Shaolin Kung Fu: The Original Training Techniques of the Shaolin Lohan Masters

By Donn F. Draeger, P'ng Chye Khim and Alexander Bennett

A comprehensive guide to Shaolin Lohan Kung Fu from both ancient and contemporary masters.

With a new foreword by historian and martial artist Alexander Bennett, Shaolin Kung Fu details the oldest form of this ancient Chinese martial art. Shaolin Kung Fu is prized for its elegant style, effectiveness as a fighting system and as an exercise that benefits both body and mind.

Authors Donn F. Draeger and P'ng Chye Khim, both master martial artists and Shaolin experts, focus on the Lohan technique--believed to have developed from a form devised at the legendary Shaolin Temple some 1,500 years ago. This comprehensive book offers a practical introduction, including:

• The history and fundamentals of Shaolin Kung Fu
• The fundamentals of Shaolin
• A complete description of the Lohan technique and how to master it
• Detailed Shaolin training methods, including the use of weapons
• Weapons used in Shaolin

This book is intended as a supplement to a dedicated training program and includes detailed instructions explaining both the solo and partner practice forms. Accompanied by over 400 photos and sketches, this excellent introduction to the Lohan form is a must-have for every serious student of Shaolin and Kung Fu.

Shaolin Kung Fu was intended to provide Buddhist monks in ancient China with an art that would not only act as an intense conditioning tool, but also arm them with a formidable system of self defense. Though the context for these skills has changed, modern readers can benefit from this method in much the same way as its original students.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Release date: Mar 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781462921607

Book preview

Please note that the publisher and author of this instructional book are NOT RESPONSIBLE in any manner whatsoever for any injury that may result from practicing the techniques and/or following the instructions given within. Martial arts training can be dangerous—both to you and to others—if not practiced safely. If you’re in doubt as to how to proceed or whether your practice is safe, consult with a trained martial arts teacher before beginning. Since the physical activities described herein may be too strenuous in nature for some readers, it is also essential that a physician be consulted prior to training.

SHAOLIN

KUNG FU

Painting of Ta Mo by Pye Ling Shan Rur; calligraphy by Shi Mit Tu. Courtesy, Penang Shaolin Athletic Association.

SHAOLIN

KUNG FU

The Original Training Techniques

of the Shaolin Lohan Masters

DONN F. DRAEGER and P’NG CHYE KHIM

Foreword by Alexander Bennett

THE TUTTLE STORY

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Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

1The Background

Legend

History

Some Definitions

Northern and Southern Shaolin Systems

2Fundamentals of Shaolin Kung Fu

Handsign and Salutation

Origin and History

Making the Handsign

Using the Handsign

Mental Outlook

Stances and Postures

General

Level-Horse Stance

Triangle-Horse Stance

Independent-Leg Stance

High Independent-Leg Stance

Cat Stance

The Shaolin Fist

Forming the Fist

The Fist as a Striking Surface

Delivery of the Shaolin Fist

Basic Punching Exercises

Long-Punching Method (1)

Long-Punching Method (2)

Short-Punch Training Method

The Shaolin Foot and Leg

Use of the Legs

The Foot as a Striking Surface

Delivery of the Foot

Basic Kicking Exercises

Kicking Method (1)

Kicking Method (2)

Kicking Method (3)

