“Every human being, to a large extent, is called to deal with two common things: his internal world and the external world.”

Shaolin Kung Fu has a meditative, artistic, and martial purpose. The thousands of evolved styles broadly fall into two categories:

Temple Style: Taught and practised within the temple by the monks.

Non-Temple (civilian/Lay Styles): Taught to visitors who came to the temple to receive instructions and teachings on Buddhism. They were taught a shaolin-created style called Choy Li Fut.

“For every shaolin style practised, there is a corresponding lay practice.” The reason for this is that a Shaolin monk would teach a style (or a large part of the style) to non-Shaolin family members or a trusted friend. Tai Chi Chuan is one such non-temple style.

What Is Tai Chi Chuan?

In English, Tai Chi translates as “the supreme ultimate fist,” while Chuan refers to a boxing method that brings the two opposite energies, Yin (soft) and Yang (hard), together. As it emphasises the internal aspects of the body — breathing, mind, and internal energies — it is known as internal kung fu. It is an excellent discipline for people of all ages, combining serene movements for health and well-being with a strong fighting system.

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No Shaolin master is a mindless master. Shaolin is like a great nest of ants. Some are moving grains of sand out of the nest, while others are focused on keeping the tunnels clear so that the entire nest may remain sound. Yet others pick up a grain of sand and become obsessed with the fate of the single grain of sand. It is for this reason that Shaolin Kung Fu has a repertoire of more styles than anyone has actually counted.

Necessity necessitates styles

The topographical location of the Shaolin temples and their cornerstone philosophy of observing nature to achieve a Buddhist goal of seeing past illusions were the reasons styles metamorphosed. It is said that even as early as the 20th century, Chinese trade caravans required heavy security as protection against thieves and marauders and wild animals, but the Shaolin monks moved and travelled with much greater freedom than the average Chinese citizen purely because of their combat skills, which had adapted and evolved over time.

Nature Nurtures

Nature per se is not more idyllic than the human world. As Darwin’s friend Herbert Spencer describes, “Nature is red in tooth and claw.” The survival law of nature is “Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, slither silently but carry a formidable arsenal.” It must be said that nature’s study was not intended to emulate animals under study because an observing Shaolin practitioner is human and basically humane by nature. These observed principles and movements of nature’s wild were meant to nurture skills for self-defence to be used as an advantage against adversity.

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“Weak mind, weak fist; strong mind, no need for fist.”
— Shaolin saying

It is generally believed that Bodhidharma (Tamo, his Chinese given name), a travelling Buddhist monk, when in China, initiated a concept of fitness for the monks (the 18 Lohan movements, a series of postures with yoga breathing) and self-defence techniques. These initiations were due to circumstantial and existential situations. Historically, evidence shows that fighting, like kalarippayattu, Indian wrestling, and Chinese boxing, existed much before Buddha was born (the birth of Siddhartha Gautama of the Shakya clan was in 563 BC). Bodhidharma (Tamo) did not invent a martial art style called Gung Fu. Tamo’s true claim rests in being the first patriarch of the Buddhist practice known in China as Chan and in Japan and the rest of the world as Zen.

Shaolin Gung Fu

Shaolin Gung Fu is made up of two words:

1. Shaolin (Sil Lun in southern China) is a sect or a school of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. It encourages a practical interpretation of a spiritual path, avoiding religious and scriptural trappings, but believes in a life based on meditation.

2. Gung Fu means hard work or skilled effort and was originally used in reference to the gruelling years of practice that were necessary to achieve mastery of a style. Over the years, this martial art has been known as Chuan Fa (fist arts), Kuoshu (pronounced Gwo-Shoo), which means ‘national art’, Chung-Kuo Chuan (Chinese boxing), Wu Kung (effective use of martial force), Chuan Shu (fist art), and Wushu.

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Wrestling has been plagued with controversy and scandal for the whole of last year. It has been hogging prime time and space in the media. The dismal performance of 1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze at the recently concluded Asian Games, in which India achieved a total of 107 medals, speaks volumes about the effect it has had on our grapplers representing the country.

What Is Wrestling?

