The Song of the Eight Ways

The Song of Shoulder-Stroke

(attributed to T´an Meng-hsien)

How can we explain the energy oft Shoulder-stroke?
The method is divided between shoulder and back.

The posture "Diagonal Flying" uses the shoulder,

but between the shoulders there is also the back.

When suddenly an opportunity presents itself,

then it crashes like a pounding pestle.

Yet we must be careful to maintain

our center of gravity,

for losing it we will surely fail.

Schulterstoß

A force exerted by the shoulder or back.

Kao is the use of the torso to divert our opponent's attack or to strike him when at close quarters, such as when he attempts to divert our punch into the void, and in reply we continue our forward momentum using the shoulder to strike him.