Translations (译文)
Connections is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Chinese. We are very grateful for our translators who volunteered to translate: Rubén Coirini, Daniela Famulari, Gennaro Ripa, Françoise Desagnat, Jean-Claude Miremont, Thilo Krienke, Milena Locci de Oliveira de Lazzari, and Li Mingyang. Thank you very much! Here are the links to the other languages:
Welcome to Our New Members
I would like to welcome all new members who have recently joined Yang Family Tai Chi. Thank you for joining us and welcome to our tai chi family! I am happy you have chosen to join us and hope that you feel welcome and receive great value from your membership.
I hope that all members will have a long and fulfilling relationship with our association. For those members who have been with us through the years, I appreciate that you have chosen to stay with us as we continue to spread tai chi chuan worldwide to help humankind.
Sincerely,
Yang Jun
President
Training Standards Department
Congratulations to Michael Shunney of Rockland, Maine, USA, who has moved to the level of Academy Instructor!
AUTHORIZED SEMINARS:
Academy and Senior Instructors are encouraged to offer seminars and workshops. These seminars fulfill the seminar requirement for Associate Instructor certification and renewal of certification for Associate and Certified Instructors. They provide an added and local learning experience. To qualify as Yang Family Authorized Seminars, they must be approved by the Training Standards Department. Please contact our department at ts-dept@yangfamilytaichi.com for more information.
Please Update Your Email Address
Directors and Instructors, please help our membership department by announcing this information to your students:
Members should know that they are missing out on messages, newsletters and renewal notices from the association when we do not have their current email addresses. Please update the association with your current email address. We want to keep in touch with you. Please send any updates to members@yangfamilytaichi.com or go to the Member Area of our website and select Membership Management where you can update your information.
Forgot your password? You can reset it in Membership Management too.
TTM Seminar in September 2025
Teacher Academy USA is hosting a TTM (Teacher Training Methods) seminar with Master Yang Jun, September 12 - 15, 2025, at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury CT.
Program:
Yang Family Tai Chi Hand Form Techniques and Methods
Sept 12 - 13, 9:00am-12:00pm, 3:00pm-5:00pm
Push Hands
Sept 14, 9:00am-12:00pm, 3:00pm-5:00pm
Sept 15, 9:00am-12:00pm
Seminar registration and information will be available early Spring. Please contact Mari Lewis mari@yangfamilytaichi.com for more information.
Ranking Exam Schedule
The Yang Family Tai Chi website publishes a list of upcoming ranking events around the world. We encourage members to visit our ranking events page on our website under the heading "Events" for more information, including links to study material for the written exams.
April 20, 2025: Mendoza, Argentina
May 24, 2025: Toulouse, France
May 25, 2025: Sunnyvale, CA USA
June 21, 2025: Cambridge, UK
Master Yang Jun's Seminar Schedule
Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
April 5-9: Disciple and Pre-Disciple Training
Paris, France
April 18: Push Hands
April 19-21: Traditional Hand Form (103)
April 22: Saber Form
Berlin, Germany
April 24-26: Essential Form
April 27: Sword Form
April 28-29: Push Hands
Sunnyvale City, CA, USA
May 24-25: Traditional Hand Form (103)
May 26: Push Hands
Kunming, China
July 12-16: 6th Instructor Training Part 1
Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
August 1: Saber Form
August 2-3: Sword Form
Royal Oak & Troy, MI, USA
August 23: Sword Form
August 24 - 25: 49 Hand Form & Fundamentals
August 26: Push Hands
Danbury, CT , USA
TTM (Teacher Training Methods)
September 12-13: Hand Form Methods & Techniques
September 14: Push Hands
September 15: Push Hands (half-day)
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
October 3-5: Traditional Hand Form (103)
Rome, Italy
October 15-17: Instructor Seminar
San Ciprián, Spain
October 25-26: Sword Form
Mendoza, Argentina
November 15-17: Traditional Hand Form (103)
Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
November 20: Push Hands
November 21: Saber Form
November 22-23 Traditional Hand Form (103)
Please visit our association's website for more information as it becomes available.
Seminar in São Paulo, Brazil
Master Yang Jun taught a seminar in São Paulo, Brazil, from December 6-8, hosted by Angela Soci, Director of YFTC Center São Paulo. Around 90 students attended the 3-day seminar where Master Yang taught the Traditional (103) Hand Form and theory including using Yin Yang philosophy for a more in-depth understanding of tai chi chuan.