Wrestling, with the possible exception of athletes, is the oldest sport. In this sport, the individual grappler’s aim is to throw, hold the opponent down, or outscore the other during a match. Wrestling made its Olympic descent in 1896 at Athens. There are two types of wrestling at the Olympics — Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

The grappler submits to fight for three rounds under specified rules and regulations and agrees to be judged by a panel of judges. The rules for both forms are almost identical, except that in Greco-Roman, a grappler is not allowed to attack the opponent below the waist or use his own leg to execute a hold.

The Evolution of Wrestling as a Sport

In the seventh century, wrestler Ramdas inspired Hindus to take up wrestling as an activity in homage to Hanuman, the god of strength and valour. It is said that every Maharashtrian boy knows wrestling. And during this period, women wrestlers travelled the country, taking on all comers, too. The Peshwas support solidified its existence and strengthened its growth.

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“I hope martial artists are more interested in the roots of martial art and not in the different decorative branches, flowers, or leaves.” — Bruce Lee

A tribute by experts to Kalaripayattu says that it is the ancestor of all Asian martial arts. It is one of the oldest surviving martial arts. These experts are of the opinion that Buddhist monks and even the bodharmi founder of Zen Buddhism, who introduced martial arts to China and Japan, studied Kalaripayattu.

The word kalari denotes a battlefield and an arena for training in weaponry, while payattu means the art of fighting or performing fighting (self-defence) techniques.

Mythology

Parashurama, the mythological warrior sage, mastered the art of armed combat and archery under Lord Shiva. He is credited with having opened the first kalari, and along with his 21 disciples, it is believed that he opened 108 kalaris across Kerala.

History

Historically, the origin of payattu is shrouded in mystery. There are various theories, but no one is able to produce evidence to substantiate them. Some information on Kalaripayattu is available on the palm manuscripts, Ranga-byasam and Verumkaipitutham, at the Oriental Manuscript Library in Chennai. No mention is made about the authors or the periods of these manuscripts. Some of the exercises mentioned in Ranga-byasam and those of the Arappukkai style of payattu are similar. The dronamballi style and literature on it are available in the university library of Trivandrum.

Historians, Tamil literature and anthologies hold that Kalaripayattu evolved between BC 200-600 AD, and it reached its acme of popularity in Kerala between the 14th and 17th centuries. The decline started with invasions by the Moghuls, British and Portuguese. The British banned it, and it was forced to go underground until 1947. It is only post-independence that we are seeing a resurgence of Kalaripayattu.

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Most Orient fighting arts were conceived and trained from a battle or war perspective. For this reason, the word ‘martial’ (military) is linked to the fighting arts. L’art de savate is distinctly different. It is the only art to have been of the streets and alleys of Marseille in France. It was conceived for the people’s survival. It is said that most European cities were dangerous after dark, and only fools ventured out without protection. It gained popularity among the elite, rich, and noble, who practised it as a sport and as an exercise to remain fit and healthy.

Savate is a French word meaning “old shoe or boot” (heavy boots used by the French military or sailors). The other names by which this art is known are boxee francaise, savate boxing or French foot fighting. Today, savate is a popular sport, combining elements of Western boxing and graceful kicking techniques. It is perhaps the only kickboxing art in which the fighters wear shoes. A savate male practitioner is known as a tireur, and a female practitioner is a tireuse.

History of Savate

In Marseille, sailors developed a fighting art involving high-thrust kicks and open-hand slaps. As the ship always rocked, the sailors used their hands for support by holding on to something, and then used their other hand and feet to defend or attack when in a fight on board. When on land, they found that the use of these techniques avoided legal penalties because the use of a closed fist was considered the use of a deadly weapon under the law. This fighting art was called Jeu Marseilles (a game from Marseille) and was later renamed Chaussan (slippers, after the type of shoes the sailors used).

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Are you trying to find a martial art whose training is both traditional and sporty? Then judo is the best martial art for you. The word literally translates as “gentle way” since ju means ‘gentle’ and do means ‘way’. It is gentle because its fundamental tenet is to use your opponent’s own weight and strength against him or her, allowing a smaller person to defeat a much larger opponent through ability, strategy, technique and time. The majority of sports judo techniques can be practised by people of all ages and genders.

