- Shaolin-Do
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Shaolin-Do Focus Hybrid Country of origin Indonesia Parenthood Chinese martial arts and many other martial arts Olympic sport No Shaolin-Do (Chinese: 少林道; Mandarin Pinyin: shàolín dào; Jyutping: siu2lam4 dou3) is a group of schools founded by Sin Kwang Thé that teaches a curriculum of various Chinese martial arts collected and further developed in Kuntao (Chinese: 拳道; Mandarin Pinyin: quán dào; Jyutping: kyun4dou3) schools of Chinese Indonesian communities, formulated under the banner of Shaolin and inspired by the legends found in Chinese Wuxia novels.
Contents
History
Timeline
1967 – Sin Kwang The', after receiving approval from Grandmaster Ie, begins teaching martial arts at the University of Kentucky's recreation program.
1968 – Sin Kwang The' awarded Grandmaster Level, responsible for the future of his home school.
1969 – "World’s Most Dangerous Man" exposé on Sin Kwang Thé in the Courier Journal & Times Magazine, March 2.
1972 – Sin The Karate School opens to the public in Lexington, Kentucky.
1976 – Sin Kwang Thé quits his studies and teaches full-time.
1978 – Sin Thé's Sport Center opens in Lexington, Kentucky.
1980 – Sin Thé's Karate 14-episode series on Kentucky's Educational Television; Chinese Shao-Lin Center for Martial Arts (中國少林武藝中心) opens in Denver, Colorado under his students David Soard and Sharon Soard.
1986 – Sin Thé's Sport Center closes.
1989 – First trip to the Shaolin Temple with students of the Denver School.
1992 – Stele (stone tablet) erected at the Songshan Shaolin Temple in honor of their donation to the reconstruction of the temple.[1]
2000 – Stele erected at the Southern Shaolin Temple in Putian in honor of their donation to the reconstruction of the temple.
2004 – Stele erected at Chenjiagou village in Honan in honor of their donation to the village, home of Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan.
2006 – Grandmaster Sin Thé first teaches out Golden Leopard fist in Lexington, KY. The style involves multiple pressure point attacks with various striking surfaces of the body.
2007 – Grandmaster Sin Thé first teaches out Liu Xing Quan in Lexington, KY. He reveals that the Yang component is the final touches of Xing Yi system, hidden by the temple for hundreds of years because it involves the use of even greater and more complicated series of pressure point strikes. The Yin component is actually the top form of the Eagle Claw system and the first form of the Golden Snake style, which is his specialty.[citation needed] It also is the first style to really incorporate linked fa jin striking, whereas styles such as Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan, Xingyiquan, and Baguazhang tend to use singular or dual fa jin strikes. Liu Xing routinely uses chains of eleven or more fa jin strikes to pressure points in series.[citation needed]
2010 – Grandmaster Sin Thé first teaches out 10,000 Lotus Blossoming style in Lexington, KY. This style involves isometric and kinetic rippling of individual muscles which creates a "blossoming" effect, as well as pressure point striking. It is considered a building style upon Liu Xing Quan, and therefore internal in nature. This style was one of the most anticipated seminars in the history Shaolin. Even 8th degree masters attended and learned this kata in the kata's first ever unveiling and teaching.
During the period of the late 60s through the 70s, most of training within Shaolin-Do was based on a harder Southern Chinese Kung Fu style. Foundational material included short forms, bird and tiger styles as well hard conditioning exercises. However, during the expansion that started in the mid to late 70s, Thé began to teach a whole myriad of forms that included Taiji, Bagua, and Xingyi as well as a number of material never previously taught. This was a departure from the original spirit of the schools, which focused on conditioning which often excluded students who weren't disciplined or dedicated enough.
Then, during the early 1980s, Shaolin-Do was in a growth phase and was expanding its schools nationwide. The main school in Lexington Kentucky grew into Sin The’s Sportscenter, hosting advanced training equipment and the largest indoor wave pool in America. Also, during the early part of the 80s Shaolin-Do notably began its push westward, with the emergence of David and Sharon Soard as independent owners of the Chnese Shao-Lin Center for Martial Arts (Chinese: 中國少林武藝中心; pinyin: zhōng guó Shào Lín wǔ yì zhōng xīn) that settled in Denver Colorado.
