A Shaolin Set and Flow Drill

I loved learning Kung Fu.

Having learnt Karate and Japanese martial arts before I got into Kung Fu I was very interested in seeing what made Kung Fu different from them.

My chance came in 2002.

While some may feel that it takes long enough to learn one style well enough to be able to fight with it  I was interested in knowing what approach the Chinese had to fighting and training.

Well- apart from the Qigong and Force Training exercises I found these two training tools to be a very good way to see what basics Shaolin Kung Fu had.

In Wong Kiew Kit's book on Shaolin Kung Fu you get introduced to some basic Shaolin techniques and given the tools with which to develop them for efficient use in combat.

The first training tool is very familiar to a lot of us.

A set, known in Chinese as taolu is quite familiar with students of Karate and Taekwondo as well. In Karate these sets are called kata. In Taekwondo it is known as poomse. 





The techniques in this basic form do not look anything as spectacular as the movements we see in modern Wushu forms. You have to start somewhere, though, right?

The transitions between stances and the crouching and rising movements make this form an excellent way to prepare your body for further training and to get comfortable with all the movements that you will need to perform.







Now here is something that I have noticed some talk about in Filipino Martial Arts and also in some of Iain Abernethy's Karate videos.

A Flow Drill!




While we have chi sao in Wing Chun and the flow drills of Karate and FMA this Shaolin flow drill is the only one that I have seen where body position and height gets changed.

This feels really uncomfortable at first, but once you become comfortable with it you find yourself able to drop out of the opponent's line of sight and to sidestep attacks with great ease later on.

I honestly do not know how to maintain this skill, once it has been acquired, without regular practice.

This flow drill also gave me a really good idea about how Chinese kungfu films are choreographed.

I am well aware that a lot of modern styles prefer to use only free sparring and not bother with something such as this. I think these two training methods are an excellent way to get beginners into the style and introduce the techniques of that style in a more practical way than just hitting empty air or a punching bag.

What do you think?


That's all for today. Train well and have a good week!