History of Judo

As the knowledge of unarmed fighting arts (jitsu) spread throughout the Orient, coming last to Japan, the subdivision multiplied as did names by which the arts were known: Wojitsu, Tai-jitsu, Go shin Jitsu, Ai Jitsu, and many others. Dr Jigoro Kano, a Japanese college professor, spent many years studying various ancient fighting arts, evaluating, comparing and practising them. Finally, in 1882, he put together the techniques to create a new art which he called Judo.

Dr Kano’s vision for judo was, as he wrote: “Judo should be one all-pervading principle governing the whole field, and that principle should be the highest or most efficient use of mental as well as physical energy directed to the accomplishment of a certain definite purpose or aim. Once the real importance of this purpose is understood, it may be applied to all phases of life and activity, thereby enabling one to lead the highest and most rational life.”

Present-day Judo

Today, judo is one of the most widely-spread martial arts with over 10 million practitioners. Kodokan is judo’s main centre for training and administration (Kodokan is the name given by Dr Kano to his dojo). You need not be contest-minded to take up judo. It is not purely about physical, it’s also about good attitude, behaviour, and adhering to class etiquette and decorum. We see this reflected in the oath every student joining Kodokan takes: “Once I have entered the Kodokan, I will not end my study without reasonable cause; I will not dishonour the dojo; unless I am given permission, I will not disclose the secrets that I have been taught, unless I am given permission, I will not teach judo; pupil first, teacher second, I will always follow the rules of the dojo.”

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Origin and History

Among the various existing martial arts, karate is the most widely practised. It is said to have been developed in Japan and evolved as a means of self-defence during Okinawa’s occupation by Japan. The Japanese had banned the carrying of weapons and anyone found with a weapon was put to death. The locals had no option but to train their bodies until they became lethal weapons of self-defence.

The roots of self-defence go back in time to India. As history goes, a Buddhist monk, Budidharmi, on his visit to the Shaolin Temple, found his brother monks weak due to which they could not sustain long hours of meditation and prayer without getting distracted or falling asleep. To rectify this, he introduced a combination of empty-hand techniques and yoga, which became known as Shaolin Kungfu. This te (hand) technique was locally known as tang (Chinese hand) and was formally known as Okinawa-te (Okinawa hand).

Gichin Funokoshi (1868-1957) is known as the Father of Modern Karate. He had trained in Okinawa-te and found its training to be hard and lethal, so he improvised it into a gentler system and called it karate. Unlike Okinawa-te, karate focused strikes at skin level. This self-defence art moved from the aim of training like a warrior towards training for sports, physical fitness and spiritual development.

Karate styles

Karate was exported from China, and as it became pan existent, it underwent changes and karate styles came into existence. Karate as an art is an expression of the human body. There are stylistic differences, yet it remains basically the same art (karate). There are more similarities than differences among various styles. A straight-fist punch or straight-front kick does not change with styles or languages. The stylistic differences in the forms of karate are unimportant for students studying karate from a self-defence perspective. For these students “there are no best styles”.

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Today, we have information available at our fingertips. It’s just a key tap away, hence I need not go into the magnitude of atrocities faced by teenagers, women and senior citizens. In truth, these reported atrocities are just the tip of the iceberg. The reality is far beyond the average human comprehension. For us to believe in an absolute safe and secure society is like believing in a myth. What do we do then? Let fate direct our lives? Or do we take life in our hands and act as the situation demands?

The need of the hour is for people like teenagers, women and senior citizens, to get out of their sedentary lifestyles, get fit and face the situation. One way you can do both, i.e., stay fit and defend yourself, is to learn martial arts or a self-defence system that combines two or more arts like Ketsugo and Hapkido. Invest your valuable time and money constructively to pursue a self-defence, art or system.

After making up your mind to learn a self-defence art or system, the question that arises is, which one assures an absolute guarantee of survival? The Teenager Today will highlight the nuances of major martial arts and systems that are globally popular, like Karate, Judo, Aikido, Savate, boxing, kickboxing, etc. A few basic techniques will be featured in upcoming issues of the magazine for self-practice at home. However, it is advisable to learn in a class (dojo) environment under a recognised, experienced and highly-skilled teacher.

Benefits of learning martial arts/self-defence system

Martial means military, and there is no military in the world that does not put their military personnel through the grind of discipline. Discipline is the key benefit that one acquires when one undergoes self-defence training.

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