Articles | YMAA

Meet the Author: Chenhan Yang Discusses Wu-style Tai Chi with Gene Ching (video)
January 8, 2022
YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching interviews master Chenhan Yang about the unique details of Wu-style Tai Chi Chuan (taijiquan).
Meet the Author: Chenhan Yang Discusses Sun-style Tai Chi with Gene Ching (video)
January 8, 2022
YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching interviews master Chenhan Yang about the unique details of Sun-style Tai Chi Chuan (taijiquan).
Bagua for Beginners
June 17, 2019
Bagua Zhang, Taiji Quan, and Xingyi Quan are known as three major internal martial arts styles in China. Bagua literally means "Eight Trigram" and Zhang means "Palm." The original name of Baguazhang was Zhuan Zhang, which means “Turning Palms.” This refers to the way the art is practiced—moving around a circle, turning the palms in various ways.
Anatomy of a Warrior Spirit
December 23, 2018
Martial artists are, by definition, warriors. True warriors have warrior spirit. In martial arts, as in life, there are some people who are successful, and some people who are not. The most successful people are imbued with a warrior spirit, known in the Chinese tradition as Yi. Warrior spirit has nothing to do with fighting or aggression, even though skilled fighters often have a well-developed warrior spirit. On the contrary, warrior spirit is about having the wherewithal to resolve conflict or avoid it altogether, and most of all to muster the internal fortitude requisite to the process of mastering yourself.
Zhang, San-Feng and the Ancient Origins of Taijiquan (References)
November 21, 2008
The origin of Taijiquan is a controversial issue. Some trace Taijiquan to the Chen family in the 1600's and others trace the art further back to Master Zhang, San-Feng. Both are correct. And neither of them created Taijiquan.
YMAA 25 Years - February 6, 2008
On October 1, 2007, YMAA celebrated its 25-Year Anniversary. There were many phone calls, letters and emails of congratulations.
Traditional Chinese Tai Chi and Kung Fu Silk Clothing - October 17, 2007
Traditional Chinese silk clothing has a long history, dating back to the 27th century BC. Once the skill of spinning silk, or sericulture, was discovered, the Chinese made silk exclusively for 3,000 years without divulging the secret of the process and it was a valuable commodity for trading.