Yang 40 Intro

Welcome to me imagining I know anything about the Yang 40

This space is going to be a lot of things.

In part, it’ll be a reference for me, going forward. I’ve not written down a form as I’ve learned it before, and I’m hoping it will be … illuminating? I’m hoping that something about having to put my experience into words will deepen my understanding of it.

Secondly, it’ll serve as convenient notes for me. As awful as it is, I have forgotten forms before. Much of what I knew of the Chen 36 is mostly lost to me - I remember general principles, but not choreography, and I couldn’t run through it to save my life.
With that in mind… if I drop the 40, and want to come back to it months or years later, hopefully past-me will have been verbose enough and accurate enough to serve as a decent teacher.

Thirdly, which is the most idealistic and least likely - perhaps this might help someone else. If you show up here from a random google search; stranger, I salute you. Hope I’m helpful.

Finally, I might wind up teaching some part of this form (or all of it) in the future. Getting some verbiage down in writing might be a good start to how to teach it - only time will tell.

With that said, The Yang 40 is a curious beast (at least from my eyes). It bears certain similarities to the Yang 24 - it’s shorter sibling - but also remarkable resemblance to the Combined 42, which was likely inspired by it.

As I’m familiar with both forms, the following articles (writeups? series? pieces?) will contain some comparison and contrasting with each of those forms. This may be of use to you, and it may not. At some point in the future I may do javascript shenanigans so you can filter what’s helpful - but for now, you’re stuck with me.

For reference, a full listing of the Yang 40 forms
(At least one translation of it) As sectioned out on the handout from my mother

Section One
1: Commencing Form
2: Stroking Bird’s Tail
3: Single Whip
4: Lifting Hands
5: White Crane Flashes Wings
6: Brush Knee
7: Play Lute
8: Parry, Block and Punch
9: Apparent Closing Up
Section Two
10: Slanted Flying
11: Fist under Elbow
12: Repulse Monkey
13: Fair Lady Works the Shuttle - L & R
14: Parting Wild Horse’s Mane - L & R
Section 3
15: Wave Hands Like Clouds
16: Single Whip
17: Higher Horse
18: Right Heel Kick
19: Punch Ears with Both Fists
20: Left Toe Kick
21: Turn; Right Heel Kick
22: Needle at Sea Bottom
23: Fan through Back
Section Four
24: White Snake Flashes Tongue
25: Right Patting Foot
26: Left and Right Subdue the Tiger
27: Lowering Movement (Snake Creeps Down)
28: Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg (both sides)
29: Lower Punch
30: Stroking Bird’s Tail
31: Single Whip
32: Left Lowering Movement (Snake Creeps Down)
33: Step Forward, Seven Stars
34: Step Back, Ride Tiger
35: Turn and Lotus Kick
36: Draw the Bow to Shoot the Tiger
37: Parry, Block and Punch
38: Apparent Closing Up
39: Cross Hands
4Closing Form