Shaolin Monks Myths and Logic: Review Training Tactics (highlights)

What makes Shaolin warrior monks fighting skills legendary?

 Qi (internal energy  training)  Flickr: Onafly 

 Let's look at their training methods from the 2001 documentary Shaolin Monks - Myths and Logic. The documentary was broadcast by the National Geographic Channel which has produced some stellar martial arts documentaries such as Human Weapon, Fight Science. The training techniques are 5m 30s (05:30) into the following video clip.



Watching the documentary, I began to think that the Shaolin Monks' training is very akin to what the special forces in most military units have to go through. It's extremely vigorous and pushes the endurance, spirit and discipline to the limits.

• Candle extinguishing by punch - build speed by contnually knocking out the candle, with the speed of your punch, which is by no means an easy fit. The candles are relit after successful 'knockout.'. 
• Horsestance Waiter - holding ceramic bowls on their heads and each thigh, Shaolin monks train to withstand hours of agony, if their stance falters, the bowl will smash on the ground.
• Cold water striking - on a cold day, the monks strike or slap the water 
• Dried beans Hand Strike - up to an hour at a time,  pushing hands into dried beans is painful but strengthens delicate fingers.
• 2 Finger Handstand - the ultimate is there was only one monk - Hai Deng who could achieve the one finger handstand. He has since passed away (from natural causes - not the handstand!)
• Mountain sprint - run up the mountain in 20 minutes and crawl down headfirst. 
• Neck conditioning by strangulation - advanced training includes suspension from a tree around the neck - which looks akin to mass suicide, but the theory is that the monks should be able to fight while been strangled.
  
  

Don't forget that the meaning of the word kung fu - means 'hard work', so just when you feel like giving up in your training, think of how hard the Shaolin Monks are training at this very moment! The key attributes required in the Shaolin way are: Endless practice, extreme effort and total devotion [to] harness the power of kung fu. Repetitive action is key = repeat, repeat, and repeat again until the action is second nature.  Only those who meet the ancient definition of kung fu or one with  an urring devotion can become a Shaolin Master - elite of the elite.

Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu in the Movies: a compilation

If you want to get a flavour of Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu, what better than to see it in action from top kung fu actors. I found these videos on youtube, not the best quality, but you can make out the action scenes at least.

For more scenes of Choy Lay Fut in movies part 1


Choy Lay Fut in the movies part 2

Classic Kung Fu Cinema: Duel of the Seven Tigers

Classic Kung Fu cinema with those curiously unsynced dubbed english and the wacky music. I came across the 1979 film - Duel of the Seven Tigers on Youtube. According to a review, it's inspired by the Kurosawa classic Seven Samurai.
  It's of interest to me, as it stars my late Choy Lay Fut Grandmaster Lee Koon Hung, Tat Mau Wong's Sifu.

You'll see Grandmaster Lee Koon Hung 57" seconds into the film.

Classic Kung Fu Cinema: The Last Dragon (1985)

One of my favourite films in the 1980s, has to be the cult classic Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon (1985), it was one of the films that inspired me to keep practicing martial arts. I also like the soundtrack, which was under the direction of Gordy, founder of motown records; you can hear the songs in the following clips. First of all, a trailer which features lead actor Taimak.


Shonuff - the villain Shogun, demands Le Roy calls him Master. It turns out the one place he hadn't looked in his training was within, he is the master - then a magical glow appears! This glow is probably alluding to Qi - internal energy that you cultivate in the internal kung fu arts.

Choy Lee Fut - the movie! Bruce Lee probably would have approved!

I am assuming the success of the biopic films about Bruce Lee's Wing Chun teacher - Ip Man films (Ip Man and Ip Man 2) starring Donnie Yen, has sparked an interest in films about legendary kung fu styles.

Choy Lee Fut (Cai Li Fo in mandarin) style kung fu is a combat system, which Bruce Lee respected:
"Choy Li Fut is the most effective system that I've seen for fighting more than one person. [It] is one of the most difficult styles to attack and defend against. Choy Li Fut is the only style [of kung fu] that traveled to Thailand to fight the Thai boxers and hadn't lost."
-from Bruce Lee - Between Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do, by Jesse Glover.
According to Black Belt magazine, Bruce Lee studied Choy Lee Fut, before studying Wing Chun.. Here's a manual of a Choy Lee Fut book that is purported to belong to Bruce Lee.

Here's Sammo Hung's film trailer - Choy Lee Fut, released in 2011.



Wushupedia on Youtube - shows 15 minutes of footage from the film.


As a film itself, the reviews haven't been that spectacular (here's one from LoveHkFilm). But as a practitioner of Choy Lee
Fut, I'm dying to see it!