Shaolin Kung Fu Demonstration
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Shaolin Kung Fu
There is actually two different styles of Shaolin Kung Fu (少林功夫) which is Northern Shaolin (北少林) & Southern Shaolin (南少林).
We are teaching both The Northern & Southern Shaolin Kung Fu (少林功夫) styles, which are brought to Southeast Asia by refugee monks and old masters after the second world war and during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Our Shaolin Kung Fu (少林功夫) training is very progressive, all students will learn at their own pace with close guidance from the instructors and the seniors throughout their martial arts journey. Our Shaolin curriculum has strong emphasis on the training of horse stances, footworks, fundamental form techniques and Qi Gong (气功), as the students advance, they will learn more complicated combat techniques. 
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Northern Shaolin Style
The main Shaolin Kung Fu (少林功夫) style we are teaching is the The Northern Shaolin's Five Blossom Kicks (少林五花腿). The Shaolin Five Blossom Kicks (少林五花腿) style is a practical and fast striking form of Chinese Kung Fu, developed by the Shaolin monks in the Songshan Shaolin Monastery hundreds of years ago. Its moves are known in the pugilistic world as agile and swift as it is derive from the Northern Shaolin's Monkey Fist.
The Shaolin Five Blossom Kicks (少林五花腿) style's main specialty is to cultivate the combination potential of punches, kicks, blocks, dodging and throws, achieving the "8 directions of attacks" contained in traditional Kung Fu as compared to only 2 in modern combat system. It contains a complete range of attacks to the various vital points, as well as a comprehensive set of footwork movement, allowing the practitioners to pick up the more intermediate combat skills and knowledge in a relatively short period of time compared to other martial arts. Mastering the The Shaolin Five Blossom Kicks (少林五花腿) style will allow the practitioners to easily create countless "strike combinations" to be used in Self Defense or Combat Sports.
The Shaolin Five Blossom Kicks (少林五花腿) style's main specialty is to cultivate the combination potential of punches, kicks, blocks, dodging and throws, achieving the "8 directions of attacks" contained in traditional Kung Fu as compared to only 2 in modern combat system. It contains a complete range of attacks to the various vital points, as well as a comprehensive set of footwork movement, allowing the practitioners to pick up the more intermediate combat skills and knowledge in a relatively short period of time compared to other martial arts. Mastering the The Shaolin Five Blossom Kicks (少林五花腿) style will allow the practitioners to easily create countless "strike combinations" to be used in Self Defense or Combat Sports.
Southern Shaolin style
The Southern Shaolin style (南少林) we are teaching emphasis on placing enormous strength through rootedness. It focuses on being firm, hard and standing your ground. The Southern Shaolin style focuses on using as few attack moves as possible, making one true committed attack or counterattack to end the fight. This is why the southern style has a very low profile and hardly appears in "Wushu Performances Or Competitions ".
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The Southern Shaolin style (南少林) we are teaching is the The Southern Shaolin's Plum Blossom fist (少林一枝梅). It is known to be a defensive yet forceful fighting style that Southern Shaolin monks used to protect the temple and ward off intruders. As a defensive style, the Plum Blossom fist (少林一枝梅) contain more blocks than strikes. The strikes are mainly non-lethal palm strikes, coupled with punches rolling out from the shoulders. The force generation system of this style comes from the exertion of a firmly rooted structure to the gentle and subtle hands, creating more of a pushing repelling force rather than a hard point impact force like the hard styles of Kung Fu. The Southern Shaolin's Plum Blossom fist (少林一枝梅) is now only available in our private lessons as it contains numerous Qi Gong & Stances training that required one-on-one coaching.
We have Southern Shaolin Weapons training like the staff and saber available in our private lessons too. Please contact to find out more. |
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Benefits of Shaolin Kung Fu
Benefits of training Shaolin Kung Fu are endless. The most obvious benefits are your health will improve and you will become stronger and more flexible. Your livelihood will be improved, wisdom will expand, and ethical standard will be elevated. Being a Shaolin Kung Fu Practitioner you will feel more at peace and confident in yourself.
