The Basics

Hello,
I have created this to help fellow shaolin improve their forms and ad some insights into how the forms are meant to be done. I hope to have other fellow shaolin post their insights as well and have this be a way for us all to improve our kung fu. So lets get started.

The Horse Stance:
The horse stance is the most basic stance. The Weighting is 50% on each leg.Make sure your toes are pointed forward. tuck your hips under so that the hips can straighten the lower part of your spine allowing for you to have the rest of your back straight up. The knees should be pressed out to the sides. Don't allow them to collapse toward each other. The thighs should be lat on top so that you can put a tea cup on it. Build the legs so that you won't spill the tea by shaking because your stance is weak.

The Bow Stance:
The bow stance is the very next stance we learn in class. The weighting is 70% on the front leg and 30% on the back leg. This will happen naturally if your stance is done properly. The front leg is bent at a 90 degree angle and have the thigh flat on top. The back leg is straight. As a general rule never lock your knees it will wear down the joint and cause you to have knee problems. The back foot has the heel pushed back and the toe pointed forward. The front foot is pointing forward. The hips are something to spend some time looking at because a lot of people don't realize that the hips and chest should be pointing forward as far as possible which allows the leg to protect the groin as much as possible. Keep the hips tucked under again allowing for the lower back to be straightened and the upper back to be properly supported. This is also a good tip if you have a job that has you standing all day because it relieves pressure from your lower back. When doing low strikes make sure to lower the stance to hit them don't allow for your back to bend as it compromises the structural integrity of the stance and diminishes the power that you can generate.

The Sparring Stance:
The sparring stance is the third basic stance you will learn. This stance is more versatile, as it's meant to spar with and not primarily for conditioning. This Stance is higher but should still have the legs bent and rooted. The arms are at a 45 degree angle. The rear arm should be half way up the lead arm between the elbow and fist of the right arm. The weighting should be 60/40 in this stance 60% of the weight is on the front leg.

The Cat Stance:
The cat stance is that in my experience is primarily used as a transition from another stance to a kick. This isn't a rule it's just how it's mostly used. the weighting on this stance is 90/10. 90% of the weight is on the back leg 10% is on the front. The front foot is on the ball of the foot. The rear foot is pointing slight forward.

Basic Hand and Leg Strikes:

The Reverse Punch:
The reverse punch is performed by punching straight out with the first two knuckles. This punch goes primarily to the face area. The fist palm will stay facing your body.

The Horizontal Punch:
The horizontal punch goes straight out and is primarily used for striking the body. Again strike with the first two knuckles and ensure that the wrist is straight. If you don't make sure your wrist is straight then you may break your wrist while punching. If you use this punch to strike to the face your power will again be diminished because you have to raise your shoulder in order to get the strike that high.

The Front Snap kick:
The front snap kick is performed by raising your knee up and pointing the knee where you'd like to kick. The foot then snaps straight out. Pull the toes back and hit with the ball of the foot.

The Side Thrust Kick:
This kick is performed by thrusting the leg out to the side of the body. The foot is striking with the heel of the foot and the toes are pointed slightly down. This kick is designed to penetrate deep into the body and does not snap back. Remember on all of the kicks to keep your guard up so you don't get hit in the face.

Peripheral Vision
Another thing I'd like to discuss briefly is the peripheral vision. The peripheral vision sees movement better than your normal vision. So if you unfocus your eyes this will allow you to see what your sparring partner is doing easier than if you stay focused on them. There are a few ways to practice this. One way is to look at the opponents chest and see everything he is doing from there. Another way which I like is to look slightly off to the side of your partner rather than straight at them. I personally like this way because it's distracting to the person and a little demoralizing because they start thinking geez this guy doesn't even have to look at me to kick my butt or they get arrogant and are willing to try more stuff not realizing you can actually see everything they are doing. The only down side I have found to this strategy however is it limits what you can see from one side of the body. So at first I recommend looking at the chest and seeing what you see.

I think this is all for now.