19/11/2025
Essential Practices
Often fundamentals are referred to as basics and students erroneously make the assumption they are just for beginner's. Possibly calling them Essential practices would be more accurate.
The objective is to continue to refine Essentials through study and practice. If we abandon them, thinking that they are permanently attained, they will simply atrophy due to our neglect.
Stepping and stance work is a cornerstone practice of all martial artists. Yang Jun Laoshi teaches a very short effective drill that helps to memorize the requirements of each stance and clarifies the stepping method that creates each stance.
Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan is mainly comprised of 5 Steps:
Horse
Bow & Arrow
Empty & Full
Twisted
Hanging
As far as martial art styles go, Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan was intentionally created by the founder to be streamlined without embellishments to be practical. It adheres to the old saying: "Don't fear the fighter who know 10,000 techniques, but fear the fighter who has practiced a single technique 10,000 times". Clearly having less, we can focus more attention on each one to make them more.
Image: Photos of Yang Chengfu Laoshi.
Notice the simplicity of the footwork.
