Remember a few e-mails back I mentioned Fang Shen Do had done the opening show for the Shaolin Monks a couple of years ago when they were passing through Montreal?
Since the Shaolin Monks were back in my school a few weeks ago I thought I'd post a few more pics from their original show for your enjoyment.
When reviewing my picture folders and CDs, I came across a whole slew of pictures I had forgotten about. I'll make sure to post them on a weekly basis from here on in.
Here the Abbott prepares himself to bend the 2 edged spears on his throat while the monks brace themselves for what's about to happen...
You guessed it...easy as pie. Well, he made it look as easy as pie.
Whenever you see a master in action in any field, they always seem to inspire you by making it look so damn easy and effortless.
When in reality it took dedicated practice, sacrifice and some good ol' stubborness.
The tri-sectional Bo, a traditional weapon used to build superior hand/eye coordination. Unfortunately illegal in Canada.
One Shaolin Monk, great.
2 Shaolin Monks, better.
Each Monk on stage brought their own special energy to the show, adding to the synergy of the group, as they say: "the result was greater than the sum of their individual effects or capabilities".
Seeing a brawl in a bar is one thing but seeing a brawl among Shaolin Monks, better.
Seriously, their choreography skills were quite impressive, just watching them gave me lots of ideas for my own demos.
At this point the show was going great, even asking myself: "How they could top what they had just done."
This demonstration brings a whole new meaning to threading a needle, hey gramma?
Throwing a needle through a plate glass and busting a balloon on the other side requires some skill, ok the monk is good... real good.
Their fluidity and naturalness was like watching poetry in movement.
Even when handling a Kwan Dao or Long-Handled-Broadsword which is considered a heavier weapon, the monks still showed excellent control and speed wielding it.
What do you say to a guy who's holding on to 2 hammers and he wants to smash your head in?
Don't get hit.
The Shaolin Monks used a variety of old weapons like these ones during the show. Not practical in today's times but impressive to see them swinging these big ol' hammers at each other's heads without hurting themselves.
Note: Do not try this at home.
Classic Shaolin Monk memorabilia.
Here's the Bow and Arrow Exercise I was mentioning about yesterday.
It's a great breathing exercise. Builds tremendous focus, gives you a good isometric resistance training, increases mental toughness and great for a quick solo training in the morning.
A closer look at one of the 8 health and vitality moves I was talking about yesterday.
Every exercise is designed to move your Chi freely throughout the body by getting into specific positions and holding them.
Something I mentioned on many occasions in our Neigong training in FSD.
Without a doubt the Shaolin Monks are impressive, being primarily a kung-fu practitioner, I owe it to them for keeping the art alive. To think on so many occasions the art was almost completely wiped out by Emperors and Foreign Country Invaders, almost forgotten and never to be spoken about again. How it survived against such odds is quite a feat.
You can own a small piece of Shaolin History by purchasing one of only a few DVD sets left available.
There's about 3 hours of footage of them going through different drills and exercises, as well as offering demos and answering questions from the students.
Expand your own library of unique DVDs and build something of value you can show your kids one day by grabbing a copy today.
Shaolin Seminar DVD
Master Yourself,
Sifu Martin