Seminar in Montevideo, Uruguay
YFTC School Montevideo (Director: Leonardo Ratto) organized Push Hands and Sword seminars with Master Yang Jun from December 13-15. The seminars included participants from Uruguay, Argentina, and Colombia. Thank you to everyone for your attendance and support!
First Seminar in Sun City West, Arizona, USA
Master Yang gave his first seminar in Sun City West, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona)! This seminar was hosted by Cathy Boorman who was originally a student of Academy Instructor Nancy Lucero in the Seattle area. Eventually, Cathy and her husband retired and moved to Arizona. She began teaching Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan in her community and today she volunteers her time teaching around 60 students for her group, Corte Bella Tai Chi. They proudly welcomed Master Yang Jun to teach a Senior Form seminar in February. Participants were enthusiastic about learning and the room was filled to capacity. They look forward to welcoming Master Yang and Fang Hong Laoshi back for another seminar in the future!
Directors & Instructors Seminar - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
The 2025 Directors & Instructors Seminar was held February 15-19 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was the first year it was held in Las Vegas as Master Yang and his wife Fang Hong Laoshi recently moved from the Seattle area to Las Vegas. The seminar was held at the Bill and Lillie Heinrich YMCA and focused on push hands.
The 2025 annual meeting also took place during this time and was also broadcast live via Zoom to directors and instructors who could not attend the seminar. Department heads shared their annual reports.
Seminar in Mexico
Master Yang Jun was welcomed back to Mexico for a Sword Form seminar in December. The seminar brought together participants from various countries including the United States, Bulgaria, Argentina, and Mexico and was organized by Daniel Corona Aguilar, Director of YFTC Center Mexico City. Master Yang's teachings, marked by precision and deep knowledge of sword techniques, captivated students who expressed their gratitude for their opportunity to train with him and further their knowledge and skill. Martine Salane reinforced the daily training with extended practice sessions, ensuring that participants could further refine their technique and internalize the teachings. During the seminar, Daniel Corona Aguilar was also awarded his Silver Tiger medal for achieving 5th level ranking with Yang Family Tai Chi.
Life-Time Achievement Award Recipient - Italy
Congratulations to Jack Arthur Jr Cornell, Director of YFTC School Vicenza (Italy) on being awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Italian Association of Culture and Sport. This prestigious award is reserved for people who in the course of their professional activity have contributed to the knowledge, development, and affirmation of an ethical sport culture.
Jack began his training in martial arts in 1975 in the United States. He arrived in Italy in 1977 and has contributed, with great passion, to the spread of martial arts. Jack has accomplished a great amount during his 50-year martial arts career, promoting Wu Shu and tai chi chuan, and is a creator and organizer (along with the AICS Provincial Committee of Vicenza) of World Tai Chi Chuan Day in Vicenza, which is broadcast live around the world.
Jack was invited to Rome to receive his award on March 14. Congratulations Jack on your great accomplishment!
Authorized Seminar in Italy
On February 16, an authorized seminar was held in Florence, Italy. The topic was traditional and explosive force of the Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan training method and effects on health. It was a great success with 107 people in attendance from tai chi centers and schools in Varese, Milan, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa, Padova, Florence, Ancona, Arezzo, Lucca, Rome, and the island of Malta.
Participants studied repeated single movements and some fundamental training exercises and then put them together to build a training structure useful for high intensity interval training (HIIT). There was also a slide presentation by Roberto Carchio that explained the scientific method and benefits of HIIT and the Yang Family Tai Chi system. Everyone was enthusiastic about the training and the instructors received much positive feedback from the participants.
Thank you to our two speakers, Claudio Mingarini and Roberto Carchio and our collaborators Maurizio Curia and Jack Cornell for a very well-organized seminar.
YFTC Center Vicenza Participates in National Tournament
The Yang Family Tai Chi Center Vicenza – Italy (ASD L' Armonia in Movimento) participated at the 25th AICS Italian National Martial Arts Tournament with 14 of my students. There were more than 300 athletes who participated in this national tournament and 43 sports associations.
