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Mastery of any skill takes somewhere around ten years. Many can do ten years or more and never reach mastery though. It takes deliberate effort and you need to seek out mentors who are masters and learn as much as you can. Then you need to be sincere enough to look at your skills and workout what parts you are not so good at and then spend years practicing the parts you suck at until they are your strong points. This is something many cannot do as they do not like to practice things they are not so good at.

Great book on mastery by Robert Greene if you want more info.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Mastery-Robert-Greene/dp/014312417X

are you sure? 37" is > 3 ft. here's one that's got the measurements on the picture

https://www.amazon.com/Andux-Chinese-Martial-Supplies-Accessories/dp/B077RYJ2P4

30 bucks though

https://smile.amazon.com/FEIYUE-Mens-Heritage-White-Martial/dp/B089WKV7Y5/ref=sr_1_3?crid=OL3YJKXCZYXV&dchild=1&keywords=feiyue+shoes&qid=1607410300&sprefix=feiyue%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-3

Here's the shoes. Amazon lists them as for tai-chi, but honestly they look a little thin soled for that.

I'm not sure what the name of the pants are, but they're the same ones you can get with this monk's robe.

Do you want them for a performance or are you starting on Halloween early?

Feiyue are the shoes I normally use, but the sole wears out fast if working out on a hard surface. I bought a pair of these on Amazon for around $20, and while the fit is good and the sole is much better, the upper canvas is not as sturdy as Feiyue. Oh, and they don't come in black.

DOUBLESTAR MR Classical Lightweight Kung Fu Shoes,Blue,US 10 Men/ US 10.5Women https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IDNKF0A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6he6yb23EMEWJ

If literary sources are available and you're interested enough to spend a few bucks on it, there's quite a bit of stuff available. In case you haven't already done so, consider changing "kung fu" to "Chinese martial arts" in your search queries. For example, I just did search that on Amazon Kindle store, and this book (which, admitted, I haven't read but probably will buy...) is five bucks on Kindle.

For internal arts, see Brennan Translation, but however cite the original sources with a note "translated by Paul Brennan".

You could try Pachi Tanglang Chuan: Eight Ultimate Praying Mantisby the late Grand Master Su Yu Chang. The book also talks about Bajiquan, but I think it covers some Mantis styles. Master Su Yu Chang studied many styles of Praying Mantis: Seven Star Praying Mantis, Plum Blossom Praying Mantis, Six Harmony Praying Mantis, Eight Step Praying Mantis, and Secret /Close Gate Praying Mantis.

While he learned Bajiquan from Grand Master Liu Yun-Qiao, I think he was most known for his knowledge and skill in Praying Mantis.

Hope this helps!

Like others have said, "Martial Arts" can be a bit of a misleading term. It's true definition is a craft or skill in warmaking. The Art of War should be understood in the same sense of the Art of Conversation or the Art of Negotiation. True skill needs solid fundamentals, the familiarity of consistent practice, and creativity to apply learned skill in a new situation.

Science is found in the fundamentals: power generation, leverage, anatomy. All of our different styles are just different ways of using our fundamentals. Context dictates our usage.

Yes, yes, yes, sparring is just a game to learn something. Even sport fighting at its highest levels is technically a game to be played. Violence has so many variables that in order for us to be able to learn how to deal with it, those variables must be limited. Both Sun Tzu and Miyamoto Musashi elaborate about these variables in their books The Art of War and The Book of Five Rings. Drill your techniques, play your tactical games, study your strategy. This is martial arts. Discipline yourself to do this regularly, constantly, with awareness, and that is true gong fu.

The science around fascia is still fairly immature and some of what I've said is certainly speculation, although much is supported by research. You're definitely correct that there are a lot of misconceptions rampant in the kung Fu world, and it's good to take things with a grain of salt.

I will encourage you to check out this book if you're interested in learning more about how important your intention is in exercise. I haven't actually read this one yet but I'm a fan of Philip Shepherd's other work, Radical Wholeness. In this book he and a scientist co-authored, they discuss Mindful Strength Training to Failure. Definitely sounds up your alley if you're interested in strength training and Kung Fu.

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Fitness-Science-Based-Strength-Training-Your-Well-Being/dp/1623176670?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=83577326-29bf-4341-8e24-9e4a49f3e152

https://www.amazon.com/COOFANDY-Cotton-Linen-Elastic-Drawstring/dp/B083V2DNS4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=1ABH25UEDFCHX&keywords=coofandy+harem+pants&qid=1669249782&sprefix=coofandy+harem+pants%2Caps%2C260&sr=8-3

I wear these almost every day. I have a few pairs from years ago that have held up okay although they look a bit worn out compared to the newer ones I've got.

