SHAOLIN Kung fu Workout
Types of Shaolin Kung fu Exercise: Shaolin kung fu workout consists of several types of training: 1. Basics training, 2. Qigong and 72 secret skills training, 3. Combat training. Basics include loosening up the joints, endurance, stretch, and balance exercises. Loosening and endurance exercises are often called warm up. Shaolin kung fu has its own set of stretch and balance postures, which is known as childish skills (Tong Zi Gong). The postures of Shaolin childish skills represent the ultimate level of flexibility and balance of the human body. As a basic-training schedule, this sheet contains most typical warm-up, stretch, and balance exercises that a Shaolin kung fu practitioner can do in a basic-training session. Many other exercises can be found in the videos on Shaolin kung fu basic training. 1 Besides these basic skills, Shaolin monks also practice qigong and some of the 72 secret skills of Shaolin temple to achieve the legendary power and skills of a Shaolin monk. There are complete books on qigong 2 and the 72 secret skills 3 available for sale in the internet. In combat training, monks learn and practice various forms, techniques, and combat skills. One can learn Shaolin kung fu forms and combat applications of their techniques from a skilled coach or from the various video tutorials that are available in the internet for sale or free to watch. watch .1 Especially in case of learning from videos, it is vital to watch and correct your body postures and movements in front of a mirror or by filming yourself from time to time.
Shaolin Kung fu Training Schedule: Though many successful kung fu schools train their students in only even or odd days, i.e., 3 to 4 days a week, Shaolin monks practice at least 6 days a week. Basics and combat skills can be trained at every time, whether day or night, together in one session or in different sessions, but typically, basics are practiced before breakfast, in early mornings, and combat skills in afternoons, some hours after launch. A typical Shaolin monk spends from 15 to 30 minutes on endurance exercises after loosening up his joints, then about half an hour on various stretches, and some minutes on balance training. A practitioner can achieve a high level in basic skills after 3 to 5 years of hard training. The 72 secret s ecret skills training, depending on which ones of them one trains, can take from a few minutes to a few hours a day. Due to the labor and persistence required in training of these skills, only a few of them can be trained. Most these skills can be trained at every time of the day or night and, depending on the skill, may take 2 to 5 or more years to be mastered. Qigong training has two methods: deepabdominal breathing in stationery meditation, known as internal, and deep-abdominal breathing together with concentration on a specific part of body, known as external qigong. Every session of qigong training takes from half an hour up to an hour. It is highly recommended that qigong training sessions be at either of these three times: 15 minutes before sunrise, half an hour before going to sleep, and 1 to 2 hours after launch. Shaolin monks train at least one session of internal and one session of external qigong every day. With these 2 sessions a day, it takes about 3 years to achieve a good level in qigong skills. Combat training can take half an hour up to a few hours a day. Most shaolin monks master about 30 forms and their combat applications. In general, a Shaolin monk must train hard for 10 to 15 years to become a master of Shaolin kung fu.
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About 150 Shaolin kung fu instructional video tutorials for free: youtube.com/user/shemmati10yt Learn qigong from “Qigong for Health and Martial Arts ” and other books by master Yang Jwing Ming. Learn the 72 secret skills of Shaolin temple from “Training Methods of 72 Arts of Shaolin ” by Jin Jing Zhong or “72 Consummate Arts Secrets of the Shaolin Temple ” by Wu Jiaming. 1
SHAOLIN Kung fu Basic Training Warm up and Endurance Exercises: Warming up is necessary before stretching. It makes stretching easy and prevents injuries to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Warm up has two parts: Loosen up and Endurance.
Loosen ups: Loosen up all joints from toe to head. This is the first and most important part of warming up.
Rotate wrists, 10 times to each direction
Toes down to floor, rotate ankles around, 10 times to each direction
Feet together, rotate knees around, 10 times to each direction
Feet apart, rotate hips around, 10 times to each direction
Feet apart, rotate at lower-back, 10 times to each direction Feet apart, twist upper-body from side to side, arms swing freely, 10 times
Rotate elbows, 10 times to each direction
Rotate arms forward and backward, 10 times to each direction
Rotate head around, 10 times to each direction
Loosen up, shake all extremities
Endurance Exercises: Endurance, as a vital requirement for a Shaolin kung fu practitioner, is a part of basic training. Endurance training is also a part of warming up and is done before stretching exercises. There are various endurance exercises,1 it is better not to restrict the endurance training to the same set of exercises; you can do different exercises each day. For example, one day you can merely run, another day you may do four other exercises other than ordinary running, and so on.
Run
Run sideways; switch direction
Run sideways, rear foot in front, then in back of body, alternate front and rear feet, twist body with arms out opposite to feet; switch direction
Run, slap outside of feet as you raise them behind you
Run, raise insteps in front
Run, raise knees high
Run, twist upper-body to sides
Run, raise one knee and punch with opposite fist, alternate
Run, raise both knees up as you jump high
Run, repeat a flying kick with both legs
In squat position leap forward
In squat position leap alternatively to right and left Roll forward
Roll backward
Sprint forward, then backward
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Stretch Exercises: The aim of stretch exercises is achieving the level of being able to assume the stretch postures of Shaolin childish skills. Though few people master all the postures of shaolin childish skills, but a kung fu practitioner must have, at least, flexible legs and waist. So based on which skills you like to learn, you can choose or change the exercises. Begin each “set” of stretching exercise with 3 to 5 soft stretching bounces to wake up the muscles, then hold the position and stretch continuously for 9 deep-abdominal breaths, then relax for some seconds to begin the next set. This way, each set takes about 1 minute. Do this set of stretch exercises every day until after achieving the mastering level, at which you can assume the associated childish-skills postures. Then, you can abandon every mastered exercise and, instead, assume its associated posture for 9 deep-abdominal breaths. Thereafter, besides stretch and balance training, the daily childishskills training is transformed to an internal set of qigong breathing.