Over all, we won the 2nd place trophy cup. Yang Family Tai Chi Center Vicenza brought home a total of 17 medals (9 Gold, 7 Silver, 1 Bronze) in the tai chi tournament representing the following forms:
10 movements single form - Tai Chi Kung Form
(Marchesin Alessandra; Bonetto Diego; Gattazzo Irene)
13 movements single form
(Tomasini Alessandra)
16 movements single form
(Nardi Riccardo; Ziliotto Antonella)
22 movements single form - Essential Form
(Bicego Federica; Longhin Elena; Piccoli Walter; Nardi Riccardo)
26 movements single form - Senior Form
(Lucca Michel)
Sword Form - single form
(Bicego Federica; Longhin Elena; Marchesin Alessandra; Lucca Michel; Piccoli Walter)
16 movements - (2 groups of 5 people)
Group 1: Piccoli Walter; Bastianello Liliana-Schiavo Annamaria-Caliari Giampaolo; Marchesin Alessandra
Group 2: Bicego Federica; Longhin Elena; Lucca Michel; Ziliotto Antonella; Gattazzo Irene
Also my student, Dalla Stella Enzo, refereed his first tai chi tournament.
I am so proud of everyone's achievement and I am so proud and happy to belong to such a wonderful tai chi family.
- Jack Cornell (Director, YFTC Center Vicenza)
Sword Form Intensive - New Jersey
In Hackettstown, New Jersey, on February 23, Senior Instructor Holly Sweeney-Hillman, offered a sword form intensive in two parts. Part 1 was for beginning sword students and students who were preparing for their certified instructor video exam. Part 2 was for experienced sword students who wanted to refine footwork and sword techniques. Attending students earned Teacher Academy credits for their participation.
The next sword form intensive will be in April and will follow the same format.
YFTC Center Madagascar 2024 Tournament
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Some of our schools sent photos and kind wishes to share with our newsletter readers.
Yang Family Tai Chi School of Greater Seattle: We send our best wishes for good health, good fortune and continued friendship to everyone! Happy Year of the Snake!
Maurizio Curia, Co-Director of Yang Family Tai Chi School of Florence, Italy, shared this video of his students' Year of the Snake creation.
Tai Chi Yukon in Canada had a fun gathering to celebrate Chinese New Year with 20 of their members on Saturday, February 8th. They dressed in red and enjoyed a snaky program, with stories and demonstrations by their teachers. They all performed the Traditional Form followed by tea and socializing.
Journal Gem
"Tai Chi's Waist - An Interview with Master Yang Jun by Meghdad Abdi". Issue #45 (2020), pages 14-21.
This article can be found in our Members-Only Area on our website.
Contribute to Our Journal
Volunteer Opportunities
Yang Family Tai Chi depends on volunteers who donate their time and talent to make our association a success. We currently need more volunteers to help our association as we move forward into the future. We have an immediate need for people with skills such as website updating and management, writing, translating, video editing, social media, and assisting our department heads and executive with various tasks. We also welcome volunteers in other areas.
Do you have any skills or knowledge you would like to share? If you would like to volunteer but aren't sure how you can help, please just send an email telling us you would like to help in some way and we will suggest some ways you could volunteer.
We are very grateful to all our volunteers who have helped make our association and its events successful. Building a strong group of new volunteers will help us improve our service to our members and also reach more people around the world! Please contact Pam Boyde (pamboyde@yangfamilytaichi.com) if you would like to volunteer.
Join Our Association
Become a member of Yang Family Tai Chi! For more information about membership benefits and how to apply, please visit our membership page on our website.
Posting to Yang Family Tai Chi's Social Media Pages
Want to post news on Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages? Yang Family Tai Chi would like to keep its social media pages updated with current information from the association, centers, and schools. Ana Horta is managing Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. If you would like to share news on Yang Family Tai Chi's social media pages, please send an email to Ana at anamaghorta@gmail.com.
VISIT YANG FAMILY TAI CHI'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES
Previous Issue
Did you miss the last issue of Connections? You can read it here.
Next Issue of Connections
Connections is published in March, June, September, and December. We publish association news and school news (upcoming events, recent past events, awards, other news) but not general school advertisements.
The next issue of Connections will be published in June 2025. Please send any announcements to me at carolyn@yangfamilytaichi.com by May 18, 2025.
Carolyn Fung,
Editor
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