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This is my first post on the Kung Fu Magazine forums, so first I'll say, "Hi".
I live in Toronto Canada, and I'm thinking about joining a Wu Style Tai Chi school located downtown.
I see lots of info about Yang and Chen styles, but little about Wu. I understand its basically Chen style with some modified stances. Is that right or wrong? Anyone have more info, or would anyone be willing to counsel me a little?
Thanks much,
Shawn
Shawn,
Welcome.
If it is the school I am thinking of, you have found one of the best. I believe they are the senior most Wu players in North America. I tried to visit a couple of years ago on a quick trip to Toronto, but they were closed (EVERY **** thing is closed on Sunday in Toronto!!!!).
My first Mantis teacher touched hands with these guys before, and he was left in awe by the teachers (sorry can't remember names right now) ability to manhandle him. He said he has seen very few people before, and since that had the abilities the Wu family had up there.
This all being said, go check them out and go with your gut instinct!
As for more details about Wu....many other much more qualified to answer that! I do know this, it is one of the most brutally effective Taiji styles I have seen. I like is better than Chen or Yang, but still prefer Sun. Sun and Wu are very similar though.
Cheers
Jake
Thanks. Thats re-assuring. I had planned a visit as you suggest - I'm still waiting for a reply to my email inquiry.
I'll post some follow up info after meeting with them.
Incidentally, can anyone suggest the proper etiquette when visiting a Tai Chi school? Is there accepted etiquette? Do I just be polite and quiet?
shawn:D
I like Wu style, too. Even though I was taught Chen.
Wu style came from Yang Lu Chan.
Since the clothing is restrictingly long silk sleeve in the Imperial palace, Wu moves are more elegant and refined or small.
Wu Jian Quan was a Manchurian royalty later adopted Han Chinese name.
Yang taught the small frames of Yang style to the royalties. Some said Yang was withholding some info for Han Chinese.
Anyway, I enjoyed the Wu style and Wu Shi Tai Ji Jian (swordplay).
Best of luck.
Be polite and sincere.
And have fun.
:cool:
I think of all the taiji styles Wu, would be hardest to learn. Circles are very small and tight. Looks like it would require a very high degree of expertise to use. Not an easy to style to start out in I would think.
Thanks for the info. I'm getting more excited to start training Wu. As for it being a tough style, thats actually very encouraging. I was afraid maybe it was a "Junior" Tai Chi style, but sounds like its the real deal. I've been training for about 12 years (off and on in different style), but this will be the first, pure Chinese internal style (other than Qigung, but thats a different topic). I'm getting really anxious to start.
shawn
Hi Shawn,
Rather than go into a lengthy discourse on the history and properties of Wu style taijiquan, let me steer you to our website:
www.northernwu.com
Let me know any questions you might have afterward.
Regards,
Larry
If Dave Dolbear is teaching, you can bet it will be very good.
Dave won't remember me but one summer, at Jou Tsung Hwa's Tai Chi Farm, he taught the Pao Chui form. Excellent teacher, still have him on tape and boy do I wish I had taken some of the Wu style he teaches.
Please say "hello" to Dave from me.
Good man!
Hi RAF,
Dave Dolbear is indeed our teacher. I've been training Northern Wu style taiji with him for about 6 years. We had Dave's primary Wu style teacher from Beijing, Liu Chang Jiang, with us here in Syracuse all summer. Quite an experience!
Larry
Wu Style is definetly more complex then say branches like YCF Yang.
Nothing against this branch just MHO.
That's a great school your looking into, alot of history and material.
In regards to Wu from chen. While Wu came from YLC's tai chi. Modern research has the material that YLC learned coming from the Jiang Fa material which is commonly known today as Zhao Bao Tai Chi.
Just one look at this style and it all makes sense.
Everyone wants a piece of the action! Thar's gold in them thar hills!LOL
Larry you are quite lucky.
Train well and have a good New Year!
Here's a link to the school in Toronto.
http://www.wustyle.com
I'll report back after visiting with them. Thanks for all the feedback.
shawn
Wu style is primarily based on the teachings of quan yao (wu). And this comes from his training from Yang Lu Chan and Yang Ban Hao
but not to miss his MA training he had previously. Remember he was a body guard, etc.
A look at the Wu Fast Form (i call it the combat set) being taught from ma Yu Liang's group contains alot of the elements found in Modern Chen Style.
And from what I hear it looks very similar to some of the yang Ban hao material as well.
Yang Lu Chan is known to have had more than 1 hand form in his curriculum. Many Yang lineages keep them alive but only for disciples/etc. This is documented by disciples of yang cheng fu.
Modern Chen is just that. We have only 1/2 the story of what was being taught in the chen village over the more than 300 years. Whats being taught today is mateiral that has been compiled from atleast 5 sources.
Have heard of your teacher, postive things. Just talking about how good he is doesn't do it. The skill of his students will be the tell tale sign in the end.
There's a Wu Master out here in California.
http://www.wustyletaichi.com/
interesting.
