Shaolin-Do
Focus | Traditional |
---|---|
Country of origin | Indonesia |
Parenthood | Chinese martial arts and many other martial arts |
Olympic sport | No |
Shaolin-Do (Chinese: å°‘æž—é“; pinyin: shà olÃn dà o; 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é“; pinyin: quán dà o; 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 (ä¸åœ‹å°‘æž—æ¦è—ä¸å¿ƒ) 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: ä¸åœ‹å°‘æž—æ¦è—ä¸å¿ƒ; pinyin: zhÅng guó Shà o LÃn wÇ” yì zhÅng xÄ«n) 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 gÅng).
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æ±) instead, such as the Sea Monastery (Chinese: 海幢寺; pinyin: hÇŽi 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
Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | English |
---|---|---|
一æ¥å¯¹æ‰“ | yÄ« bù duì dÇŽ | 9 One-Step Sparring (at arm length) Techniques |
一æ¥æ³•æœ¯ | yÄ« bù fÇŽ shù | 10 One-Step Sparring (at close quarter) Techniques |
散打技术 | sǎn dǎ jī shù | 20 Sparring Techniques |
æ“’æ‹¿ | qÃn ná | 30 QinNa Techniques |
罗汉套路 | luó hà n tà o lù | LoHan Short Forms |
四门é“è¿ž | sì mén dà o 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 hà n quán | Fist of LuoHan (or Arhat Fist). |
åˆçº§æ£æœ¯ | chÅ« jà gùn shù | 4 Beginner Staff Techniques |
äºŒèŠ‚æ£ | èr jié gùn | 17 Nunchuku Techniques |
å››é¢å…«æ–¹æ£’ | sì mià n bÄ fÄng bà ng | All Directional Double-End Staff |
北方乞ä¸æ£’ | bÄ›i fÄng qÇ gà i bà ng | Northern Beggar Short Stick |
接拳 | jiē quán | Connecting Fist |
---|---|---|
白鹤转翅 | bái hè zhuà n chì | White Crane Circles Its Wings |
白鶴翻翅 | bái hè fÄn chì | White Crane Flips Its Wings |
白鶴翻腳 | bái hè fÄn jiÇŽo | White Crane Flips Its Foot |
金钢ä¼è™Žæ‹³ | jÄ«n gÄng fú hÇ” quán | Golden Steel Crouching Tiger Fist (aka "Tiger Descends the Golden Mountain") |
æµ·é¾æ– | hÇŽi lóng zhà ng | Sea Dragon Cane |
å››é¢å…«æ–¹æ£ | sì mià n bÄ fÄng gùn | All Directional Single-End Staff |
关公刀 | GuÄn GÅng dÄo | General Kwan’s Sword (a horse-back weapon) |
夜战八方刀 | yè zhà n bÄ fÄng dÄo | Night Battle Eight Directions Broadsword |
大鵬è½å¤© | dà péng luò tiÄn | 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 |
é“å‰ | tiÄ› chÄ | Iron Trident |
三åˆæ‹³ | sÄn hé quán | Three Harmonies Fist |
å…«å¦æŽŒ | bÄ guà zhÇŽng | Eight-Trigram Palm (Jiang Rongqiao's "Classic" Ba gua Form)[9][10] |
---|---|---|
太æžæ‹³ | tà i jà quán | 24-form tai chi chuan |
楊家太æžæ‹³ | yáng jiÄ tà i jà quán | Yang Family Grand Ultimate Fist (37 Postures) |
螳螂拳 | táng láng quán | Praying Mantis Fist |
æ§æœ®ç·´ç¿’ | qiÄng shù lià n xà | Spear Method Training Practice |
ç¾…å®¶æ§ | luó jiÄ qiÄng | Luo Family Spear |
æ¢…èŠ±æ§ | méi huÄ qiÄng | Plum Blossom Spear |
æ¥Šå®¶æ§ | yáng jiÄ qiÄng | Yang Family Spear |
四門八方刀 | sì mén bÄ fÄng dÄo | Four Openings Eight Direction Knife |
天打雙虎é é’© | tiÄn dá shuÄng hÇ” tóu gÅu | Heaven Strike Double Tiger Hooks |
黑虎å·å¿ƒ | hÄ“i hÇ” tÅu xÄ«n | Black Tiger Steals The Heart |
黑虎轉身 | hēi hǔ zhuà n shēn | Black Tiger Turns The Body |
黑虎翻身 | hÄ“i hÇ” fÄn shÄ“n | Black Tiger Flips The Body |
黑虎å—å‚· | hÄ“i hÇ” shòu shÄng | Black Tiger Wounded |
盤é¾æ£’ | pán lóng bang | Encircling Dragon Staff |
è¯ä½—五æ»ç·´ | huá tuó wÇ” sÇ lià n | Hua Tuo’s Five (Animal) Dead Training |
è¯ä½—五活練 | huá tuó wÇ” huó lià n | Hua Tuo’s Five (Animal) Live Training |
