The Fundamentals Are The Key To Learning And Understanding Shaolin Kung Fu.
The concept of Shaolin kung fu originated when Huang Zongxi defined Chinese martial arts as either the Shaolin school or the Wudang school. You also sometimes hear the Shaolin school referred to as the external school, and the Wudang school referred to as the internal school. This was 1669, and since then people call external Chinese martial arts “Shaolin kung fu” even if the style or student has no affiliation to the Shaolin monastery. Learning the Shaolin fundamentals can help anyone improve their understand of the martial arts and help them better protect themselves in case they are attacked.
The Shaolin fundamentals start by teaching basic attacks such as punches, kicks, open hand strikes, elbow strikes, and knees. After the fundamentals are like second nature, then the student works on combinations. The goal is to string together attacks in a logical way that will break through the defenses of the opponent and flow in a fast and fluid fashion. As the opponent tries to defend against one attack, another attack is already coming and heading for a target that is not defended....