The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Health, and Enlightenment

by Wong Kiew Kit

The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu is the ultimate guide to Kung Fu, from theory to practical application.

This unique martial arts book, by a renowned Grandmaster, is a complete and comprehensive introduction to Kung Fu and all other aspects of ancient Shaolin wisdom. You will learn the ancient art of the Shaolin monks from the famous Shaolin monastery. It will prove invaluable to everyone interested in martial arts, chi kung, and meditation, showing how Kung Fu and other Shaolin arts can bring you health, vitality, mental focus, and spiritual joy.

Chapters include:

What is Kung Fu?—Four Aspects of Kung Fu; The Importance of Force Training; Application for Combat and Daily Living; Kung Fu Philosophy for Deeper Understanding; The Benefits of Kung Fu

The Historical Development of Chinese Martial Arts—Kung Fu in Prehistoric and Ancient Times; The Glorious Han and Tang; The Modern Period

From Shaolin to Taijiquan—Shaolin Kung Fu; The Various Styles of Taijiquan; Soft and Hard, Internal and External

A Comparative Study of Kung Fu—Contrasting Shaolin and Wudang Kung Fu; Xingyi Kung Fu and Taoist Concepts; Tanglangquan or Praying Mantis Kung Fu; The Spread of Southern Kung Fu

Defining Aims and Objectives—Setting Aims for Kung Fu Training; Personal Objectives; Course Objectives

The Foundation of Shaolin Kung Fu—Inheritance from Past Masters; Various Shaolin Hand Forms; Basic Shaolin Patterns

From Form to Combat Application—The Four Directions of Attack; The Principles of Effective Combat; Specific Techniques Against Kicks

Combat Sequences and Set Practice—Relieving Injuries Sustained in Sparring; Composing Your Own Kung Fu Sets

Shaolin Five Animals—Understanding Characteristics and Essence; The Five-Animal Set; The Names of the Five-Animal Patterns

Five-Animal Combination Set—How to Improve Combat Efficiency; Spacing and Timing in Combat

The Internal Force of Shaolin Kung Fu—The Relationship Between Technique and Force; The Compassionate Art of Qin-Na; The Internal Force of Tiger Claw

Tactics and Strategies—Using Continuous Attack Effectively; A Tactic to Distract Your Opponent; Selecting Strategies to Suit Particular Situations

Classical Kung Fu Weapons—Staffs; Whips, Knives and Other Weapons; Light and Heavy Weapons

Understanding and Developing Chi—The Various Genres of Chi Kung; Lohan Embracing Buddha; Abdominal Breathing

Shaolin Kung Fu and Zen—Culitvating Heart, Nourishing Nature; Bodhidharma and Taoism in Zen

The Shaolin Way to Enlightenment—Attaining a Focused Mind; Meditation to Train Awareness; Shaolin Kung Fu for Spiritual Development

Genres: Martial Arts, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Spirituality, Fitness, Zen, China

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Wong Kiew Kit is a fourth generation successor from the Southern Shaolin Monastery in China (not to be confused with the more commonly known Shaolin Monastery in Henan Province) and is a grandmaster of Shaolin Kung Fu and Qigong. He is also the head of the Shaolin Wahnam Institute.

Reviews

[John Opalenik · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best martial arts books I've ever read. I train in Shobayashi Ryu, which is closely related to Shaolin kung fu. This was a great bit of supplemental information.

The concepts are explained directly without being overly basic. A beginner could read this and understand, and an experienced martial artist can still use this material to sharpen their skills.

One great aspect of this book is that the author also provides the illustrations. This way nothing has been lost in translation between author and illustrator.

[Jacob Lehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this much more than The Shaolin Arts: Master Answers Series: Shaolin Kungfu, Taijiquan, Qigong and Zen. It's still a bit tautological (e.g., Shaolin kung fu includes all techniques ever known in martial arts ever, because Shaolin kung fu is the parent of all martial arts) and the claims that scientists are only recently discovering insights into matter/energy equivalence that Zen masters had as insights are unnecessary. The 2-person sets have some nice applications that reminded me of my training in Hung-gar and are worth exploring, especially if you have limited access to these arts locally.

