Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan - Laojia Yi Lu

Laojia (老架), or the old form, is the form of Chen style Tai Chi Chuan created by Chen Changxing (陳長興, 1771–1853), the 14th generation of the Chen family. Consisting of 2 groups: Yi Lu (一路) and Erl Lu (二路), the movements in Laojia are steady, flowing and easy to understand, and are a fundamental form of Chen style Tai Chi Chuan so that they are usually taught first before other forms.

Laojia Yi Lu consists of 72 moves (74 with the opening and closing moves) which are divided into 6 sections. Unlike Laojia Erl Lu (also called Cannon Fist, 炮捶, Pào Chuí) which emphasizes the martial side of Tai Chi Chuan and is performed with fast and explosive movements, Laojia Yi Lu is trained more gently with the main aim to train practitioners to understand and master the basic principles of Tai Chi Chuan.

The following is a list of moves from Chen style Tai Chi Chuan - Laojia Yi Lu. The translation of the names of moves may differ from other references, but they all refer to the same moves.

Chen Zhenglei performed Chen Tai Chi Chuan - Laojia Yilu

Section-1

Consisting of 15 moves, this section introduces practitioners to the basic movements of Tai Chi Chuan, such as stances, proper positioning of the body's center of gravity, steps, postures, and upper-lower body coordination. This first section can be considered as the foundation for the other sections, therefore it is recommended to thoroughly master each of the moves in this section before moving on to the next sections.

1. Taiji starting form (Tàijí qǐ shì, 太极起势)
2. Budha's warrior attendant pounds mortar (Jīn gāng dǎo duì, ⾦刚捣碓)
3. Lazily tying coat (Lǎn zhā yī, 揽扎⾐)
4. Six sealings and four closings (Liù fēng sì bì, 六封四闭)
5. Single whip (Dān biān, 单鞭)
6. Budha's warrior attendant pounds mortar (Jīn gāng dǎo duì, ⾦刚捣碓)
7. White goose spreads its wings (Bái hé liàng chì, ⽩鹅亮翅)
8. Oblique form (Xié xíng, 斜行)
9. Holding knee (Lǒu xī, 搂膝)
10. Twist step (Ǎo bù, 拗步)
11. Oblique form (Xié xíng, 斜行)
12. Holding knee (Lǒu xī, 搂膝)
13. Twist step (Ǎo bù, 拗步)
14. Cover hands and strike with fist (Yǎn shǒu gōng quán, 掩⼿肱拳)
15. Budha's warrior attendant pounds mortar (Jīn gāng dǎo duì, ⾦刚捣碓)

Section-2

The second section contains 13 moves, with the majority of movements in the form of body rotations, waist turns and turning movements. This section also introduces new footwork such as backsteps and sideways steps.

16. Parry with fist (Piē shēn quán, 撇身拳)
17. Black dragon comes out of water (Qīng lóng chū shuǐ, ⻘⻰出⽔)
18. Push with both hands (Shuāng tuī shǒu, 双推⼿)
19. Punch under elbow (Zhǒu dī kàn quán, 肘低看拳)
20. Step back and wind arms (Dào juǎn gōng, 倒卷肱)
21. White goose spreads its wings (Bái hé liàng chì, ⽩鹅亮翅)
22. Oblique form (Xié xíng, 斜行)
23. Flash the back (Shǎn tōng bèi, 闪通背)
24. Cover hands and strike with fist (Yǎn shǒu gōng quán, 掩⼿肱拳)
25. Six sealings and four closings (Liù fēng sì bì, 六封四闭)
26. Single whip (Dān biān, 单鞭)
27. Cloud hands (Yùn shǒu, 运⼿)
28. High pat the horse (Gāo tàn mǎ, ⾼探⻢)

Section-3

The third section consists of 10 moves with the main focus on leg movements such as jumping and kicking. About 80% of the total kicks are in this section.