External training is the most popular aspect of Shaolin Kung Fu. We teach the external exercises of Shaolin through forms and drills. Each individual basic movement is essential for more advanced training. One's fundamentals need to be strong and sharp as it will lead to a higher understanding in the forms and more advanced movements. As a result, all students who wish to learn Shaolin Kung Fu must first start with the basics whether they have experience in other martial arts or not.
Internal training is equally as important as the external. The internal exercises help you achieve the fluidness, power, and spirit of the external. It is the essence of all movement in Shaolin Kung Fu. Since the beginning of Shaolin, students have learned what is called Qi Gong (气功), which is the development of one's "Qi" . Every human being possesses "Qi", it is the energy of all living things in the world. Shaolin Monks have unlocked the secrets of "Qi" through exercises and martial arts forms.
External training is the most popular aspect of Shaolin Kung Fu. We teach the external exercises of Shaolin through forms and drills. Each individual basic movement is essential for more advanced training. One's fundamentals need to be strong and sharp as it will lead to a higher understanding in the forms and more advanced movements. As a result, all students who wish to learn Shaolin Kung Fu must first start with the basics whether they have experience in other martial arts or not.
Internal training is equally as important as the external. The internal exercises help you achieve the fluidness, power, and spirit of the external. It is the essence of all movement in Shaolin Kung Fu. Since the beginning of Shaolin, students have learned what is called Qi Gong (气功), which is the development of one's "Qi" . Every human being possesses "Qi", it is the energy of all living things in the world. Shaolin Monks have unlocked the secrets of "Qi" through exercises and martial arts forms.
About the different styles of Shaolin Kung Fu
In 1669 a Chinese Philosopher, Huang Zongxi described martial arts as Shaolin versus Wudang, the former being external arts and the latter internal. Ever since, the external Chinese martial arts have been popularly known to be tied to Shaolin, regardless of their actual connection to the Shaolin Temple.
Shaolin martial arts, despite being popularly known as a hard style of kung fu, also have deep internal aspects. There are 72 arts of Shaolin Temple, which are made of the 36 hard arts and 36 soft arts. In fact, the Yi Jin Jing is known for being a very good internal training method, while also being able to strengthen the body and improve health. Shaolin kung fu is mainly based on vigorous body training, to strengthen the body to be able to perform feats which seem impossible to the human body. Shaolin kung fu also have defensive and offensive techniques. The defensive techniques are taught to all Shaolin monks to protect themselves and train their body and mind. The offensive techniques are only taught to monks who have attained a certain level of self control through Zen cultivation.
Shaolin martial arts, despite being popularly known as a hard style of kung fu, also have deep internal aspects. There are 72 arts of Shaolin Temple, which are made of the 36 hard arts and 36 soft arts. In fact, the Yi Jin Jing is known for being a very good internal training method, while also being able to strengthen the body and improve health. Shaolin kung fu is mainly based on vigorous body training, to strengthen the body to be able to perform feats which seem impossible to the human body. Shaolin kung fu also have defensive and offensive techniques. The defensive techniques are taught to all Shaolin monks to protect themselves and train their body and mind. The offensive techniques are only taught to monks who have attained a certain level of self control through Zen cultivation.
Songshan Shaolin Monastery In Henan China
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The same is said for both fist and weapon skills. Shaolin fist techniques often employ palm strikes and pushing which cause little harm to the target’s body tissue, but wards off attacks effectively. Other than that, Shaolin fist also have the hard and strong techniques such as the Arhat Fist which is very good for conditioning. Shaolin monks start off weapon training with the staff. There are 2 kinds of staffs, the first one being the single end staff, which is thick on the holding end and narrower on the striking end, and is often more than one foot longer than the user’s height. The second is the double end staff, which is equal in thickness along the whole staff and the length of the staff may be as short as the height of the navel to height of the eyebrows.
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There is also a distinction between Northern and Southern Shaolin, the Northern Shaolin martial arts being the more popular style, and is still being practiced in the Songshan Shaolin Monastery in China’s Henan province today. The Southern Shaolin Monastery also known as the Fujian Shaolin Monastery refers to a Buddhist monastery be located in Fujian province, China; by tradition it is considered the source of all Southern Shaolin Chinese martial arts.
