Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

Does the Yang family do any type of fighting applications anymore?

Or is it just forms and push-hands?

Do they teach any type of strikes, chin-na (grappling), etc?

Thanks!

I have never studied in Redmond, WA, more's the pity, so cannot speak to the actual studio there.
What I can tell you is the answer to your question: "Does the Yang family do any type of fighting applications anymore?"
Yes.
However, the important question to ask yourself is not "Does the Yang family do any type of fighting applications anymore?". Without question the proper question to ask yourself is: "Would I be able to learn the fighting applictions from the Yang Cheng Fu Center in Redmond, WA?".
I can answer that question for you as well, without the benefit of ever having the pleasure of attending the school.
Yes.
Now, I have a question for you.
Will you?
Because to do so will require you to apply yourself to the training diligently, for many years to come.
You will be required to put in the time and effort required to master the skills of the forms and push hands training before you would even be ready to understand the "fighting applications" of the art of Yang family TCC.
If you think that somehow you are going to absorb these teachings by osmosis, then you have another think coming.
It takes three years before a good teacher even knows whether he is going to teach you the "fighting applications" or not. In that time you will be required to show that you are a person worthy of learning these things.
I will not bore you with the long list of these requirements that you must demonstrate, if you are familiar with this website than you have found the yangfamilytaichi home page and can find them for yourself.
I would recommend you to go there, read the requirements for attaining the level of training you are inquiring about, then take yourself off someplace and search your soul for the answer of whether you are willing, or able, to meet those requirements.

As in all things in this life, it will be entirely up to you.
Good luck.

Well, the thing is, people have said that most of the taiji teachers in the U.S. do not have a high level of skill and do not teach applications.

In fact, calling around the Seattle area, most of the taiji teachers laughed at me when I said fighting (most people don't think taiji is about fighting).

So how do you tell who is a real instructor from a hack? If you spend 3 years with an instructor that's a long time to wait to find out that he's a hack.

From what Erle Montaigue is saying about taiji, that basically waiting that long is bogus anyway.

Anyways, thanks for the comments those that made those comments about the two taiji people in the other thread.

[This message has been edited by wushunut (edited 06-30-2004).]

No disrespect to Erle Montaigue, but three years is what my Sifu asked of me, and that's what his Sifu asked of him. I do not know the person Erle M. except by reputation. However, if this is what he has espoused, and you believe it, then I recommend you seek out this Erle M. person and train TCC with him or one of his disciples if he has any.
The only advice I will give you at this point is:
Be careful who you listen to in TCC, not everyone who has written a book or espouses more modern approaches to TCC training knows of what they speak. There are families, like the Yang family, who have been training students in TCC for generations, six now actually. When someone who has been raised in that tradition, and is THE lineage holder for his families art, gives me TCC lessons or advice, that I will listen to. Someone who does not have that kind of background and experience to draw on....
Sorry, not going to put much stock in his lessons or advice.
Good luck to you.

Even if a teacher claimed to have both taijiquan fighting skills, and willingness to teach them, how would you verify it? Unless you are a decent fighter yourself, you won't be able to evaluate them.

A good way to evaluate the suitability of a teacher is simply to ask them questions. Are their answers too simple, too complicated, irrelevant or obtuse? Do they betray a lack of introspection or experience? Are they flat-out wrong? Don't wait three years; start on your first day!