I wonder if there's a lineage chart on the web which shows the major branches of the Wu style taij quan.
Relatives of teachers tend to get more publicity then their other students. But this wasn't so in the 80's when Wang Pei Sheng was chosen to do the representative book on Wu instead of Ma.
Northern Wu is not as exposed in the west as the southern wu is. Actually alot of the early Wu in the states comes from the HK style of Wu Kong Yi and not his father.
Question: Do you know what Wang Mao Zhai's previous training was before studying with Quan You?
I started training at the Wu school tonight, and its awesome - I'm so pumped (and sore as hell) and eager to learn the whole 108 Wu form.
Side note: Admitedly, I suck at history, but it was announced tonight in my class that Master Eddie Wu (our Sifu - see link below) is now the leader of the Wu system, as well as the acting leader of the Wu federation. He's in China(?) now for the funeral of his elder in the art (passed away over the weekend I believe), leaving him on top. They announced a few modifications to the training that will begin to be implemented immediately. The modifications, as I understood them, are actually a return to a more traditional way of practicing Wu. Mainly rounding the corners of the "square form" and increasing the intensity of the training.
Pardon my half-baked facts (I don't mean to sound disrespectful to the Wu family and disciples), but I literally JUST started in the Wu school. Names, dates and such I can't articulate, but thats the basic story.
shawn
http://www.wustyle.com/en/db/academy.php?aid=1
Congrats on finally starting. Hope your training is fruitful.
on the side note I think the actual fact is that Sifu Eddie Wu is now the head of the Wu Jia Tai Ji Quan (wu family tai chi).
Probably since all the senior family members are now deceased or no longer teach.
There is no "1" person who is the "grandmaster/head" of Wu Style of Tai Chi. Its been in the main stream too long and the lineages are so divergent.
Even the method in which Tai Chi was done in the Wu Family was different. HK vs mainland, etc.
anyhow not a big thing. Sifu Eddie Wu is very knowledgable individual so you will be learning alot by being in his school.
happy training.
Sifu Eddie Wu's uncle, the one who recently passed, was Wu Ta-hsin (Wu Daxin …Ç´óÐÂ, 1933-2005). He was the son of Wu Kung-tsao (Wu Kung Cho or Wu Gongzao …ǹ«Ôå, 1903-1983), who was the 2nd son of Wu Chien-ch'uan (Wu Jianquan, …ÇèaȪ, 1870-1942). Wu Ta-hsin was an expert martial artist, known as a specialist in weapons training as well as barehand technique. As the oldest living family member actually named Wu (…Ç), he was considered the highest ranking instructor of the Wu family system. That position has now been handed on to Sifu Eddie Wu. The other family branches not directly taught by Sifu Eddie Wu (Shanghai, Singapore, Malaysia) show respect to that position.
The Wu family T'ai Chi schools are no nonsense martial art academies and have been since Wu Ch'uan-yu (Wu Quanyou, …ÇÈ«ÓÓ, 1834-1902) was given permission to teach his own disciples (some of those disciples are where the "Northern Wu" lineage comes from) by the Yang family in 1870. The family has worked closely over the years since then with both the Yang family and Sun family teachers to teach and maintain the standards of traditional T'ai Chi in China and now around the world. The passing of Wu Ta-hsin is a great loss, he was a living link to a previous generation that trained and taught T'ai Chi Ch'uan 24/7.
Thanks for completing the story, "Scholar". I made a complete mess of it.
Interesting side note: a forum I used to post on (about Temple Kung Fu, and all the contraversy related) had a few discussion threads during which Tai Chi was discussed as a style. It amazes me still, to this day, that some martial artsists (term loosely applied) actually consider Tai Chi "sissy Kung Fu", or some form of geriatriic recreation with no martial value. I can barely keep a straight face any more when someone says that.
You didn't make a mess of it. Since I'm not Chinese, it took me 20 years of research into T'ai Chi (and being yelled at by Sifu Eddie when I'd get it wrong) to learn all the formalities associated with the ranking system, and I'm still not 100% I've got it right.
To be fair, most T'ai Chi taught today is garbage, unfortunately, compared to what was being taught even 50 years ago. We are both lucky to have stumbled into one of the best regarded schools in the world.
Cheers.
Hello,
I'm not sure if he is teaching but I know a person in Toronto who trained with Li Ding sifu in Wu Taiji and also Koo Lo village WCK. He is mainly a Wu practitioner tho!
His Sifu (Li Ding) trained with Wu Kung Jo and Wu Ying Wah. The son and daughter of Wu Jian Kuan.
If anyone is interested please e-mail me and I will ask him if he is teaching!
Regards,
Is there someplace where good video of the 37 move short form can be bought(or just downloaded?). Also, is the competition form(45 movement?) supposed to be based on Northern or Southern Wu?
Also, the dude in the Macau fight(1950s?), how did he fit into the Wu lineage?
Enter to win Wu Tai Chi by Chenhan Yang on DVD!
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Wu Style Tai Chi?
Fall-2018