The northern style is more agile and light footed with nimble movements. There are many kicks and jumps in the northern style. The footwork is light with spinning and weaving as its basis. The southern Shaolin style however is more firmly rooted with heavy arms and feet. The moves consists of mainly direct fist and forearm strikes with little kicks and jumps. The footwork is stationary when not moving but sudden and explosive when it moves. Unlike the northern style, the feet do not leave the ground more than a few inches.
Western media has cause the world to attributed Shaolin’s martial arts to Bodhidharma. However this has been discounted by many martial arts historians, some believe the Yi Jin Jing to be a forgery. Bodhidharma’s disciples Huiguang and Sengchou were skilled in martial arts before they become the very first Shaolin monks, They have been practicing martial arts before Bodhidharma’s arrival to the Shaolin Temple.
Records of the discovery of arms in the monasteries of Chang’an during government raids in AD446 suggests that Chinese monks practiced martial arts before the Shaolin Monastery was established in AD 497. Before the monks become monks, they were martial arts practitioners in their civilian life. Also, Chinese monasteries are large landed estates, source of value income which required protection.
The Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue, the Bibliographies in the Book of the Han Dynasty and the Records of the Grand Historian all document the existence of martial arts in China before Bodhidharma. Since the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Shuai Jiao and Military Quan Fa have been practiced long before the establishment of the Shaolin Monastery.
Shaolin temple was erected in the northern Wei dynasty in AD495 by Emperor Xiao Wen Di to host Ba Tuo, the monk who travelled from India to China to spread Buddhism. In AD527, the 28th generation disciple of Buddha, Bodhidharma came to Shaolin Temple and gathered many devotees and further promoted Buddhism, thus the temple expanded and the number of monks and devotees increased, turning Shaolin Temple into the origin of Buddhism in China. In the North and South dynasty, the teachings of Buddhism is widespread, but in AD574 Emperor Zhou Wu banned Buddhism and Taoism altogether, until AD580 when Emperor Zhou Jing restored the temple. In the Sui Dynasty, Buddhism became more appreciated by the Imperial Court, and the temple was bestowed land by the emperor, allowing the temple to have its own fields for farming. Near the end of the Sui Dynasty, the thirteen monks of Shaolin Temple aided the Tang Emperor in the establishing of the dynasty, earning a reward of much more land and funding from the emperor. The Tang Dynasty was the most thriving era for Shaolin Temple, it had 14000 acres of land and had 540 temple buildings, 5000 pagodas, and more than 2000 monks. In 1399AD, the Southern Shaolin temple was built in Gau Lin Shan in Fujian, which was also near the border of Guangdong. The Southern temple also have a custom of taking in unshaven disciples. In the 1540s and 1550s of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates frequently raided China’s eastern and southeastern coasts on a large scale. The government officials at that time initiated the conscription of monks(some from Shaolin) against the pirates, which warrior monks participated in a few battles. It is at that time the monks’ martial arts skills and superb stick fighting techniques drove the pirates off the coasts. In the early Qing Dynasty, the Shaolin temples were used as headquarters in the resistance against the Qing invasion. The Northern Shaolin temple was badly damaged and the rebels were ousted from the temple. The rebels thus made the Southern Shaolin temple their base after migrating south. Soon after, the Southern Shaolin temple was burnt to the ground by the Qing troops. 5 men escaped from the temple when it was burnt down, they became known as the 5 elders who spread Shaolin martial arts to the people all over China.
In a civil war in 1928, the temple received the most damage. The temple structures burnt for over 40 days and abandoned. During the Cultural Revolution in China, the monks were forced to return to civilian life and many monks fled to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, thus Shaolin martial arts spread across the globe. After the Cultural Revolution, the government contributed in repairing and refurnishing Shaolin temple.
Outside of China, many Martial Arts in Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia claims to have been influenced by Shaolin monks. Japan’s Sohonzan Shorinji still maintains close ties with China’s Song Shan Shaolin temple due to historic links. Japanese Martial Artists also practices Shorinji Kempo, which means Shaolin Temple Fist in Japanese.
