Overview of the Various Tai Chi Forms

How well are you acquainted with the world of Tai Chi?
Beginners to Tai Chi often get confused with the many Tai Chi routines available.

A Tai Chi routine consists of a set of movements or ‘forms’ practiced in a specific order. The number of forms is usually stated in the name of the Tai Chi routine i.e. Tai Chi 42 Form, Chen-style Tai Chi 56 Form, Yang-style Tai Chi 85 Form, etc.

In general, Tai Chi routines are divided into 2 groups: Competition Forms and Traditional Forms.

Competition Forms

Competition Forms are Tai Chi routines choreographed for competition purposes with movements derived from the Traditional Forms. The Chinese Sports Committee saw the need to create standard Competition Forms so all competitors can be judged fairly. The Competition Forms are around 5-6 minutes in length. They are much shorter than the Traditional Forms which often have many repetitions and take a longer time to complete.

The Chinese Sports Committee under the leadership of Li Tianji brought together 4 Yang-style Tai Chi masters to develop a simplified Tai Chi form with standardised movements. The intention of this initiative was to popularise Tai Chi as a sport in China and also internationally. The Tai Chi 24 Form, often referred to as ‘Simplified Form’ was developed in 1956. Until today, the Tai Chi 24 Form is a well-loved Tai Chi form practiced by beginners worldwide.

In the late 1980’s, the Chinese Sports Committee approved 5 different Competition Forms which are the Competition Forms for the 4 major styles of Tai Chi (Yang, Chen, Sun and Wu) and a combined Competition Form called the Tai Chi 42 Form.

All Competition Forms except for the combined Competition Form are named after their styles. For example, the Chen-style Tai Chi 56 Form, Yang-style Tai Chi 40 Form, etc.

The Tai Chi 42 Form is also known as Tai Chi Competition Form worldwide. The Tai Chi 42 Form has movements derived from the 4 major styles of Tai Chi (Yang, Chen, Sun and Wu). Most of the forms are Yang-style Tai Chi forms as it is the most popular style at that time.

Traditional Forms

We teach both the Chen-style and Yang-style Tai Chi Forms at Hua Ying Wushu & Tai Chi Academy. I will only write about these 2 styles here.

Chen-style Tai Chi

The oldest form of Tai Chi, Chen-style Tai Chi originated from Chenjiagou (Chen village) in Henan province, China. It has distinct characteristics which are the alternating slow and fast movements, silk reeling 纏絲勁 (chan si jing) and explosive release of power 發勁 (fa jin).

Compared to Yang-style Tai Chi, the Chen-style Tai Chi is more intense and requires greater endurance, strength and flexibility.

Traditional Chen-style Tai Chi Forms are divided into Large Frame大架 (da jia) and Small Frame小架 (xiao jia). In Large Frame, the horse stance is wider and the hand techniques are more expansive. Meanwhile in Small Frame, the horse stance is narrower and the hand techniques are more compact.

The Large Frame is further divided into Old Frame 老架 (lao jia) and New Frame 新架 (xin jia).

Large Frame; Old Frame (Lao Jia)

Beginners will start with Lao Jia Yi Lu when they learn traditional Chen-style Tai Chi. Lao Jia Yi Lu emphasises the first 4 primary forces (jin) – Peng, Lu, Ji & An. It helps students to develop an understanding of the basic Tai Chi principles.

Lao Jia Yi Lu 74 Form (Old Frame First Routine) is the earliest known Tai Chi form. It is said that Yang-style Tai Chi and subsequently the other main Tai Chi styles have emerged from it.

After mastering the Lao Jia Yi Lu, students will proceed to learn the Lao Jia Er Lu (Old Frame Second Routine). Lao Jia Er Lu 41 Form is also known as Cannon Fist 炮捶 (Pao Chui). This form focuses more on its martial art application. The movements are faster, more explosive and require a lot more stamina to perform. It emphasises the 4 secondary forces (jin) – Cai, Lie, Zhou & Kou.

Large Frame; New Frame (Xin Jia)

Grandmaster Chen Fa Ke created Xin Jia to capture the interest of young people. It is based on Lao Jia routines except that the attacking movements are intentionally displayed to exemplify the martial applications. Generally, the Xin Jia routines are more vigorous and have more explosive release of power movements (fa jin).

Similar to Lao Jia, there are 2 routines in Xin Jia which are the Yi Lu (First Routine) and Er Lu (Second Routine).

Small Frame (Xiao Jia)

 In Xiao Jia, the movements are much smaller and all the martial applications are hidden. It is said that Xiao Jia is practiced by retirees who prefer this less physically demanding routines. The emphasis in Xiao Jia is in the power of intention to control the flow of internal energy (qi). Its objective is to complete the routine as one continuous flow.

Yang-style Tai Chi

 The founder Grandmaster Yang Lu Chan studied Chen-style Tai Chi and subsequently developed his own style of Tai Chi named after him, Yang-style Tai Chi. He was commissioned to teach Tai Chi to the Imperial Family in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.

Yang-style Tai Chi is well known for its slow, gentle and expansive movements. Many variations to the traditional Yang-style Tai Chi routine are a result of the different lineages. The number of forms can range from 85, 88, 103 to 108 forms depending on how they are counted. However, they are essentially more or less the same and can be referred to as the traditional Yang-style Tai Chi Long Form.