Shaolin Quan
少林拳The body of styles tied to the Shaolin monastery in Henan. Its martial tradition is documented from the Ming dynasty, when the monks also served as troops.
Quick Facts
ChinaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Shaolin Quan
About Shaolin Quan
Shaolin kung fu (Shaolin quan) is the body of styles associated with the Shaolin monastery in Henan province. The monastery was founded in 495, and its martial tradition is documented from the Ming dynasty, when Shaolin monks also served as a military force — notably against coastal raids. That is the historical base on which the monastery's reputation rests. The legend, however, has to be separated out. Attributing the origin of Shaolin fighting to the Indian monk Bodhidharma comes from texts written centuries after his time and does not stand as a historical record. What is documented is something else: the monastery had its own martial practice and, over a long period, attracted and trained fighters. Technically Shaolin is an umbrella — dozens of styles and hundreds of forms are carried under it. What they share is upright posture, long movements, firm stances and an emphasis on physical preparation. The animal styles (tiger, crane, leopard, snake, dragon) are pedagogical images teaching different qualities of movement, not imitations of animals. The tradition includes weapons — the staff is regarded as the Shaolin weapon par excellence — and so-called hard qigong, body conditioning. The present-day picture splits into monastic tradition, sport wushu and demonstration acrobatics familiar from touring shows. The difference between them is fundamental, and what is actually trained varies from club to club.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.