I noted something worth sharing about Yang Luchan that often goes highly understated and potentially overlooked.
Before he was a martial artist in terms of a career he was essentially a servant in a village where hard labor was a way of life. Lots of people seem to focus on the martial training, but the reality may be that one of the most important factors in his skill was in fact his work, having to work hard and long hours with laborious tasks conditioned him far beyond what the practice of Quan would have.
Lots of people have their own myths about him, that he did this or that, that he had some secret forms etc. I have yet to hear of anyone mentioning that he was essentially a laborer. In comparison most career martial artists lack such a background in hard work.
It also makes sense, given how labor can effect the human body, that he would focus on softness and looseness, being as relaxed as possible. Chances are that due to his labor he was incredibly strong for his size, and should have gained a lot of benefit from a very loose emphasis upon martial arts.
I'd suggest to anyone who wants to obtain such skill that the hard work of a laborious job is an element that they should seek out and master. I would also expect that very few of the career martial artists of today have done this. I really think that this aspect of work was key to Luchans skill.