Some martial arts teachers are very proud of their lineages; they, or their teachers, may have learned from a noted practitioner, or better yet, from a lesser-known, “secret” lineage.

Of the Yang style, the Yang Chengfu Large Frame is the most popular. From the earlier Yang elders, there are the Small Frame (Yang Banhou and Yang Shaohou), the Middle Frame (Yang Jianhou), and the Application Form and Fast Form (Yang Banhou and Yang Shaohou). Wu Tunan also claimed to have learned his Fast Form from Yang Shaohou, but it generally does not resemble the Yang Shaohou Fast Form practiced by other disciples.

Students and contemporaries of Yang Chengfu also developed or continued earlier styles, such as Cheng Man-ch’ing (37 Short Form, Middle Frame) and the Dong/Tung family, who also developed their own Fast Form. Yang Chengfu’s son, Yang Shouzhong, also passed on his own derivative forms. Other notable figures from the early 1900s include Tian Zhaolin 田兆麟, Chen Weiming 陳微明, Niu Chunming 牛春明, and many others who learned from the second and third generations of the Yang Family.

In addition, there is the Guang Ping Form, from Yang Luchan’s home village, and various lesser-known teachings such as the Imperial Form. Most teachers also modify their teachings based on their own understanding and preferences.

Keep in mind that forms and knowledge do not necessarily pass through direct teacher-student relationships. Masters sometimes exchanged skills, so it is common for a master in one discipline to have obtained high-level skill in other martial arts. Hence there are masters who excelled in multiple internal martial arts, such as Xingyi, Bagua, and Tai Chi.

Some of the most controversial lineages come from the Fast Form and Middle Frame practitioners. Somehow the Fast Form is sometimes held up as the gold standard for Yang Tai Chi, and the Middle Frame is likewise prized for its rarity. None of these lineages actually guarantee real skill in the practitioner. Meanwhile, although the Yang Chengfu form is the most popular, it is often deemed “less martial” than the older forms.

In the end, finding a good teacher and being a good student matters most.