From this framework emerged the Shaolin-Do that is seen today. Thé oversees all schools under the Shaolin-Do lineage, traveling throughout the country to teach advanced material once a year to certain large regional schools. Most of the material he teaches is drawn from his extensive experience which includes his 900 forms that were taught to him by Ie Chang Ming.
Lineage
1) Su Kong Tai Djin (Chinese: 苏公大人; Mandarin Pinyin: sūgōng dàrén; Jyutping: sou1gung1daai6jan4) (according to the oral history presented by Sin Kwang The') Su Kong Tai Djin was born with a rare disorder in which most of his body was covered in thick dark hair. At a very young age his parents abandoned him in the wilderness believing him to be a demon. A monk from the Shaolin temple found him and brought him back to the temple. There he grew up and became a martial artist. He was very devoted to the martial art. After many years, he became the first student to learn all known forms and style of the Shaolin system. He was then bestowed the title of Grandmaster. Before he died, he taught all of his teachings to a young student named Ie Chang Ming.
2) Ie Chang Ming (Chinese: 俞昌明; Mandarin Pinyin: yú chāngmíng; Jyutping: jyu4coeng1ming4) also known as the "Iron Palm Monk" (Chinese: 鐵掌僧人; pinyin: tiězhǎng sēngrén) is said to have been a very powerful martial artist and Su Kong Tai Djin's closest student. Chang Ming settled in Bandung, Indonesia after exiling himself some time after the Boxer Rebellion and, with some of his martial arts brothers, continued the Shaolin lineage.
Presently there are only two students who trace their lineage back to Chang Ming and Su Kong that have continued the practice of martial arts:
3) Sin Kwang The' (Chinese: 鄭神光; pinyin: zhèng shēnguāng) Sin Kwang The' was born in Bandung, Indonesia. As a young child he became a student of the lesser known Sand Burn Training in which you burn your hands with hot sands and eventually strengthen your hands to the point of requiring a glove to safely touch one another. One day however, his master accidentally killed his son with his strong hands and the art was disintegrated.
Sin eventually saw a show of the Shaolin-Do arts when he was a twelve year old, and from there on he wished to become a student of Ie Chang Ming. After a introductory challenge he was accepted as a direct student of Master Ie. At first, Sin was taught the basics of Shaolin for an unknown amount of time. This training included stances and mind training. He trained from when he woke up to when he went to bed, short of school.
Over a few years, Sin developed into a great black belt and began to learn the all the forms of Shaolin.
Initially Sin Kwang The came to the United States to study at the University of Kentucky. Struggling financially, and well intentioned, he began selling calligraphy paintings and teaching martial arts to supplement his income for his studies in the US. After teaching classes at the University of Kentucky under a name akin to ”Shaolin Karate-Do,” he was able to teach a few notable students whom he promoted to Black Belt. Some of these students went on to produce and promote their own programs at different universities across the country – the most notable of whom are Bill Leonard at the University of Kentucky and Eric Smith at Harvard University. During this time he was still studying with Ie Chang Ming and had not yet been given the responsibilities of “Grandmaster”.
Modern art
It said that the curriculum for the art contains over 900 forms covering over a hundred different styles of Chinese Martial Arts. The ranking system divides the curriculum into three major sections: The first stages of Lower Belt teach basic self defense techniques, the Middle Belt levels introduce styles and breathing techniques, and the Upper belt or Black Belt levels are considered the full student level where one learns complex styles and techniques as well as intense training requirements. A student is required to know over 20 different forms before testing to black belt and they commonly include styles such as Tiger, Crane, Southern/Northern Fist, Bird, weapons, and Qigong (Chinese: 氣功; pinyin: qì gōng).
Future of the art
It is not public knowledge who would succeed Sin Kwang The as the head of the Shao-Lin Do art in the future. Sin Kwang The has promoted six students to the rank of Elder 8th Degree Master. Elder Master William Leonard was first, while David Soard, Sharon Soard and Garry Mullins were awarded the rank of Elder Master in 2004. Subsequently, Frank Mingione and Eric Smith were awarded their 8th degree black.
Use of the Gi
Shaolin-Do schools utilize a Japanese style of belt rankings and uniform, or gi. It is said that when Grandmaster Ie ChangMing fled from China to Indonesia, he disguised his Chinese Shaolin art from the Indonesian government because of prejudice against the Chinese. Rather than abandon teaching his life's practice, Ie ChangMing adopted Japanese-style uniforms and colored belts.[2] However, the use of the Gi, although unusual for Chinese Martial Arts in general, is not unusual for Martial Arts schools in Indonesia, Chinese or otherwise.[3][4][5] The Japanese Gi and its belt system are an evolution of the uniform that traces its roots to the Judo Gi and further to Judo's origin of Chinese Shuai Jiao and it's uniform and ranking system.
