T h e F u n d a m e n ta ls o f S h a o lin Kung Fu

By: Scott Elledge & David Stubblefield

 History of the Shaolin Temple Breathing & Meditation onditioning & Stretching !nternal Styles E"ternal Styles #eapons

History of the Shaolin Temple

The $ord Shaolin is derived from Shaoshi Mountain and %lin&' the $ord for forest(

hinese

This describes the geographic area of the first temple built in the Henan )rovince around *+, -(D(

./ years later' an !ndian Buddhist priest named Bodhidharma came to the temple' but $as turned a$ay by the head abbot' 0ang hang

Bodhidharma $as determined and $ent to a nearby cave and meditated

1obody 2no$s e"actly $hy' but Bodhidharma $as then allo$ed into the temple and he soon noticed that the mon2s $ere in poor physical health

He began teaching them moving e"ercises designed to enhance hi flo$ and build strength( They consisted of 34 actions 2no$n as the 34 5ohan movements or forms(

These 34 forms later evolved into ,* forms and then into 364 forms( These movements $ere the start of Shaolin h7uan or Shaolin 0ist' later 2no$ as 8ung 0u(

9ver the years' due to repeated attac2s and periods of inactivity due to reigning !mperial and regional leaders $ho feared the mon2s' other temples $ere incorporated into Shaolin(

The , main temples $ere:

The Henan Temple, the original temple and the one seen in hinese 8ung 0u movies(

The Fukien Temple' 2no$ as the %head:uarters& during times $hen Henan $as either destroyed or under threat(

The Kwangtung Temple' 2no$n as the sna2e temple(

The Wutang Temple, 2no$n as the Tiger temple(

The O Mei Shan Temple' 2no$n as the rane Temple(

Breathing and Meditation

Meditation is the essence of han Buddhism and Shaolin 8ung 0u and it is the soul of Bodhidharma7s teachings

Meditation simply means to be fully a$are of the moment(

!t is done in a number of different postures such as sitting' standing' head stand' and !ron Bar' $hich is stretching out bet$een t$o benches $ith your head on one and your heels on the other(

These postures $ere usually held for several hours at a time and some mon2s achieved such high levels of sitting practice that they $ould meditate for a $ee2 straight $ith no brea2 for sleep(

Some mon2s have s2ills so high that they abstain from lying do$n ever again and at the highest level' some even die in state' $hich means to pass on in seated meditation $ith out falling over(

Breathing is an important part of meditation and there are t$o basic types of breathing(

The first is Hou T7ien hi' the %breath after your birth&( !t is used to rela" the mind and body' and heighten sensitivity( !t involves positive breathing in $hich the abdomen e"pands $hen inhaling and contracts $hen e"haling(

The other is Hsien T7ien hi' the %Breath before birth&( !t is referred to as negative breathing and involves contracting the abdomen $hen inhaling and e"panding $hile e"haling(

onditioning and Stretching

onditioning and stretching are essential to all Martial -rts' including 8ung 0u( But the Shaolin conditioning and stretching training system is too vast' deep' and numerous to account for in full detail' but the follo$ing are some aspects of the system(

I Chin Ching: These are basic stretching e"ercises based on the *+ postures of the ! hin hing or Muscle;Tendon; hange lassic that Bodhidharma is attributed to have initiated(

These *+ postures are designed to develop a balance of strength and fle"ibility by $or2ing on the muscles and tendons and each posture is usually practiced for *+ breaths each(

Yin/Yang Conditioning: The Human body has *.* voluntary muscles composed of t$o types of fibers' $hite and red( This form of conditioning helps in part to develop a balance of the slo$ t$itch or red fibers as $ell as fast t$itch or $hite fibers( !t is referred to as postive<negitive conditioning

Endu an!e pun!hing and ki!king: This $as carried out indoors in the $inter( !t consisted of a set of e"ercises that are designed to develop endurance and stamina(

Outdoo Conditioning: This $as carried out outdoors in the fall( !t $as designed for endurance and strength as $ell as balance on uneven outdoor surfaces(

I on "one T aining: This is probably the most famous of the training done by the Shaolin( !t7s carried out to densify the s2in and bones by mechanical vibration or controlled stress caused by impact of the forearms' legs' and palms on either a punching bag' tree' $ater' or into hot sand(

