13 Yang Style Spear

Yang style is know for its high, wide postures and its long, slow, flowing movements. This is also true of its weapons forms. Yang style has three traditional weapons: sword (jian), saber (dao), and spear (qiang). As with most Tai Chi Chuan styles the sword is the most popular and best known of the three. The saber is somewhat less common, but as another short weapon it shares several movements with the sword and is usually an easy transition for most students. The spear however is different.

The spear is the only long weapon trained in traditional Yang style (although today the Yang family now trains the spear form as a staff form*). It has always struck me as curious that being derived from Chen style, which like most Chinese martial arts includes a wide range of weapons, Yang style has limited itself to so few weapons. Even stranger, the spear, which was reportedly the weapon favored by Yang Lu Chan (the style's founder) is the least popular and recognized of all its forms.

The reasons as to why this happened are not wholly documented, though if I had to venture a guess I could point to several reasons as to why this happened. First it is important to remember that the style Lu Chan developed was famously created to teach nobles. As such it would be logical that they would focus on the sword, a weapon long associated with nobles, academics, philosophers, sages, and the highest ranking military officers. The saber and spear were mostly associated with foot soldiers and peasants.

A second possible reason for why the spear fell out of practice would be practicality. A spear is a long weapon and requires a larger space in order for practice, more space for storage and is more difficult to transport (those of us who've bought and shipped long weapons can attest to the increased cost incurred). Also it was nearly impossible to smuggle and practice during times when weapons were banned (you can't really conceal a six foot stick with a foot-long metal tip).

Lastly for Tai Chi Chuan practice it is a significantly more difficult weapon. Initially, as a long weapon it requires adjusting to two handed wielding (which is alien to Yang stylists since double weapons are not practiced). Another difficulty is the fact that being wielded at one end the spear (like all long weapons) weights more heavily on the arms of the practitioner. Long weapons will tire the practitioner much more quickly since there is no counter weight to help the student balance, forcing him/her to focus much more. Finally weapons in Tai Chi are tools we use to help us focus and project our energy and intent. The longer the weapon the more difficult it becomes to control it, and the harder it is to let our energy flow into it fully.

Despite all of these difficulties however I feel that it's important students keep the practice of the spear alive. The very challenges it poses for practice are the same reasons why I encourage it. It forces students to improve their posture and stances while relaxing their muscles (lest they become very sore and possibly fall over). It also forces them to increase their focus much farther than they otherwise would, this makes it the best tool I know of to help students learning to project their energy. In addition it helps students condition both arms evenly, which is an ongoing problem for all practitioners who use single short weapons. Lastly the spear is very different and (because it's so uncommon) special. For all of these reasons, and many more, I strongly encourage students to practice this weapon, especially those of you who focus exclusively on Yang style; it's a whole other world you don't know about and trust me, you won't regret it.

The Yang family usually refers to it as a 13 movement form, though I've usually seen it called a 16 or 18 movement form. Outside of the name, though the differences are minimal. Different stylists add more flair or flow to their movements by making wider or smaller circles with their spears. These moves are designed to block and redirect an opponent's weapons so I usually try to let that mindset lead my own practice, but if you choose to try and lose yourself in the smooth, uninterrupted flow of the movements that's certainly fine also. One other minor difference is the opening sequence, I've seen some stylists grip their spear by the butt and lift it straight up above in a sort of salute. This is very reminiscent of the Chen style spear form. I haven't found any reason behind this movement (neither as an application or as a meditative movement) and I was trained to begin without it so I do without, though I'd be pleased if someone who performs it could write me or leave a comment explaining it. I won't go into a detailed explanation of the form because words fail to effectively convey any martial movement, however I've linked a video with the form below. It's a great performance with a focus on simple refined movements and is an ideal starting point for beginners.

Lastly I'd like to give one final word of encouragement to those of you who would reject the spear in favor of shorter weapons. I can understand that the spear presents many new and different challenges, but remember that these are growth opportunities for your practice. Also I can tell you from personal experience that an hour spent on spear practice is not an hour taken away from short weapons practice; my sword form improves dramatically every time I take a break from it and focus on the spear. Besides, the spear form is very short and it gives your mind a break from what might otherwise turn into a somewhat single minded practice; the short burst of diversity in your practice will feel like a refreshing breeze of fresh air, so enjoy it!

*The Yang family still teaches the traditional spear form, however they now practice it as a staff form (they've made no other modifications to the form). I personally think this takes away from the practice and still train it in the original. For more on the Yang family visit their website at: http://www.yangfamilytaichi.com

-Jon

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