Shaolin Martial Arts
The Shaolin martial arts are a combination of spiritual beliefs and practical self defense training. The monks developed their own close combat program that included weapons training and hand-to-hand combat training. Over time their teachings would not be confided by the walls of their monastery, and their method of hand-to-hand combat would go to inspire hundreds of other forms. While training in one of its many derivatives is easy to find it is almost impossible to find true Shaolin Kung Fu training.
Thanks to films and television the Shaolin martial arts have become known around the world, but myths and legends distort the truth. Though many credit Indian monk Bodhidharma with the creation of Kung Fu he actually brought yoga to the monks. The solid combat effective martial art that stressed quickness and brute force, and utilized common weapons would come some seven hundred years after his visit. Many monks were soldiers and even generals prior to embracing monastic life, and they influenced the development of the new martial art.
The monastery was destroyed several times, but the monks were a force to be reckoned with and would aid several lords in time of crisis throughout their long history, they would fight bandits, invading armies and even pirates. The monks also trained students to train, but not all students would follow the doctrine of the monks. As others developed their own versions of Kung Fu not all were as effective as the original.
Their order survived the Chinese civil war and the invading Japanese, but when the communists seized control things would change forever. The communists persecuted the monks and made Wushu the official form of Kung Fu. The new form of Kung Fu is completely devoid of any spiritual aspects, and in China Maoist teachings are part of the training. Many who teach Kung Fu are actually teaching Wushu which looks impressive, but is completely useless when it comes to self defense unlike traditional Shaolin martial arts.
Today the monks hang on to their traditions while adapting to an every changing world. The monks use modern weights and machines as part of their training, and when someone wrote an offensive article about them, they contacted lawyers not assassins. Performances at their temple in China showcase modern Kung Fu not the traditional form that made them famous, because the communist government has outlawed Shaolin martial arts.
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