SHAOLIN TEMPLE BOXING page eight

Demonstrators:Various. One of the oldest continuous styles of Kung Fu in the world. Famous the world over. Associated with the birthplace of Chan (Zen) meditation. Many of these forms are, in our opinion, purposely meant to "look ancient." Shaolin has been categorized as "hammering" going from "hard to soft" and other stylistic restraints. Old texts are imitated to give the appearnace of a certain, specific means of movement. This is not the first time in history Shaolin has fought this: see our historical text, the Spring and Autumn of Chinese martial arts. The movements, to the best of our research are authentic, but one should take with a grain of salt the implication that Shaolin is an unevolved form still practiced as though there had been no history of development in the last 1000 years.

A nice three VCD demonstration of the range of Shaolin. Unlike most surveys this is not just assembled from the other VCDs. Done at the temple with dozens of kids, old monks, lots and lots of sets and exercises. Many sets done in a different version than on the teaching VCDs. A blindfolded double sword vs. spear, San Da, lots and lots of demos.
A Triple VCD.

ChangHu XinYi Men Quan. A "hard" form in the system with connections to Xing Yi's ancestor style, Xin Yi. This form was developed originally by HuiWei of the Song Dynasty. Later it was refined by other monks such as JinNaLuo (Yuan Dynasty), JueXun and TongXiang (Ming Dynasty). Medium length with many double handed actions. Few recognizeable movements as what people have come to think of as Xin Yi. A little different pacing and many classical poses. Demonstrated by Shi YongZhi.

Also available in DVD.

One of the most famous metal weapons of the Shaolin arts. Definitely a traditional set. The famous "spade" said to be the tool for burying fellow monks is constructed with a spade head at one end and crescent knife at the other. The set here is not prettified. The weapon has some heft. There are some nice twirls, around the neck, behind the back and a foot catche and hold that will be challenging but, in the main, a rare weapon and a straight forward set.

One of the most famous of all Chi Kung regimens. Said by some to have been created by the culture hero, Yueh Fei. Others consider it a Shaolin original with strong roots in Yogic practice and one of the cornerstone of the style (there is indeed some evidence of this being true). Ba Duan Jin is a place where calisthenics meets Chi Kung. Not nearly as easy as many other versions this style has Shaolin flavor. Some pretty low positions but also many of the exercises are thankfully introduced in a layered fashion that allows the student to pick his punishment. Actually a crucial part of historical Kung Fu movement.

Also available in DVD.

You will see that vcd #722 is BASICS. This disk is more by way of exercises based on traditional Shaolin stances. There are also hand and leg actions but suplementary to the stance and rooting training. Strong clear basics. A good VCD for getting some class ideas that are essentially traditional.

Also available in DVD.

Five Tigers always refers to a more advanced and fiercer version of a weapons form. Though Shaolin is not known for its sabe this is one of the best represented. Some nice turns including an unusual Plum Blossom spin. Medium length. Strong postures. But also some balance challenges. One of the best we've seen in this series. This is considered the core saber set of the Shaolin 18 weapons. Demonstrated by Shi DeYang.

Also available in DVD.

Dozens of children demonstrate the ordered basics of the Shaolin system all the way from a simple Horse Stance to Flying Tornado kicks. The sequence is logical though somewhat military and lacks sophistication. Particularly good for teaching children in a logical sequence. The moves are somewhat overemphasizing performance and stretch but the concept is progressive and gradual.