Tai Chi Styles: Yang, Chen, Sun, Wu and Short Forms

Why styles have family names

Tai chi styles are named after the Chinese families who originated them. [1] Harvard Health notes that names like Yang, Wu and Cheng are given to branches of tai chi in honor of people who devised sets of movements called forms. [2] Some programs stress the martial arts side and others healing and stress reduction. [2] For the practice as a whole see Tai Chi: History, What a Class Involves and What Research Shows.

The five family styles

The descriptions below come from an encyclopedia summary and from a history written by a tai chi teacher whose organization runs tai chi programs. Both are secondary or practitioner sources, and they differ on some dates. They describe how each style is usually characterized, not tested differences in health effects.

Two different Chinese names are both spelled "Wu" in English, which is why sources distinguish Wu (Hao) from Wu. [3] The sources read say the Wu (Hao), Wu and Sun styles trace their lineage through Yang Luchan back to Chen Village. [1] The practitioner history says the real origins of tai chi are obscure. [3]

Short forms and the 24-posture form

A form is a set of movements. Short forms may have a dozen or fewer movements and long forms hundreds. [2] In 1956 the Chinese Sports Committee brought tai chi masters together to create a shortened form for the health of the general public, because the long traditional forms were considered too difficult for most people to learn. The result was the 24-posture simplified form, developed from the traditional Yang-style long form. [1] Other shortened and combined forms followed, and the same summary lists several. [1] Harvard Health suggests that a short form with smaller, slower movements is usually recommended at the start, especially for older people or those not in good condition. [2]

Does one style work better for health?

Proper evidence not found. I read NCCIH's tai chi fact sheet, Harvard Health's tai chi article and two overviews of tai chi reviews; none compared styles head to head or reported separate benefits by style. [4][2][5][6] Teachers sometimes say one style suits a group of people, for example that Sun style suits people with arthritis or Chen style suits younger people, but those are the author's views and were not tested in the sources read. [3] Harvard Health's practical advice is that the name is less important than finding an approach that matches your interests and needs. [2]

Choosing a class

In the United States tai chi instructors do not have to be licensed, and there is no national certification standard. [4] Ask which style and form the class teaches, how long the teacher has taught, and whether you can watch a class first. [2] If you have a limiting musculoskeletal problem or medical condition, or take medicines that can cause dizziness, check with your medical care team first. [2]

Related pages

See Tai Chi for Beginners: What a First Class Involves, Tai Chi vs Qigong, Qigong and the overview Yoga & Movement.