Also, It wasn't until 1965, after an attempted coup to overthrow the Suharto leadership, that the Indonesian government under Suharto outlawed Chinese cultural activities and displays of Chinese Culture. Ie ChangMing had already taught numerous students by then and The SinKwang had already been in the US, so the story of outlawing Chinese uniforms is rather circumspect with the popularity of Gis within the Chinese/Indonesian Martial Arts community and the use of a Chinese name for the school itself.
Controversy
Although there are extensive archives at the Shaolin Temple detailing their student roster for the past 200 years, there are no written records that exist stating whether or not Su Kong Tai Djin nor Ie Chang Ming were ever members of the Shaolin Temple proper. Since no written records exist, information comes from Grandmaster Sin Kwang The' himself. A lot of the history of this lineage derives from oral tradition, passed down from one master to the next.
The names of the lineage masters do not fit the Buddhist naming convention of three characters beginning with 释 shi, nor do they follow the Shaolin Generational poem of Xue Ting Fu Yu which has been in use for over 34 generations of students.
It is also not clear as to which Fujian Temple SuKong or ChangMing were members of; according to student travels and research, it may have actually been a temple in Guangdong (廣東) instead, such as the Sea Monastery (Chinese: 海幢寺; pinyin: hǎi chuáng sì).
The claim to master 900 forms has come under attack, especially some material unveiled by Grandmaster Sin Thé which is known to have been in print for quite some time, see references. Some, but not all of the new material (circa 2000–present) is referenced in Shi DeQian's 4 volume opus The Shaolin Temple Encyclopedia[1][citation needed]. Though this may appear to also substantiate some of Grandmaster Thé's claims, depending on how one views it.
The existence of the Fukien Shaolin Temple was itself undocumented and unproven until 1995. The specific location of the Fukien Temple is still being debated.[6]
Curriculum
13 Lower (White-Green) Belt Material Simplified Chinese Pinyin English 一步对打 yī bù duì dǎ 9 One-Step Sparring (at arm length) Techniques 一步法术 yī bù fǎ shù 10 One-Step Sparring (at close quarter) Techniques 散打技术 sǎn dǎ jī shù 20 Sparring Techniques 擒拿 qín ná fǎ 30 QinNa Techniques 罗汉套路 luó hàn tào lù LoHan Short Forms 四门道连 sì mén dào lián "Four Door" Continuous Method 飞虎出洞 fēi hǔ chū dòng Flying Tiger Comes Out Of Its Cave 大鵬伸翅 dà péng shēn chì Great Bird (Roc) Stretches Its Wings 罗汉拳 luó hàn quán Fist of LuoHan (or Arhat Fist). 初级棍术 chū jí gùn shù 4 Beginner Staff Techniques 二节棍 èr jié gùn 17 Nunchuku Techniques 四面八方棒 sì miàn bā fāng bàng All Directional Double-End Staff 北方乞丐棒 běi fāng qǐ gài bàng Northern Beggar Short Stick 15 Middle （Brown) Belt Material 接拳 jiē quán Connecting Fist 白鹤转翅 bái hè zhuàn chì White Crane Circles Its Wings 白鶴翻翅 bái hè fān chì White Crane Flips Its Wings 白鶴翻腳 bái hè fān jiǎo White Crane Flips Its Foot 金刚伏虎拳 jīn gāng fú hǔ quán Golden Steel Crouching Tiger Fist (aka "Tiger Descends the Golden Mountain") 海龍杖 hǎi lóng zhàng Sea Dragon Cane 四面八方棍 sì miàn bā fāng gùn All Directional Single-End Staff 关公刀 Guān Gōng dāo General Kwan’s Sword (a horse-back weapon) 夜战八方刀 yè zhàn bā fāng dāo Night Battle Eight Directions Broadsword 大鵬落天 dà péng luò tiān Great Bird: Falls From Heaven 大鵬展羽 dà péng zhǎn yǔ Great