Shaolin

Posted by: MasterPablo

Shaolin - 04/05/08 01:18 PM

Well, for the time being I really dont have a instructor and I have been teaching my self through dvd's and expert village, I absolutely love practicing Shaolin Kung Fu, Well, my friend's dad is a Shaolin Monk from China, But, he refuse's to teach me, say's he dont want me to get hurt, theres no schools near me, What should I do.
Posted by: WhiteDragon11

Re: Shaolin - 04/05/08 03:17 PM

I would stop trying to learn from dvds. You wont get the real aspect of training that is necessary to become a good martial artist.

And I would recommend trying to find a school near you, even if its not Shaolin. Maybe there are other kung fu schools that teach a little bit of Shaolin in them.
Posted by: ButterflyPalm

Re: Shaolin - 04/05/08 10:29 PM

Quote:

0...even if its not Shaolin.




Yes, there is nothing magical about any art calling itself Shaolin. The magic is in the hard work you put into it. The monks are what they are because of their discipline and sheer effort and personal sacrifices.

Videos can only give you a one dimensional perspective of anything. Many chinese systems are derivatives of shaolin, though they are not called as such. As a beginner, your priorities are to get the basics right, and once that is achieved, going on to advanced stuff will be that much easier and enjoyable.

Chinese systems with large elements of shaolin are, Lohan, Choy Li Fatt, Hung Gar, 5 Ancestors and even Wing Chun traced itself back to Shaolin.

If an old chinese martial arts saying is to be believed, all chinese martial arts descended from Shaolin in one way or another. Shaolin then was something like a martial arts university where many disciplines were experimented with and taught and the diaspora after the burnings spread the various arts to the lay chinese population which then started to give it names which very often corresponded to the district and personalities popularising it. So it was more of a historical accident as to what was preserved and what was not. So even now there are in remote parts of china some very rare systems are still practiced by families, villages and single individuals with no intention of showing to other chinese let alone the world. I myself have been practicing my ButterflyPalm system by myself for decades now.