[Nic Blair · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rubbish. A book based on anecdotal evidence and belittling comments to other schools of thought. The philosophy is interesting but doesn’t offer anything new (noting the book is nearly 25 years old), and the history appears more based on legend than facts. The book has a lot of chapters on kung fu drills, which is great, but WKK continuously states that you can’t learn kung fu from a book and you need a good teacher (then why write one ??????). I really did not enjoy this book.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

madda_gaska gave me this book to read. I did enjoy it. I first got interested in China by watching kung fu movies and realising that I was too old and out of shape to try and learn kung fu I decided to study the history and language instead! This book gives a brief outline of all the important parts of Shaolin kung fu, it includes a history of martial arts in China, different patterns and exercises, tactics, weapons Buddhism and mediation. The author stressed the practical aspects of Shaolin kung fun, how it wasn't a demonstration or a dance but actually for fighting. And despite giving descriptions of how to do different sets, he did say it was impossible to learn without a good teacher. Even though the book had no Chinese character the author used mainly pinyin transliterations and took time to express the different meanings and good and bad translations of different Chinese words and concepts. One thing that struck me as particularly interesting was the inner kung fu, or qi gong was actually developed by a Taoist priest during the Song dynasty. This was when internal alchemy really developed and it seemed to make a great deal of sense that it was also developed into martial arts at this time. It was also interesting to read about much more modern Buddhist beliefs and see how different things are emphasised over time, "sudden enlightenment" is also now a very long process, and the anti-intellectual side seems to have been de-emphasised, and oddly he made no reference to desire or suffering, but emphasised the different heavens and ideas of modern physics. It was a very enjoyable book. Coming home on the tube on Friday I was reading it and got into a rather fun conversation with a middle aged chav, where we sat and discussed Kung fu films. (He was a big Bruce Lee fan, whereas I told him I preferred Jet Li). I don't think I'll ever learn Kung fu, I'm afraid I would be a bad knight, I am just too interested in drinking and sleeping with other people's wives...

[Daniel Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is beneficial for martial artists of all styles. From a Karateka perspective, I really enjoyed the discussion of patterns and sets, which translates well to kata practice. Some of the mindset and training material presented can easily be applied to other arts. The book does go deep into the Zen and Chi Kung topics which was admittedly a bit over my head. Overall, it was an interesting read.

[Mary Ann Merlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for beginners and masters.

I wish I had this book years ago. I see now how so many of my Karate friends are beat up after years of hard training. I'm 68 and I feel strong. People are amazed at my fist bump. They tell me it's like hitting a wall. Kung fu is great for us older generation. Worthwhile read. Good luck with your journey.

[J.P. Harker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book years ago and fun to have a re-look.
I've practiced only a little kung-fu (most of my experience is in Japanese arts) and it's always interesting to see the differences and, at their core, the many similarities.

[david stenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

[Sam Muldoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Book Cataloging Shaolin History and Very Informative Insights into The Ancient Artform

[Michael Roustom]

Kung fu

[Dyar · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2009-07-15 -- Started reading this a couple days ago. This seems to be the most popular introductory / history work out there right now.


2009-08-11 -- Finished this a week or two ago. This is a well written book. The history is presented well, the techniques are presented well, and in particular the book gives great perspective to the multi-dimensional nature of learning Kung Fu.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iron fist technique

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This text is an excellent introduction the art of Shaolin Kung Fu. Naturally, one cannot progress without an experienced instructor, but this will get one started.

[A Blane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has some good ideas on structuring a training/learning curriculum, not just for kung fu, but for any martial art.

[Mf Tkr · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the greatest books I own

[Basit Rehman]

want to read this book

[Larryponder]

fun reading.

[Thomas Galarza · Rating 3 out of 5]

K, so I got this going for me now.

[Himalaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, though it convinced me that I'm not ready to start Shaolin Kung Fu.

[Ankit Yadav]

i learn kung fu by this book

[Ahmed Zaalim]

i wanna understand