School Director, Academy Instructor

I was born in Chania in the island of Crete in Greece, where I finished high school. I studied in England where he got a B.Sc. with Honors 2.1 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Hatfield Polytechnic.

I then took a Masters degree in Microprocessor Engineering and Digital Electronics from the University of Manchester (U.M.I.S.T.). I currently live in Chania and I own a computer consulting company.

My experience in Martial arts includes Shotokan Karate which I did at the University, and a bit of Aikido. I started studying Tai Chi in Chania in 2001, and then, in 2002 I went to a seminar on the 103 form of Traditional Yang Family Tai Chi with Grand Master Yang Jun in Italy.

After this I continued studying and I have followed many seminars and have taken hundreds of hours of private lessons under Claudio Mingarini National Technical Director in Italy. I joined the ranking system three years later, and passed level 1 Copper Eagle, level 2 Silver Eagle, level 3 Gold Eagle, the 4 th level Copper Tiger and the 5th level Silver Tiger in Italy on the 15th of March 2014.

I have attended and am attending all European Instructor seminars that take place in Italy in October every year since 2009. I also have attended and am attending all Certified instructors and Center director special training seminars since becoming a certified instructor in 2009.

I have been teaching Traditional Yang Family Tai Chi since 2003 in Chania, Crete, trying to share the benefits and beauty of traditional Yang Family Tai Chi with people in Greece.

We established a Yang Family Associated school in Chania, Crete, Greece, on January 1, 2013. In our school we practice the Hand Form (103, 49, 16, 13, 10 forms), the sword from, the saber form and pushing hands. Having taken part in many seminars given by Grand Master Yang Jun in Italy, since 2002.

I also have organized two seminars with him in Greece in 2008 and 2009 on the 103 hand form and basic pushing hands, and plan to organize more in the coming years. During the year we organize seminars, to supplement the knowledge of our students.

Since 2013, Master Yang YaRen (disciple of GM Yang Jun, and Technical Director of Italy, Claudio Mingarini) has been giving a special seminar in September in our school, where we also have great participation from Italy.

GM Yang Jun accepted me as a disciple, on July 9, 2014 in Louisville Kentucky, during the 2nd International Tai Chi Chuan Symposium, and gave me the family name Yang YaRu.

Email: kostas@yangfamilytaichi.com