è¯ä½—產å‰æ°” | huá tuó chÇŽn qián qì | Hua Tuo’s Prenatal Breath |
å½¢æ„拳五行 | xÃng yì quán wÇ” xÃng | Mind-Form Fist Five Elements |
å½¢æ„拳連綰 | xÃng yì quán lián wÇŽn | Mind-Form Fist Linkage |
å½¢æ„拳å二形 | xÃng yì quán shà èr xÃng | Mind-Form Fist Twelve (Animal) Forms |
å½¢æ„拳散手 | xÃng yì quán sà n shÇ’u | Mind-Form Fist Sparring Strikes |
ä¸²é™½åŠ | chuà n yáng jià n | Skewer The Sun Sword |
å››é–€å…«æ–¹åŠ | sì mén bÄ fÄng jià n | Four Openings Eight Directions Sword |
ä¸ƒæ˜ŸåŠ | qÄ« xÄ«ng jià n | Seven Star Sword |
一路åŽæ‹³ | yÄ« lù huÄ quán | 1st Road Of Hua Fist[11] |
二路åŽæ‹³ | èr lù huÄ quán | 2nd Road Of Hua Fist[12] |
三路åŽæ‹³ | sÄn lù huÄ quán | 3rd Road Of Hua Fist[13] |
四路åŽæ‹³ | sì lù huÄ quán | 4th Road Of Hua Fist[14] |
åŽæ‹³å°æ‰“ç¬¬ä¸€æ¥ | huÄ quán duì dÇŽ dì yÄ« bù | Hua Fist Sparring Strikes (Fighting Set) First Stance |
åŽæ‹³å°æ‰“ç¬¬äºŒæ¥ | huÄ quán duì dÇŽ dì èr bù | Hua Fist Sparring Strikes (Fighting Set) Second Stance |
ä¹ç¯€ç¥žéž | jiÇ” jié shén biÄn | Nine Section Supreme Whip |
虎鶴雙形 | hÇ” hè shuÄng xÃng | Tiger-Crane Pair Form[15] |
一路酗八仙拳:è—采和 | yÄ« lù xù bÄ xiÄn quán: Lán CÇŽi Hé | 1st Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Lan Cai He |
二路酗八仙拳:何仙姑 | èr lù xù bÄ xiÄn quán: Hé XiÄn GÅ« | 2nd Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: He Xian Gu |
三路酗八仙拳:權é˜é›¢ | sÄn lù xù bÄ xiÄn quán: Quán ZhÅng Là | 3rd Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Quan Zhong Li |
四路酗八仙拳:æŽéµæ‹ | sì lù xù bÄ xiÄn quán: LÇ TiÄ› GuÇŽi | 4th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Li Tie Guai |
五路酗八仙拳:å¼µæžœè€ | wÇ” lù xù bÄ xiÄn quán: ZhÄng GuÇ’ LÇŽo | 5th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Zhang Guo Lao |
å…路酗八仙拳:曹國舅 | liù lù xù bÄ xiÄn quán: Cáo Guó Jiù | 6th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Cao Guo Jiu |
七路酗八仙拳:韓湘å | qÄ« lù xù bÄ xiÄn quán: Hán XiÄng Zi | 7th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Han Xiang Zi |
八路酗八仙拳:呂洞賓 | bÄ lù xù bÄ xiÄn quán: LÇš Dòng BÄ«n | 8th Road of Eight Drunken Immortal Fist: Lu Dong Bin |
少林五形拳 | shà o lÃn wÇ” xÃng quán | Shaolin Five Animal Fist |
Seminars
Chinese | Pinyin | Year | English | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
一路少林金豹拳 | yÄ« lù shà o lÃn jÄ«n bà o 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 shà o lÃn jÄ«n bà o quán | 2007 | 2nd Road of Shaolin Golden Leopard | 二路少林豹竄拳[17] |
三路少林金豹拳 | sÄn lù shà o lÃn jÄ«n bà o 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 shà o lÃn jÄ«n bà o quán | 2009 | 4th Road of Shaolin Golden Leopard | 四路少林豹竄拳[19] |
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]
- ↑ "Denver Post".
- ↑ The, Sin Kwang. "Shaolin-Do Elder Masters".
- ↑ 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]
- ↑ "Kung Fu instructor gets probation". Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ↑ 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åŽæ‹³) 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åŽæ‹³) 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åŽæ‹³) 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åŽæ‹³) 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 UPDATED 01/07/14
- Map Key
- Sin The's Karate School
- Chinese Shao-Lin Center For Martial Arts Organization
- Shaolin-Do Association
- Central Shaolin Website
- Shao-Lin
- Shaolin Legends DVDs