Brief History On Shaolin Martial Arts

By Dominique Martin


The term Kung Fu was actually derived from an accomplishment of something that you worked hard for. This is instead of the widely used misconception of it being the actual name of the martial art. An example for this is when you fight your opponent and deliver a kick and made him drop, that is the actual kung fu.

A lot of martial arts had been derived from teachings being branched from one another. Shaolin martial arts is the primary art that was taught in a Buddhist monastery in Songshan Mountain in Henan, China. Basically, this is the style that started it all and which other styles are being derived from.

A Buddhist monk arrived from India and travelled China around four hundred ninety five A. D. It was during the Northern Wei Dynasty where the Emperor Xiaowen offered Buddhabhadra, also known as Ba Tuo by the Chinese people, to teach Buddhism. Although he refused this offer altogether.

Even if he turned the offer down, he was still given land for him to build a temple in the mountain. It was in Mount Songshan where it all started. Shaolin literally means small forest, and this monastery has been there for over one thousand five hundred years. This is where the big schools are located and where the development and derivation of different styles have been practiced as well.

Between the fifty eighth and the seventy sixth A. D., the relations between China and India have grown considerably. Therefore monks have been going back and forth from each country. Because of this, it became more well known in China. It was believed that an Indian monk, who is Bodhidharma, preached Buddhism during this time in the temple.

Until today, the monks are still practicing it in Henan. But it is also a fact that this has been used as an entertainment because of its sheer beauty for its movements and form. This obviously caught the international audience and their attention, but the art had to sacrifice the utility of its self defense core to make it more showy and entertaining.

Jin Jing Zhong was able to publish a book in 1934 called 72 Arts of Shaolin. This actually lists the methods and practices for training that is authentic and based more on self defense rather than for presentation. This was possible to be documented because of the author acquiring a scroll from Shaolin Abbot Miao Xing for him to use as reference.

This style leans more towards for striking. It makes use of punches, kicks, and blocks to hinder attackers from striking. What gives this a lot of attention is the form of these styles which adds to the beauty of the art. It utilizes a mixture of closed and open handed strikes for defense. The application of hard and soft techniques also contributes to this artform.

A lot of movies have utilized this as a primary fighting style in their scenes. It has been practiced by a lot of fitness trainers and stuntmen in order for it to catch the attention of the audience. There are also training institutions outside Henan and China itself that are teaching basic forms and practices for both children and adults.




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