Snake style

[Anonymous]

Historically, was there a distinct Yang family secret Snake style?
Bob Boyd in “Snake Style Tai Chi Chuan; the Hidden System of the Yang Family”
says that Yang taught 2 different methods:
Snake Style and Tiger Style.
I have heard that Yang Lu-chan didn’t teach the imperial Manchu rulers all the potent taiji moves for political reasons,
but I’ve never heard of anything called a separate “Snake Style”.
Boyd says that everyone (presumably BK too) misunderstands the principle of
“Hollow the chest to raise the back.”
I remember Bruce addressing this principle several times.
All my teachers teach the importance of this.
Boyd says there is a common misinterpretation of the classic,
the energy is directed by the waist.

Personally, I’ve never tried to disengage the spine from the whole flow of energy.
But Boyd advocates that the snaking of the spine is the primary mechanic of martial arts power.
I guess it wouldn’t be professional to call another instructor cookoo.
Of course, it also would be unfair to criticize Boyd without reading his whole book.
I have. But I seem to be missing something here.

[Anonymous]

IMHO, the styles were created by masters. Tai Chi has only principles, not styles.
IMHO, that Snake style is only a way to do the Yang style Tai Chi. I have yet to see what is about, but seems interesting.

[Anonymous]

The author of this article isn’t too impressed with it.
http://www.nytaichi.com/onsnakestyle.htm

[Anonymous]

On the other hand, Steve Rowe seems to think it’s legit:
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?s=fb9f388c13e7d4c231a3d818bfb0aa04&t=61100&page=2

[Anonymous]

Hi there! Guys, I am so glad to become a part of such an amazing forum! Thanks for the information, it is useful for my current research. Keep it up, and God Bless you!

[Anonymous]

Well, I’ve revisited Boyd’s book on Snake Style.

Boyd puts “Hollow the Chest to Raise the Back”
as one of the most important of classic principles.

He translates this principle as:
“Tai Chi movement originates with flexing of the thoracic spine,
which compresses the lower ribs,
raises the back ribs
and draws the lower abdominal muscles inward,
activating …the Dantien”

I really don’t get how to do this.

Boyd says to:
1. draw the hip joints upward,
2. draw the lower abdomen inward,
3. draw the ribs and thoracic vertebrae upward and backward–
Elsewhere, he also says:
1. the shoulders must stay atop of the ribs
2. slightly dip the shoulder on the unweighted side of the body

Bruce always emphasizes keeping the 4 corners in line (not twisted).
I guess you could dip one side and still keep the 4 corners untwisted.

At Tai Chi Session 8 (Step Forward, Parry, Punch and the Liver),
Month 8 of the Old Yang Style Tai Chi Edition,
Bruce addresses the Snake “Style” by poo-pooing it as a distinct style, rather than just the way it was originally done.

Note:
Boyd learned this from Ip Tai Tak.
Ip Tai Tak learned this from Yang Sau Chung.
Bruce learned this from Yang Sau Chung.

Bruce says to:
1. lengthen your midriff
2. wrap to the front
3. ribs curve in
4. ribs drop
5. abdomen expands and creates space for the Liver to drop
6. this activates and opens up the whole of the abdominal cavity
7. arm extending out curves in slightly

One of my bagua teachers says to lift the sternum.
All of this makes the back lift simultaneously.

I don’t get how any of this raises the back.

How about biotensegrity?
Stephen M. Levin, MD, coined this term following the architectural principle of Buckminster Fuller–floating compression.
So, as the ribs/vertebrae/bones are floating in space
the connecting soft tissues–muscles/ligaments/tendons/myofascia hold the bones in space

The bones float inside the soft tissue.

Move one bone and they all move/float in space–interrelated.
So, where it hurts, it ain’t.
So, dropping the lower ribs can raise the upper back bones–
did I answer my own question?

I guess raising the sternum could just as well move the ribs down and the back of the spinal vertebrae up.

Not the usual view that only a specific muscle will move its connected bone.

This is Tai Chi.
One part moves, all parts move.
Exercise slowly, holistically.

[Author]

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