Snake Style Tai Chi Chuan: The Hidden System Of The Yang Family
Bob Boyd has been a martial artist for over four decades. He trained in Okinawan Uechy-ryu karate for 17 years, retiring as a fourth degree black belt. In 1983, he began studying the tiger style of tai chi and taught tai chi for 17 years.  In 2001, Bob became the Disciple of Grandmaster Ip Tai Tak in Hong Kong, and was taught the snake style tai chi system. The snake style is the original, martial system of the Yang family that was taught only to male heirs of the Yang family. When Yang Sau Chung, the fourth generation heir of the Yang family had no sons, he took Ip Tai Tak as his First Disciple and heir. Grandmaster Ip chose to change the secretive tradition of teaching the snake style by giving his Disciple, Bao Tak Fai (Bob's Chinese name), permission to teach the snake style system openly. Now the snake style is being taught throughout the world thanks to the foresightedness of Grandmaster Ip. Bob is the Executive Director of the Bao Tak Fai Tai Chi Institute, Inc. and the founder of the International Snake Style Association (ISSA). You can learn more about Bob, the snake style, and ISSA by visiting www.ipfamilytaichi.org or www.snake-style.org on the internet. Bob is also a writer and a musician. He lives in South Hero, Vermont.