing (legs gently as he steps. The sound he gets
bent, arms around a tree). We from the air is as a master to a
W
hen people tapped into something so soft and wind instrument.
ask me the simple that it's overlooked by With the Yang Family form we
difference many people. I do not know how try to float in and carve out the
b e t w e e n many breaths I have left, but air around us. We can only
Karate and Kung Fu, I often hopefully more than I can count. attempt to get Sifu's sound out of
quip, with all due respect, that All of my breaths (from the the air by totally relaxing and
Karate is stiff and Japanese and stomach through the nose) now then snapping forward. And we
Kung Fu is loose and Chinese. add to my health and don't can only correctly arrive at this
Several months into my Kung borrow from it - and that is a hint rather sudden movement by
Fu training at the Yellow Dragon of eternity. warming up internally with these
Centre it was emphasised that I Imagine doing something as slow beginnings. Forget about
should begin to learn Tai Chi as slowly, slowly as possible. muscle and lungs, heaving and
well, as I was getting too rigid. I Whether we think of it as kinetics deliberate. Breathing out from
was learning fairly well about the or aesthetics, the timeless Tai Chi the stomach through the nose at
economy of movement - a block walk gives us a much better the same time that we step, with
and strike in one - but I needed to understanding of the balance, our tendons whipping forward is
become more like a supple reed, grace and power of our own true power and not mere
and not like a brittle wood which gravity and energy. With the exertion.
does not bend but breaks. While outside world moving so fast, The Yellow Dragon arts
part of what makes Yellow internal equilibrium comes from practiced in a balanced
Dragon Fist Kung Fu unique is slowing down at times. Knee- environment are in part what
that it incorporates elements of jerk movements can be necessary good music should be: tight but
Yang Family Tai Chi, clearly I (indeed Kung Fu teaches us new loose.
was becoming unbalanced. I had instincts in this sense), and from
Dr Clinton Orr Ph.D.
been seeking overall balance in them we learn that unthinking
my hurried life when I very first movement is possible. But so
came to the Centre. Now it was refreshingly clear yet focused is
time to balance what I was the mind and body that we can be
Graduate of Cambridge
learning inside the Centre. moving at a barely discernible
University, Tai Chi and Kung
The Tai Chi class began speed without thinking about it at
Fu student of Master Wong for
similarly to the Kung Fu class. all. As the years and world flash
many years.
We closed our eyes, and with the by it becomes more and more
scent of incense buoyed along by important to lose oneself at times
the breeze and trickling water in the slowness of one's actions.
from the aquariums around the Sifu Wong's most impressive
room and our feet on the wood movement, I believe, is a pushing
warehouse floor, we began our of the arms straight out in front
4
INTRODUCTION together a number of ancient enlightenment. Again, the chi
traditions of martial arts, exercise gung and Kung Fu systems have
IN
T
systems, and methods of spiritual their own legendary origins - in R
The origins of Tai Chi O
cultivation. the Buddhist tradition, they are D
A U
ccording to one C
Of these we can point in traced back to the arrival from T
IO
well-known story, particular to the ‘hard style’ India of Da Mo (Bodhidharma in N
Tai Chi Chuan
Kung Fu fighting systems of the Sanskrit) at the Shaolin temple in
was the invention
Buddhist monks of the Shaolin the sixth century AD. Although
of the Taoist martial artist Chan
temple, and the chi kung the Da Mo story suggests the
Sang-Feng, inspired by
techniques of breath control and influence of Indian yoga and
observing a battle between a
of ‘marrow washing and sinew meditation practices, it is also the
crane and a snake over a morsel
training’. By the time of Chan case that there are earlier
of food. Each time the crane
Sang-Feng, mentions of indigenous Chinese
lunged for the snake, it would
exercise systems, sometimes
coil back out of reach. Each time
based on the movements of
the snake extended itself in a
animals, and traditionally
counter-attack, the bird
reaching as far back as
would step back and
the fabled Yellow
sweep the attacker
Emperor.
away with its wings.
Coming back to
According to various
more recent history,
commentators, Chan
all the main styles of
Sang-Feng was a Taoist
the art we now know
monk of the Wudang
as Tai Chi can be traced
temple in western China,
to Chen village in Wen
and may have lived at some
county, Henan province.
time from 970 to 1450 AD.
