Shifu Shi Yanzi visits Scotland

 

Members of Scotland Lau Gar Kung Fu were delighted to welcome Monk Shifu Shi Yanzi from the Shaolin Temple UK to Greenock Sports Centre on 26 and 27 May, for a two-day workshop in Shaolin Kung Fu. Most of us had seen the ‘Wheel of Life’ at least once and all of us were eagerly anticipating a weekend of hard training ….no one was disappointed.

 

After a brief introduction to the philosophy of Chan Buddhism and kung fu, we moved on to the first practical session, which involved meditation followed by a vigorous warm up then stretching.  By the end of this short sharp session – in Shifu’s words the idea was ‘to make you hot, not to make you dead’ - we were certainly warm enough for the stretching that followed.

 

The remainder of the first day was devoted to stance training and the first part of a Qi Gong form. Shifu emphasised the importance of strong stances as a foundation of good kung fu and linking the body to develop effective blocking and striking techniques.  The importance he places on these basics was emphasised by the frequent repetitions and his insistence on the fact that there are no shortcuts, only perseverance.

 

The second day again began with meditation, a warm up and stretching.  Shifu briefly recapped what we had done the day before, and then introduced us to the five basic kicks of Shaolin Kung fu. The practising of these kicks helps develop strength and flexibility in the legs, an essential requirement, particularly for Shaolin Kung Fu.

 

The day continued with the teaching of the first part of Xiao Hong Quan, the first traditional form to be taught to students. If you have seen the young student performing in front of the master in the ‘Wheel of Life’ then you will recognise this form. We spent some time practising then Shifu demonstrated some of the applications, explaining that through practice we could find out for ourselves what all the applications were.

 

One of the students asked Shifu what was the most difficult thing he had to overcome in his training. He replied that for all people the most difficult thing was perseverance in training. How many of us have been in the position where we haven’t trained because we were feeling a bit tired or had a sore arm or leg? Shifu’s attitude was that if you wanted to be good at kung fu then you should adopt a positive mental attitude and overcome these difficulties.  He explained that the student in the temple did not necessarily see their master every day, that they may be left for some time to practise on their own before demonstrating their competence or mastery of the technique. With a wry smile he also explained that if this did not meet with the master’s approval an appropriate punishment might follow.

 

He also commented on the fact that if someone trains an hour a week for a year, in effect they have only been training for around 48 hours in total. Obviously this emphasised the importance of continuing to practise between classes, and not making the excuse that there was no time or that you were too busy.

 

The latter part of the day was devoted to demonstration and practise of some San Shou techniques, which is freestyle full contact kung fu fighting This was a fun way to finish off the weekend, bringing together some of the things we had learned over the two days.

 

All in all it was a stimulating and thought provoking weekend, a well-structured course, extremely hard work but enjoyed by all who were there. Shifu impressed everyone not only by his undoubted skill, but also by his ability to explain concepts and techniques. Some students commented that they could have just listened to him for the two days.

 

Shifu Shi Yanzi’s second visit to Scotland, on 15 and 16 September was mainly attended by people who had attended the first weekend, so the content led on from the first course.

 

After meditation, warm up and stretching, Shifu began by reviewing the stance sequence and forms from the May course.  This time he taught a bit more detail and expected to see a higher standard from us.

 

On both days there were long sessions of continuous line drills.  These varied from wheelbarrows (!) to forms applications, to leg swings, constantly punctuated by Shifu’s commands of ‘higher’ or ‘faster’ to get the best from all students. He explained that the most important thing in kung fu is stamina.

 

A session on each day was given over to forms applications, mainly blocking and take down techniques, done with a range of partners.  Mats were used for this, which allowed the techniques to be carried out realistically.  Throughout these sessions, Shifu patiently explained and demonstrated, but also constantly demanded greater speed or strength, or reminded about guard or correct stance.

 

This weekend also gave an insight into some of the more gymnastic elements of Shaolin Kung Fu.  Breakfalls from full height, rolls, diving over people, and jumps using trampettes were some of the techniques involved.  These sessions were challenging and fun, although very hard, as they were quite different from Southern Kung Fu techniques which we were more used to. A good number of students achieved things they wouldn’t have thought they could do.

 

Physically, this was an extremely demanding weekend; indeed many students had difficulty walking at the start of the second day.  This was due in part to the fact that there were fewer discussion sessions than in May, but also due to the unaccustomed nature of some of the sessions.

 

The two weekends together gave us all an idea of how hard and consistently you need to train if you want to develop worthwhile skills in any martial art. Shifu is a relentless taskmaster, constantly demanding nothing less than maximum effort, but he also has the ability to inspire you to want to do well.