I am extremely grateful to have received a traditional education under my Sifu, Tai Chi Master Michael Paler. Michael is the only Sifu I have ever had, and I studied under him for 10 years.
Everything I teach comes from him. It is my endeavor to pass on his teachings unchanged, just as he passed on the teachings of his teachers, some of whom you can read about below.
Michael Paler is a seventh-generation lineage holder in Imperial Yang Family Tai Chi.
In 2014, he traveled to Beijing and bai shi-ed to Wei Xilan, becoming her official disciple. He is one of only a handful of people ever to have been granted this honor.
There’s a common saying that it takes four hands to learn Tai Chi. In this picture, my Sifu generously lends me two of his.
The most important part of a Tai Chi education is direct transmission from teacher to student. There is no substitute for this hands on experience. It is how skill has been passed down from one generation to the next. I've been fortunate to have a teacher who has given me a lot of hands on experience!
In this case, I'm experiencing peng jin, an expansive upward force that lifts me clean off my feet.
Yang Luchan created the martial art that became known as Tai Chi. Luchan was also called Yang Wudi, which roughly means “Yang the Invincible.”
In 1850, Yang was hired by the Imperial family to teach Taijiquan to the Imperial Guard in Beijing’s Forbidden City.
Yang Luchan’s youngest son, Jianhou, taught at the Imperial Palace with his father. He was especially talented at issuing internal power.
He practiced and taught the “Old Six Roads” Middle Frame Form, which later became known as “The Secret Transmission of Yang Jianhou.”
Yang Jianhou’s youngest son, Chengfu, is best known for creating the well-known Yang Family Large Frame 108-movement form.
Yang Chengfu was among the first teachers to offer Taiji instruction to the general public.
Wang Yongquan was one of the foremost disciples of both Yang Jianhou and Yang Chengfu.
He was known for his soft Tai Chi skills. When he issued power, fajin, if someone were about to fall, he would catch their wrist to prevent injury.
Wei Shuren was one of the foremost disciples of Wang Yongquan.
Apart from his knowledge and skill, his disciples especially respected his sincerity and willingness to teach everything he knew, holding nothing back. He will always be remembered as an honorable teacher.
Wei Xilan received the complete transmission of Imperial Yang Family Tai Chi from her father, Grandmaster Wei Shuren.
Master Wei Xilan possesses extraordinary knowledge, internal power, and skill. Like her father before her, she has shared her knowledge freely with others and is greatly loved and respected by her disciples.
Michael became an official disciple of Wei Xilan in 2014.
Michael has studied Chinese martial arts since 1982 and Yang Tai Chi since 1992. He has inherited his Master’s and Grandmaster’s passion for sharing and spreading Imperial Yang Family Tai Chi.