Shaolin - Wheel of life

Anyone seen this yet? Really good example of using story telling along with performance art, kind of the direction I like to go with fire performances. There were a couple of things that really stuck out, like the whip demonstration, multiple cracks in all directions, first martial arts demonstration I've ever seen of whip. Also a couple of really nice chain whip demos, butterfly kicks and chain whips, mmm

havent seen it, but the shaolin kick ass.... kinda ironic/sad though that these incredable fighters have vowed against violence.......its a mad world

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kinda ironic/sad though that these incredable fighters have vowed against violence.......

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ironic/sad???

I think it's proof of a sane well-adjusted person/society, to have abilities such as those but choose not to use them.

Rather than being sad, I think it is truly inspiring!

I could be fussy and interject here that they aren't really monks, and wu shu is more of a performance art than a martial art.

But I won't as it'll just start an arguement...

whats your definition of a monk? Ever seen the making of this movie?

im sorry i put that badly

i also think its awsome that they have such skill and control

its sad because those who do the fighting arent nearly as good at it as those who have vowed not to

if i were a quy id love to shave my head and become a shaolin monk

it is true.
the warrior-monk line was definitively fogged off by the lovely maoists (only a few caretaker monks inhabited the Nothern/Southern Shaolin establishments during that nice cultural revolution and the disdain they had for religions, they were not martial artists)
Contemporary Shao-lin is a brand.
hundreds of wushu academies line the Shao forests at the foot of the original monasteries.
Wu-shu is quite alive in the lineage of Grand-masters (just think the Drew/Glass of wushu ) - the line of the warrior-monk is broken.
There's an old discussion thread about HoPpers who have attended the (almost annual) show. For people familiar with wushu competition forms, it is nice to see wushu reach a wider audience, but please don't be mistaken into thinking that these young guys are even old enough to be masters.
politely ask your wushu buddies for VHS copies of Chinese National Competition footage (pre 1987 footage is before they banned something called 'tiger hook swords')
Lyra, don't be sorry that you put it badly, western acceptance of the notion of 'kung fu' has made unclear the true nature of this invigorating buddhist practice.
i like yoo!

I saw the Shaolin - Wheel of Life show a few years ago.

It is so impressive what these men have taught their bodies to do... total control.

I thought it was also really interesting to see the number of young boys (maybe aged 5/6) up there kicking and punching with the adults. I took it as a reflection of the respect these ancient forms (even contemporary interpretations of them) still hold.

xx

does anyone remember 'martial arts gladiators' or whatever it was called on bbc? after a whole series of that i definately decided wu shu was the most pretty. haven't got any further than that yet though...

wushu has many different traditions tho... they are sometimes drastically different, some concentrate much on empty fists and circular movement (bagua fist), some concentrate on harvesting essential energies (taichi-chuan) some on lethality (praying mantis fist)
The objective way to decide what is for you is to turn the internet connection off and visit your local academy and honestly ask yourself what you wish from learning from that place - good health? inner peace? physical hardening? co-ordination? friends? and simply ask the master what they can offer. Never rely on simply one source, -especially the internet- for advice, cus bender is a stinky self toucher. heh ehh

don't go blind now! your spinning may not suffer, but you may crush many toes with your crutches. Save the toes!!

I'm not blind (yet) but i like ham radio.