Arms straight out backward, hands on table or wall behind you, deep squat to stretch your shoulders, 2 sets. At advanced level, you will be able to assume posture 1 and maybe its advanced variant. Feet apart at shoulder width, bend backward into a bridge, palms to floor at behind, 2 sets. At advanced level, you may be able to assume posture 2 or its other variants. Stand, turn both toes inward as far as possible, toe tips touch each other (posture 3) , bend down to sides, 1 set each side. Stand, turn both toes outward as far as possible, then sit down (posture 4) , 2 sets. Sit down, legs straight in front with toes upward, hands drag toes backward, bend forward and press head to legs, 2 sets. At advanced level, your chin must reach your toes (hugging Buddha legs in posture 5). Move one foot forward and the other backward, fall to floor into front split, switch legs, 2 sets each leg. At advanced level, you will be able to assume posture 5 and maybe 9. Squat on one knee, other leg extended aside on its heel with its toes upward, bend to it sideways and press side of head to leg, switch legs, 2 sets each leg. At advanced level, you must touch instep with top of head (sideway hugging Buddha legs in posture 6). Move feet far to sides and fall to floor into side split, 2 sets. At advanced level, you will be able to assume posture 6. Try to put your head and shoulders behind your legs (posture 7 or 8) , 2 sets. Formal stretching kicks: front kick to forehead, side kick to ear, inward crescent kick, outward crescent kick. Begin all with feet near together, palms pulled to sides, legs straight while kicking, kick at the head level, take half a step with each kick and then kick with the other leg, kick with both legs alternatively, repeat each kick 10 times with each leg.
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Shaolin Childish Skills (Tong Zi Gong): Although there exists more than 36 childish skills postures and even one can make new postures by modifying or mixing some postures together, there is a saying that childish skills have 18 postures. This may be because although there is not any unique saying on which postures are the 18 main ones, many of the existing postures are merely different variants of one another, and if classified in this manner, we may eventually have 18 main postures each of which with some other variants and preparatory postures. Here, 18 main childish skills postures--9 stretch and 9 balance postures--are shown together with some of their other variants. These 18 postures constitute a complete set for a mastering level, so that almost any other posture or stretch exercise can be considered as a preparatory posture for or a different, modified, or mixed variant of these postures, so there will be almost no need to practice any further posture or stretch exercise. There is a saying that childish skills must be trained since childhood. This is because if not training since childhood, some more difficult postures may never be learned and the practitioner may gradually lose the childish skills after some years of not training. So the practitioner must keep having a light training session to maintain the skills. Despite these, childish skills can be mastered at any age. Even many masters have begun training it at ages of above 50. Every childish skills posture may have different names, names are not so important: Starting posture, Salute! Stretch Postures: 1. lazy monk worshipping Buddha more advanced single-arm variant: Buddhist child pointing backward
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1, advanced, single-arm variant
2. stretching lower back and hugging Buddha legs advanced variant: a leaf inside a lotus flower kneeling stance: after achieving success you can assume this postures as well
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2, advanced 4
2, kneeling stance
3. toes turn inward 4. toes turn outward
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4, single-leg variant
5. holding leg up (you can also do this posture in seated position) required simpler postures: hugging Buddha legs and front split
hugging legs, double- or single-leg variant
5 front split 5, lying variant
6. holding leg up sideways (you can also do this posture in seated position) required simpler postures: hugging Buddha leg sideways and side split
hugging leg sideways
side split 6
6, lying variant 5
7. head behind the legs
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7, advanced
8. two dragons playing with a pearl single-leg variant: you can also do this posture in seating or lying position
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8, simpler, lying variant
9. green dragon hugging its tail required simpler posture: front split
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8, single-leg variant
Balance Postures: In order to be able to assume some of these postures, you must use the help of your other limbs, lean to a wall, or use another support at the beginning levels. Everyday, assume some of these postures for 36, 72, 108, or even more breaths.
10. swallow-like balance, also known as standing on poles skill 11. child worshiping guan yin (in this posture, do push-ups on your single leg)
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12. child worshiping Buddha, also known as arhat worshiping Buddha and child worshiping guan yin another variant: single push palm
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12, other variant
13. sleeping fish carrying Buddhist , also known as stubborn child worshiping Buddha simpler lying variant: sleeping arhat
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13, simpler, lying variant
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14. turn body on single arm, also known as black dragon twisting around the pole (doing push-ups is very hard in this posture) 15. meeting a Buddhist flying towards the heaven (advanced variant: open and extend your legs, bring them upward) 16. horizontal balance on hands (more variants: open your legs, put them on back of elbows and extended them to front)
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17. inverted loading monument , also known as worshipping Buddha upside down (at beginning levels, both hands support together with head) 18. upside down balance on hands very advanced: two fingers meditation upside down balance a simpler two-finger stand: arhat watching formations
simple two-finger stand 17
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Closing posture, Salute! AMITUOFO! _/\_
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advanced two-finger stand
