Fighting to get
in
26 May, 2015, Suth China Morning
Post
Martial arts centre welcomes students who
research their disciplines and are prepared to wait for a master.
Reports by Sascha Matuszak
Shaolin Temple is arguably the most famous martial arts temple and
training facility in the world. Dozens of movies, books, stories
and legends surround the temple and the Buddhist monks, who have
lived, worked and trained here for the past 1,500 years.
Legends aside, it is possible to learn kung fu at Shaolin Temple.
There is a difference, however, between kung fu, wushu and sanda -
three variations of Chinese martial arts that are distinct from
each other.
Kung
fu is best described as the all-round Chinese traditional martial
art that incorporates fighting techniques, correct breathing and
qigong techniques, and dance-like movements and routines that help
students to memorise their techniques. Sanda is a combat sport that
uses throws, strikes and some grappling, and stems from traditional
kung fu. Wushu is performance art, basically martial arts dancing,
that also stems from kung fu. All three can be studied in or around
the Shaolin Temple.
Within the
temple, wushu is the primary art taught to foreign and Chinese
students. Wushu is a martial art, but more to do with performances
than with fighting. Sanda is taught outside of the temple in
martial arts schools - known as wushu academies - several dozen of
which have sprung up around the temple in the city of Dengfeng. The
largest and most well-known of these schools is Tagou Wushu
Academy, which has about 35,000 students and is located right next
to the Shaolin Temple.
Traditional kung
fu is more difficult, as students must find a master and become his
or her disciple. Those masters exist in and around the temple but,
in order to meet them and learn from them, it is best to travel to
the temple and enrol in either wushu or sanda, and slowly get to
know the surroundings, the people, and take your time choosing a
kung fu master.
That
is not to say that the people teaching sanda and wushu are not kung
fu masters. Some of them are, others are sports coaches. There is a
difference between a coach and master in that a coach will teach
fundamentals based upon competition, and the requirements of a
sanda match, or a wushu performance. A kung fu master will instead
pass on his knowledge of martial arts, usually with philosophy and
culture included.
Students
thinking of training at the temple, or in one of the nearby wushu
academies, should read American Shaolin, which describes author
Matthew Polly's wushu and kung fu studies there. The book is dated
but still relevant, as there is still a lot of bureaucracy - fees
have only risen, and the same confusion persists on what one learns
and from whom.
There are
hundreds more wushu academies scattered across China and the world
that will claim some connection to Shaolin martial arts and the
temple itself. So, potential students should see the school and its
environment for themselves.