Um... It's just a general term for loose-type of elastic pants that are meant to be used for athletics. Just get some adidas, champions, or puma training pants. If you're sweating that much, just wear shorts. Idk about the rules to your school, when in school I went to, they were very informal.

https://www.amazon.com/adidas-Standard-Essentials-Tapered-3-Stripes/dp/B08ML5B6GS/ref=sr\_1\_2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FSB662C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

They don't last forever. According to Amazon I've purchased them 13 times.

https://smile.amazon.com/Bopika-Beach-Pants-American-Cargo/dp/B07F3TNHP3/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2A8XDKA1016ZP&keywords=american+flag+karate+pants&qid=1669155413&sprefix=american+flag+karate+pants%2Caps%2C179&sr=8-6

don't know what else is available in the uk. maybe a bad idea but - this type of shelves is made of pole sections that screw together https://www.amazon.co.uk/VOONEEN-All-Metal-Multipurpose-Organisation-Adjustable/dp/B07HRM29YW

As others have said Yang Jwing-Ming book is very good.

I believe this is the copy I have. https://www.amazon.com/Shaolin-Chin-Na-English-Chinese/dp/0865680124/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?crid=1SOT82L0MOMAI&keywords=chin+na&qid=1662931821&sprefix=chin+na%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-12

The only Shaolin book you should ever read is The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts by Meir Shahar.

That is Sifu Chris Childs from the Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut lineage. He has a book about the Choy Lee Fut combat application called:

Choy Lee Fut - Complete Combat Method Volume 1

Here he is demonstrating what we call the 10 seeds of Choy Lee Fut. These are a series of fundamental strikes. They are:

十訣: (10 elements)

• Kum 擒 - slapping or pressing palm deflection
• Na 拿 - shooting arm bridge
• Gwa 掛 back fist
• So 掃 sweeping
• Tsop 插 yin/yang strike
• Pow 拋 upward power shot
• Jong 撞 small upward power shot
• Chaw 爪 claw
• Bin 鞭 swinging power shot
• Pei 劈 chopping

Along with the 10 seeds there are 6 methods of legs:

• Chan 撐 bracing
• Ding 釘 nailing
• So 掃 sweeping
• Jet 截 blocking
• Au 勾 hooking
• Dan 彈 springing

After those are understood there are 8 methods that utilize these techniques in various configurations.

• Yin 陰 negative
• Yang 陽 positive
• Kong 剛 hard
• Yau 柔 soft
• Hui 虛 false
• Shi 實 real
• Tou 偷 stealing
• Lau 溜 sneaking

That is the basic framework for the external methods. Then there is the song of the 18 words which is the secret to Choy Lee Fut internal methods.

Try this or this

I don't really like fan forms, but when you start to learn it, it's usually with a bamboo or plastic one to get the movement, and then maybe using metal for conditioning wrist & finger strength. Usually for competition, I think they use bamboo.

I will say, if you are going to make your own, as far as the jong goes, you should consider drilling square holes near the middle (2) so you can slide wooden rails though it. That way, it doesn't have to rest on a stationary base, it can rest on waxed wooden rails and slide side to side and if you get the right wood, you can get some springy back and forth action with it.

Something like https://www.amazon.com/Geniqua-Adjustable-Training-Martial-Traditional/dp/B08K44BBLB

Dude, you can not be serious... I can do a just a google and find, just in the first two pages, a Wing Chun school, Mantis, Eagle Claw, and three Shaolin schools. And this doesn't even count one or two Sifus that might just be teaching in the park or in some basement somewhere. Have you tried asking around?

You can't even find these in your own city, and you're going to magically find a qualified instructor in a country where you don't read, speak, or write the native language???? Please pardon me for abruptness, but I am honestly baffled.

good luck with that XD

https://www.amazon.com/Cheng-School-Style-Baguazhang-Manual/dp/1583946071

to the point though, there's different chinese words that are applied - 'Shi' vs 'Pai' for instance... so maybe base the english labeling off what the originating branch calls itself?

They all kind of look the same but they can't be, right?

I went with this one from a company called Cicloop and have been very pleased. I haven't graduated to the harder ball yet. I hang that one from a stair rail and my cats practice on it.

They include a pair of handwraps which I don't use for this but do use for bagwork.

Yes, I actually have a boat bumper bouy, link below, that I first had just filled with air and then filled with water. Many people have done this as a cheaper yet heavier duty Aquabag. Good Training!

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000MUBD6S/ref=cm\_sw\_em\_r\_mt\_dp\_U\_A0IfFbRSDHZYR

This is really good advice.

I highly recommend this very inexpensive plastic jian, and for a great inexpensive metal practice jian (does have an edge, though), Paul Chen makes nice swords.

This is the book I use: Spinal Stabilization
From experience several different methodologies exist, this is the one that has worked the best for me.

The master in that movie, Yu Hai has been in some great movies and tv shows over the years. You might like the Tai Chi Master tv series he was in. https://www.amazon.com/Tai-Chi-Master-Jacky-Wu/dp/B000929VRC

Chinese Martial Arts: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century is essential reading for anyone interested in TCMA.

I just bought a book on the subject: "The Art and Science of Staff Fighting" by Joe Varaday. May be this could help you

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Staff-Fighting-Instructional/dp/1594394113

I just started reading The Tao of Taijiquan by Tsung Hwa Jou. It dives into the spooky internal stuff far more enthusiastically than any other book I've read, but I like it. Even if I don't subscribe to the Taoist immortal mojo, it's helpful in understanding the arts better and it's already lead me to a few breakthroughs in my breathing technique and relaxing. I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner though, it's dense and there's a lot of picking through and separating the bullshit from the good stuff.

