The five most common styles of Tai Chi are Chen, Yang, Wu/Hao, Wu and Sun. Chen is the oldest of the extant styles, but the Yang style, originated by Yang Lu Chan in the early 19th century, is today the most common. His grandson, Yang Cheng Fu, put the combat moves and sequences of the style together into the Long Form that we practice today. Yang Cheng Fu’s success as a teacher is the reason that Tai Chi, and particularly the Yang-style, is the most popular today. Yang Cheng Fu’s most famous student was Tung Ying Chieh, who eventually started his own school in Hong Kong. Tung Ying Chieh began his training in another style, often called Wu/Hao style, and forms and exercises from this style form part of our curriculum. Tung Ying Chieh’s chosen successor was his grandson Tung Kai Ying, who began the school in Los Angeles and has been our teacher.
