Shaolin Kungfu Basic Skills

Block A

1.
    • Daily Warmups
    • Stances: Horse, bow, crane, cat, back, dragon, box
    • 10-Point blocking system
    • Low, middle, high horizontal punches (10 point punching system)
    • Front, side and back kicks
    • Circling blocks inward and outward
    • Dan Tian (belly) Breathing
    • Basic Shaolin kungfu definitions

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Block B

2.
  • Vertical punches high, middle, low
  • Kicks: Outside wheel, inside wheel
  • Stances: Lean Forward and Search for the Sea, Shao ma bu, Sitting Buddha
  • Shaolin breathing method in natural stance, horse stance, crane stance and lying leg
  • Breakfalls: front, side, back, front rollout, kip ups
  • Forward roll
  • Weapon drills: Short sticks/nunchuks whenever Blocks C & D do weapon forms
3.
  • Define three categories of breathing
  • Strikes: Inward chop, outward chop, horizontal backfist, vertical backfist
  • Kicks: Roundhouse, rising heel, hook
  • Five star blocking set
  • Stances: Swallow Skims the Water, Lying leg, Reclining Buddha
  • Weapon drills: Short sticks/nunchuks whenever Blocks C & D do weapon forms
  • Basic Chin Na for: Finger, wrist, elbow
  • Basic self-defense strikes to key targets: eyes, throat, groin, knee
4.
  • Strikes: Horizontal, vertical, rolling backfists
  • Basic hand weapons: Palm, willow leaf, spear
  • Basic kicks: Front side combination, crane with snap kicks
  • Stepping in 7 basic stances with guard hands, strikes
  • Stance training: Three Planes, Rhino Looks Up at the Moon, Angel Looks in the Mirror, Li Kwai Pointing to the Winner
  • Weapon drills: Short sticks/nunchuks whenever Blocks C & D do weapon forms
  • Cleansing breath technique

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Block C

5.
  • Kicks: Front and side stomp kick to knee, spinning back kick, spinning wheel (inside, outside)
  • Hand weapons: Tiger’s mouth, panther fist, eagle claw
  • Stepping: Front cross, back cross, shuffle
  • Power breathing technique
6.
  • Sweeps: Front, back, combination
  • Hand weapons: Bear paw, mind fist, mantis fist
  • Strikes: Uppercut, hook punch, crescent punch, smothering backfist, wheel punch
  • Kicks: Hook, axe, rising heel, stomp
  • Takedown: scissors kick takedown
  • Cyclic breathing 5, 7, 9 seconds
7.
  • Fundamental ground grappling techniques and escapes: Top mount, side mount, rear mount
  • Closed guard, half guard and passing guards
  • Arm bar, rear choke
  • Stepping: san ti stepping
  • Strikes: hammer fist, spinning back fist
  • Kicks: vertical and roundhouse knee strikes, jump front kick, jump kick

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Block D

8.
  • Ch’an meditation: Single pointed focus, contemplation
  • Throws & Takedowns: Waist, neck, front leg hook, back leg hook
  • Take-down defenses: Sprawl, back stance
9.
  • Pressure Point Targets: One finger, two finger, thumb press
  • Strikes: Crossing, shoulder, hip, head butt
  • Chin na: Neck, shoulder, knee, ankle, spine
10.
  • Kicks: Ma ti (horse kick), chicken kick, flying knee, flying side kick
  • Shaolin philosophy: Wu-de, cultivation of compassion and wisdom

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