The Beginning Section of the Yang 108
The first section of the long moving form consists of the 21 movements listed below. 
Four of these movements at the very beginning --
Ward Off Left,
Ward Off Right,
Pull Back/Press,
Push
-- will later be called one movement: Grasp the Bird's Tail.
The first section should take at least four minutes (if the whole form is to make the 24-minute minimum test speed).
The 21 movements:
Step Left
Commencement
Ward Off Right
Ward Off Left
Ward Off Right
Pull Back and Press
Push
Single Whip
Lift hands
Step Forward Strike with Shoulder
White Crane Spreads Wings
Brush Knee Push
Playing Guitar
Brush Knee Push (left)
Brush Knee Push (right)
Brush Knee Push (left)
Playing Guitar
Brush Knee Push
Step Forward Deflect Downward Intercept and Punch
Withdraw and Push
Cross Hands
The combination of Grasp the Bird's Tail and Single Whip (which always follows it) will occur seven more times in the long form. Single Whip also follows Clouds Hands every time, and there are three sets of Cloud Hands to come. So altogether, Grasp the Bird's Tail and Single Whip account for about 20 of the 108 moves in the Yang-style form!
Other parts of the first section are repeated in the intermediate and advanced sections. The combination Lift Hands, Strike with Shoulder, White Crane, and Brush Knee Push occurs twice more; Brush Knee Push occurs an additional two more times; Step Forward Deflect Downward Intercept and Punch (long name for one movement) occurs five more times.
Thus the 21 movements listed above account for a total about 50 of the 108 movements of the long form -- almost half! These movements are the glue that hold together the more difficult parts of the middle and final sections of the form. At Master Gohring's school most of the first year of training is spent learning the first part of the form, but once this material has been well committed to memory, the transitions of the intermediate and advanced sections are already in place.
Video: Beginning section peformed by Master Gohring.
Instructional video is available for all movements in the beginning section of the form at www.youtube.com/mastergohring.
Go to:
Intermediate Section of the Yang 108 or
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