!nternal Styles

There are numerous !nternal Styles' but the t$o most $ell 2no$n are Tai hi h7uan and =igong(

Tai Chi Ch#uan: means %the >rand ?ltimate 0ist& and is often referred to as meditation in motion( !t is one of the more popular internal styles that is practiced by the general public in hina and the #est(

-lthough it is commonly considered to be a slo$ gentle form that is li2e meditation in motion' in actual it is the most devastating of all martial arts $hen trained for that purpose

-lthough it is commonly considered to be a slo$ @et' because of its subtlety' fluidity and the gentle form is li2e meditation in to motion' in decades of that practice that it re:uires truly master actual is the most devastating of all martial it' fe$it people care to pursue it for more thanarts $hen trained that purpose e"ercise andfor holistic purposes

Tai hi training' $hen carried out $ith the martial aspects in mind' enhances sensitivity' yielding ability Ali2e a sna2eB' rooting' fluidity of motion As$imming in air' reeling sil2B' and counterstri2es that involve returning the opponent7s energy(

The ancient masters of the art $ere so s2illed that a fly landing on their arm $ould set their entire body into motion' a sparro$ sitting on the palm of the hand $as unable to fly' every punch or 2ic2 thro$n in their direction $ere brushed a$ay effortlessly and they delivered the devastating earth;sha2ing stri2es by sin2ing' rooting and discharging their chi(

=igong is the art of developing vital energy' particularly for health' vitality' mind e"pansion and spiritual cultivation(

!t is a maCor part of Shaolin 2ung fu and is intert$ined into every e"ternal style(

!t involves the building of hi and directing it to parts of the body for prevention from inCury or to an opponent $ith the intent to inCure(

-ll great 2ung fu ma2es use of energy training to develop internal force' $ithout $hich it remains at its e"ternal' mechanical level' considered by hinese martial artists as rough and lo$;class(

Hence' a 2ung fu master may loo2' and actually is' gentle' yet $ith his internal force he can cause much damage to his opponent if he $ishes(

Hence' a 2ung fu master may loo2' His internal force does not diminish and actually is' gentle' yet $ith his $ith age' and he can apply it for internal force he can cause much peaceful use in his daily living damage to his opponent if he $ishes(

E"ternal Styles

E"ternal styles vary into the hundreds the maCority of them These 2ung fu styles may generally beand divided into . classes: Shaolin are based on animal movements( Temple styles' Temple;derived non;temple styles' and 0amily styles and there are t$o maCor divisions in Shaolin 2ung fu(

The Southern Shaolin styles' $hich are predominantly hand techni:ue oriented' consist of Southern )raying Mantis and the , animals that ma2e up the 0ive -nimal 0ist: Tiger' Dragon' 5eopard' Sna2e and #hite rane(

-nd the 1orthern Shaolin styles' $hich put more emphasis on 2ic2s and foot techni:ues( !t consisted of 1orthern )raying Mantis' Blac2 rane' and Blac2 Tiger(

Southern The Mantis )raying hoo2 Mantis is employed' rarely but emphasiDes so are numerous one typeother of techni:ue( trapping and controlling maneuvers(

The typical closed fist of other styles is absent from the southern sect' $hich instead favors the mantis fist' a modification of the leopard punch' but concentrating all of the stri2ing force through a single finger(

Stances are lo$ to moderate' but firmly anchored to the ground and there is tremendous use of the 2nees' elbo$s and lo$' po$erful 2ic2s(

Southern Tiger utiliDes a hard' e"ternal approach to combat that meets force $ith force and is very li2ely to maim or 2ill an opponent because of the nature of the counterattac2(

!t7s primary hand $eapons are the closed fist and tiger cla$(

#hile 2ic2ing maneuvers are usually lo$ to middle range 2ic2s of great po$er(

9ne studies Tiger to develop bones' muscles and tendons( The emphasis is on strength and dynamic tension' culminated in short' hard' snappy moves(

The Dragon represented t$o of the ancient elements' earth and $ater' endo$ing the creature $ith po$ers of elusion and po$er(

Dragon style relies heavily upon evasion as a tactic and evades primarily by rotation of the upper or lo$er torso $ith little or no stance movement(

