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What to Look for in a Shaolin School
There is no pat answer, nor any single standard that will qualify a
school as Shaolin, but there are several guidelines that hold with
considerable consistency. Shaolin kung fu arts have now become so
thoroughly filtered into a variety of cultures that the presence of a
Chinese practitioner of any age is no longer a requirement. While martial
arts magazines often list reputable schools, listings are often influenced
by the number of copies of that magazine are purchased (and then sold) by
the school. You may do better to scan the Yellow Pages to make a short
list of schools that appeal to you, and then start your homework.
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Shaolin Instructor in Portland, OR
Send e-mail
to contact (at) shaolintemple.org for info
(please contact only regarding classes.)
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Prepare a written list of questions you will ask of each school during
your phone interviews. Among the important questions will be:
- What style or styles will be taught ("Shaolin" is a
school, not a style; it would be like calling Harvard to find out
about psychology courses and being told they taught
"college"). We have called dozens of schools that advertised
"kung fu" only to be told, "no, we just do Tae Kwan
Do-it's all the same"! It is NOT all the same, so don't fall for
a con. Styles should be specific-Shantung Black Tiger, Shaolin
Southern Tiger, Hung-Gar Tiger-Crane are examples of "Tiger"
that are quite different from each other AND are all bona fide Shaolin
styles. If someone tells you simply "tiger" and refuses to
provide specifics about source, original temple, or history, excuse
yourself with a simple "my liver pate is burning" and hang
up. Among Shaolin styles there is one notable exception: Snake style
is simply snake, be it from northern or southern roots. Probably one
of those good idea styles no one had the heart to change...
- Who does the actual instruction? Will you be taught by Sifu Bigname,
or a sixth-month student who has trouble knotting his sash? Being
taught in a famous school, even occasionally seeing the BIG MAN, is
not the same as learning from him. Universities are in hot water today
because the famous and Nobel-laureates they advertise as professors
never or rarely grace a classroom. So, too, in kung fu. If you are to
be taught by another student SOME of the time, that is fine, and
traditional. However, senior people are needed for most basic
instruction, because their experience is the best guarantee that you
will learn properly with a minimum chance of getting hurt. Remember,
your time AND money are your payment for learning the art - make sure
both are adequately addressed by the school.
- What is the course emphasis (sparring, self-defense, forms?) and
which approach(es) will you favor? Many top instructors have
experimented by training students solely in sparring or forms, with
the results in sparring after six months almost completely favoring
the forms people. Forms teach precision, and, sadly, you cannot learn
Shaolin without forms (yes, Jeet Kune Do is a formless kung fu, but
one aimed at people with some experience of basic martial arts; it is
also not a Shaolin art, which is the subject of this report). If you
spent the first year doing horse stances, one form, and learned a few
rolls and breakfalls, you would be doing very well indeed. It is an
old Shaolin adage that a master is one who, after studying a thousand
techniques, finds three he can use at any time, and to perfection.
Forms are the encyclopedia of styles from which these techniques are
discovered.
- What can you reasonably expect to be able to do after three months
at the school? If someone says you'll learn three stances, have
terribly sore thighs, and will be able to throw a fist without
breaking your own fingers, you have a good prospect. If they tell you
that you'll be ready for your first tournament and start helping with
the teaching load, tell them your malpractice insurance isn't paid up
and call another school!
- Is competition sparring a requirement for advancement?
Competitiveness is not a part of traditional Shaolin-your only
competition is yourself. While you may be required to spar with fellow
classmates (virtually universal), competitive sparring is something
most Shaolin masters find counterproductive.
Other questions you should ask (if you get past the first five) are the
same you would ask a potential employer or university:
- What is the attrition rate
- By what criteria will you be evaluated for promotion
- What happens if you must miss a session (not to be a habit-but
genuine sick days or emergencies happen. Must you pay for lost time,
is there make-up time??)
- If more than one style is offered, what must you do to be allowed to
transfer (e.g., from Shantung tiger to Southern Dragon)?
Things that you should NOT accept from any martial arts school:
physical or psychological abuse (Are students physically punished or
humiliated for minor "infractions"?). Shaolin practitioners come
from a priestly background that avoided an Inquisition phase, so do not
expect or accept any physical harm or public humiliation. Do not accept a
long-term contract (three months is acceptable; one year isn't), because
you do not know if your interest will survive, or if the school will
survive. Besides, you can use the bank interest as much as the school can!
Do not sign a contract with a rank-related deadline (implied or
specified)-you will earn a rank in the time it takes, and you cannot pay a
reputable instructor to race you up the ranks. Hopefully, you would not
want such a worthless rank...
Do not sell the farm or liver pate concession to pack up, move to Honan
and study in China. The fact is that most of the top Shaolin practitioners
left China by 1930, heading to the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, and
Malaysia, where they have taught students and a new generation of masters.
If you talk to a school representative who satisfactorily answers your
questions, make an appointment to visit the school and possibly see a
beginning and advanced class. The beginner's because that is where you
will spend the next few months if you join; the advanced so you can see if
that is how you want to look after a few years. Students are the only real
advertising for teachers. Great coaches are rarely excellent former
players, so judge the teachers by their products: the students they turn
out.
We cannot make specific recommendations about schools or
instructors-there are too many out there, we don't know them all, and
pointing out the baddies subjects us to liability laws. Great teachers do
not necessarily hold high rank, so don't be fooled by rank claims. There
are precious few 10th-degree masters, though many a medium-sized city has
three or four in the Yellow Pages. Forget rank and follow the guidelines
above. Ask questions and use your judgment. If you don't like an
instructor, you won't be able to learn much from him no matter his rank.
Consult our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
section if you have more questions. Good luck!
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