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Shaolin Collection - 5
Requirements for a Shaolin Fighter

By: Uwe Schwenk (Ying Zi Long)

Shaolin Collection - 5: Requirements for a Shaolin Fighter

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Introduction
This is the fifth in a series of documents, which are in my opinion
considered essential for studying Shaolin Gong Fu.

About this Library

Most of these documents are translations of historical texts which are just
now (2003) beginning to emerge. For this library, only the texts considered
as core by the author to the study of Shaolin were selected. While some of
the readers might question some of the texts in this collection, please bear
in mind, that Shaolin has a different meaning for every person studying the
art.

Shaolin Collection - 5
With this 5th paper, I will now start going more into detailed aspects
concerning Shaolin per se. In this particular document we will describe the
requirements for a Shaolin Fighter. The following text is one of the texts
translated from the canonical books of Master Master Lam Sai Wing (1860-
1943).

Introduction: About this Library

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Introduction: Shaolin Collection - 5

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Requirements for a Shaolin Fighter

Introduction
The requirements for a Shaolin Fighter are expressed in a form of sayings:

To be as graceful as a cat
This rule says that in a fight one should make light, easy and graceful
movements like the cat does.

To be as aggressive as the tiger

The tiger personifies courage and aggressiveness. The meaning of this
saying is that in the face of your enemy you should overrun his courage.
Advance harshly, retreat without any confusion, estimate the real situation
and than heavily punch with a sharp rush to the enemy.

To step like a dragon

The dragon in China is a symbol of strength and power, so steps should be
strong, powerful and resolute. If steps are not resolute, something wrong
will be with fists. A non-confident step means a slipshod fist. Thus, steps
must be strong and confident. The step follows the movement of the body.
When one step is over, the movement of the body is over, too.

To act like a lightning stroke

One must be quick as a lightning stroke and instantly response to any
changes. Punch in the fight should look like flash of lightning. You should
punch so quickly as not to feel the striking moment. If your punch went
home, you should not feel it.

To shout like thunder

In the fight the most powerful strikes are delivered with a shout to help
more powerful "effort-jin" emission.

Requirements for a Shaolin Fighter: Introduction

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To move like a gust of wind

One must move vehemently like a violent gust of wind. If you started
fighting with a frontal attack, use your force on the left and on the right to
follow the principle “The fist is visible, the strike is invisible” and “If you do
not see your hand striking the enemy, you will never see this enemy.”

To stay like a nail

One must stay on a foot like a driven nail.

To be as heavy as a mountain
One should maintain stances like a mountain that can not be moved off.
One should train in “mabu” (“rider”) stance and “pole standing” stance.
Those two exercises are the most important methods to train strong feet and
to regulate your breathing.

To be as light as goose down

However, at the same time you must move around quickly and lightly and
instantly response to enemy's actions like goose down moves with the
lightest whiff of the wind.

To be soft as cotton wool

Before full exposure of rigidity and its realization at a striking moment one
must rear internal slackness and vivifying void.

As hard as iron
With the help of some methods of physical conditioning body, arms and
legs of the fighter must become as hard as iron and in the contact with the
enemy affect him like metal objects.

Requirements for a Shaolin Fighter: To move like a gust of wind