Within the training process of Praying Mantis boxing,
Once the learner has a firm grasp of fundamentals,
Xiao-huyan is often the first formal form to be taught.
Xiao-huyan is not an extremely difficult form,
but it’s also not as simple as it seems. The reason we like to
teach Xiao-huyan as the first formal Praying Mantis form,
is not only to challenge the learner, but also because it has an
important commemorative value. This is because when Xiao-huyan
("Screeching Tiger Swallow") is said to be the first form Wang
Lang created when creating the Praying Mantis system.
having gone through this long period of time and build-up of
experience, the Screeching Tiger Swallow forms grew to encompass
a full set of forms, known as the "Tiger Swallow Series" of the
Praying Mantis system. For this reason, the name of "Screeching
Tiger Swallow" was switched to "Little Tiger Swallow" to indicate
it comes first in the Huyan series.

The Huyan (Tiger and Swallow) series of forms is one of the
first sets to be practiced within Praying Mantis training.
Of the Huyan forms, Xiao-huyan is considered most representative.
As the name implies, Xiao-huyan combines the ferocity of a tiger
with the lightness and agility of a swallow. This form has both
hardness and softness and can be applied at long or short range.
It is described as: move like a fierce tiger emerging from a thicket,
land like a wild goose gently hovering to the ground.
Hard and soft happen at the same time. Though this contradiction
seems to be unnatural at first, This form actually flows extremely
well. The hand techniques of Xiao-huyan are fast and highly
applicable in combat. This is the first and most important form
in the Huyan series.

Xiao~huyan  ( Little Tiger Swallow )       Form List