Shaolin Kung Fu
“Like water... softly move, be adaptable, strike hard.”
Shaolin Kung Fu. The oldest system of Martial Arts
Shaolin Kung Fu is the oldest system of Martial Arts. Shaolin Kung Fu uses soft movements, allowing several moves to blend into one long graceful action. Staying graceful and soft between techniques and exploding power at the end of each technique allows the practitioner to adapt to any situation and any sudden changes that may occur.
Water, the essense of martial arts and life
Flowing Waters Academy teaches its students to exhibit the characteristics of water as they progress through their training. Although water is soft, it can wear down boulders just by flowing over it. When water is gathered together, it can crush anything in its path. Once it gives its major strike, water adapts to the situation, yielding around the remaining objects, consuming them, and carrying them away.
Students learn to have each movement flow in order to become the most adaptable in any situation, similar to water. Moving rigid and stiff does not allow the student to be adaptable in this way and therefore are prone to sustain an injury. As the late Bruce Lee says “be like water”.
Shaolin Kung Fu is the best training you will ever have in your life. Period
“The little inch… it is the difference between good and greatness, the final adjustment to perfection.”
Flowing Waters Academy teaches a unique blend of forms from many Shaolin Kung Fu styles, allowing the student to practice a variety of movements in preparation for application of these techniques.
Students first learn stances with a variety of stance drills and all the ranges of motion. They then learn a variety of kicks, punches, and blocks both individually and in combination along with the knowledge of using them properly. Students start training with short basic Shaolin Kung Fu forms to give them a solid foundation of stances and techniques, moving on to the old traditional forms as they progress in the training.
At the advanced level, students learn a variety of weapon forms. Flowing Waters Academy feels that weapons are an extension of the practitioner’s body and the student must first learn how to move and control their body efficiently before extending themselves into a weapon. Students learn to move soft and stay adaptable, while striking hard and fast. They also train to be physically strong to withstand strikes and to have an acute awareness of their surroundings to avoid situations.
Inspired by the late Bruce Lee saying “absorb what is useful”, Sifu Whiting’s main instructor, Sifu MacIsaac, learned over 300 different forms at one point. He discovered that there were forms that had similar movements and decided to limit the number of forms he taught to those he felt provided the most variety of movement. This way one can focus more intensity to the techniques in fewer forms rather than just going through the motions of many forms, only having time to complete these forms without understanding the art behind them.
Flowing Waters Academy feels that Shaolin Kung Fu is a way of life and the principles that the art teaches students should be applied to everyday life.