Chen village, like many in
Others have maintained that
China, was so called because all
there was no such individual, and
these chi gung techniques had its inhabitants shared the
different Tai Chi schools and
been developed by the Shaolin surname Chen, and the Chen clan
styles have their own favourite
monks and by Taoist masters, in guarded their Tai Chi jealously
theory or founder legend. In any
Wudang mountain and from outsiders. Although the
case, it is almost certainly not the
elsewhere, to a very deep level. tradition is that Tai Chi was
case that Tai Chi Chuan was the
They were practices that went taught to the Chen villagers by a
‘invention’ of any one historical
beyond strengthening the body - master trained in the lineage of
or mythical figure. What Chan
they were intended to envigorate Chan Sang-Feng, and the
Sang-Feng did, if it was he, was
the chi, prolong life, and aid the similarities between Tai Chi and
rather to draw upon and bring
ultimate goal of achieving Wudang internal arts seem to
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Introduction to Yang Style Tai Chi MasterSimon Wong
bear this out, there are others after hearing of the power of the fighter who did much to
IN
who believe that Tai Chi was Chen family martial art. Yang popularise Tai Chi in his travels T
R
indigenous to Chen village. persuaded Chen Chang Xin to within China, and was also O
D
U
Whilst Chen style Tai Chi still teach him the art when, after invincible. In his public classes, C
T
exists today, and is nowadays spying on the master training his Yang Cheng-Fu taught a IO
N
taught outside the family village, students at night, he was able to simplified version of the original
it was the development of the demonstrate a higher level of Yang form, evenly paced and
new Yang style Tai Chi from the skill than any of the official without flying kicks and the
Chen heritage that brought Tai pupils. After years of study, Yang strength explosions (Fa Jing) that
Chi to prominence in China, and returned to his home village of are the summit of Tai Chi combat
later generations of the Yang Yung Nien where he acquired a training. This form is the
family who brought the art to the reputation as ‘Yang the ancestor of most of the Yang
west. invincible’, defeating all style Tai Chi taught today. Yang
challengers yet baffling them Cheng-Fu’s oldest son was Yang
Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan with the softness of the style. On Shou-Chung (also
Yang Chen-
T
he system Ming), who
taught in this taught his
book is a version of father’s style
Yang style Tai Chi widely from
Chuan, of which his base in Hong Kong
M a s t e r and established the
Wong is a sixth generation the basis of this reputation, Yang International Tai Chi Chuan
master. Although the style has was invited to teach at the Association (ITCCA). Master
developed, and variants of it imperial court in Peking, where Wong’s teacher was Master Chu
have diverged as it has been he had the chance to test his style King-Hung, one of Yang Shou-
passed down through six against the greatest fighters from Chung’s three closest disciples
generations, it is still all over China, and, so they say, and his successor as head of the
recognisably the creation of its remained undefeated. ITCCA.
founder Yang Liu-Sim (also Master Wong’s lineage stems
called Yang Lu-Chan, Yang Fu- from Yang Liu-Sim’s third son,
Kui). Yang Liu-Sim’s teacher Yang Kim-Hou (also called Yang Darius Sokolov MSc
was Chen Chang Xin of Chen Jian-Hou), who with his brother Graduate of LSE and Tai Chi
village. According to one story, Yang Ban-Hou continued to and Kung Fu student of Master
Yang Liu-Sim (1799-1892) was teach the imperial court and Wong for many years.
a poor farmer’s son who maintain their father’s legacy.
obtained work as a servant in Yang Kim-Hou’s third son Yang
Chen Chang Xin’s household Cheng-Fu was another renowned
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Introduction to Yang Style Tai Chi MasterSimon Wong
IN
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YELLOW DRAGON TAI CHI FAMILY TREE
D
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CHEUNG SAN FUNG
(960 - 1126AD)
VARIOUS TAOISTS
DETAILS UNCERTAIN
CHEN CHANG-XING
(CHEN STYLE) (1771 - 1853)
YANG LIU-SIM
(YANG STYLE) (1799-1872)
YANG CHEN-FU
YANG KIM-HOU
(1839-1917)
YANG CHEN-FU
(1883-1936)
CHU KIM-HING
&SIMON WONG
YANG SOW-CHUN
CHU KIM-HING
MASTER SIMON WONG
This family tree includes only the main proponents of the style that we have knowledge of and is not
intended to be comprehensive.
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W -
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W -
ARM UP EXERCISES
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1 Stand relaxed, with your feet shoulder width apart and legs slightly bent. Your back should
be straight with your hands relaxed and placed on your waist.
Turn your head slowly to the left then to the right, while keeping the rest of your body straight and facing
forward. Repeat 10 times.
2 From the same position this time lower your head forward bringing your chin toward your
chest, then slowly lift your head up and backward. Repeat 10 times.
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Introduction to Yang Style Tai Chi MasterSimon Wong
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3 Next, in the same stance rotate your head slowly in a circular motion clockwise 10 times then
anti-clockwise 10 times.
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T C
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