Shaolin is a 1,500 year-old Chan (Zen) Buddhist temple in China that is famous worldwide for its peaceful-looking monks who perform incredible kung fu stunts.
You might have seen images or performances of Shaolin kids bending their limbs into mind-boggling positions and asked yourself "Now, how did they do that?" What you have just seen is a display of Shaolin Juvenile Kung Fu.
Juvenile Kung Fu? Is it only for kids? Yes, because boys start practicing this art at ages five or six. There's another reason it's called Juvenile Kung Fu.
After practicing this art for years the student stays as young as a child even though his hair may be white as a crane's feathers.
Juvenile Kung Fu makes his body soft as cotton, light as a swallow and hard as steel. What is amazing is that a person who practices it stays as strong and sharp when he's 60 as when he was 16. Hence, to become a great Shaolin Kung Fu master, it is vital to learn Juvenile Kung Fu.
Young boys selected for this unique training must be lean and have good bone structure and flexibility. (Bigger boys are selected for Shaolin hard qigong training.) Basic training involves a lot of leaping and rolling.
At advanced levels, the boys bend and stretch their limbs at impossible angles with soft and powerful qi-controlled movements. Their joints and tendons become strong and flexible. They have excellent blood and qi (chi) flow. And they show precise posture and fantastic power in their kung fu.
An excerpt from the fully illustrated children's book "Shaolin - Legends of Zen and Kung Fu" (0-9733492-3-9) by Kah Joon Liow, 32 pages, includes original 3D-animated story "Enter The Zen" on DVD, published by SilkRoad Networks (Canada), Sept 2006, US$26.95, With the participation of MDA. Copyright 2006, SilkRoad Networks and MDA.
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Kah Joon Liow's books allow kids all over the world to experience Asian stories in entertaining ways. Read reviews of "Shaolin" and get more stories about Shaolin Zen and Kung Fu for free at Shaolin Kung Fu. |
