One of the persistent myths in Taiji is that when Yang Luchan went to Beijing, he made the training easier by taking out all the hard stumping and jumps from the form to make it easier for the nobles.
There has been two reasons supplied for his doing so:
1) the form would otherwise be too difficult for the nobles,
2) he didn’t want to teach the real art to the Manchurians who invaded and took control of China in 1644.
If we just take a step back and take a look at everything else we know to be true about the martial art scene in Beijing at the time, we can easily conclude this not to be true.
To start, both of these reasons implies the true essence of Taiji lies within powerful stumps and high jumps.
But those are not what make basic Taijiquan skills work, or makes it different from other martial art right?
If we want spectacular high jumps and kicks, none can surpass those in modern Wushu.
Are those Wushu’s athletes’ competition more authentic than even the classical forms then? As for powerful Fajin in strikes, out of the Big Six martial arts of the north, Tongbei and Baji are the ones most famous for that.
In terms of stumping, Baji and Xingyi emphasize those in their training more than other arts.
The essence of Taiji is using subtle circular forces to change the direction of the opponent, taking him off his center before he is aware.
Yang Luchan may very well have changed the practice over his lifetime, and taking out the powerful fajin and jumps (the high kicks are still in the form) may very well be a conscious decision to make the form’s tempo completely slow, even, and smooth, which help the practitioner get the correct feel sooner.
https://internalmartialart.wordpress.com/?wref=bif
Interesting presentation with supporting rationale.