Here are two books I own:

https://www.amazon.com/Chin-Traditional-Submission-Grappling-Techniques/dp/1583941851

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Chengs-Method-Taichi-Self-Cultivation/dp/1883319927

I also recommend anything by Dr Yang Jwing Ming

I would also (as a Hung Kuen practitioner) recommend https://www.amazon.com/Hung-Kuen-Fundamentals-Gung-Gee/dp/9881847524 because it shows a great perspective on modern and current "Southern Shaolin" philosophy as realistic and respectful. They use primary sources and documents when they can, but the existence of a southern temple of Shaolin is more or less treated as a passed down anecdote that serves a function, since we don't really know or have documents. It is very style specific after some brief historical chapters but it is exemplary as a kung fu manual. Buying other styles books never stopped me, so this is why I bring it up.

I like the book Warrior Origins but I'm not 100% sure how it is regarded in the academic community. In it, he asserts that Bodhidharma was a Persian prince who probably just passed through India, not an Indian prince as most people say. It has lots of other cute tidbits.

The history of kung fu is a twisty and often overgrown, obscured, or washed-away path. As much as I love the subject, deciding to write a history paper on it sounds like something I'd decide to do in the midst of a bipolar manic high and come to regret as reality sets in.

Your best bet might be to focus on one CMA discipline, either one that is well-documented like shuai jiao or one that is relatively young like Baguazhang. Many books have a little blurb in the beginning on the supposed origins of the art they describe, but oftentimes they contradict the stories given in other books on the same art, because sometimes masters will make sh*t up just to make their art sound cooler than other arts and get more students.

We do application sparring at the end of practices for around an hour and our Saturdays are more or less dedicated to hard sparring (1-1.5 Hours)

We get injured often..... Highly recommend using Dit da Jow or Deep Blue https://www.amazon.com/doTERRA-3890-Deep-Blue-Rub/dp/B005MQ2BQI/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1488844871&sr=8-1&keywords=deep%2Bblue&th=1

When we spar, we try to keep it light and focus on speed more than power. Usually we go for 1 or 2 minute rounds when we are in full gear (muay thai gear with a tkd chest protector)

I don't know about fractures but for ordinary swelling and bruising, I think the most common one is "Dit Da Jow" there are lots of different formulations. I use the one sold by WLE.com. It has myrrh in it, so I think it smells nice. I think it speeds up the healing of my bruises.

I have read good things about "Po Sum On", but I haven't tried it yet.

For simple post-workout muscle aches, I used to use just a generic Icy Hot or Bengay, but sometimes I'll use White Flower, which is also good to rub on your chest if you have congestion.

Try this book Kyusho Secrets: The Modern Bubishi by Vince Morris. I don't know of any book that would be a definitive book on pressure points but this is a good start to it.

You might like this book and this book by Raymond Fogg. He studied under Chiu Leun, good lineage.

> "History" is not written solely by evidence.

Academic history is. Folk history is not. There is a difference

It's like saying "History suggests that all life started in the garden of eden with Adam and Eve" because you are using the bible as a literal historical text. Or that "history suggests that all British Knights trace their lineage back to Arthur, Camelot, and the Round Table."

> That's why I said, "history suggests."

And its why I say "history doesn't suggest" in the way you are using it. Period. What you are actually saying is that "legend suggests." Not researched history. Don't get me wrong, I see great value at looking what legend suggests (because there are reasons for legends). But legends should not be treated as history. The two are different.

The two are fundamentally different -- and suggests in this case is just an excuse not to acutally investigate your own claims.

> If you have a source on your information, I'd like to read it.

To start, I'd suggest this section of Wikipedia's Bodhidharma page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhidharma#Shaolin_boxing

A more detailed account can be found in

Meir Shahar's The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts

http://www.amazon.com/The-Shaolin-Monastery-History-Religion/dp/082483349X/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352327796&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=the+shamolin+monestary

The Shaolin Grandmasters' Text has some good information about the origins of Kung Fu and how it relates to Buddhism.

We had a similar post about this a few years back and some one suggested American Shaolin I found it to be an amusing read.

There are tons of McDojo kung fu schools. Some are obviously mcdojos if there are videos or clips they might have online, or sometimes it's evident in their own descriptions of what they do/teach. If you have some examples of schools with websites, maybe post it up.

When I was younger, I loved this book which outlined a few different kung fu styles:

amazon link

But it may be more useful if you looked up yellow pages or an internet search of where you live to see what kung fu schools are available in your area. Then, weed out the mcdojos and see what you've got left, and then decide whether you'd like to study that style.

The Android app now includes Qi cultivation and circulation techniques with detailed instructions and charts. iOS app should get the same update within a week.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maximimages.shaolinmeditation

https://itunes.apple.com/app/shaolin-meditation/id945061097