What are the characteristics of Yang Style Taijiquan?

About the characteristics of Yang-style Taijiquan, there are important discussions in the writings of Yang Zhenduo and Yang Zhenji, the teachers of Yang-style family heirs. The author's ancestor, Mr. Zhao Bin, the fourth generation of Yang-style Taijiquan, in the fourth chapter of the book "Yang-style Taijiquan Authenticity", "Taijiquan Q&A 100", also talked about the characteristics of Yang-style Taijiquan, which is summed up in seven sentences: "soft and slow, clear distinction between reality and emptiness, roundedness and consistency, uniform speed, up and down, mental concentration, and the speed is even. Up and down follow each other, mental concentration, and natural breathing". The style of his fist frame is "generous and spacious, with a strict structure, a neutral stance, smooth movements, and a light and calm demeanor". Mr. Cui Yishi, another disciple of Yang Chengfu, has also discussed the characteristics of Yang Style Taijiquan: "generous and spacious, even and gentle, light and calm, structurally rigorous, thick and dignified". Some of the above characteristics are **** of all major schools, and Yang-style Taijiquan shows them more obviously; some are unique to Yang-style Taijiquan. When Mr. Zhao Bin was teaching his students in his later years, he gave some important views on the characteristics of Yang-style Taijiquan, and I had listened to his sincere teachings in this regard. I have listened to the teachings of my teacher in this regard. Now, combining my own practice for thirty years, I try to explain the characteristics of Yang-style Taijiquan from the following ten aspects.

One, the body is neutral and comfortable. All schools and disciplines of Taijiquan attach great importance to the body method. As early as in the 1930s, Mr. Yang Chengfu put forward "Taijiquan said ten things" is mainly the body requirements. However, the characteristic of "standing upright and comfortable" is the most prominent in Yang-style Taijiquan. It includes two aspects. First, when practicing the body should be correct, most of the movements should make the upper, middle and lower three acupoints (i.e. Hundred Meetings Points, Huiyin Points and Yongquan Points) basically be able to keep the upper and lower vertical, neutral and unbiased, forming a vertical line of gravity, and the body should not be swooped forward and backward. Secondly, the coccyx should be maintained in the center, from the large vertebrae points to the coccyx area (Changqiang points) to maintain the relaxation of the spine vertically, the formation of the upper and lower pull pull long, and the coccyx should be like a rudder to guide the direction of the ship. In the case of physical and mental relaxation, to do the above two aspects can reflect the characteristics of the body upright and peaceful and comfortable. This characteristic of Yang style has been taught by many famous artists. Mr. Wang Yongquan, a foot soldier of Yang Chengfu, imaginatively compared the human body to an ancient clock, with the clock tip as the neck, the top of the clock as the shoulder circle, the body of the clock as the waist circle, the mouth of the clock as the crotch circle, the central vertical line as the clock rope, and the clock hammer tied to the lower end of the central vertical line, i.e., the so-called five points of the bronze clock, which emphasizes very much on the neutral character of the standing body. Mr. Li Disheng, a famous Yang-style Taijiquan master, hangs a couplet in his living room, the first line of which is "the upright body method of the spine up", also emphasizes that the body method is upright and comfortable.

Second, the fist frame is generous. The unique style of Yang Style Taijiquan is to carry out generosity in the fist frame, and it is believed that only carrying out a big square can help to pull the limbs up and down, left and right, and then pull them up and down, and to carry out generosity in the fist frame requires that the body should be relaxed internally and externally, and that the movements of the hands and feet should be put into place. The typical posture of up and down pulling and pulling long is "White Crane Shining Wings", and the left and right pulling and pulling long is the exhibition of generosity. Measurement of the fist frame action is in place, whether to carry out a generous is an important criterion.

Thirdly, the movements are soft and slow. This is one of the most prominent features of Yang-style Taijiquan, and it is also the main reason why Yang-style Taijiquan is famous at home and abroad. Yang Luchan went to Chenjiagou in Henan Province to learn boxing from Chen Changxing for several years, and then formed his own school. Yang Style Taijiquan does not have any obvious forceful movements like Chen Style Taijiquan's bouncing, jumping, and foot shaking, and it has formed its own unique style of big pine and big softness. This is a unique way of practicing to increase the power from pine to softness, and to make softness into rigidity, and it is also a suitable method for the old and the young to strengthen their bodies and keep fit. It is said that when Yang Chengfu taught his students, he emphasized the word "pine" the most. He often said, "Pine, pine, pine, I don't tell you, three lifetimes can't learn." He could watch his disciples practicing for half a day without saying a word, but sometimes he would say the word "loose" dozens of times. This kind of big pine, big soft, sheep in the needle style of boxing, also in line with the Chinese Taoism ancestor Laozi soft than strong, the philosophical idea of doing nothing to rule.

Fourth, the speed of work is even. Some Taijiquan schools emphasize fast and slow, and the power is fierce, while Yang-style Taijiquan emphasizes slow and soft, and especially emphasizes that the speed should be even, and it is taboo to move fast and slow, and the frame is high and low. Uniform speed includes the whole routine from the starting position to the closing position, also includes the speed of running and cooperating with the hands and feet of the single movement, and also includes the natural coordination of the transition between the last movement and the next one. A set of eighty-five traditional routines to play down about 22 minutes, under the plate of good kung fu can play to 40 minutes to an hour, and the speed of the start of the speed of the entire fist frame sets of speed, all sets of speed is always the same, "stride like a cat line, transport strength such as the silk", the requirements of the action changeover, Xu Xu inverted center of gravity, light rise and light fall, the point of starting point, the next transition natural and coordinated. The requirement of changing movements, reversing the center of gravity slowly, rising and falling lightly, starting and falling at the same speed, instead of advocating "fast and slow", and the even speed of walking the frame are the unique features of Yang Style Taijiquan. Although individual movements can be done a little faster, on the whole it is like flowing water with even speed. Even the movements such as turning and double swinging lotus and turning and left stomping foot still emphasize the even speed.

Fifth, the stances are clear. Yang Chengfu in the article "Taijiquan said ten points", the beginning of the proposed Taijiquan art to split the real and virtual as the first key point, to split the real and virtual to the first position, it can be seen that split the real and virtual for the practice of Yang style Taijiquan is important. Yang style 85 style Taijiquan from beginning to end, each move and each style are all required to realize the separation of reality and emptiness, and the vast majority of actions are a leg to bear most of the weight, when the weight of the whole body sits on the right leg, then the right leg is real and the left leg is empty, when the whole body sits on the left leg, then the left leg is real and the right leg is empty, and the actions of the two legs to bear the weight on an average basis are very few. Except for a short horse stance in the transition movements of the starting posture, the cloud hand and the right tiger striking posture to turn back to the body with the right stomping foot, the rest of the movements are almost all one leg virtual and one leg real. Moreover, the mutual conversion of emptiness and reality in Yang Style Taijiquan is a gradual transfer from half-void and half-reality, half-reality and half-virtuality to full-void and full-reality and full-virtuality. For example, when the foot steps on the ground, the heel lands first, the palm of the foot and the fingers of the foot land in turn, and finally all of them step on the ground; when the foot steps back, the toe lands first, the palm of the foot and the heel of the foot land in turn, and finally all of the feet step on the ground, just like the yin and yang fish in the Taijiquan diagram, which is the same as the case of mutual growth and development, and this kind of clear distinction between real and unreal is a feature of the boxing frame, which is very prominent in the whole set of Yang Style Taijiquan.