There are five major styles of Tai Chi Chuan, each named after the Chinese family from whom they originated:
Chen Style:
- Low physically demanding stances with abundant kicking and punching
- Circular and spiraling movements that are soft slowly flowing with fast hard explosive bursts
Yang Style:
- Larger movements
- Slow evenly-paced forms with clear Yin and Yang separation
- Traditional and more simplified forms
Wu Style:
- Small circle subtle hand techniques mixed with some large frame circular movements
- Unique body posture with specific leaning forward from the waist and parallel footwork best for improving balance and fall prevention
Sun Style:
- Low impact fluid movements with high stances
- Unique footwork, with one foot advances or retreats with the other foot following
Wu (Hao) Style:
- Simple small circular movements
- Highly focused on balance, sensitivity and internal Qi (“Chi”) development
Each major Tai Chi style offers an unique benefit to practitioner:
√ Chen Style → Increases energy
√ Yang Style → Enhances general health
√ Wu Style → Improves balance for fall prevention
√ Sun Style → Good for arthritis and improves health of joints
√ Wu (Hao) Style → Focuses on internal energy work
Master Amin Wu specializes, teaches classes and has instructional videos in all five of major styles of Tai Chi Chuan.