Leg-Strengthening Exercise

The Shaolin Open Hand and Arm

Use of the Hands and Arms

Delivery of the Open Hand

White Crane Exercise

Hand-and-Arm Coordination Exercise

3The Lohan Pattern

General

Opening the Pattern

1. Lohan Kai Kung

2. Chin Pu Chong Ch’uan

3. Sang Pu Swang Chuay

4. Te Chiao Hern Tu

5. Hey Hu Chuan Sing

6. Lohan Yee Ting

7. Yu Chuan Sing Tui

8. Tui Pu Chey Chang

9. Ching Kan Toh Yueh

10. Hern Ch’uan Chuan Sing

11. Lohan Chi Ku

12. Ching Kan Fu Hu

13. Lohan Cho Hu

14. Swang Loong Chu Hai

15. Ting Su Yang Ch’uan

16. Pai Yuen Ching Tao

17. Erh Hu Chu Tung

18. Tui Pu Ta Hu

19. Fan Sao Chi Tui

20. Ching Kan Tuan Chiu

21. Ching Kan Pu Min

22. Chuan Sun Chiao Nan

23. Hey Hu Toh Sing

24. Ching Kan Chong Chui

25. Ching Kan Chiang Moh

26. Mung Hu Ju Tung

27. Lohan Sun Tien

Closing the Pattern

4Applying the Lohan Pattern

General

Opening the Pattern

1. Applying the Lohan Kai Kung

2. Applying the Chin Pu Chong Ch’uan

3. Applying the Sang Pu Swang Chuay

4. Applying the Te Chiao Hern Tu

5. Applying the Hey Hu Chuan Sing

6. Applying the Lohan Yee Ting

7. Applying the Yu Chuan Sing Tui

8. Applying the Tui Pu Chey Chang

9. Applying the Ching Kan Toh Yueh

10. Applying the Hern Ch’uan Chuan Sing

11. Applying the Lohan Chi Ku

12. Applying the Ching Kan Fu Hu

13. Applying the Lohan Cho Hu

14. Applying the Swang Loong Chu Hai

15. Applying the Ting Su Yang Ch’uan

16. Applying the Pai Yuen Ching Tao

17. Applying the Erh Hu Chu Tung

18. Applying the Tui Pu Ta Hu

19. Applying the Fan Sao Chi Tui

20. Applying the Ching Kan Tuan Chiu

21. Applying the Ching Kan Pu Min

22. Applying the Chuan Sun Chiao Nan

23. Applying the Hey Hu Toh Sing

24. Applying the Ching Kan Chong Chui

25. Applying the Ching Kan Chiang Moh

26. Applying the Mung Hu Ju Tung

27. Applying the Lohan Sun Tien

Closing the Pattern

5Shaolin Training Methods

General

Costume

Training Area

Method

Hardening Your Anatomical Weapons

Toughening Your Hands, Fists, Forearms

Sand-Pan Method

Stone-Block Method

Sandbag Method

Toughening Your Feet, Knees, Legs

Shinbones and Insteps

Knees

Miscellaneous Training Methods

Shoulders

Wrists

Eyes

6Potpourri

Shaolin and Some Other Asian Combative Arts

Weapons of Shaolin

Glossary-Index

Foreword

SINCE THE EARLY SEVENTIES, martial arts movies featuring sleek Asian combatants leaping adroitly through the air while unleashing a flurry of kicks and punches on stunned, usually much buffer opponents, have been popular and have even motivated millions of people to take up the martial arts themselves. Many of the fighting machines starring in these mostly Hong Kong movies apparently studied the ancient form of Shaolin Kung Fu. Thus, Shaolin has become synonymous with the Western image of Asian martial arts. In fact, there is a saying that, all martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin. Whether this is true or not, it is undeniable that the Shaolin Temple’s influence on the technical and philosophical development of future styles in China and other parts of Asia cannot be denied. In spite of the movie renditions, the martial arts of the Shaolin Temple are truly ancient and resonate with a deep philosophy that negates the use of violence.

With over 1,500 years of history, many variant forms have developed over the generations. It is believed that perhaps more than a thousand styles of Shaolin-derived kung fu exist, each one with its own unique techniques for fighting and physical and mental well-being. The style of kung fu explained in this book, Lohan (Hood Khar pai), traces its roots to one of the oldest forms of kung fu, and in its current form was first introduced from Southern China to Southeast Asia in the late 1940s. The monk who propagated it there was Sek Koh Sam (1886–1960). He first taught the system in Singapore from 1947 and then transferred to Malaysia where he founded the Sao Lim (Shaolin) Hood Khar Pai Association in 1953 (Penang Sao Lim Athletic Association.)

After his death in 1960, one of his top students, P’ng Chye Khim, coauthor of this book, eventually became the lead instructor at the organization. Master P’ng Chye Khim was born in Penang in 1939. He first met Sik Koe Chum in 1956, and eventually became the 49th generation master of Sao Lim Khar Hood Pai.

P’ng Chye Khim was particularly famous for his phenomenal Iron Palm technique, which observers claim was so powerful that heavy punching bags bent on impact. He was also known for his ability to use the double-edged swords often used in wushu (Chinese martial arts). Despite his formidable fighting ability, he was known and respected as being a man of great humility and courteousness. He was also an expert in other styles of Chinese martial arts such as Tai ji quan and was a renowned physician of traditional Chinese medicine. He passed away in 2010 but his legacy remains as a true master of his art.

The fact that he teamed up with Donn Draeger in this project is significant. To many non-Japanese martial art enthusiasts, myself included, Draeger is widely touted as one of the greats in terms of being an actual practitioner, and as a researcher of martial arts as a field of academic inquiry. It was Draeger who popularized the term Hoplology, or studies of human combat behavior from the 1960s.

Draeger was born in Milwaukee on April 15, 1922. His martial arts career started when he entered the gates jujutsu and judo dojos as a child. In 1943, after graduating from Georgetown University, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and saw action in several fierce World War II battles including Iwo Jima. Dispatched to Korea after the war, he taught judo to troops stationed there among his other duties in the Marines. He retired in 1956 with the rank of captain and dedicated the rest of his life to researching combat systems of the world. He spent much of his time in Japan where he studied modern budo disciplines including judo and jodo and became the first foreign student admitted into the celebrated classical school of Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto-ryu under Master Otake Risuke.

Although he is usually cited for his expertise in the Japanese modern and classical martial arts, his interests were certainly not limited to Japan. He travelled extensively through Asia with hoplology students