Shaolin Martial Arts

My favorite experience of the Chinese Bridge Summer Camp experience is learning about the Shaolin Masters and their kungfu. During my stay in Henan province, I was able to learn how Shaolin students are taught kungfu through a rigorous 14 schedule day and I was even able to see them prepare for their matches that they were having during our stay. My teacher, Damien, taught us about Shaolin Martial Arts, and in my opinion was the best teacher and performer. He demonstrated the correct stance, mau pou, and how it was used in many of the routines that he would teach us. Damien was very strict when it came to doing Martial Arts correctly and he made sure that if you didn’t understand correctly that he would work with you to make it better for you to understand. Shaolin MA also included a routine involving fans, which demonstrated discipline and coordination in order to correctly perform it in sync. Lastly, I learned about self-reflection and improving my ability to be at peace with myself. In the days that I learned these routines, I also learned other combinations that were key in other routines and having discipline in Shaolin Martial Arts is key because without it, one won’t perform Shaolin MA correctly. Having the opportunity to be immersed fully in Shaolin MA also helped myself and others in a way that was truly dedicated to us being able to learn the material correctly. Our experiences came directly from teachers who perform Shaolin MA in excess and compete regularly. Overall, I am proud to say that we have had an authentic Shaolin MA experience.