Shaolin Kung-Fu?

[dook sau]

minje go differently mine go white,green,yellow,red,blue,black with stripes in between

[elbows_and_knees]

traditionally, kung fu does not use a belt ranking system. Today however, many schools do.

[Songshan]

Shaolin Kung Fu isn't taught at a dojo. There is a style called "shaolin-do" which claims it's lineage is tied to the shaolin temple. I do train with one of the monks that have settled down here in the states that has spent 20 years learning at the Shaolin Temple in China. So make sure you do some thorough research before plunging into a school that is claiming shaolin.

Not all of shaolin is "northern long fist" or wushu. Traditional shaolin still has its place. There is a difference. Due to the circumstances that the Shaolin Temple is in today, wushu is part of the curriculum that is taught there....but not all of it is wushu. There is lots of information on the web out there so research!!!

[jacksawild]

Our school has a belt/sash system but I do not know how it works as I opted to disregard it upon advice from sifu, it's nice for the kids.

As for the 5 animals, expect variations on the theme. 'Shaolin' is such an all-encompassing term that it would be difficult to define it by certain styles. Some schools will not teach Dragon for example because: "Who has ever seen a dragon?". Shaolin, Kung/Gong Fu, Wu Shu, Chinese Boxing.. all these terms can mean the same thing. Wing Chun, Choy Li Fut, Hun Gar, Mok Gar, (all the Gars).. all these systems were developed and refined either in the Shaolin temple or by temple trained monks (or a nun in one case). In short, to want to 'learn Shaolin' is a tall order and reminds me of that scene in the Matrix where the guy sits up and says: "I know kung-fu"

The way I view Shaolin training is you can learn all the fancy moves and stretches and increase your chi, but the real power comes from the conditioning both internal and external. Condition your arms and hands in the traditional way, strengthen your horse, increase your speed and the martial arts will flow easily from there.

[Iron Arahat]

I have trained in Shaolin for many years, as well as instructed for some time. I agree with the you should be weary of schools refering to there schools as "dojos" or refering to anything in Japanese terms.

Also Shaolin traditionally is a non-belted system. Meaning no belts or sashes for "ranking".

[csmnjam]

it may take u awhile 2 advance 2 the next belt level which is yellow.

if the school uses sashes, their systems will vary. I have seen schools where the second sash is orange. I have also seen schools that didn't even have an orange sash.

on the same note i have seen them use no rank at all they say "you are what you are" lol i can bet that is frustrating

[Traditional-Fist]

.... northern mantis is it's own style......

Northern Mantis is a High Level Shaolin art and was developed by Shaolin Monks.

[TigerCrane]

I have heard that Hung Gar is possiblythe closest relative to traditional Southern Shaolin. In fact, I think there was one point in history when the term "Southern Shaolin" substituted "Hung Gar". Not sure how accurate this is though.

[bushido_man96]

it may take u awhile 2 advance 2 the next belt level which is yellow.

if the school uses sashes, their systems will vary. I have seen schools where the second sash is orange. I have also seen schools that didn't even have an orange sash.

on the same note i have seen them use no rank at all they say "you are what you are" lol i can bet that is frustrating

I think this is kind of nice, because sometimes seeing a rank around someone's waist can cause an intimidation factor. Without the rank, people focus more on what they are, and not what others are.