Tai Chi Yang Style Short or Long Form?

Q: Glory Asks: I have started taking a Yang short form Tai Chi class because that was what the recommended teacher in town was teaching and I wanted to start learning Tai Chi. I have only gone twice so far. I like it. The same teacher is starting a Yang long form class in the near future. He thought it would be really confusing to take both at once. I think this is probably true. Could you please tell me which would be better to do, the short form or the long form ~ and maybe why if you have the time.

Last but not least, I wanted to tell you something else about Journey to the Primal Sea. I really liked it how you started out “Relax your xxx – that track – I thought it was very effective how you had just your words first and then after a bit the music started, rather than starting with music. The music was this little treat that kind of snuck in after you started relaxing. I enjoyed that effect.

A: Thank you for your kind words. As to your question, I would have to say that there is quite a bit of controversy among Taiji “experts” as to whether the short form or the long form is better.

Yang Style Short Form

The short form is an abbreviated form taking about 10 minutes to perform that has become quite popular in our attention deficit oriented culture. It is said to contain 37 unique postures or forms, though this depends on how you count them. The form is a relatively recent (1946) version of the Yang style invented by Cheng Man-ch’ing AKA Zheng Manqing who was born in Zhejiang Province. Cheng was often referred to as the “Master of Five Excellences” because of his skills in Chinese medicine, tai chi chuan, calligraphy, painting and poetry. In 1964, Cheng moved to the U.S., where he taught at the New York T’ai Chi Association.

I studied briefly one summer in the 70’s at the New York School and enjoyed the form, but their teaching method did not resonate with me. They seemed very fussy with new students, making you stand for extended periods of time in static positions while they did “corrections.” These corrections were often things like moving your hand a half an inch. While one could readily access the anality of this method, flow was virtually absent from this practice. And if there ain’t much flow, ya got clogged Tao! I would feel fatigued and vaguely annoyed after an evening at this school.

One of the teachings I did appreciate from Cheng Man-Ch’ing was his famous statement to his students that one should “Invest in Loss.” There are layers of potential meaning to this assertion. The general Taoist principle is that Yin overcomes Yang, that there is power through yielding, and strength through softness. In both Taijiquan and the philosophy of the I Ching (Yi Jing), this simple statement has a multitude of subtleties. In its martial aspect, this is often taken to refer to the ability of the practitioner to become yin. To be receptive and to withdraw. This is the Taoist (Daoist) philosophy of ‘Wu Wei’, non action overcoming action.” The literal meaning of Wu Wei is “without action” or “non-doing.”

The Sage is occupied with the unspoken

and acts without effort.

Teaching without verbosity,

producing without possessing,

creating without regard to result,

claiming nothing,

the Sage has nothing to lose.

– Lao Tzu (Laosi, Lao Tse, Laotze, Lao Zi, Laocius) Tao Te Ching, Chapter 2

Wu Wei (woo way) is a state of perfect equilibrium and alignment with the Tao and results in an irresistible “soft and invisible” power. In a more humorous vein, Benjamin Hoff’s The Tao of Pooh implies “Wei” means monkey/claw, therefore “Wu Wei” means “No Monkeying

Around”. Wu Wei is also the central principle of the Church of the Subgenius and is referred to as “Slack” (See chapter 5 of the Book of the Subgenius.)

Chen Man-Ching’s statement about loss also often reminds me that there are no mistakes - only learning opportunities. We may “fail” many times while learning to succeed.

Dancemaster Chungliang Al Huang
At the other end of the T’ai Chi spectrum from the New York School, is Al Huang. When I studied with Master Huang, there was very little emphasis on the details of the form. Chungliang seemed to be interested in giving his new students an experience of the flow of Tai Ji, so he didn’t do corrections, which can obviously interrupt the flow. Some martial artists say that Huang is more of a dancer and artist than a T’ai Chi/Qigong

teacher, but he does have a gift in giving rank beginners an authentic experience of this Taoist art.

“I use my body as a link to the sky.

I funnel the sky chi into my body.

I then dig down and connect to the earth chi

like the grass and the trees.

Even though we are small and finite,

we can tune in and connect to this eternal expansive chi.”

–Chungliang Al Huang

Yang Style Long Form

The form that I teach is the Yang School Long Form, one of the most recognizable forms worldwide, which I studied with Yung-ko Chou in the mid 70’s. This is the “Full Monty,” no shortcuts, all of the postures and principles. There are 84 forms or postures organized into three main sections. There are thirty-some independent forms (depending on how you count them) so there is repetition of forms to bring the number up to 84. I think the repetition is important so that one has more than one “crack” at the performance of the postures during each “Playing the T’ai Chi” practice session. It tends to open the body and “burn in” the benefit of each posture a bit more.

Professor Chou’s style of teaching was a combination of holding the static positions so students could copy his model, and continuous movement for an experience of flow. Later he would do corrections, which are important, but he did not “beat up” new students with excessive fussiness over the details. This “middle path” approach gives students both a feeling of the precision of T’ai Chi Chuan, while also preserving the experience of being in flow. My personal style of teaching, though slightly different, mimics Professor Chou’s in this regard. I believe that students should have an experience of the flowing nature of this Daoist practice while also learning the details so they can have a standardized, repeatable form to practice with on their own. © 2009 Keith Hall. All right reserved.

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Tags: Al Huang, Chen Man Ch'ing, Dao, Keith Hall, Qigong, Tai Chi, Taiji, Tao, Wu Wei, yung-ko chou

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