Creating Wudan Out Of Shaolin!
One of the oldest of the planetary martial arts is Shaolin
. It was brought from India by a fellow named Bodhidharma, and has been pivotal to martial arts the world over. Interestingly, Shaolin eventually changed into an internal art atop Wudan Mountain.
I know there will be those who disagree with what I say here, but I hold to it, as I have watched students go through the evolution of hard to soft, and the evolution of art from Shaolin to Wudan mirrors what I have seen students go through. Indeed, as students peel layers off the art, so they peel off layers of unawaress, and attain the truly miraculous.
The students just starting out in Shaolin learn to expend energy from the tan tan, to spread that energy throughout the body and make the body like a rock. Arms become iron windmills, stances become permanent bolts to the planet. This, however, is all based on concepts of exploding energy, and outward expulsion of energy from the body.
As a student progresses through varieties of art he may encounter the concept of absorbing energy. The physical act of guiding a punch, instead of blocking it, mirrors the concept of drawing energy in, instead of just expelling it. This progression of art is often from Shaolin Kung Fu, through the sticky hands of Wing Chun Kung Fu, and, eventually, into the push hands of Wudan Tai Chi Chuan.
And, even if the student stays within one art, he will evolve into the soft. The unfortunate fact of aging, of the body no longer being able to expel the tremendous force of some of the hard arts, will draw the student into the softer arts. He will punch so that he doesn't get whiplash, he will use his legs so he doesn't suffer hip injury, and he will become softer in his approach to the art.
As these progressions of art and age occur, students learn to use their minds and their bodies with less and less effort, and and they are surprised tolearn that the abilities they gained in the hard arts grow even greater. Instead of forcing energy through bodies no longer strong enough to handle it, they guide the energy with less effort, and focus it. Thus, awareness becomes a growing factor, and the blinders come off.
Instead of exploding energy brutally through their bodies, the students seep the energy through their bodies. They learn to guide this energy with their awareness, and the smallest of their motions contain ideas of energy. They learn that the crude body energy they used when they were young and robust was...unaware.
Finally, they make the change from muscle to awareness, and the Shaolin adept becomes the Wudan sage. Instead of reacting with violence, the Wudan master observes, and moves with an opponent, drawing in the energy of the attack and transforming it to his needs. Yet, though there is wisdom in the Gung Fu of the Wudan variety, there is no disdain, for the true sage knows the need for his early Shaolin training, he knows the benefit of understanding energy on base levels if he is to transform it to the highest levels.
by: Al Case
Punching Bag Mounts And Hangers: How To Hang A Heavy Bag Four Unknown But Powerful Styles of Martial Arts Mixed Martial Arts: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Bjj Tournaments In Virginia, Washington, Maryland Martial Arts Guide can help beginners choose a sport The Secret Of Knocking People Out In The Martial Arts! How To Choose Among Martial Arts Mixed Martial Arts Baltimore: Six Techniques Incorporated To Become Mixed Martial Arts How to Create the Gunfighter Mentality in Martial Arts! Mixed Martial Arts Conditioning Association Launched The Natural Progression From Hard To Soft Learn Hardcore Martial Arts Training Techniques! Learn Street Based Self Defense Moves & Techniques! 5 Killer Street Fighting Tips Exposed!