History of Yang Taichi in Bulgaria

International Yang Tai Chi Association 1998

In October 1998, Grandmasters Yang Zhengduo and Yang Jun founded the International Yang Tai Chi Association, uniting Yang Chengfu Tai Chi centers from all over the world. The first Yang Chengfu Centers were established in the USA in 1995 by Yang Zhengduo and Yang Jun. Currently there are 60 centers in 24 countries.

Yang Tai Chi Centers in Bulgaria – Sofia and Plovdiv

Master Stanislav Bagalev was born in 1972 in Sofia. He started his martial arts training in a year with master Krasimir Dimitrov (The China man). Before the changes it was a time when to practice Eastern practices and martial arts was forbidden by the state.

In 1989 Stanislav Bagalev was one of the instructors in the Esoteric Society Qin Lun. It was led by Krasimir Dimitrov. Many seminars are held in the country. Demonstrations as well as the first martial arts broadcasts on BNT. At one of the first seminars with Master Roland Habersetzer, 8th Dan, in 1989, Stanislav Bagalev defended his first instructor degrees.

Plovdiv University

In 1991, at the invitation of Plovdiv University, Stanislav Bagalev went to Plovdiv. He started teaching Chinese martial arts in the new specialty of the free faculty. The training was five semesters – Tai Chi, Tai Chi Sword, Shaolinquan, Shaolin with sabre, WingTsun. He teaches lectures and exercises to the major. Recorded the first instructional films on Tai Chi on national television.

1991-1994 was four times national champion in internal styles and Tai Chi.

In 1994-95, he attended seminars with Master Xiao Qing, the champion of China.

In 1996, a WingTsun club was founded at Plovdiv University, part of the European WingTsun Organization. Grandmaster Kernschpecht is the head of EWTO.

From 1996 until today Master Stanislav Bagalev is the representative and head of the organization for the country.

He graduated with a Master’s degree in Bulgarian Philology and specialized in National Sports Academy – trainer of WuShu and  Martial Arts.

Joining the International Family Yang Tai Chi Association 2004

In 2004 Stanislav Bagalev became the first member (card number 359 001) of the World Yang Family Tai Chi Association from Bulgaria, and in 2006 he attended his first seminar with Grandmaster Yang Jun in Italy.  He helped to organize a series of seven international seminars with Grandmaster Yang Jun in Bulgaria, in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo and Burgas.

2006 Established together with Krasimir Dimitrov and German Atanasov – Yang Taiji Association Bulgaria, which unites schools from Sofia, Lovech, Plovdiv, Haskovo, Burgas, Varna and Tarnovo.

In 2010, the first seminar with Grandmaster Yang Jun was held in Bulgaria, where Stanislav Bagalev was the first Bulgarian to defend the first official second degree before Master Yang Jun.  He also received the first certificate in Bulgaria for Affiliated School to the World Yang Taiji Family Organization. (June, 2011, AS 359 001)

Travel to China

2012 Visited China at the invitation of the Yang Taiji Association, participated in competitions and a large Yang Taiji demonstration in front of the public and Taiji masters in Taiyuan at the International Taiji Competition.

In 2015, 2016 and 2017, he again went to China for training and visiting Beijing, Tai Yuen, Kunming, Da Li, Xian, Li Jian, Shangri La.

In 2017 he visited, China, Kunming city, participated in demonstrations and lectures with his students Marin Maznev, Dimitar Tonchev, Maxim Iliev. Participate in a documentary about Tai Chi traditions. at the main school in Kunming city in front of Grandmaster Yang Jun at an examination in China, and his students Marin, Maxim and Dimitar defended the first rank.  He works closely with the Confucius Institute and its branches in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo and Plovdiv. He participates in lectures, demonstrations and presentations in Sofia, Plovdiv, Tarnovo, Varna and Burgas.

He founded the Wushu Club Plovdiv and in 2018 he was the national champion in Yang style for men, and his students came second, third and fourth.

In 2018 he participated in the World Tai Chi Championships as part of the national team of the Bulgarian Wushu Federation and became one of the three Bulgarian medalists with a bronze medal in traditional Yang Tai Chi at the World Tai Chi Championships in Burgas. 

He organizes a number of courses and seminars, trains instructors, teaches and gives lectures at home and abroad.

In 2019 Stanislav Bagalev, Dimitar Tonchev and Maxim Iliev visit Italy for the first World Cup of Traditional Yang Style, the International Symposium of Tai Chi, where all families participate – Cheng, Yang, Wu, Sun, Wu and Hao.

He received the 4^th Rank (Diploma 4 256, 05.26.2019) after exam in form, sword, sabre, pushing hands and theory, and Dimitar Tonchev and Maxim Iliev defend 2nd Rank.

2020 Enrolled for postgraduate qualification in Wushu coaching at the National Sports Academy

2020 Stanislav Bagalev becomes a Certified Instructor of the Yang Family (Diploma CI 359 002, 2020.7.1)

2020 Becomes head of the International Yang Family Tai Chi Center Sofia and Plovdiv, Bulgaria