In past blogs, we’ve looked at three of the five main styles of Tai Chi: Chen, Yang, and Sun. Wu Style Tai Chi is believed to be the second most popular Tai Chi form in the world today. Yang, the form from which it was derived, is the most popular. There are two distinct Wu styles: Wu, founded by Wu Quanyou (1834-1902) and his son Wu Chien-chuan (1870-1942), and the Wu (Hao) style, founded by Wu Yuxiang (1813-1880). We will look at the Wu (Hao) style in a later blog.
Neutralization and movement of internal energy are the hallmarks of Wu Family Tai Chi Chuan. Wu footwork is parallel and, like Yang, utilizes a horse-stance. The feet remain positioned relatively close to one another, the stance is higher, and steps are shorter than steps in Yang or Chen Styles. In fact, Wu has much less external motion than other styles. Its motions are compact and its hand techniques typically limited to small circles. Keep in mind that traditionally, large circles were used to promote health, while small circles were used for fighting. Given that, it shouldn’t be surprising that Wu offers multiple martial applications, includes grappling, throws, tumbling, jumping, foot sweeps, pressure point leverage, and joint locks.
I find it amusing that one author feels Wu is better suited for Westerners because our knees are not as flexible as most “Orientals, primarily because we don’t squat anymore.”
Let’s take a look at the history of Wu Style.
Grandmaster Wu Quanyou (aka Wu Chuan Yau) was a military officer cadet of Manchu ancestry and a hereditary officer of the Imperial Guards Brigade. In 1850, he became a student of Master Yang Luchan (aka Yang the Unbeatable) and senior disciple of Yang’s son, Master Yang Ban Hou. During a fight with Yang Ban Hou, Wu Quanyou was injured and subsequently developed a limp. Later, while Ban Hou was away, his father noticed Wu’s limp and began training him in the small circle technique. When Ban Hou returned, he could not beat Wu at push-hands, and Yang subsequently gave Wu permission to start his own school.
From the time he was a child, Wu’s son, Wu Chien-chuan, trained alongside his father and, eventually, father and son pioneered the Wu form. They first taught large circle technique and later developed the tighter small circle technique, which became their trademark. The younger Wu subsequently developed the fast and slow sets, as well as streamlined the form.
In 1916, Hsu Yi Seng, a student of Master Yang Shou Hou, opened the New Athletic Research Institute in Beijing, and invited Masters Yang Chen Fu, Yang Shou Hou, Wu Chien-chuan, and Sun Lu Tang to teach. For the very first time, the top Masters made their art available for everyone in one institution. During this time, the Masters re-examined their forms and made modifications, including making hand movements easier to learn, as well as removing jumps, leaps, and other difficult movements. This made Yang and Wu Styles more accessible to the public, and resulted in the modern Yang and Wu Styles of Tai Chi today.
In 1995, the First International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Convention took place in Toronto, Canada. More than 170 Wu Style practitioners of various factions, schools, lineages and styles came from across the globe, including six generations of the Wu family. This event led to an international Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation being formed to facilitate sharing and exchanging information and expertise
And you know that bit of Tai Chi wisdom that you must practice a form or a posture 10,000 times in order to become proficient? Well, that came directly from Grandmaster Wu Chien-chuan, but his original command was for students to practice the form 10,000 times within three years!