Yang Lu-Ch'an
According to legend, the originator of Taiji Quan was a thirteenth century Taoist monk named Chang San-feng. Chang invented a soft-style martial art that developed internal energy to catalyze natural body movements, and is credited with authorship of the oldest of the Taiji Chuan classics.
The style of Taiji Quan practiced at Great River descends from Yang Lu-ch’an, a nineteenth century martial artist of legendary skill. In his time, Yang became the foremost martial artist in Beijing (earning the sobriquet “Yang the Invincible”), and was retained by the ruling Manchu princes as their martial arts teacher.
For political reasons, Yang kept his original Taiji Quan form secret. However, he created a public form that has become the most widely-practiced Taiji Quan form in the world. This public form was popularized in the United States by Cheng Man-ch’ing, a fourth generation master who condensed (from 108 to 64 movements) the form he learned from Yang Lu-Ch’an’s grandson, Yang Ch’eng-fu. One of Cheng Man-ch’ing’s senior students was Robert Smith, from whom Great River Director Scott Rodell learned Cheng’s form. Rodell also studied with two of Cheng’s other senior students, learning sword and push hands from Master T.T. Liang, and san shou and push hands from Master William C.C. Chen.
Yang’s original, secret form is known as Yang Jia Michuan Taiji Quan (Yang Family Hidden Taiji Quan). It was passed on to only one person for the first four generations. Scott Rodell learned the Michuan form and Taoist Nei Gong meditation as a disciple student of Master Wang Yen-nien, the current head of the World Yang Jia Michuan Association.
Scott M. Rodell has, for the past fifteen years, taught the Cheng Man-ch’ing, Michuan, sword, and spear forms. He also teaches san shou, push hands, a women’s self-defense class, and Nei Gong meditation. His main goals include keeping Taiji Quan’s martial tradition alive, and disseminating the many other benefits of Taiji Quan, such as improving overall health and physical fitness, and promoting relaxation, flexibility, and concentration.