Formosa Neijia wrote:The YCF lines in Taiwan are few and far between. There are only a few and they are well known. We actually have more lines from other Yang family members than we do from YCF. So it's likely that YJM's taiji is from a non-YCF lineage. As to it definitely being YBH in origin, I kind of doubt that. Here in Taiwan, people care and cared a lot less what it was called than in the West. My guess is YJM's teacher probably never talked about it. Most old guys consider it irrelevant. But Americans just have to know where it came from, so after YJM supposedly saw a version of YBH's form in China, he decided that his line was also YBH.
Dave C.
You may be right, but I don't think we'll ever get to the bottom of that factually speaking. You have to admit, it's kinda strange that YJM's stuff looks very much like some sort of large frame variation, whereas Yang Ban Hou was historically well known for practicing and teaching his small frame style. The two, I do not believe, would look anything like each other at all. I mean, even looking at some of the supposed "small frame" clips we've all seen on youtube today, still, they do not look anything like YJM's stuff, but have at least smaller movement in common betwix them (small frame clips).
Especially considering this little small frame tidbit from Jia Zhixiang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA36SXkVFKI
Or, this one from Tian Zhaolin's son:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQeXthRy1r
At least these two clips do express, to me anyway, similiar smaller frame expressions, whereas YJM's only seem to reflect larger frame movements. Do I have a point here, or is there a rational reason why his large frame still looks large even though his teacher was supposed to have gotten it from a small frame teacher (ban hou)?