Single Whip

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Yang Chengfu in a single whip posture circa 1918

Yang in the single whip posture circa 1930

Single Whip (單鞭 dān biān) is a common posture found in most forms of tai chi chuan. Typically at the end of the posture the left hand is in a palm outward push and the right hand held most commonly in the form of a hook or closed fist. Notable exceptions are the Single Whip in Sun style and Wu/Hao style tai chi chuan which finish with both hands open, palms outward.

Single Whip is one of the movements/postures most repeated in the solo training forms. Its first appearance in most forms follows the Grasp Sparrow's Tail sequence (peng, lu, ji, an) and is seen later as a variant renamed Snake Creeps Down. There is also a posture in the Wu style sword form called Single Whip Fusing Throat.

The martial applications of Single Whip are many^[1]. There are various strikes, throws, changeups (using one hand to create an opening so that the other can strike) and kicks derived from this posture trained by different schools.