Yang Style Tai Chi
楊式太極拳The most widespread form of tai chi in the world, with large fluid movements. Today it is taught mainly for health; most schools do not train its combat content against resistance.
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ChinaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
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What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Yang Style Tai Chi
About Yang Style Tai Chi
Yang style is the most widespread form of taijiquan in the world, and most people who say they "do tai chi" are doing this one. It was founded by Yang Luchan (1799–1872), who learned in the Chen village of Chenjiagou and later taught in Beijing, including at the imperial court. The version the world knows took shape under his grandson Yang Chengfu (1883–1936), who softened the explosive and deep postures, opened out the sequence and made it accessible to people who had not trained since childhood. That large-frame version is what spread. The form is practised slowly and continuously in wide arcs; the weight shifts visibly from one leg to the other and the arms are driven by the trunk rather than the shoulder. The traditional long form is counted as 108, 103 or 85 movements — the number varies with how repeated sections are divided, not with the content. In 1956 the Chinese sports authorities compiled a shortened 24-movement set, today probably the most widely practised martial arts form on earth. It is fair to add that Yang style is now taught mainly as exercise for health, balance and breathing. The combat content remains recorded in it, but most schools do not train it against resistance, so it cannot be counted on as self-defence training.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.