Shaolin

Si Lu Ben Za (四路奔砸, sìlù bēnzá) means “Four Ways of Running and Smashing” and is an advanced Northern Shaolin Long Fist form. Alternative names include 四路奔打 (sìlù bēndá) — meaning “Four Ways of Running and Striking” and 四路蹦打 (sìlù bēngdá) — meaning “Four Ways of Jumping and Striking.”

This form is considered one of the most difficult to truly master and is usually taught as the last Long Fist barehand form in the YMAA curriculum. It is characterized by clean, sharp, continuous, and compact movements with hard power (Jing).

Ba Mei Shou (八枚手, bāméi shǒu) means “Eight Petals Hands” and is a Shaolin White Crane barehand form. This is an extended version that also includes Da Yao (Large Shaking) and Ti Gua (Kicking Trigram). Da Yao and Ti Gua are intermediate sequences, while Ba Mei Shou is an advanced one.

Qi Men (戚門劍, Qīmén jiàn) means “Qi Family Sword” and is the a Northern Shaolin Long Fist sword form. It was created in the Ming Dynasty by General Qi, who was very famous for his spear and sword techniques.

Er Lu Qiang (二路槍, èrlù qiāng) means “The Second Way of Spear.” It originated from the Yang family during the Song dynasty and is considered a Northern Shaolin Long Fist form. The Yang family was famous for their spear abilities and had 13 spear sequences. This form is believed to be the second. Spear is considered the king of long weapons.

Dan Dao Dui Qiang (單刀對槍, dāndāo duìqiāng) means “Single Saber vs. Spear” and is a traditional Northern Shaolin Long Fist form. It gives students an example how a short weapon can defend against a long weapon. Sometimes this form is also called Dan Dao Po Hua Qiang (單刀破花槍, dāndāo pò huāqiāng), meaning “Single Saber Destroys Lively Spear.”