The origins of Kung fu itself date back over 5,000 years ago. Although much of the way it is practiced and understood today can be directly linked to the Shaolin Temple itself.
Shaolin Kung fu has a rich history that explains how this form of martial art came to be known as “the mother of all martial arts”. In 527 a Buddhist priest named Bodhidharma or Da Mo (in Chinese), traveled from India to China spreading Buddhism. He stopped at the Shaolin temple by the foot of the Song Shan Mountains and while there he noticed that the monks were weak from hours of meditation. Bodhidharma decided to help the peaceful monks and retreated into a cave to meditate for 9 years. During that time he developed exercises (or Qigong) to make the monks strong and give them energy.
Soon after the creation of Da Mo’s two classic exercises and the constant threat of attacks from looters and thieves, the monks developed their own Martial Arts. They started by mimicking farmers and the motions of the tools they used. The first weapon they used to defend their temple was the staff or cudgel. The Shaolin warrior monks honed their skills with the staff and used it to defend the temple and while in battle. The most famous battles recorded were when 40 warrior monks defended the southeastern coast against hundreds of Japanese pirates and when they were called upon to rescue the captured prince Li Shiming. During battle they would use a 7ft solid iron staff.
Early in its history the Shaolin temple became a melting pot for Chinese Wushu or Martial Arts. Kung fu masters, retired generals and royal families came from all over China to teach, share and develop Kung fu at the Shaolin temple. Over the centuries many Shaolin masters who trained there went on to spread Kung fu other places throughout the world. For this reason almost every style can link their martial history back to Shaolin.
With numerous hands sets, short and long range weapons, paired forms, sparring, conditioning drills, chin na (bone locking), Shuai Chiao (wrestling) hard and soft Qigong and meditation, these monks learned, practiced and understood everything there is to know about martial anatomy. Although the Shaolin temple had religious origins, it is open to teaching Kung fu to practitioners of all faiths that were peaceful in nature.
Today, Shaolin Kung fu continues to thrive and is passed down in schools all over the world. The Shaolin Temple is considered a national treasure in China and anyone who has studied Martial Arts and knows about its history, respects the knowledge that was passed down over thousands of years.