29. Brush right foot (Yòu cā jiǎo, 右擦脚)
30. Brush left foot (Zuǒ cā jiǎo, 左擦脚)
31. Kick with left heel (Zuǒ dēng yī gēn, 左蹬⼀根)
32. Walk forward and twist step (Qián tàng ǎo bù, 前趟拗步)
33. The punch of hitting the ground (Jī de chuí, 击地锤)
34. Double jumping kick (Tī èr qǐ, 踢⼆起)
35. Fist of protecting the heart (Hù xīn quán, 护⼼拳)
36. Tornado kick (Xuán fēng jiǎo, 旋⻛脚)
37. Heel kick rightward (Yòu dēng yī gēn, 右蹬⼀根)
38. Cover hands and strike with fist (Yǎn shǒu gōng quán, 掩⼿肱拳)

Section-4

Contrary to the third section, the fourth section focuses more on hand movements, such as pushing, catching, and hitting. This section consists of 9 moves.

39. Small catching and hitting (Xiǎo qín dǎ, ⼩擒打)
40. Cover head and push mountain (Bào tóu tuī shān, 抱头推⼭)
41. Six sealings and four closings (Liù fēng sì bì, 六封四闭)
42. Single whip (Dān biān, 单鞭)
43. Forward posture (Qián zhāo, 前招)
44. Backward posture (Hòu zhāo, 后招)
45. Part the wild horse mane (Yě mǎ fēn zōng, 野⻢分鬃)
46. Six sealings and four closings (Liù fēng sì bì, 六封四闭)
47. Single whip (Dān biān, 单鞭)

Section-5

The fifth section consists of 16 moves and in this section extreme movements such as long jumps and splits are introduced.

48. The fair lady work at the shuttle (Yù nǚ chuān suō, ⽟⼥穿梭)
49. Lazily tying coat (Lǎn zhā yī, 揽扎⾐)
50. Six sealings and four closings (Liù fēng sì bì, 六封四闭)
51. Single whip (Dān biān, 单鞭)
52. Cloud hands (Yùn shǒu, 运⼿)
53. Swing foot and drop into split (Bǎi jiǎo diē chà, 摆脚跌岔)
54. The golden cock stands on one leg (Jīn jī dú lì, ⾦鸡独⽴)
55. Step back and wind arms (Dào juàn gōng, 倒巻肱)
56. White goose spreads its wings (Bái hé liàng chì, ⽩鹅亮翅)
57. Oblique form (Xié xíng, 斜行)
58. Flash the back (Shǎn tōng bèi, 闪通背)
59. Cover hands and strike with fist (Yǎn shǒu gōng quán, 掩⼿肱拳)
60. Six sealings and four closings (Liù fēng sì bì, 六封四闭)
61. Single whip (Dān biān, 单鞭)
62. Cloud hands (Yùn shǒu, 运⼿)
63. High pat the horse (Gāo tàn mǎ, ⾼探⻢)

Section-6

Consisting of 11 moves, the sixth section is perhaps the most dynamic one, in which almost all of the moves flow continuously from one move to another.

64. Cross waving foot (Shí zì jiǎo, ⼗字脚)
65. Punch of hitting crotch (Zhǐ dāng chuí, 指裆锤)
66. Ape searching fruit (Yuán hóu tàn guǒ, 猿猴探果)
67. Single whip (Dān biān, 单鞭)
68. Dragon dives to the ground (Què de lóng, 雀地⻰)
69. Stepping forward to form seven stars (Shàng bù qī xīng, 上步七星)
70. Step backward and straddle arms (Xià bù kuà gōng, 下步跨肱)
71. Turn body and double wave lotus (Zhuǎn shēn shuāng bǎi lián, 转⾝双摆莲)
72. Cannon right overhead (Dāngtóu pào, 当头炮)
73. Budha's warrior attendant pounds mortar (Jīn gāng dǎo duì, ⾦刚捣碓)
74. Closing form (Shōu shì, 收势)