!t employs pinpoint stri2es to vulnerable targets and also heavily uses tiger;li2e punches and cla$ing techni:ues' sna2e;li2e stance shifts' and leopard;li2e hit and run stri2es to $ea2en a physically superior adversary(

5eopard style is construed as a soft subsystem and is used to develop speed and strength' for it is the fastest of the tiger family(

The main $eapon is the leopard fist( The fist is formed in such a $ay that it can Cab' ra2e or crush on any surface $ithout alteration' stri2ing soft points in the anatomy and structural $ea2 points(

The bac2 of the hand is often used in brea2ing $hile a variation $ith the first t$o fingers e"tended is used for attac2s to the eyes(

Southern Sna2e style is distinguished from most of the other animal styles by the introduction of circular movements in its parries and attac2s(

This introduction of circles characteriDes the transition to a higher style( The circles themselves can be compared to the dynamics of @in and @ang in Taoism(

ircular attac2s Avie$ed as @inB are countered by direct attac2s A@angB(

Similarly' straight techni:ues are countered by circular ones(

The emphasis on sna2e style is hitting $ea2 points along the hi meridians as in acupuncture(

!t has been suggested by some practitioners of acupuncture' that the meridian routes $ere mapped based on preferred sites for mos:uito bites( Many bites induced discomfort in distant parts of the body(

The modern sna2e 2ung fu style is a collection of older styles $hich have no$ died out( !t7s range of techni:ues' ho$ever' reflect the influence of three different styles(

$ipe consisted of intimidating stri2es that could inflict heavy psychological damage by dra$ing lots of blood $ithout causing life;threatening damage( !ts trademar2 $as the tongue stri2e E t$o fingers aiming often at arteries and veins(

Co% a' $hich did not emphasiDe highly recogniDable or sho$y techni:ues' but rather very serious stri2es to nerves and pressure points( !ts characteristic hand techni:ue $as an open hand $ith the thumb curled underneath in order to maintain dynamic tension(

&'thon relied on the leopard fist for its pin point stri2es and included grappling(

The t$o universal aspects of sna2e techni:ues are pin point open;hand stri2es and t$isting arm postures to disguise one7s line of attac2(

Most sna2e 2ung fu practitioners use an upright' mobile stance $hich allo$s for rapid advances and sidestepping foot$or2(

?sing fast' alternating hand Cabs' the practitioner drills at an opponent' sidesteps' counterattac2s and drives home his attac2(

9ne day an old man $as meditating near a pond $hen he observed a beautiful $hite stor2' $hen out of the forest came a gorilla( He feared that the ape $ould destroy the bird' but $as amaDed by the bird7s elusiveness and ability to pec2 vital parts of the gorilla7s anatomy(

MaCor characteristics of this system include $ide;armed' $ing;li2e movements' high 2ic2ing' and the crane7s bea2' a hand $eapon made by Coining the fingertips firmly(

-s the defender physically evades an assault' the torso turns $ith force that accelerates the force of a stri2e' ma2ing even minor contacts painful to the attac2er(

-nd evasive foot$or2 forces the opponent to $or2 harder to target in on the 2ung fu practitioner' $ho in turn has the opportunity to tire his opponent before launching a definitive counterattac2(

0oot$or2 in the #hite rane is legendary' targets being anything from the head to groin( Bottom of the foot 2ic2s are effective' as are crushing stomps' generated at close range and $ith great speed( 9ther 2ic2s are designed to dislocate or unbalance opponents(

The founder of 1orthern )raying Mantis $as the bo"er #ang 5ang' $ho developed the method of combat around 3F66 -(D( He too2 the basic movements of a praying mantis and incorporated the erratic foot$or2 of the mon2ey style(

1orthern Mantis splinters off into different styles li2e Seven Stars or )lum Blossom )raying Mantis' but common to all 1orthern Mantis 2ung fu styles is the use of the mantis hoo2(

The hoo2 is used for stri2ing' bloc2ing and parrying( -dvanced practitioners to loc2 onto the opponent to employ stic2ing Mantis further learn employs brea2ing of Coints' particularly at the elbo$( or leading techni:ues' but never maintain a strong grip(

Blac2 rane 2ung and fu constitutes the hand sets of the Shaolin rane !t includes thro$s loc2s but is missing the intricate forms so that it and provides a short range stylepopulace for bo"ing useful to personnel( tall bo"ers( could be studied by the general or military

