Syllabus

Hand Forms

The hand forms are normally learned in the order Square Form, Round Form, Mirror Form and Reverse Form.

• Long Form
• Short Form*
• Advanced Short Form*

Weapon Forms

Weapon forms are also learned and performed as Mirror Form.

• Sabre Form - Xuan Xuan Do (太極玄玄刀)
• Sword Form - Qian Kun Jian (太極乾坤劍)
• Spear Form - 13 Techniques Spear (太極十三勢搶)
• Two Man Weapons Forms - (兩人對武器順序)*

Applications

San Sau (散手) self-defense applications are divided into the following subdivisions

• Die Pu (跌撲)
  to make the opponent fall and then hit him (or hit him so that he falls)
• Shuai Jiao (摔角)
  grappling techniques including throwing, sweeping and tripping
• Qin Na (擒拿)
  seizing and holding, including locking and grip strike techniques
• Dim Mak (Dian Xue) (點穴)
attacking vital points with locks, strikes, etc.

48 San Sau Applications - 四十八散手

1. 七星勢 - seven stars style
2. 攬雀尾 - grasping bird's tail
3. 單鞭 - single whip
4. 斜飛勢 - flying oblique high and low
5. 提手上勢 - raise hands and step up
6. 白鶴涼翅 - white crane flaps its wings
7. 摟膝拗步 - brush knee twist step
8. 手揮琵琶 - stroke the lute
9. 搬攔捶 - parry, deflect and punch
10. 如封似閉 - as if shutting a door
11. 抱虎歸山 - embrace tiger, return to mountain
12. 十字手 - cross hands
13. 肘底看捶 - fist under elbow
14. 倒攆猴 - step back repulse monkey
15. 海底針 - needle at sea bottom
16. 扇通背 - fan through the back
17. 撇身捶 - swing fist
18. 雲手 - cloud hands
19. 高探馬 - pat the horse high
20. 左右披身 - drape body to left and right
21. 左右分腳 - separate legs left and right
22. 轉身蹬腳 - turn body and kick
23. 進步栽捶 - step forward punch down
24. 翻身撇身捶 - turn body and swing fist
25. 卸步七星 - step back seven stars
26. 打虎勢 - to beat the tiger
27. 披身踢腳 - twist the body and kick
28. 雙峰貫耳 - box the ears
29. 野馬分鬃 - parting wild horse's mane
30. 玉女穿梭 - fair lady works shuttle
31. 蛇身下勢 - snake creeps down (low style)
32. 金雞獨立 - golden cockerel stands on 1 leg
33. 撲面掌 - slap the face
34. 擺蓮腿 - single hand sweep lotus leg
35. 指擋捶 - punch the groin
36. 退步跨虎 - step back to ride the tiger
37. 雙擺蓮腿 - double hand sweep lotus leg
38. 彎弓射虎 - draw the bow to shoot the tiger
39. 雙抽腿 - double seizing legs
40. 折臂式 - break arm style
41. 迴旋手 - gyrating arms
42. 虎抱頭 - tiger embraces head
43. 白蛇吐信 - white snake spits out tongue
44. 先鋒臂 - vanguard arms
45. 飛花掌 - flying flower palm
46. 五行肘 - 5 element arm
47. 奔雷手 - running thunder hand
48. 單抽腿 - single seizing leg

Note that techniques that the following pairs of techniques are very similar: 17 (swing fist) and 24 (turn body and swing fist), 1 (seven stars) and 25 (step back seven stars), 39 (double seizing legs) and 48 (single seizing leg).

However there are 6 distinct techniques in the form that are not named as applications in the above list, these are:

• 太極起式 beginning style
• 太極收式 completion style
• 分手 separate hands
• 出手 extend hands
• 上步七星 step up seven stars
• 擺肘逼門 use the forearm [zhou] to force the door 

Weapon Applications

Applications are taught for each weapon, but do not form part of the core syllabus and are not listed here.

Nei Gong (內功)

Comprising 12 Yin (十二陰內功) and 12 Yang (十二陽內功) Exercises

Qi Gong (氣功)

‧ Immortal Family Eight Pieces of Brocade (仙家八段錦)*

Pushing Hands - 推手

Training in understanding jin (勁) - force. This includes 13 tactics (十三勢) which comprises the 8 forces (八勁) and 5 steps (五步), ting jin (聽勁) - listening for jin, hua jin (化勁) - using jin to redirect the opponents jin and fa jin (發勁) - discharging jin.

fixed step - 定步

• 4 Directions (四正推手) - Peng, Lu, Ji, An (掤,(手履),擠,按)
• Zhou Lu (肘履推手)
• Fu Yang (俯仰推手) - bow down, look up
• Reeling Silk (纏絲推手)

moving step - 活步

• Da Lu (大履步) - big diversion - Cai, Lie, Zhou, Kao (採,(手列),肘,靠)
also called as 4 corners pushing hands (四隅推手) also called 8 gates, 5 steps (八門五步)
• 9 Palace Step (九宮步推手)
• 7 Stars Step (七星步推手)
• Gather the Wave (採浪推手)

Auxiliary Exercises*

• single hand pushing hands (單推手)
• push absorbtion training
• fixed step pushing hands (自由定步推手)
• restricted step pushing hands (自由限步推手)
• moving step pushing hands (自由活步推手)

Six Secret Words (六秘密字)

These words represent practical fighting concepts.

Note

Items marked * are taught, but do not form part of the core syllabus