The choices reflecting a wai-kung (external) specialist’s goals within Northern Shaolin, 5 Animals, Choy Li Fut or Ch'uan Fa Kempo are tailored according to the needs and goals of the student.
Contrary to popular belief regarding "Kung Fu," few of the many arts and training of Shaolin or other external styles concentrate solely on combat. In fact, many schools exist where emphasis is on forms study and no combat or sparring takes place. The N. Shaolin/5 Animals candidate has two basic choices in his studies, i.e. combative or non-combative. The Choy Li Fut curriculum is by definition combative, as is Ch'uan Fa Kempo.
The following are two descriptions: 1) The integrated curriculum of combative N. Shaolin/Ch'uan Fa Kempo/Choy Li Fut studies; and 2) The 5 Animals Shaolin non-combative, meditative studies. Both are valid, respected, time-honored paths for martial artists.
N. Shaolin/Ch'uan Fa Kempo/Choy Li Fut
The lower six levels of study concentrate on 1) the Foundation conditioning and skills program, as presented in the BASIC TRAINING and IRON WARRIOR series; 2) several forms; and 3) 165 self-defense techniques which prepare the student for advanced work. These first six levels utilize many kinds of strikes and kicks, but the emphasis is on the upright grappling arts, i.e. grabs, locks, throws.
At the 1st Degree Brown Belt level, you begin researching 175 advanced self-defense maneuvers, covering attacks from single and multiple opponents, unarmed and armed (club, knife, pistol). These techniques are added gradually as you progress to higher skill and rank levels, for a total of 340 seminal self-defense maneuvers. I say ‘seminal’ because the total is many times that by the time a serious student researches the many variations inherent within the principle of each technique. Eventually, too, you’ll add up to another 60 fist and weapon forms to your arsenal. Descriptions of much of the training can be viewed here.
WHITE BELT/SASH:
Kempo Defense Arts 1 (20 techniques)
Basic Training
Ng Lum Ma/5 Wheel Stance form
Ng Lum Kuen/5 Wheel Fist form
Liu Lu Lohan Ch’uan/6 Methods of the
Monk formBLUE BELT:
Kempo Defense Arts (25 techniques)
Iron Warrior 1
Begin Iron Warrior 3
Bei Shaolin Ch’uan/Northern Temple Arts Fist
Shao Shizu Ch’uan/Small Cross Fist
1st GREEN:
Kempo Defense Arts 3 (30 techniques).
Iron Warrior 2
Continue IW 3
Kung Li Ch’uan/Fist of Power
Jiben Ch’uan/Fundamental Fist
2nd GREEN:
Kempo Defense Arts 4 (30 techniques)
Continue IW 3
Tao Lu Ch’uan/Five Attacks Fist
Di San Ch’uan/Three Fists
Dragon’s Head Staff #1 – drills and form
1st BROWN:
Kempo Defense Arts 5 (30 techniques)
Continue IW 3
Chan Fu Hok Ch’uan Fa/Zen Kempo Tiger-Crane form
Tan Tui/Springy Legs form
Single Baton drills and form
2nd BROWN:
Kempo Defense Arts 6 (30 techniques)
Continue IW 3.
Chan Shao Pai Hao Ch’uan Fa/Zen Kempo Young Crane Fist
Dwun Da Ch’uan/Short Strike Fist
Dragon’s Head Staff #2: Drills & form
3rd BROWN:
Kempo Defense Arts 7 (40 techniques)
Finish IW 3
Dahn Dao/Basic Saber #1– drills and form.
