The Yin Yang is one of the most widely recognized symbol of martial arts. The Yin is the dark part of it and the Yang the bright. Almost immediately, you can tell there’s a balance between both light and dark, opposites, and it is exactly that. The Yin Yang is actually a theory stating that everything has its opposites.
Throughout the forms of shaolin kung fu, we use movements of which are named nhu (soft, smooth) and cuong (strong, powerful). Right off the bat, you can tell that these are the contrary of one another. These two often alternate with one another in order to form a very beautiful sense of finesse to any form.
It takes a lot of time to understand at which points to use it. It is typical that older kids catch the concept sooner, though all brains work different, some slow and some quick. I would have to say that most of the kids out at the dojo are really stiff. I often tell them to relax their shoulders and such in order to make it look less awkward.
In the end, a complete understand of the Yin and Yang is the key to making any form like outstanding! It is also a wonderful demonstration of opposites!
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