The movements are a collection of the ancient crane style' some tiger and the motion of sna2e( Because the e"ercises $ere intended to teach character and spirit' the style inherited the stor2 stance long before $hite crane 2ung fu itself $as introduced into hina(

Blac2 Tiger 2ung fu originated in the Henan Shaolin Temple(

!t has more emphasis on foot$or2 than the Southern Shaolin 2ung fu forms and bears some resemblance to Eagle style(

The list of animal styles goes on and on' one for Cust about every animal imaginable' such as dog style' mon2ey' frog' and eagle(

There are also other styles attributed to the Shaolin such as #ing hun(

#ing hun is arguably the most famous single style $ithin the Shaolin system( !t $as made 2no$n to the $est by Bruce 5ee and Games 5ee in the late 3+F67s in $hat $as the single most influential introduction of hinese 2ung fu outside hina

Despite 5ee7s rapid evolution of a personal style a$ay from traditional #ing hun' his association $ith that style $as a maCor factor in its continued success over the years(

#ing hun $as developed by a Shaolin %nun& and there are three different forms(

The first re:uires use of his or her imagination in the practice and application of techni:ues(

Most moves are repeated . times' the primary attac2 is a sun fist Athumb facing up$ard on impactB' and a variety of arm parries and bloc2s employed( There is no foot$or2 employed(

The second adds a fe$ ne$ moves to the techni:ues from the first form' but adds more stic2y;hands and bridge techni:ues( Bridge techni:ues are e"tended arm moves that intercept and redirect incoming attac2s $ithout using the brute po$er re:uired in bloc2ing( These techni:ues ta2e advantage of the physics of s$inging obCects(

The third form is primarily an offensive form' using finger thrusts or spearhands in a variety of $ays( There is more foot$or2' including a s$eep' lo$ 2ic2s' and stance shifts(

Drun2en Style 2ung fu is a $ell 2no$n style and is often incorporated into animal styles and use of $eapons(

The secret behind drun2en 2ung fu is the sudden release of po$er from a$2$ard positions(

The foot$or2 enables the user to confuse his opponent by s$aying' falling' and move as if he $ere drun2(

- common hand form is positioning the hands as if holding a small hinese rice $ine cup or a Cug(

The use of $eapons $as s2illfully mastered by the Shaolin fighting mon2s(

-fter repeated practice and research' the mon2s developed many different $eapons and their uni:ue styles( The variety of Shaolin $eapons eventually increased to over 3/6' but the basic 34 are:

Shaolin Fo k

T i &oint (ou%le Edged Swo d

Sta))

Shaolin I on &en

Shaolin Hand (a t

St aight Swo d

Si!kle*

Ta Mo Cane

Fl'ing (a t

Monk#* Spade

" oad*wo d

Shaolin Tho n

Spea

+,e

-huihun Swo d

.ine Se!tion Whip

Chun/iu Swo d

I on Flute

-ll of these $eapons $ere usually mi"ed into different animal and drun2en styles' but some styles $ere based on the $eapon itself(

One o) the olde*t Shaolin philo*ophie* i* that 0one who engage* in !om%at ha* al ead' lo*t the %attle1 and the Shaolin p a!titione i* ne2e an atta!ke , no doe* he o *he di*pat!h the mo*t de2a*tating de)en*e* in an' *ituation3

4athe , the *tud' o) kung )u lead* to %ette unde *tanding o) 2iolen!e, and !on*e/uentl' how to a2oid !on)li!t3

O2e all, the ea l' pha*e* o) Shaolin t aining in2ol2ed a lot what we would !all g amma *!hool, )o mo*t *tudent* ente ed the o de unde the age o) ten3

5ong da'* we e *pent lea ning to ead and w ite3

Student* al*o lea ned math, hi*to ', manne * and !u*tom*, Taoi*t and "uddhi*t philo*ophie*, painting, mu*i!, te,tile wo k, ag i!ultu e, potte ', and !ooking3

Olde *tudent* and di*!iple* would o)ten w ite %ook* o) hi*to ', poet ', o natu al hi*to ', while othe * would )o m mu*i!al en*em%le*, paint, o lea n medi!ine3

It wa* one#* de2elopment o) the !ultu al *ide o) li)e that mainl' ma ked one#* *tanding in the Shaolin !ommunit'3

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