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YANG STYLE TAIJIQUAN

 

YANG 22 movements (internal routine)

Extracted by Wei Shu Ren from the "Lao Liu Lu" (The old six routines), and 89 movement routine also named secret transmission by Yang Jianhou, wich the complete names is:

THE "WORKING METHOD OF INTERNAL ENERGY IN THE YANG STYLE OF THE SECRET TRANSMISSION OF TAI-CHI BY YANG JIAN HOU".

 


ORIGINS And GENEALOGY


Yang Lu Chan (1799-1872) was the creator of the Yang style of tai-chi chuan, the most popularized in the West. The Yang family dedicated itself to the teaching of tai-chi chuan, nevertheless they had a pact of not teaching the form that they themselves practiced, outside their family they only taught a less profound version. But due to special circumstance, Yang Jian Hou (one of the children of Yang Lu Chan) passed on the complete teachings to Wang Zhong Lu and his son Wang Yong Quan (1903-1987) who at that time was only 7 years old. Also, Yang Cheng Pu, the son of Yang Jian Hou, later also taught Wang Yong Quan.

Wang Yongquan (Wang Yong Quan) also dedicated himself to teaching tai-chi, respecting the pact. Nevertheless, at 70 years old and very influenced by the Chinese Revolution and its opening reforms, he decided to make public the secrets that until then had been kept. He, like Wei Shu Ren, one of his students, (see information on him in the Masters section), received the complete teachings of the Yang family taichi chuan and, as he was university educated, later transformed it into three books that were published in China, and finally opening one of the most wonderful secrets of the Chinese internal arts to the world, through the form "Internal Yang" (which is a simplified translation).

Originally this form, called "Lào Liù Lù" (The Six Old Ways, or work routines) consisted of 89 movements. Wèi Shù Rén simplified them, eliminating the repetitions, to 22 movements.

CHARACTERISTICS

Perhaps the most notable is the emphasis on the practice of nei-gong and the solid explanations of making it effective in the martial practices. As well as this, there is the following example of other characteristics:

  • 1 One "Asking the Star": Is a very useful technique especially in the exercises, whose meaning comes from "aiming at the target" This movement contributes to the active part of Shén ("spirit")
  • 2 Two globes of qi in the palms of the hands. They are exercised a lot in nei-gong. Used to push others off balance, like the 3 rings of qi.
  • 3 Three rings of qi that surround the hips, waist and shoulders. Their use in the exercises are effective and in addition allow more fluid accurate movements.
  • Form a bell.   Imagine the body as a bell, divided into 5 points:

The most prominent are:

1 wèn xïng (one asking the star)

2 qì qíur (two globes of q)

3 qì quánr (three rings of qi)

    • The hoop that maintains the bell. Which corresponds to the neck. Is movable.
    • The point located between the previous point and point 3. This corresponds to the chest, and is unmovable ("dead")
    • The central point corresponds to the waist. Which is movable.
    • The point located between point 3 and 5 corresponds to the midpoint between the waist and the coccyx (base of the spine). It is unmovable ("dead")
    • The clapper of the bell corresponds to the coccyx which is movable.

 

  • The armpits maintain "man tou" (steamed dumpling) serve to control the correct position of the arms.
  • Heaven and Earth (trigrams Qian and Kun) is a small detail within the movements, as the White Crane Extends its Wings, to openly show it’s purpose.
  • The five divisions in the positions of the feet: Which depict 5 points, (1) is one of the feet, (5) the other foot, (3) is right in the centre between both feet, and points (2) and (4) in between points 1 and 3 and 3 and 5 respectively. This serves to control the correction in the movement and the distribution of weight. In general the movement is made by way of tilting between points 2 and 4.
  • The four requirements to practice the exercise, that are four simultaneous stages of learning:

Sòng = TO RELAX

Sân = TO LOOSEN, TO BECOME LOOSE

Töng = TO FLOW, TO BE CLEARED OF OBSTACLES

Köng = TO BE EMPTY, HOLLOW, FREE

When doing the movements it is necessary to acheive:

sòng (to be RELAXED),

wên (to be STABLE, BALANCED),

mán (to make it SLOW),

yún (to make it HOMOGENOUS, UNIFORM)

 

Three basic elements

Shén: Translated like spirit. It relates to the spirit that we mean when saying, for example: "He has enterprising spirit, to raise the spirit, the eyes are the mirror of the soul…" The eyes are an expression of the Shén.

Yì: Mind-intention-will. Not treated like the rational mind, but a capacity to "guide", a type of decision making, the will to do it, intentional, but not logical or rational, a "more primary" mind

Qì: Defined already in "introduction" and "glossary" (chi)

 

Next I will transcribe the names of each one of the 22 movements of this form.

Taijiquan Neigong from The Secret Yang Family Teachings
(it forms Internal Yang)
Wei Shu Ren

1. Beginning the exercise.

2. The horse shaking its main, left and right

3. The White Crane shows its wings

4. Block the knee and inverted march, Left and Right

5. Playing the guitar.

6. Roll the arms while moving backwards, left and right

7. Catching the Sparrows’s tail, left and right

8. Moving the hands like clouds

9, Simple whip

10. Carressing the horses neck

11. Move the right foot

12. Both fists cross the ears

13, Stamp your heel to the left

14. The Jade Lady reels off the loom shuttle, left and right

15. Lower to the right and the golden rooster stands on one foot

16. Lower to the left and the golden rooster stands on the other foot

17. The needle at the bottom of the sea

18. The fan crosses the back

19. Turn the body and throw the hammer

20, Step backwards, turn and lower the body, intercept and strike

21. As if everything was closed

22. Cross the hands gather

 

As it is possible to observe in the photos Depending on the exercise, some positions present/display slight variations, whereas others are already nonexistent in the other forms of the Yang style.

 

 

Moviments in order:

lü of Catching the Peacock's tail, left and right
ji of " " " "
an of " " " "
To Ask Star
zhe of Simple whip
Bang with back foot
Bang of heel
Steps backwards, turn and lower the body, intercept and strike
Body like a bell
Cross the hands gather

 
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