Review of Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi Chuan

[TaiChiTJ]

Thanks XS, when you count all the variations up there are quite a few.

I have a cd made by Li Deyin introducing a 32 posture form that is performed in a Yang manner but includes many postures from Wu. It is really an attractive form to watch. He refers to it as the next form in the training progression. So they want you to start with the 24 and then go to the 32. I notice on alot of the cd's they are referring to 2nd Dan and 3rd Dan level. The word "Dan" to me comes from Japanese background, I was a little surprised to see it. So I guess some sort of grading system is being put in place.

Gotta run. Thanks to everyone for their contribution to this thread.

 

[Franzfri]

I will try to get a copy of the requirements for each belt. Yellow only requires knowing the form up to "Wind Blows the Lotus Leaf" and one hand Push Hands. Green requires knowing the whole form and 2 hand Push Hands with movement. My Sifu does not do a lot of Push Hands in his regular classes. I understand the concept, but have a hard time with it in practice.

I've noticed that he goes over the same material in our group class that he does with me in my private lesson. I'm wondering if he'll be doing Push Hands more now that he wants me to learn it. He has some students that started before me but take only one group class a week. I've cought up to them and gone past them in some of the newer things we've been learning this year.

We also have some very new students in the other group class and we've been going over the postures in minute detail with emphasis on the chi and this week with a lot of emphasis on application. One of the new students has a lot of experience in other martial arts which I think is spurring the demonstrations of application.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I forgot a part of the push hands curriculum of Traditional Yang style tai thi in my previous post, or at least as traditional Yang comes from Tung Ying Chieh.

There is one step that I have referred to in the past (when talking to my Sifu) as the push hands 2 step. But this is geared much more towards actual application of the postures and forms as well as being closer to real world application.

 

[TaiChiTJ]

There is a book called "The Complete Idiots Guide to Tai Chi Chuan", and the author chose to teach the Guang Ping form. The book comes with a DVD, that shows him doing the whole form once, and two lessons from his bigger DVD set that he sells separately (for 98 bucks). The book has interesting line drawings showing the whole form, in a format that shows the previous posture in light ink and the current posture in darker ink. I suppose a person could learn it this way but his focus is not on martial use, just the health aspects. Cool that he chose the Guang Ping form, though. Here's the link:

http://smartaichi.com/WTCQDDVDBookVidLstg.html

 

[Franzfri]

You have a colored belt ranking system!?

Yes - Here are the requirements;

YELLOW SASH/elementary; (international skill level 5.5-7.0)
FORMS; 24 Movement Short form OR Guang Ping Yang form through "Wind Blows the Lotus Leaf",
PUSH HANDS-Single Hand

GREEN SASH/basic; (international skilll level 6.0-7.5) one year minimum. FORMS; 1st side Guang Ping Yang, Broadsword,
PUSH HANDS-Shao Lu(standing/moving/reverse) and 2 person broadsword

PURPLE SASH/intermediate; (international skill level 7.0-8.5) 3 years minimum. FORMS; Guang Ping Yang form and mirror side. Start working with & demonstrating silk reeling energy in forms and assist in teaching with Master/Sifu
PUSH HANDS; Da Lu (both sides), one side San Shao, free style

GRAY SASH/advanced; (international skill level 8.0-9.5) 5 years minimum. FORMS; Jin, improve mirror side of Guang Ping Yang, Names of postures, lineage, assist teaching,
PUSH HANDS; San Shao both side, better understanding of free style

BLACK SASH; (international skill level 8.0-9.5) 5 years minimum.
FORMS; all forms with proficiency and spirit, 2 person spar
PUSH HANDS; San Shao mirror, both sides.

Also re. the video that started this thread. My sifu says that it was made by a student of his an that this student also films his training videos. The man who is in the the video on YouTube is probably a student of the teacher that made the teaching video in the 1st post. (I'm not sure if what I've written here makes sense or if I should rewrite it) At any rate there is another school in NJ that teaches the Guang Ping. Most of the members of the Guang Ping Assoc. are on the west coast. I'll try to answer or get answers to any other questions.

 

[Franzfri]

Oh yes, Wednesday, half our class was devoted to application in both the 24 movement form and the Guang Ping Yand and the differences. Most of the students in Wednesdays class either started with the 24 movement form or know it. Not me. I started with the Guang Ping and have had very little instruction in the 24. I've just been following along whenever we do it in class. I station myself in the middle and try to follow what the others are doing. I have a feeling that my sifu intends to change that in the near future.

 

[TaiChiTJ]

Thanks, Franzfr, for contributing about your involvement with the Guang Ping system. Cool to here about all this.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Yes - Here are the requirements;

Cool, thanks.

I have recently come across something that alluded to the Guang Ping Yang stance being more of a back stance similar to xingyi than a front stance like traditional Yang as it comes from Chengfu, is this true?

But having asked that I am now not sure what stance they were actually talking about since the actual fighting stance for traditional yang as it comes from Chengfu via Tung is also more of a back stance. But the majority of the postures are not.

 

[Franzfri]

Cool, thanks.

I have recently come across something that alluded to the Guang Ping Yang stance being more of a back stance similar to xingyi than a front stance like traditional Yang as it comes from Chengfu, is this true?

But having asked that I am now not sure what stance they were actually talking about since the actual fighting stance for traditional yang as it comes from Chengfu via Tung is also more of a back stance. But the majority of the postures are not.

Most of the stances in the Guang Ping are evenly balanced. There is 1 jump kick that starts with a front balanced stance. I think we call it a "bow and arrow" stance. The short form and the broad sword form are both front balanced as we practice them in my school. It was very strange when one of the Shao Lin Sifus stood in for Sifu Elia. He kept saying that the short form was the more martial than the Guang Ping. Yet Sifu Ellia, as I understand him, says that the Guang Ping stances all have martial applications, while not all the short form stances have martial applications. When the Shau Lin Sifu teaches our class I am not very happy. I'de reather have one of the Black Belts that are commited to Tai Chi teach. It's interesting that one is very cerebral in his teaching, while the other is more practical.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Most of the stances in the Guang Ping are evenly balanced. There is 1 jump kick that starts with a front balanced stance. I think we call it a "bow and arrow" stance. The short form and the broad sword form are both front balanced as we practice them in my school. It was very strange when one of the Shao Lin Sifus stood in for Sifu Elia. He kept saying that the short form was the more martial than the Guang Ping. Yet Sifu Ellia, as I understand him, says that the Guang Ping stances all have martial applications, while not all the short form stances have martial applications. When the Shau Lin Sifu teaches our class I am not very happy. I'de reather have one of the Black Belts that are commited to Tai Chi teach. It's interesting that one is very cerebral in his teaching, while the other is more practical.

Thank You

Actually all Traditional Yang style postures have martial applications as well it is the initial fighting stance that is more of a back stance.