Shaolin Kung Fu - Stances
The stances in Shaolin
kung fu are probably one of the most important aspects in Shaolin
kung fu. The stances can be compared to the roots of a tree. They
are the roots, and all the rest of the tree, is the rest of the
kung fu techniques, being dependant on the roots. If in kung fu a
technique is well excecuted, it's thanks to strong, steady stances.
Before, the stances in
Shaolin kung fu used to be excecuted less low, but to meet up with
the modern wushu in competition, these days in Shaolin kung fu the
stances are executed very low as well.
Before learning the
combat techniques, it's very important that a student first
focusses on well understanding the stances, and being able to
excecute them well.
The monks of Shaolin
train the positions all the time, they don't even sit down for
dinner, but they have to eat, standing in the 'horse stance' (Ma
Bu)...
Click
on the pictures to enlarge...
There
are many different stances in Shaolin kung fu, to many to line
them all up here. The most used however, and therefore the basic
stances (BU FA) are the following stances :
MA
BU (Horse Stance)
PU
BU (Skimming Step Stance)
GONG
BU (Bow And Arrow Stance)
XU
BU (Empty Step Stance)
XIE
BU (Sitting Stance)
DU
LI BU (Heron Stance)
DAO
CHA BU (Twisting Stance)
SZ
LIOU BU (60/40 Stance)
DING
BU (Nail Stance)
TONG
ZI BAI FO (Priest Stance)
GUI
BU (Reference Stance)
ZUO PAN
(Sleeping Arhat Stance)
YI ZI
ZHUANG (Chair Stance)
SAN CHI
BU (70/30 Stance, AKA 'Pa Ma Bu')