1st BLACK:
Kempo Defense Arts 8 (30 techniques)
Iron Warrior 4, Part 1
Bei Mei Hua Ch’uan/Northern Plum Blossom Fist
Pao Hok Kuen/White Crane Fist
Dragon’s Head Staff #3 – drills and form
Single Dagger form
2nd BLACK:
Kempo Defense Arts 9 (30 techniques)
Iron Warrior 4, Part 2
Da Hsin Ch’uan/Striking to the Heart
Kung Chien Pu Ch’uan/Bow&Arrow Stepping Fist
Sui Sup Ji Kuen/Cross-Grabbing Fist
Dahn Dao/Intermediate Saber—drills and form
3rd BLACK:
Kempo Defense Arts 10 (35 techniques)
Shaolin Yizhichan Chi Kung/Inner Breath Work of the One Finger Zen School
Wu Yi Ch’uan/Infinite Mind Fist
Fu Bok Mei Ch’uan/White Eyebrow Tiger Fist.
Sup Ji Jit Kuen/Tiger Blocking Fist
Double Baton – drills and form
4th BLACK:
Kempo Defense Arts 11 (40 techniques)
Stone Warrior Body Hardening Set
Tit Juen Kuen/Iron Strength Fist
Bei Chang Ch’uan/Northern Long Fist
Siu Cern Dao/S. Shaolin Twin Sabers
5th BLACK:
Review of self-defense arts.
Shi Pa Lo Han Shou/18 Movements of the Arhat
Tuozhe Bu Ch’uan/Shuffling Step Fist
Fut Jeung Kuen/Buddha Palm Fist
Tri-Sectional Staff #1: drills and form
6th BLACK:
Publication of original manuscript
Tit Lo Han Chin Ch’uan/Iron Buddha set
Tuide Tuikai Men Ch’uan/Opening the Door fist
Chan Hou Ch’uan Fa/Zen Kempo Monkey Fist
Yee Jeong Bot Gwa Kuen/Righteous and Strong Fist
Chien #1/Single rapier—drills and form
Hatha Yoga
7th BLACK:
Publish original manuscript
Yi Chin Ching/Muscle Change Classic
Ling Tao Ren Ch’uan/The People’s Leader Fist
Chan Pao Ch’uan Fa/Zen Kempo Leopard Fist
Ping Kuen/Cannon Fist
Double Daggers form
Chien #2: drills and form
8th BLACK:
Publish original manuscript regarding history and
philosophy of martial arts
Zuo Ma Ch’uan/Sitting on the Horse Fist
Chan Si Ba Ch’uan Fa/Zen Kempo Snake Fist
Chan Hong Lung Ch’uan Fa/Zen Kempo Dragon
Monk’s Broadsword form.
Double Butterfly Short Swords
9th BLACK:
Publish original manuscript
Lien Huan Ch’uan/Continuation Fist
Chan Wu Ge Shou Ch’uan Fa/Kempo 5 Animals
Tri-Sectional Staff #2—drills and form
Spear: drills and form
10th BLACK:
Kum Nye
Shing-Yi Ch’uan
Pa-Kua Chang
A meditative, non-combative, non-competitive approach to Shaolin ch'uan.
These are ritualized movement practices that contain principles of health preservation, weaponless self-defense, meditative insight. This work is heavily influenced by the Chinese Zen monastic tradition of martial arts, which in turn grew out of the Indian Buddhist vajramukti teachings which taught: aggression is illness arising from fear within; compassionate self-defense does not produce durable suffering; aspects of healing, health-nourishing, spiritual discipline, and raising consciousness are proper concerns of the student.
The vehicle for such a life-time study is the correct, controlled execution of technique embodied within the famous Northern Shaolin School and the 5 Animals forms (hsing): tiger, crane, leopard, snake, dragon. Each animal embodies individuated characteristics which are enlarged upon in training, i.e. the tiger movements strengthen bones and increase external power; the crane forms develop concentration, stability, determination; leopard forms practice jumping and generation of projected force; snake studies enhance internal chi flow; and the dragon forms develop attention and spirit, emphasizing lightness and change.
Hsing studies are taken from traditions of several Chinese schools, including Northern Shaolin, Southern Siulam, Choi Li Fut, Hung, White Eyebrow, White Tiger, Chaan Ch’uan Fa, Wu Mei, Honan. Each meeting includes: stretching and strengthening, stance drills, arm and leg coordination exercises, work on the hsing of the moment, including: