-
Glossary
- Shao Twei (shao tui)
- A Northern Praying Mantis leg cut, ankle sweep, or kick aimed at the calf or Achilles tendon.
- Shaolin gung fu (sil lum in Cantonese)
- The Shaolin monastery is the legendary (but not the historic) birthplace of the martial arts in China. Shaolin is synonymous with the external martial arts. The higher levels of Shaolin have chi gung practices but as a general rule, the development of physical strength and aggression is emphasized over cultivation of chi.
- Shiatsu
- A Japanese massage method based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Shiatsu uses the fingers to press acupuncture points for therapeutic effect.
- Shorin Ryu
- See Karate.
- Shotokan
- See Karate.
- Shuai jiao (shwei jiao, shuai chiao)
- Chinese wrestling.
- Shun shr jang (shun shi zhang, shun shi chang)
- Smooth palm changes. A palm change in ba gua that involves a mixing of yin and yang energies as opposed to being purely yang or yin. The generic phrase for any palm change in ba gua besides the Single and Double Palm Changes.
- Silat
- See Penchat.
- Single Palm Change
- Also known as dan huan zhang, tan huan chang. The most fundamental technique in ba gua. The Single Palm Change is a microcosm of the whole system based on the first (heaven) trigram of the I Ching.
- Sixteen-part nei gung system
- See Nei gung
- Sixty-four hexagrams
- Sixty-four basic energetic changes of the I Ching.
- Snake
- A Southern Shaolin style.
- Soft martial arts
- Those fighting arts whose defensive techniques are based upon not opposing force with force but rather upon yielding and redirecting an opponent’s force. Soft martial art strikes have no outward appearance of force but are devastatingly powerful, being based on chi and subtle body mechanics. Soft martial arts can be external or internal. Even the most ardent “hard” martial art system will have some soft techniques.
- Southern Praying Mantis
- The external/internal Southern branch of Praying Mantis that uses arm-touching practices extensively and has more internal chi work than the Northern branch.
- Southern Shaolin (nan Shaolin, nan quan/chuan)
- A style of fighting known for movements that can be done in a small space, the classical example being on a boat. Southern Shaolin styles are characterized by short, close-in, tight arm movements, low kicks, and short, tight footwork.
- Staff (or pole)
- A primary non-cutting weapon of Chinese martial arts that is usually made of wood, but can be made of metal. Its length varies from four to nine feet, with a length of five to six feet being the most commonly used.
- Standing chi gung (jan chuang, zhan zhuang)
- Chi gung that is done standing still, either with the practioner’s arms resting at the sides of the body or else held in the air in a static arm posture. Standing chi gung is one of the most basic techniques for developing internal power.
- Static arm postures
- The practice in which an individual holds his or her arms motionless in space, whether or not the feet are moving. The practice is done in order to bring the chi from the belly and spine to the fingertips and stabilize the internal alignments of the upper body.
- Sticking power (nien, nian)
- The martial skill of sticking to either your opponent’s skin or weapon with your own hands, arms, body, or weapon in order to control a combat situation defensively or offensively.
- Straight double-edged sword
- The basic sword used for single one-on-one combat in the Chinese martial arts. This sword cuts equally with both edges and the sharp pointed tip can pierce flesh.
- Straight step
- One of the three basic steps in ba gua where the practitioner steps forward.
- Suei
- Magnetizing. A technical term for one of the four stages of sticking energy in tai chi chuan.
- Sun style tai chi
- A combination style of tai chi created by Sun Lu Tang that amalgamates the Hao style with hsing-i and ba gua.
- Swari waza
- The ground-fighting technique of aikido where the practitioner is upright with one or both knees touching the ground, either still or moving across the mat.
- Synovial fluid
- A bodily fluid that is present in the space between the joints of the body.