Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi) — Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art that is often misunderstood. Many have been led to believe that “Tai Chi” is just a relaxation exercise; and a way of generating health when you are too old for any other exercise. 

While Tai Chi Chuan is a way to increase your physical health; this is only possible if you practice Tai Chi Chuan with the right intent. Tai Chi Chuan applications are no different than those of other martial arts. What separates Tai Chi from other martial arts is the intense detail given to posture, energy and the motion of the form. We teach every student with this in mind.

You don’t have to be a fighter to be a Tai Chi Chuan practitioner. The movements however, are best understood when the original martial arts applications are realized. Everything is taught in a slow controlled environment.

The form was the result of an effort by the Chinese Sports Committee, which, in 1956, brought together four Taiji teachers – Chu Guiting, Cai Longyun, Fu Zhongwen, and Zhang Yu – to create a simplified form of Taiji as exercise for the masses. The creators truncated the traditional family style Taiji forms to 24 postures; taking about six minutes to perform and to give the beginner an introduction to the essential elements of Taijiquan, yet retain the traditional flavor of traditional longer hand forms (in general, 88-108 postures). Henceforth, this form was avidly promoted by the People’s Republic of China for general exercise, and was also taught to internees in Communist “re-education” camps. Due to this official promotion, the 24-form is most likely the Taiji form with the most practitioners in China and the world over (though no surveys have been performed).