What Are The Shaolin Martial Arts?
Shaolin martial arts gained popularity in the 1970s after being bought to the big screen by Hollywood producers. Since then it has been widely surrounded by mystery due to the special effects and fight scenes in the movies. Perhaps the most famous movie about the style is aptly named “Shaolin Martial Arts“.
The Shaolin monastery is a branch of Buddhism where the monks will train their minds and bodies, with some of them practicing martial arts. It is estimated that around 1 in 4 monks are warrior monks. Shaolin Kung Fu cannot really be given a particular style. There are so many variations with various different forms, weapons, and areas of expertise. Shaolin Kung Fu is under such a large umbrella it is really hard to pin it down to an actual style or even compare it with another martial art. Perhaps the closest thing we can compare it with is Karate or Wing Chun. Since all are striking martial arts and could potentially be practiced with weapons too.
The biggest difference between Shaolin martial arts and other modern-day forms is that Shaolin monks must pick a specialty. This almost always involves a weapon such as a stick, sword, or daggers. Each monk who is qualified will be an expert in their field. Whilst becoming a master of the sword is not particularly useful in modern-day martial arts, these monks are not doing this to defend themselves and win MMA titles. They are doing it for mastery and to find enlightenment.
MMA Fighter Dan Hardy on Shaolin training
Perhaps most famously the ex-UFC fighter Dan Hardy went to China to train with Shaolin monks. He found that he lost a lot of weight and did not learn what he had intended. Shaolin martial arts do not have much practical application for modern MMA fighting since it is largely choreographed and focused on form looking good for shows and a heavy emphasis on strength and conditioning, rather than practicality.
With that being said, Shaolin monks who practice martial arts are extremely conditioned and mentally stoic. They would be able to handle an untrained fighter with ease. If they were to fight a well-rounded mixed martial artist, they would lose since their style is Kung Fu, rather than a mixture of disciplines such as wrestling, Brazilian jiu jitsu and boxing.
The training behind Shaolin Kung Fu takes a lot more commitment and is a lot more arduous than modern martial arts. Monks are pretty much training 6 days per week 365 days a year. During this time if they are not practicing their forms and technique then they are meditating. This is something that we cannot really grasp in the west since our lifestyles are more based on balance and enjoyment. The Shaolin monks are the complete opposite and will train their minds and bodies to a point that we cannot comprehend. The Shaolin style is based just as much on culture and tradition as it is on learning a martial art.
When compared with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which is already a martial art that requires a long time to become a black belt. In BJJ you may train 5-6 hours per week for 10 years and then become a skilled black belt. To become a fully-fledged Shaolin Master, you must also train for at least 10 years, but during this time you would be spending at least 5-6 hours per DAY training. To pass this test you must not only show you are a master of Shaolin Kung Fu, but you also must be proficient in Buddhist learnings and teachings.
Kung Fu isn’t a singular martial art
One of the biggest myths in martial arts is that Kung Fu is its own, standalone style. Often, you may hear people say “I train Kung Fu”, without giving much context. As mentioned, Kung Fu is an umbrella term that can have hundreds of styles within its realm. Imagine telling someone you trained “striking” when you specifically meant Muay Thai. This is the equivalent of what people do when talking about Kung Fu.
This may be down to the media perception of Kung Fu that has been warped over the years. As a general rule though, if you hear someone talking about Kung Fu as one, standalone martial art – then you can probably tell they’re talking rubbish. As you may have figured by now, the history of Kung Fu is deep and isn’t necessarily simple.
Choosing the right combat style for you
In modern-day, we may choose to learn a Shaolin style of Kung Fu once or twice a week at a local academy. Whilst this will teach you the same technique as the Shaolin monks, you obviously will never become as efficient or strong as them. This is due to our lifestyle, it is just drastically different from the monasteries in China. If you enjoy yo learn Kung Fu then there is no reason not to enroll in this style of martial art. It is not the best martial art for self defense but it will provide enjoyment and fulfillment.
The most common way we will see Shaolin monks in present-day is through shows and TV. There will often be impressive performances by monks displaying their skills in their personalized disciplines. People will be amazed at just how good someone is with a stick or acrobatic jumps. Whilst it may look good at a show, it is not too efficient for practical fighting and people must understand that these monks were not born with this talent. They have put in a painstaking amount of hours to get this good with thousands of repetitions which the average person would find extremely boring.
Overall there is no real comparison with any modern-day martial art and Shaolin Kung Fu, it is simply something that is very traditional and a way of life. There is no going home to your family after training, skipping training, or taking days off. Shaolin martial arts are really a way of life and take decades of dedication to master. It is not about winning, competing, or anything else that we value in the western world. To master a style of Shaolin Kung Fu is to bring your body and mind into peace with the world. There will not be a trophy, medal, or monetary rewards, everything comes from within and everything is rewarded within.
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