History
Developed over 1500 years ago by the monks of the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, China, Shaolin Kung Fu is the most famous and widely practised of all the Chinese martial arts.
While the art of Shaolin Kung Fu was born in the temple, it was refined on the battlefield and, over the centuries, proved its worth in conflicts against the soldiers, pirates and brigands whose raids necessitated its development in the first place.
Perfecting their skills and travelling far and wide to learn new ones to add to their repertoire, the Shaolin monks kept the traditions of Kung Fu alive over the centuries and into the modern era, where it was popularised in the West by such films as Drunken Master and Enter the Dragon.
Focus
Shaolin Kung Fu trains students in techniques and forms refined over centuries of training and actual combat, This training focuses on developing the bodies and minds of practitioners.
As both a martial art and a philosophy, there is more to Shaolin Kung Fu than the wide array of strikes, the forms, and the 25 weapons that the art employs.
Woven into the training of Shaolin Kung Fu is the internal development of 6 key virtues, namely: generosity of spirit; discipline and patience; self-control and moderation; vigour and diligence; meditation and consideration; and wisdom and learning.
Advantages
Shaolin Kung Fu training ensures that a balance is maintained between the ability to fight and the restraint to know when it is not necessary.
This balance, heightened by the philosophical aspects of the style, positively influences every part of the practitioner’s life, and increased fitness of body and mind are among the outcomes one a student of Kung Fu can expect from his or her training.