Sun-style Tai Chi was created in the early 20th century by renowned martial artist Sun Lutang, who was a master of Xingyi Quan and Bagua Zhang before studying Wu (Hao)-style Tai Chi under Hao Weizhen.
Sun combined Xingyi and Bagua stepping/body methods with Tai Chi principles to form his own distinctive style.
Key points:
Sun combined Xingyi and Bagua stepping/body methods with Tai Chi principles to form his own distinctive style.
Key points:
- Traditional Sun-style routine: ~97 movements (documented in Sun’s writings)
- Structure includes opening, advancing, turning, and closing techniques
- Movement names and sequence show Wu (Hao) influence with novel elements
- Modern promotion includes the official 73-form Sun-style competition routine
🌀 Movement Style
Sun-style is famous for:
- Lively, agile footwork
- Fluid, tight, continuous transitions without pauses
- A hallmark “follow step” (live step)
- Open–close rhythm
- Amplitude
- Soft strength over explosive power
- Incorporates Bagua and Xingyi elements while maintaining Tai Chi’s internal principles
🎯 Training Purpose
Sun-style balances health cultivation and martial application:
- Health Benefits
- Martial Application
- Energetic experience
- Sun-style is also an official competition category using the standardized 73-form for judging
🆚 Key Differences
Sun-style Tai Chi is distinct for:
- Fusion of Tai Chi with Xingyi and Bagua principles
- Signature “follow step” footwork, unlike the static stepping of Chen, Yang, and Wu
- Livelier, faster rhythm with constant, smooth progression and no abrupt stops
- Less explosive than Chen-style but more mobile and nimble than Yang-style
- More extroverted and flowing than Wu and Wu (Hao) styles, while preserving Tai Chi’s principles of softness overcoming hardness and internal movement guidance.
In short:
Sun-style offers a blend of mobility, internal coordination, and practical combat application, making it a uniquely modern and integrated expression of Tai Chi for practitioners seeking health cultivation, dynamic movement, and effective self-defense within one art.