The northern style is more agile and light footed with nimble movements. There are many kicks and jumps in the northern style. The footwork is light with spinning and weaving as its basis. The southern Shaolin style however is more firmly rooted with heavy arms and feet. The moves consists of mainly direct fist and forearm strikes with little kicks and jumps. The footwork is stationary when not moving but sudden and explosive when it moves. Unlike the northern style, the feet do not leave the ground more than a few inches.
Western media has cause the world to attributed Shaolin’s martial arts to Bodhidharma. However this has been discounted by many martial arts historians, some believe the Yi Jin Jing to be a forgery. Bodhidharma’s disciples Huiguang and Sengchou were skilled in martial arts before they become the very first Shaolin monks, They have been practicing martial arts before Bodhidharma’s arrival to the Shaolin Temple.
Records of the discovery of arms in the monasteries of Chang’an during government raids in AD446 suggests that Chinese monks practiced martial arts before the Shaolin Monastery was established in AD 497. Before the monks become monks, they were martial arts practitioners in their civilian life. Also, Chinese monasteries are large landed estates, source of value income which required protection.
The Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue, the Bibliographies in the Book of the Han Dynasty and the Records of the Grand Historian all document the existence of martial arts in China before Bodhidharma. Since the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Shuai Jiao and Military Quan Fa have been practiced long before the establishment of the Shaolin Monastery.
Shaolin temple was erected in the northern Wei dynasty in AD495 by Emperor Xiao Wen Di to host Ba Tuo, the monk who travelled from India to China to spread Buddhism. In AD527, the 28th generation disciple of Buddha, Bodhidharma came to Shaolin Temple and gathered many devotees and further promoted Buddhism, thus the temple expanded and the number of monks and devotees increased, turning Shaolin Temple into the origin of Buddhism in China. In the North and South dynasty, the teachings of Buddhism is widespread, but in AD574 Emperor Zhou Wu banned Buddhism and Taoism altogether, until AD580 when Emperor Zhou Jing restored the temple. In the Sui Dynasty, Buddhism became more appreciated by the Imperial Court, and the temple was bestowed land by the emperor, allowing the temple to have its own fields for farming. Near the end of the Sui Dynasty, the thirteen monks of Shaolin Temple aided the Tang Emperor in the establishing of the dynasty, earning a reward of much more land and funding from the emperor. The Tang Dynasty was the most thriving era for Shaolin Temple, it had 14000 acres of land and had 540 temple buildings, 5000 pagodas, and more than 2000 monks. In 1399AD, the Southern Shaolin temple was built in Gau Lin Shan in Fujian, which was also near the border of Guangdong. The Southern temple also have a custom of taking in unshaven disciples. In the 1540s and 1550s of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates frequently raided China’s eastern and southeastern coasts on a large scale. The government officials at that time initiated the conscription of monks(some from Shaolin) against the pirates, which warrior monks participated in a few battles. It is at that time the monks’ martial arts skills and superb stick fighting techniques drove the pirates off the coasts. In the early Qing Dynasty, the Shaolin temples were used as headquarters in the resistance against the Qing invasion. The Northern Shaolin temple was badly damaged and the rebels were ousted from the temple. The rebels thus made the Southern Shaolin temple their base after migrating south. Soon after, the Southern Shaolin temple was burnt to the ground by the Qing troops. 5 men escaped from the temple when it was burnt down, they became known as the 5 elders who spread Shaolin martial arts to the people all over China.
In a civil war in 1928, the temple received the most damage. The temple structures burnt for over 40 days and abandoned. During the Cultural Revolution in China, the monks were forced to return to civilian life and many monks fled to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, thus Shaolin martial arts spread across the globe. After the Cultural Revolution, the government contributed in repairing and refurnishing Shaolin temple.
Outside of China, many Martial Arts in Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia claims to have been influenced by Shaolin monks. Japan’s Sohonzan Shorinji still maintains close ties with China’s Song Shan Shaolin temple due to historic links. Japanese Martial Artists also practices Shorinji Kempo, which means Shaolin Temple Fist in Japanese.
