History

A Brief History of Shaolin-Do

Shaolin-Do is the original blend of hard and soft fighting arts. It doesn’t rely on body rigidity to develop power like Karate, but instead generates force from natural body mechanics and circular movements. Shaolin-Do, however, is more than just a fighting art, it is a way of perfecting oneself. By attempting to master these ancient styles of fighting, we actually come closer to mastering ourselves. This happens as you are learning to make your body perform tasks and postures that it has never attempted before, your mind begins to realize that you can do anything and this wonderful idea pervades every aspect of your life! This is not to imply that after you have trained with Shaolin-Do for a time that you will be able to do anything! The key is that you will feel that you can and you will leave fear of failure behind as you put your best effort into everything. Regret becomes a thing of the past.

The ancient Chinese observed the diverse fighting strategies of the animal kingdom, and realized that like animals, people also required fighting techniques suited to their unique physical statures. Thus the animal fighting systems were born. The animal-based forms taught in Shaolin-Do have been passed down for more than two thousand years. Different animal styles were developed by different monks thousands of years ago and those monks practiced in different provinces throughout China. As you saw in the brochure, some systems came from Hunan province, from Hua and Er-Mei mountains, and from Wu Tang mountain and Fukien Province. All were included in the Shaolin Temple Systems. Both the Kung Fu and T’ai Chi Programs in Shaolin-Do are rich with material and diversity, enough to fascinate and challenge the individual for a life time!

Throughout history, the Shaolin monks have been the most feared fighters in Asia, but even more famous is their love of peace, virtue and honor. The long standing history of Shaolin temples and their famous reputation of amazing feats of fighting, flexibility, and longevity can be attributed to an ability to train not only deadly fighters, but masters of life.