Bird: Spread The Wings 大鵬演鸽 dà péng yǎn gē Great Bird: Performing Dove 连五掌 lián wǔ zhǎng Five Directions Palm 铁叉 tiě chā Iron Trident 三合拳 sān hé quán Three Harmonies Fist Upper Belt Material 八卦掌 bā guà zhǎng Eight-Trigram Palm (Jiang Rongqiao's "Classic" Ba gua Form)[7][8] 太极拳 yáng jiā tài jí quán 24-form tai chi chuan 楊家太极拳 yáng jiā tài jí quán Yang Family Grand Ultimate Fist (64 Postures) 螳螂拳 táng láng quán Praying Mantis Fist 槍朮練習 qiāng shù liàn xí Spear Method Training Practice 羅家槍 luó jiā qiāng Luo Family Spear 梅花槍 méi huā qiāng May Flower Spear 楊家槍 yáng jiā qiāng Yang Family Spear 四門八方刀 sì mén bā fāng dāo Four Openings Eight Direction Knife 天打雙虎頭勾 tiān dá shuāng hǔ tóu gōu Heaven Strike Double Tiger Hooks 黑虎偷心 hēi hǔ tōu xīn Black Tiger Steals The Heart 黑虎轉身 hēi hǔ zhuàn shēn Black Tiger Turns The Body 黑虎翻身 hēi hǔ fān shēn Black Tiger Flips The Body 黑虎受傷 hēi hǔ shòu shāng Black Tiger Wounded 盤龍棒 pán lóng bang Encircling Dragon Staff 華佗五死練 huá tuó wǔ sǐ liàn Hua Tuo’s Five (Animal) Dead Training 華佗五活練 huá tuó wǔ huó liàn Hua Tuo’s Five (Animal) Live Training 華佗產前气 huá tuó chǎn qián qì Hua Tuo’s Prenatal Breath 形意拳五行 xíng yì quán wǔ xíng Mind-Form Fist Five Elements 形意拳連綰 xíng yì quán lián wǎn Mind-Form Fist Linkage 形意拳十二形 xíng yì quán shí èr xíng Mind-Form Fist Twelve (Animal) Forms 形意拳散手 xíng yì quán sàn shǒu Mind-Form Fist Sparring Strikes 串陽劍 chuàn yáng jiàn Skewer The Sun Sword 四門八方劍 sì mén bā fāng jiàn Four Openings Eight Directions Sword 七星劍 qī xīng jiàn Seven Star Sword 岳飛十八拳 yuè fēi shí bā quán Yue Fei’s Eighteen Continuous Postures 一路花拳 yī lù huā quán 1st Road Of Hua Fist[9] 二路花拳 èr lù huā quán 2nd Road Of Hua Fist[10] 三路花拳 sān lù huā quán 3rd Road Of Hua Fist[11] 四路花拳 sì lù huā quán 4th Road Of Hua Fist[12] 花拳對打第一步 huā quán duì dǎ dì yī bù Hua Fist Sparring Strikes (Fighting Set) First Stance 花拳對打第二步 huā quán duì dǎ dì èr bù Hua Fist Sparring Strikes (Fighting Set) First Stance 九節神鞭 jiǔ jié shén biān Nine Section Supreme Whip 虎鶴雙形 hǔ hè shuāng xíng Tiger-Crane Pair Form[13] 一路酗八仙拳:藍采和 yī lù xù bā xiān quán: Lán Cǎi Hé 1st Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Lan Cai He 二路酗八仙拳:何仙姑 èr lù xù bā xiān quán: Hé Xiān Gū 2nd Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: He Xian Gu 三路酗八仙拳:權鐘離 sān lù xù bā xiān quán: Quán Zhōng Lí 3rd Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Quan Zhong Li 四路酗八仙拳:李鐵拐 sì lù xù bā xiān quán: Lǐ Tiě Guǎi 4th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Li Tie Guai 五路酗八仙拳:張果老 wǔ lù xù bā xiān quán: Zhāng Guǒ Lǎo 5th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Zhang Guo Lao 六路酗八仙拳:曹國舅 liù lù xù bā xiān quán: Cáo Guó Jiù 6th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Cao Guo Jiu 七路酗八仙拳:韓湘子 qī lù xù bā xiān quán: Hán Xiāng Zi 7th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Han Xiang Zi 八路酗八仙拳:呂洞賓 bā lù xù bā xiān quán: Lǚ Dòng Bīn 8th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Lu Dong Bin 酗八仙地躺功 xù bā xiān dì tǎng gōng Eight Drunken Immortal Ground Fighting Techniques 酗八仙刀 xù bā xiān dāo Eight Drunken Immortal Broadsword 酗八仙劍 xù bā xiān jiàn Eight Drunken Immortal Sword 少林五形拳 shào lín wǔ xíng quán Shaolin Five Animal Fist Seminars
Recently Integrated Material Chinese Pinyin Year English Origin 一路少林金豹拳 yī lù shào lín jīn bào quán 2007 1st Road of Shaolin Golden Leopard 一路少林豹竄拳[14] 二路少林金豹拳 èr lù shào lín jīn bào quán 2007 2nd Road of Shaolin Golden Leopard 二路少林豹竄拳[15] 三路少林金豹拳 sān lù shào lín jīn bào quán 2009 3rd Road of Shaolin Golden Leopard 三路少林豹竄拳[16] 四路少林金豹拳 sì lù shào lín jīn bào quán 2009 4th Road of Shaolin Golden Leopard 四路少林豹竄拳[17] See also
