Tales Of Real Kung Fu Training (as Related To The Author)

If you aren't willing to work, and work hard, then you might
just as well skip this bit of writing. To be honest, if you
don't absolutely love good, hard work, then head on down the
road. Real Shaolin Training, to be sure, will exhaust the
muscles and give you the bruises.

Seems that a lot of people want the quick fix, you see, and
that is something that doesn't exist. There is no magic pill
here. To understand what I am saying you need merely look at
what the word Kung Fu really means. A skill attained by hard
work over a period of time.

When I learned Shaolin kung fu I had to stand in the horse
stance (mabu) for an hour. The instructor used a stick of
incense that took an hour to burn. We were expected to stand
in the horse stance and let the incense burn down, and at
the end of the hour training would begin.

After we lasted an hour (it wasn't hard after you got used
to it), we got to do basics training. We wouldn't do fifteen
or twenty kicks, we would do hundreds of them. And hundreds
of another kick, and hundreds of...you get the idea.

After practicing kicks and punches for an hour, we would
finally get to do forms. This would consist of the old
forms, Mok, and Choy & Lee, and the Tiger & Crane and so on.
Interestingly, the teacher would let up on us then, and
actually talk about some of the things we were doing.

He would tell us how to translate the moves into techniques
that worked in real life. We would learn every possible
thing you could do in a real fighting situation. Sometimes
we would partner up and practice applications, but then we
were returned to the forms.

Our real training was in the two man kung fu patterns. This
was where we stood face to face and bashed arms until they
were numb and desperately in need of some good, old Dit Dah
Jow healing juice. We didn't get that martial arts herbal
juice until after class though; we had to earn it first with
our hard work and bruises.

To be honest, all through my training I wondered if what I
was learning worked, then, one day I was jumped. I sunk my
weight and raised my arm, and my attacker's arm collided
with my arm, and a look of pain came across face. He
actually turned around and walked away, bent over and
holding his arm to his belly.

Now, having suffered through this kind of training, having
endured the pain and the agony, would I recommend it? I
would if you want real Shaolin Kung Fu. Remember this bit of
writing when you decide you want, and when you go out and
find some good, old fashioned Real Kung Fu Training.

This story of Real Kung Fu Training was related to me by a
fellow who taught me Shaolin. If you want to see what I did
with this training, mouse over on over over to href="http://www.monstermartialarts.com/Shaolin_Butterfly.html">Monster
Martial Arts and take a look at the Shaolin Butterfly.