Learn the Real Old Yang Lu-Ch’an Style of T’ai-chi Chüan. I teach this dynamic Taijiquan Form in each Taiji class, from now on. We’ll dig through it motion by motion, little by exact little. Fa-Jing bits lurk inside the form. At first, I’ll show where they are, and we’ll mock them slowly. Later, you’ll build it up to PAH!
I reluctantly shift away from Chen Fu’s form. I worked on it for years, inside and outside, and I’ve grown immensely by doing it. I taught it for years too, so some folks at RealTaiji know this form and demonstrate it very well.
But it’s time for change. It’s time to share the dynamic, the fantastic, the balanced and thorough Yang Lu Chen Taijiquan Form.
Pre-emptive Learning of Old Yang Style
Enhance the time you spend in RealTaiji classes and workshops, by learning this form right now. The Erle Montaigue videos that follow will give you the basics (pretty darn sophisticated basics) right now, right here. Follow the videos to learn the whole first third. Our work together can therefore be more thorough.
Then get the books on this Old Yang Style, in four volumes. Download the Mootague music CD and you will receive each volume of the Old Yang Style Books for free, or purchase each volume at LuLu.com
- Tai Chi: The Old Style Of Yang Lu-ch’an Volume 1
- Tai Chi: The Old Style Of Yang Lu-ch’an Volume 2
- Tai Chi: The Old Style Of Yang Lu-ch’an Volume 3
- Tai Chi: The Old Style Of Yang Lu-ch’an Volume 4
Learn the Style of Yang the Invincible—Right Now
Old Yang Style Tai Chi: Learn for Free with Erle Montaigue, Part 1
Old Yang Style Tai Chi: Learn for Free with Erle Montaigue, Part 2
Old Yang Style Tai Chi: Learn for Free with Erle Montaigue, Part 3
Old Yang Style Tai Chi: Learn for Free with Erle Montaigue, Part 4
Aaron W. Johnson
October 10th, 2008 at 1:52 am
Greetings Everyone,
Thank you, Steven, for providing Erle’s four part instructional series on the first 1/3 of the Yang Lu Ch’an Form. As always, Erle Montaigue’s attention to directive detail and all other elements appertaining is tremendously intricate while simultaneously easy to follow. I could say a good deal about the sections of the video, which I will do at a later time, but, at present, I’d like to share some of my thoughts on the form itself.
Whoah; this form is really, really, REALLY intense. Like one of the other pieces we look at via Taiji’s Sister, I have to completely “let my guts hang out” when I go through certain parts of this baby, specifically the fa jing releases and returns to “gentle” fluidity. It’s unpleasant for me to say this, but I’m going to anyway because I want to get it off my chest: I’ve respected Taiji Quan all along, but haven’t bveen utterly and entirely sold on it to the degree of my adoration for Ba Gua Zhang; I’ve treated it more in my mind as a good supplement to Pa Kua in my personal time, and that’s been the extent of it, for I have put a lot of energy into Ba Gua on my own over the last several months, “threading” it only with Taiji, Qi Gung, and some other related endeavors.
Well, things have changed - dramatically. I find this form to be the very heart and soul of what REAL Taiji Quan is, and was meant to be, in both of it’s indispensible components: the health/medical side (yin) and the martial side (yang). I’m tremendously grateful that Steven had us learn the Yang Chen Fu Form first before unloading this baby on us. The Chen Fu Form is itself enough for me to work on for years, but, hey, the Lu Ch-an Form is straight bad and I think we’re all ready to give it its do and proper. I LOVE this form like mad and I thank Steven and Eli for bringing it with them. I hope to have it down within the next decade.
Aaron
Anonymous Ad Guy
October 10th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Stephen,
This is a fascinating site you have. I wish you all the best with your Tai-Chi practice, and the new direction you’ve decided to take it.
Practice with passion and truth, and others will surely follow.
-AAG
Jason Socci
October 11th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Aaron,
Have you seen the form in its entirety yet? If not, as you might have guessed, there’s plenty more of intensity and beauty to come. For me, the apex, and my favorite part of the form, is in the 3rd third and is called Sleeves Dancing Like Plum Blossums. Actually, that’s just one posture in the middle of 4 or 5 that constitutes a bigger section that I enjoy the most, but I didn’t want to list the names of all of them.
I’m also glad to have learned the Chen Fu form first. It made the tedious process of simply memorizing the Lu chu’an form much easier. Also, the Chen Fu form, along with other drills we’ve done in class, helped prepare me for the explosiveness of the Lu Chu’an form as well as further deepening my flow of movements and the tasting of intricate subleties.
When I started my journey into learning the Lu Chu’an form with Steven, physically, I saw it as a challenge, because some of the movements pushed my body to “open” up and unwind. Flexibility and ranges of motion were needed that I am still developing in and out of the form. The Lu Chu’an form certainly demands a more dynamic movement palette than the Chen Fu form with its emphasis (relative to the Chen Fu) on the physical yang aspects of the practice while providing plenty of moments of flowing stillness. Simply put, I like the balance.
-Jason
Aaron W. Johnson
October 12th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Jason,
I have experienced the form in its entirety once; Steven took us through it on Monday, October 6, 2008; it was AWESOME and also overwhelming.
Aaron
Ben Weiss
October 18th, 2008 at 12:16 am
This form is utterly fantastic. Taiji is something that blows me away. From the moment I started studying I have been awe struck at how ridiculously beneficial for you taiji is. This one art is not only the deadliest art there is, but every movement is designed to benefit your body in multiple ways. After having learned the Chen Fu form I thought that was it. That’s as good as it gets. It can’t get better than this. Just can’t. You could spend all day every day for every day that you ever experience practicing that form and die still wanting to know more. But now I have this form. Which is even more ridiculously good for you, has more martial applications, and strengthens and loosens your body even more. It’s too cool.
Thank you for making it possible to train in such things.
Steven
October 20th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Anonymous Ad Guy, I hope you’ll be back. Your site is interesting: show your face. Who ever could you be?
Aaron, I’m glad you like it. This is the foundation for bigger adventures in combat and healing. Lu-Ch’an will set the stage for fa-jing development better than anything, even better than Large San Sau. Large San Sau requires some knowledge of fa-jing to get going.
Jason, I love that part too. As I dig through it slowly and share it at each class, the whole thing grows richer. Even step-forward-parry-punch carries more subtleties than Yang Chen Fu….and delight.
Ben, Yeah it’s ridiculously good for health. The best part about these forms is that they’re spiral-ific; as we learn them, we get to learn them in richer and deeper ways, so it gets even better for us. Woo-hoo!