Further reading
- Halladay, James R. & Grandmaster Thé, Sin Kwang Shaolin-Do: Secrets from the Temple (1995) Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company [ISBN 0787212423]
- Shifu Yan Ming, Shi The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warriors Way (2006) Rodale Books [ISBN 1594864004] [ISBN 978-1594864001]
- Polly, Matthew American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China (2007) Gotham [ISBN 1592403379]
- Crudelli, Chris The Way Of The Warrior: Martial Arts and Fighting Styles From Around The World (2008) DK Publishing [ISBN 978-0-7566-3975-4]
- Shahar, Meir The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts (2008) Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press [ISBN 0824831101]
- Order of Shaolin Chan The Shaolin Grandmasters Text: History, Philosophy, and Gung Fu of Shaolin Chan' (2008) Order of Shaolin Ch'an [ISBN 0975500929] [ISBN 978-0975500927]
References
- ^ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.1 pg.29; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]
- ^ Sin Kwang Thé, FAQ page, SinThe.com, 2009 Sin Thé Karate School, retrieved October 28, 2009
- ^ Orlando, Bob Indonesian Fighting Fundamentals: The Brutal Arts Of The Archipelago (1996) Paladin Press [ISBN 978-0873648929]
- ^ Draeger, Donn f. & Smith, Robert Asian Fighting Arts (1969) Kodansha America [ISBN 978-0870110795]
- ^ Draeger, Donn Pentjak-silat: Indonesian Fighting Art (1971) Littlehampton Book Services Ltd [ISBN 978-0706340853]
- ^ "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}". http://www.hungkuen.net/history-riddleofshaolin2.htm. - ^ Crandall, Joseph Classical Baguazhang Vol. I – Baguazhang Liangxi Fa. Smiling Tiger Martial Arts, 1999 (ISBN 978-1-929047-16-1)
- ^ Johnson, Jerry Alan & Crandall, Joseph Classical Pa Qua. Ching Lung Martial Arts Association, Inc., 2008 (ISBN 978-1-897307-73-1)
- ^ Cai Longyun 蔡龙云 The First Road of Hua Boxing (一路华拳) People's Sports Publishing House (人民体育出版社), 1957
- ^ Cai Longyun 蔡龙云 The Second Road of Hua Boxing (二路华拳) People's Sports Publishing House (人民体育出版社), 1959
- ^ Cai Longyun 蔡龙云 The Third Road of Hua Boxing (三路华拳) People's Sports Publishing House (人民体育出版社), 1959
- ^ Cai Longyun 蔡龙云 The Fourth Road of Hua Boxing (四路华拳) People's Sports Publishing House (人民体育出版社), 1959
- ^ Lam Sai-Wing 林世榮 Tiger-Crane Double Form (虎鶴雙形) New Student Publishing House (新生出版社), 1996
- ^ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.2 pg.619–628; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]
- ^ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.2 pg.628–640; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]
- ^ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.2 pg.640–651; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]
- ^ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.2 pg.651–662; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]
External links
- Sin's Website
- Map of all known Shaolin-Do schools
- Sin The's Karate School
- Chinese Shao-Lin Center For Martial Arts Organization
- Shaolin-Do Association
- Central Shaolin Website
- Shao-Lin
- Shaolin Legends DVDs
Categories:- North American martial arts
- Hybrid martial arts
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