What martial arts does RZA use in the Wu Tang Clan?

For many years, the Wu Tang Clan have been closely linked with martial arts. This is because back in the day, the likes of RZA would watch old school Kung Fu movies whilst growing up. This included cheesy choreography and badly dubbed dialogue as well. In fact, the influence of the martial arts world was huge on RZA who would eventually go on to sample lots of sounds, noises, and melodies into his music. A good example of this is the Liquid Swords intro which is clearly influenced by old Kung Fu movies.

Even the name Wu Tang Clan is inspired by Kung Fu clans of old China. However, this brings us to the question, does RZA actually know any martial arts himself? It’s one thing being a fan of combat, but training it is a completely different thing altogether. Just look at MMA fans and fighters for instance. This brings us to the next question…

What martial arts does RZA know and use?

RZA and Kung Fu in the early years

Remember, RZA was born in 1969, so back then martial arts weren’t as big as they are today. Coupled with his low income childhood, it’s not surprising that he didn’t really partake in martial arts. Instead, RZA was creative as ever and self taught Kung Fu by watching the movies. Of course, Kung Fu movies back then weren’t exactly realistic and would often have people hover in mid-air whilst performing some kind of fancy kick.

However, there may have been some practical elements of the films that rubbed off on the Wu Tang Clan founder. Whilst this may not have been as effective as taking Kung Fu classes, there’s a chance he may have learned a few techniques such as punches and kicks through watching Kung Fu movies. RZA watches these films religiously too and would have studied the moves intensely due to his perfectionist personality. So, he may not have learned much…but it would have been better than nothing.

RZA trains Shaolin Kung Fu under a monk

Such was RZA’s love for Kung Fu, he trained it under a monk named Shi Yan Ming during the 90s. This wasn’t just some gimmick either, RZA literally visited a Shaolin monastery to train with Buddhist monks. In other words, he genuinely lived a Shaolin lifestyle for a while and was fully involved with the culture and training. As seen with our interview with Philip Sahagun, this training is not easy and requires great mental and physical strength.

Having said this, it’s not really known how long RZA trained under these circumstances as it’s not greatly documented. One thing’s for sure though, he didn’t train Kung Fu as a gimmick like certain celebrity ‘martial artists’ of today. Check out the video below, where RZA shows off various Kung Fu stances, such as the Dragon and Snake postures.

Conclusion

When the Wu Tang Clan speaks about Kung Fu, it’s really a way of life that RZA has dived deeply into. From sampling the sounds into his music, to learning martial arts and even living the culture, it’s fair to say that the Wu Tang Clan would be very different without the influence of Kung Fu. Even though the Wu Tang Clan is a fictional martial art, it is actually quite deep when you look into its belief systems and it represents more than just a group of rap artists.

Regarding RZA, it’s fair to describe him as a student of Shaolin Kung Fu. Whilst he might not be the best student or most devoted in the world, it’s fair to describe him as a martial artist who truly believes in Kung Fu. Over the years, he has never been associated with any different martial arts either.

If you’re a fan of the RZA, check out his CD – Shaolin Soul Selection on Amazon