Shaolin-Do

Shaolin-Do
Focus Traditional
Country of origin Indonesia
Parenthood Chinese martial arts and many other martial arts
Olympic sport No

Shaolin-Do (Chinese: 少林道; 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; 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.

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 Thé 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]

1996 - Grandmaster Sin Thé sues for damages, claiming copyright infringement, and loses to Barry Vanover.

2000 – Stele erected at one of the suggested locations of the supposed Southern Shaolin Temple, 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. 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.

2009 - Several schools split from Masters David and Sharon Soard in wake of David Soard's conviction and subsequent probation.[2]

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 of Shaolin. Even 8th degree masters attended and learned this kata in the kata's first-ever unveiling and teaching.

2014 - Sin The removes David and Sharon Soard from his organization. Unclear what will happen with the schools underneath the Soards although Sin The's website no longer lists them as part of his system. www.shaolingrandmaster.com

Summary

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 Chinese 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.

Modern art

It is 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 only one student to the rank of Elder 9th Degree Master. Elder Master William Leonard was first to receive his 8th & 9th Degree rank and is the only 9th degree elder master in the system, while Garry Mullins was awarded the rank of 8th degree Elder Master in 2004. Subsequently, Eric Smith, Bob Green, Frank Mingione, Tim Nance, and John Price were awarded their 8th degree Master's belts.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5][6][7] The Japanese Gi and its belt system are an evolution of the uniform that traces its roots to the Judo Gi.

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 Thé 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. Though this may appear to also substantiate some of Grandmaster Thé's claims, depending on how one views it.

On September 25, 2009, Elder Master David Soard plead guilty to harassment of female students.[8]

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 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
金钢伏虎拳 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)[9][10]
太极拳 tài jí quán 24-form tai chi chuan
楊家太极拳 yáng jiā tài jí quán Yang Family Grand Ultimate Fist (37 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 Plum Blossom 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
天打雙虎頭钩 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
一路华拳 yī lù huā quán 1st Road Of Hua Fist[11]
二路华拳 èr lù huā quán 2nd Road Of Hua Fist[12]
三路华拳 sān lù huā quán 3rd Road Of Hua Fist[13]
四路华拳 sì lù huā quán 4th Road Of Hua Fist[14]
华拳對打第一步 huā quán duì dǎ dì yī bù Hua Fist Sparring Strikes (Fighting Set) First Stance
华拳對打第二步 huā quán duì dǎ dì èr bù Hua Fist Sparring Strikes (Fighting Set) Second 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[15]
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
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[16]
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[17]
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[18]
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[19]

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.1 pg.29; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]
  2. ↑ "Denver Post".
  3. ↑ The, Sin Kwang. "Shaolin-Do Elder Masters".
  4. ↑ Sin Kwang Thé, FAQ page, SinThe.com, 2009 Sin Thé Karate School, retrieved October 28, 2009
  5. ↑ Orlando, Bob Indonesian Fighting Fundamentals: The Brutal Arts Of The Archipelago (1996) Paladin Press [ISBN 978-0873648929]
  6. ↑ Draeger, Donn f. & Smith, Robert Asian Fighting Arts (1969) Kodansha America [ISBN 978-0870110795]
  7. ↑ Draeger, Donn Pentjak-silat: Indonesian Fighting Art (1971) Littlehampton Book Services Ltd [ISBN 978-0706340853]
  8. ↑ "Kung Fu instructor gets probation". Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  9. ↑ Crandall, Joseph Classical Baguazhang Vol. I – Baguazhang Liangxi Fa. Smiling Tiger Martial Arts, 1999 (ISBN 978-1-929047-16-1)
  10. ↑ Johnson, Jerry Alan & Crandall, Joseph Classical Pa Qua. Ching Lung Martial Arts Association, Inc., 2008 (ISBN 978-1-897307-73-1)
  11. ↑ 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
  12. ↑ 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
  13. ↑ 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
  14. ↑ 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
  15. ↑ Lam Sai-Wing 林世榮 Tiger-Crane Double Form (虎鶴雙形) New Student Publishing House (新生出版社), 1996
  16. ↑ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.2 pg.619–628; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]
  17. ↑ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.2 pg.628–640; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]
  18. ↑ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.2 pg.640–651; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]
  19. ↑ Shi De Qian The Shaolin Encyclopedia Vol.2 pg.651–662; 1992 [ISBN 7-80600-099-2]

External links

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