Shuang Yang
Shuang Yang () is a soft style martial art from southeastern China. It is a "white crane" form called, Shuang Yang Bai He Rou Ruan Quan (). The English translation is "Frost, sun, white crane, soft flowing art."
Origin
Master Miao Sian Meng was from the Chuan Chew Shaolin Temple. He passed the Shuang Yang form down to Master Ang Lian Huat from where it has spread throughout China, Singapore and Europe.
The form's sixty-six postures are derived from the crane bird's movements.
Practice
As the student practices the form he or she is encouraged to breathe deeply and slowly, so that the internal organs are massaged and the blood is enriched with oxygen.
With the different postures throughout the form, the practitioner works on stretching and straightening their posture. This can take a very long time, as GeneRally when most people start Shuang Yang their posture is not very good. The Shuang Yang form looks very soft on the outside but is as hard yet flexible as steel on the inside. The form is taught as a fighting art as well as for health purposes.
The first four postures of the form cover most of the main principles required but the full sixty-six postures will give the student hundreds of martial applications. The reason the first four are so important is that they cover, sinking, rooting, twisting, bridging, uprooting, displacement and the father and son principle.
It is important that the movements of the form never stop; they flow at exactly the right time required to deflect the opponent's attack. Like trying to grab a fast spinning ball, the end result is deflection. It should not matter how strong the opponent is because, like the crane, the movements are very evasive but always close enough to strike with precision. When one person makes contact with another their intentions can be felt: are they aggressive, friendly or just worried?
Shuang Yang training consists of meditation, qigong, two-person sensitivity exercises and practicing the form’s sixty-six postures.