Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts Blog

Mark Wasson - Important, Troubled Chen Taiji Trailblazer Passes Away

chen tai chi chen taiji mark wasson Dec 03, 2013

I tell my stories and explain my experiences so that other people might gain insight that helps them in their martial art journey. This is the kind of story you don't read very often. It is about one of my teachers, and it is not pleasant. But I think you know by now that I try to keep it real. So here goes.

Mark Wasson (left) in 2005 when he certified me with Chen Xiaoxing's

Chen Village Taijiquan School.

I first heard of Mark Wasson when he wrote an article for Tai Chi Magazine on his experiences training in the Chen Village. He was about my age (I am now 60 and he may have been 61). In one ten-year span, he made 15 trips to the birthplace of Taijiquan to get down and dirty, sweat, work, train, have bones broken, and to get deep insights into the real art of Taiji. I met him after I had been training for a few years with my first Chen Taiji teachers, Jim and Angela Criscimagna.

Mark Wasson was a deeply troubled man, but a pioneer and trailblazer who introduced a lot of peo...

Author - Instructor

Ken Gullette

I have practiced martial arts since 1973 and began studying the internal arts in 1987. My goal is to cut years off your development time by coaching you in the real skills for high-quality Tai Chi, Xingyi, Bagua. To see more about my bio, click the "About Ken" link on the menu at the top of this page.

Ken Gullette's Internal Fighting Arts

Mark Wasson - Important, Troubled Chen Taiji Trailblazer Passes Away

Author - Instructor

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