| Evolution Of Fighting Techniques | | | | in the ring. |
| The Shaolin Temple in Henan province, China, was | | | | The Importance Of Qi |
| founded by a humble Indian Buddhist monk called | | | | We also practice body conditioning. I specialise in |
| Batuo around 495 BC. In 517 BC the Bodhidharma | | | | Shaolin Steel Jacket. The reason I specialise in |
| travelled from India to the Shaolin Temple, where | | | | Shaolin Steel Jacket is because I am small - not |
| he founded Ch'an Buddhism or what is more | | | | much taller than 5ft 6 - so when I fight, I have to |
| commonly known as Zen. The legend is that | | | | go into my opponent, and they are nearly always |
| when he arrived at the temple, he discovered the | | | | taller and heavier than me, which - without my |
| monks were weak from practicing sitting | | | | body conditioning skill - would give them an |
| meditation all day, so he conceived and taught | | | | advantage over me. |
| them a series of internal and external exercises | | | | I know it is difficult for many Western people to |
| to increase their health, strength, and vitality. | | | | believe in Qi. Science still has not found a way to |
| These later developed into what we now call | | | | prove or disprove it. Excluding the Western |
| Shaolin Kung Fu and Shaolin Qi (Chi) Gong. | | | | understanding of the bodies anatomical system |
| Throughout the history of the temple, there has | | | | such as the nervous and respiratory system, |
| been a steady stream of monks bringing the best | | | | within the human body there are a network of |
| skills from the Asian world, combining them with | | | | pathways which we call meridians, they carry Qi |
| ancient Shaolin skills, and then refining these | | | | through out the body. They are like small rivers |
| modified skills for optimal effectiveness. The | | | | which when the body becomes stressed or ill |
| Shaolin Temple Fighting techniques are not pages | | | | become blocked. The Chinese believe in |
| from a history book but are something that are | | | | preventing illness rather than waiting for it to |
| as alive and relevant today as they were | | | | happen so we practice Qi Gong to keep a healthy |
| thousands of years ago. Bringing Shaolin martial | | | | flow of Qi running through our bodies. Sometimes |
| arts to the West is another chapter in the Shaolin | | | | I think we look after our cars, better than we |
| book, and as a 34th generation fighting disciple | | | | look after ourselves. We don't wait for it to break |
| from the Shaolin Temple, I continue with this | | | | down before we give it gasoline, water, oil, or |
| tradition today. | | | | take it to the garage for a check up, so why do |
| The Art Of War | | | | so many of us do that with our bodies? |
| In the Shaolin Temple, as well as studying the art | | | | Body Conditioning |
| of meditation and Qi Gong, we also study the art | | | | If we only want to keep healthy, then we will |
| of war. Long before guns, tanks, and bombs | | | | continue to practice healthy forms of Qi Gong all |
| were invented, Shaolin martial arts were used in | | | | our lives, but if we want to be fighters then we |
| war. The monks had to find ways to change their | | | | learn to master the Qi and direct it into different |
| body from vulnerable flesh, blood, and sinew into | | | | parts of our body. The analogy I use is to |
| powerful invincible weapons. Not just their legs, | | | | compare it with the wheels on a car, they are |
| arms, torso, and head, but also their internal | | | | useless without Qi - air - but by pumping simple |
| organs, and most importantly their mind. | | | | air into its tyres the car is transformed from a |
| Mind = Heart = Mind = Heart | | | | vehicle with a powerful engine that can go |
| The Chinese character for mind is the same as it | | | | nowhere to a vehicle with a powerful engine that |
| is for heart. In China we do not split them into | | | | can go everywhere. |
| two like you do in the West. Wherever your | | | | Body conditioning gives us the confidence to |
| heart is so your mind will be. It is your heart or | | | | come up against our opponent even if he looks |
| mind, which makes your world, everything comes | | | | bigger or stronger than us. With the Shaolin Steel |
| from it. So when you train in the fighting arts, you | | | | jacket technique I put my Qi into my back and |
| must practice your heart at the same time as | | | | my torso and then I am confident that I will be |
| you practice your body. You need to understand | | | | protected from blows. My back and torso is like |
| yourself and be brutally honest. What are you | | | | steel. It is my armour. |
| good at? Improve this skill. What are you no good | | | | Planting The Fighting Seed |
| at? If you think you are good at everything then | | | | All of this training is the planting of the seed. You |
| you don't know yourself. Only when you know | | | | plant an apple seed you get an apple tree. We |
| your own strengths and weaknesses can you | | | | plant a fighter's seed, this means we set our |
| control yourself. Only when you know your own | | | | motivation; we want to become an excellent |
| strengths and weaknesses can you then go on to | | | | fighter. We train hard - this is the cultivation - and |
| study your opponent's strengths and weaknesses | | | | then, after years of training, we start to become |
| and ultimately control them. This is the way to | | | | the fighter we always wanted to be. |
| win a fight. This is also the way to win a war. But | | | | The First Fight |
| in war we are fighting with an enemy, in martial | | | | But usually when we first go to fight, we are |
| arts we are fighting with our own ego and our | | | | disappointed in ourselves. Training and fighting are |
| own inner enemy. We come up against this | | | | very different. We may be good at training but |
| enemy continually in our training - when we feel | | | | that doesn't make us good fighters. As Bruce Lee |
| tired, impatient, lazy, or we lose faith in ourselves | | | | said, if you can't hit your target, then what does |
| or what we are learning. We especially come up | | | | it mean? And in the beginning, you may find it |
| against this when we are a new student. | | | | hard to hit this target who is no longer a pad, a |
| Beginner's Mind | | | | bag or a fellow sparring partner but a determined |
| The beginner's class is the most important level | | | | fighter who wants to win as much as you. |
| and one which we will keep coming back to all our | | | | Nothing can prepare you for your first fight. But if |
| martial art's life. We are about to build a house, | | | | you have trained consistently then you will know |
| we have a blueprint in our mind, but so this house | | | | you are strong. You know you did everything to |
| doesn't come falling down, we need to have | | | | be the best. Doesn't mean you will win but you |
| strong foundations. | | | | will have the confidence to win. If you don't have |
| In the Shaolin Temple, we get up every morning | | | | confidence then you can never win. |
| at five-thirty, and go for a run up the mountain. | | | | Are The Shaolin Fighting Skills For You? |
| This is like putting money into a saving's account. | | | | We all want to win. It feels good. But we must |
| If we do not have the stamina then we will not | | | | remember it is just a stopping point on the way, |
| be able to practice the skill. When we come back | | | | it is not our ultimate destination. And the Shaolin |
| from the mountain, we practice five basic | | | | fighting skills are not a dream, and they are not a |
| stances, five basic kicks and stretching. | | | | film, they are a life. So ask yourself, do you love |
| Learning martial arts is no different from learning | | | | the Shaolin Martial Arts? If you do then you must |
| maths or English, if we cannot add two plus two | | | | continue to train. Through hard training you will |
| then we cannot progress to algebra, if we cannot | | | | begin to understand that you are much more |
| read the alphabet then we can never read | | | | than you thought, through Qi Gong you will have |
| Shakespeare. This is the reason we study these | | | | health and energy, through meditation you will |
| very basic skills. Only when our body is getting | | | | develop control over your mind. You will ultimately |
| stronger do we then start to learn some internal | | | | win the war over your ego. This is the highest |
| and external forms, and only when our master | | | | martial arts of all, and one, which may take you |
| feels we are ready do we progress to studying | | | | many lifetimes to achieve. |
| fighting punches and kicks and then start to fight | | | | |