South Side
Begin facing 12 o’clock with hands at your sides with palms touching your legs. Your partner is standing to your left. Your feet are together. Circle both arms back and over with palms open and facing 12 o’clock. As arms circle over respective shoulders, bring them toward your center/chest palms down and fingers pointing toward each other. Press palms down in front of your belt/groin. Your feet are still together.
Turn your head to your left (9 o’clock) as you step back with your left foot into a horse stance facing 10 o’clock and deliver a right knife hand block from left to right followed by a left leopard’s paw strike to the face (both block and strike toward 10 o’clock).
Step right foot over left toward 9 o’clock (a twist stance) as you slide your right forearm along the underside of your left forearm to deliver an open handed cross block toward 10 o’clock and feed it from left to right. Step your left foot toward 9 o’clock (getting out of the twist stance) into a horse stance facing 12 o’clock and deliver a right horizontal backfist strike toward your left (3 o’clock). As you deliver this strike, lean toward 3 o’clock.
Draw right foot into a right cat stance facing 3 o’clock, circle arms to deliver a left knife hand block from right to left. Follow with a right front ball kick to 3 o’clock and it is blocked and thrown causing you to pivot on your left support foot 180 degrees from right to left. Place right foot down toward 9 o’clock and continue to pivot your upper body right to left until you are again facing 3 o’clock. As you are pivoting from facing 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock, your left foot steps back toward 9 o’clock and you end the pivot in a right twist stance. During the 360 degree pivot, your left hand goes horizontal over your head palm out and fingers pointed toward your right.
From the right twist stance, deliver a right side thrust kick to the ribs at 3 o’clock and land in a horse stance facing 6 o’clock (your left hand remains in the upward knife hand block position over your head). As you land, deliver a right wing block and then a left downward shuto strike. (Note: The wing block pivots your upper body from right to left and on the “uncoiling” from the block, the left upward knife hand block comes down to deliver the left shuto strike). The block and the strike are delivered toward 5 o’clock.
Step your right foot back toward 11 o’clock and draw into a left cat stance facing 5 o’clock as you deliver a left parry block from low right to low left. Step in with the left foot into a front stance toward 5 o’clock and deliver a left immortal man strike to the eyes. Again, draw back into a left cat stance and circle hands to deliver a right knife hand block from left to right. Immediately circle arms again and step forward toward 5 o’clock into a left front stance and deliver a left horizontal elbow strike.
Half moon with your right leg into a horse stance facing 3 o’clock and deliver a right rising supported fork block (right hand is in a tiger’s mouth form upward with the palm facing you and forearm is perpendicular to the ground with your right elbow being supported on the back of your left hand (your left arm is parallel to the ground in front of your chest palm down and fingers pointed to your right side (6 o’clock))). Follow the block with a left cross-arm shuto strike to the neck from under your right elbow delivered toward 3 o’clock.
Retreat to a left cat stance so that you are facing 3 o’clock and deliver a left downward trigger finger block at chest height toward 3 o’clock (left hand forms a trigger finger and it snaps downward with your palm up). Step left foot forward toward 3 o’clock into a left front stance and deliver a left trigger finger strike to the cheek.
Again, retreat to a left cat stance facing 3 o’clock as you deliver a right hook block moving from low left to low right (right hand bends at wrist and the fingers all touch as in a chicken wrist strike to form a hook with the right hand and it sweeps to hook the strike/kick with the bent wrist and move/pull/redirect the strike/kick). Step left foot in toward 3 o’clock to a left forward stance and deliver a left palm heel strike to the ribs.
Retreat to cat stance facing 3 o’clock and deliver a right reverse forearm block low (a #1 block that actually begins blocks from the groin and up to past the right shoulder) and use the left arm as a trap as the block comes upward in front of the head. Note: This is blocking a rising heel kick and the right arm catches the kick about groin level and the left arm pins the leg/ankle to your forearm so that you can move/block/throw it safely from landing on your chin. As the block/throw is taking place, you step into a right forward stance toward 5 o’clock. At the end of the block/throw, your right arm remains perpendicular to the floor in the #1 block form and your left arm is bent and up over your head from the left (as in the beginning of Heian Nidan). This is called a tiger.
Pivot upper body to face 12 o’clock as you circle hands in front of your chest crossing at the forearms (left clockwise and right counter-clockwise with the palms open and facing the opposite way). The hands circle all the way down and back in front of your chest with palms down and fingers pointed toward each other (as in opening salutation). As your hands come in font of your face, step your right foot up to and beside your left foot to face 12 o’clock (as in starting position).
