Shaolin ‘monk’ takes on a Taekwondo master
by K.L. Stephenson
Monday, April 10, 2017
Shoalin kung fu is one of the oldest styles of Chinese martial arts with a long, storied history dating back some 1500 years. It is the fighting style of the monks of the Shaolin temple but is seldom seen in sport’s competition as fighting for sport is not in line with their beliefs.
Taekwondo on the other hand is relatively new for a martial art, and wasn’t developed until the 1940s and 50s. Compared to Shaolin kung fu it is very sport based but it is also practiced by the Korean military.
In the following clip we see an alleged Shaolin monk named Yi Long take on a Taekwondo blackbelt named Min Yon Jin and the clash of styles is interesting to behold.
Though the Kung Fu fighter in this clip is often promoted as a Shaolin monk, his background with the Shaolin temple is questionable and is most likely more marketing than anything.
In December of 2010 a spokesman from the Shaolin Temple had this to say of him:
“Yi Long, who was billed as the No. 1 Shaolin Kung Fu monk, is neither a Kung Fu monk of Shaolin Temple, nor could he be named as the No. 1 Shaolin Kung Fu monk at all.”
According to another source though at canbike.org, Yi Long has in fact spent some time training at the Shoalin Temple but is more of a Sanda/Sanshou fighter than anything.
Nevertheless, he is most definitely a practitioner of Chinese martial arts that is very clear from his fighting style which we see displayed in this clip against a Taekwondo blackbelt.
Both fighters hit the deck numerous times in this clip, especially the taekwondo fighter who goes down many times and seems to have some issues with his balance. Perhaps the heavy leg kicks Yi Long lands took their toll on him.
Though this video is only a portion of the fight, Yi Long was eventually declared the winner via KO in the later rounds.