Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

have you guys seen this yet? From YOUTUBE.COM...

Yang Shou Zhong performing the entire long form!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tUzXFLZH6o




[This message has been edited by yielding (edited 09-23-2006).]

This form is no different from Chengfu's form. It's the same. I also noticed that the Yang forms from that era are faster than today's 'slow' performances!

I find the exaggerated forward leaning to be of interest. This appears to go against what most people say today about how to perform Yang tai chi. This is not staight back like a puppet tai chi, this is something else??

Thanks for the link! I am in the process of downloading it over a slow dial up connection but it appears to be genuine. This is certainly one of those 'grail' items of Yang Style taiji and I will be looking at it very carefully.

this is downloadable to your hard drive by using a tool. then you need a flash video player - .flv extention

I already made a DivX version for my collection! )))))))))))))

To do so you must use 1) VDownloader or 2) download it ( http://javimoya.com/blog/youtube_en.php ) and then convert it to DivX (with Total Video Converter ot other tool).

The intro mentions that it was done in Minguo 65 (1976), when Yang Shouzhong was 70, and shot by his daughter. Much of interest in here. Although overall it looks pretty much like the form shown by Yang Zhenduo, there are some subtle differences. One thing that really puzzles me are the 'small' movements, such as the left hand movement at end of danbian. Fu Zhongwen was known to say that Yang style has no 'small' movements, which is another way of stating 'when one part moves, all parts move'. In the film Yang Shouzhong's hand seems to move by itself after the rest of the body has stopped. In certain moves he seems to lean over a bit more than I am used to, but this is probably accentuated by the slight curvature in his upper back. He does white crane rather like Fu Zhongwen, with the right hand lower and more to the right, and there is what appears to be another 'small' move where he brings the hand forward after the rest of the body has stopped. In Step forward and grasp bird's tail, he first wards off left, like Yang Zhenduo (but almost no other teacher I've ever seen). For right and left strike tiger he uses the earlier version of the footwork, which Yang Zhenduo acknowledges changing to match footwork in the saber form. In the kicks, which he does at some speed, he gets his hands there before the foot, earlier than Yang Zhenduo. Court once mentioned that Yang Zhenji also makes a point of getting the hands there first.

Yang Shouzhong looks powerful in this clip and his legs look very strong. His arms and shoulders do not, on the surface anyway, look as well sunk as Yang Zhenduo, to me at least.

[This message has been edited by JerryKarin (edited 09-23-2006).]

The form execution is typical of Yang Sau Chung.
This video together with the videos of Fu Zhong Wen and Dong Ying Jie is an inestimable treasure for all Yang style Taijiquan practicioners!
This videos represents the standards of Yang TJQ.

I have read that this film was made for the dept of education and somehow made it into Taiwan.

Yes there are a bunch of differences, most likely because his tai chi was known to be of more martial flavor than a lot of todays variety. All of YCF's sons are great, but YSZ had the most instruction time with YCF.

Hey, the video is down! If anyone knows where else it could be found, please post the URL--thanks!

Missed it too. Nuts. If anyone can get me a copy of this, I'd be greatful.

Greetings,

My slow dial-up prevented me from viewing more than just the first section. It's not very good resolution, but it was great to see Yang Shouzhong in action, and clearly vibrant at an advanced age.

Thank you Jerry for your synoptical remarks.

--Louis

Ok, another guy from the EF forum posted it back up there. You can see it here..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb1rYHvgVFU

I don't know if anyone holds the rights to this or if the objection registered on EF amounts to anything other than someone's proprietary attitude toward a treasured film, but I think it's great that it is being made available to the general public. This is a real treasure in traditional Yang style documentation and I recommend watching it if you can. He really looks great, esp when you consider his age at the time it was shot.

Wow, fascinating stuff. I'm intrigued by the kick right after twin peaks box ears--it looks like a variation on the lotus sweeping kick, and distinctly different from the way I've learned the Yang long form. It's interesting to see this alternate version. Also, the turn after step back to ride the tiger was different--more of a stomp perhaps than a sweep (with the possibility for either clear) but it definitely looked like more strain on the knee joint than the modern version that involves twisting on both feet prior to sweeping/hooking with the left foot.

Thanks for posting the link Yielding.

Kal