Are there real Shaolin Monks?

[gunbeatskroty]

Two weeks ago I got punched in the throat sparring, bare knuckles, by a fighter who had a hundred pounds on me. I also didn't die. He was trying to come over my guard and land on my sternum, I lifted my chin...

Was a bit worried I might be injured, but I was ok and kept sparring, had a nasty sore throat for a couple days though....

When I started out in TMA, the throat strike when trained lightly using choreographed techniques, felt like hell unleashed....all of us were like, who can take a full punch to the throat and not die? And it was because in light, techniques training, we are usually only lightly warmed up or cooled down a bit, very little adrenaline pumping....so everything hurts a lot more than in a real fight. And the trachea is pretty elastic also when struck. That's why a lot of people who don't fight nor spar for KO's thinks that a throat strike is so deadly. I rather not get punched in the throat at all though, but I still think the chin is worse as you'll get KO'ed.

This one's for you then, a beautiful KO with a spinning back kick to the body by a TKD fighter in a MT bout.... 1:34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGC6pDRxm4I

This kid is legit. He's a hardcore TKD guy but he also realizes the importance of cross training Muay Thai to survive vs. MT's. Our MMA gym trains with this "big brother", Cyrus Washington who's base was also TKD, but has since transitioned more into MT. Although he employs many TKD techniques as well as Boxing, into his MT game and did very well as a Pro MT fighter in Thailand. He's back in the USA now, and I think is working on breaking into MMA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UclVWi1gYyY

[Alex Córdoba]

The more I read on this thread the more glad i am that the monks have no relationship with the MMA world.

[Kellen Bassette]

When I started out in TMA, the throat strike when trained lightly using choreographed techniques, felt like hell unleashed....all of us were like, who can take a full punch to the throat and not die? And it was because in light, techniques training, we are usually only lightly warmed up or cooled down a bit, very little adrenaline pumping....so everything hurts a lot more than in a real fight. And the trachea is pretty elastic also when struck. That's why a lot of people who don't fight nor spar for KO's thinks that a throat strike is so deadly. I rather not get punched in the throat at all though, but I still think the chin is worse as you'll get KO'ed.

Adrenaline changes every thing for sure...I'm no fan of throat punches either, but it probably would have KOed me on the jaw...hopefully a bit more experience gained,,,

Our MMA gym trains with this "big brother", Cyrus Washington who's base was also TKD, but has since transitioned more into MT. Although he employs many TKD techniques as well as Boxing, into his MT game and did very well as a Pro MT fighter in Thailand. He's back in the USA now, and I think is working on breaking into MMA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UclVWi1gYyY

What an arsenal that guy has! Uses it all beautifully too...your lucky to train with a striker of that caliber,,,

[gunbeatskroty]

The more I read on this thread the more glad i am that the monks have no relationship with the MMA world.

The mayin reason you even have the Shaolin Temple today was due to Jet Li's movie, The Shaolin Temple sparking interest in Shaolin Kung-Fu and prompting Martial Artists around the world to donate money for the upkeep of the temple after the Commies shut it down in 1966. Then after China started cashing in on Capitalism, a ton of fake Shaolin Kung-Fu schools sprouted up all over and around the Shaolin Temple to lure in tourism dollars. Finally, the Commies reopened the Shaolin Temple and turned it into a Chinese Disneyland, selling trinkets and staffing it with the Wu-Shu team posing as Shaolin monks, doing parlor tricks such as bending spears with throats, etc. for money. There's a real Shaolin Abbot there now, but most are just Wu-Shu players...although probably the Wu-Shu fighters are more competent as fighters than real Shaolin fighters anyway.

Anyone can train at Shaolin. Room and board, meals, etc...for any out of shape fatboy...only requirement is a BIG checkbook. MMA, Shaolin, Nobody Bothers Me, etc...just whoring for dollars with different names...but at least one of them backs it up with real (as possible) fighting. Now lets see what China can do when The Ultimate Fighter goes to China next year. I bet there will be Shaolin Kung-Fu fighters trying out too.

[gunbeatskroty]

you watched the documentary and say this? of course it's real, several western research centers have documentaries on it, with those strange qigong effects confirmed by scientific measurement tools.

joking? no, i'm serious. you haven't seen those documentaries, so bad! you may find some signs in online video sites, like YouTube, if you search serious enough.

Man, those are mostly BS. I've seen them. They're on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-5S5mvayCw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy6hShfTz0Q

National Geographic, Discovery Channel, etc...just a bunch of hookers by different names. There are good and legit programs there, but there are plenty of stupid, fake crap too. They contract out and/or buy these documentary films and stick their channel label on it. They're not experts on everything, so plenty of BS gets through w/o much research done to verify. They don't know squat about fighting.

The Amazing Randi has a standing $1,000,000 challenge for anyone, anywhere to prove such BS exists. He'd even go to China. No one has taken his money yet for over 20 years. He's a master magician & illusionist. BS artists can't fool him. Fooling people is his life.

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

Think some poor Qi Gong whatever slobs in China can't use US$1,000,000 EACH? Ever since the Chinese govt' reopened The Shaolin Temple like a Chinese Disneyland, that place has been whoring for tourism dollars selling trinkets, fake monks putting on shows and Shaolin Kung-Fu lessons to fatboys all over the world for nearly 10 years now. China also exports a bunch of Wu-Shu players dressed up as Shaolin Monks, worldwide, to spread Kung-Fu + Buhdism because it's big money, despite Marxists are against religions.

Here's a skinny little kid who looks like he can't even do 10 pushups, bending spears with his throat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1XD1WIMRAo

Geeky White guy in his 20's or so in silk pajamas bending a metal rod with his throat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFofaRp2SlY

Two Bollywood Indian guys bending a metal bar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35Ig3eiVrp8

A bunch of chubby Whiteboys bending spears at a restaurant, haha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz94wiwx2hI

Indian chick showing a bunch of Dell Tech Support looking geeks how to bend metal rods with their throat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWFn5yK_z8s

http://www.ehow.com/how_8130741_break-bricks-hand.html

You must be new to the martial arts to think that these tricks are real. It's ok. I used to think they're real too from watching movies and even documentaries. Just like how people who've never really fought before, thinks that being a Marine or Navy Seal, etc. automatically makes someone great at hand to hand fighting. It's only after I started fighting in the ring and trying to knock people out during sparring was when I realized what's BS and what's not (most of the time anyway).

[gunbeatskroty]

when it comes to reality and seriousness, it's just a matter of training, not sitting aside and wondering.

It's just BS, otherwise, go collect your $1,000,000 from the Amazing Randi:
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

I mean, you can use $1,000,000 can you? Otherwise, making claims about supernatural activities over the internet w/o being able to demonstrate it is just BS.

[Alex Córdoba]

It's just BS, otherwise, go collect your $1,000,000 from the Amazing Randi:
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

I mean, you can use $1,000,000 can you? Otherwise, making claims about supernatural activities over the internet w/o being able to demonstrate it is just BS.

Are you able to demonstrate this?:

Someone told me that after the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the '60s, the Commies shut down the Shaolin Temple and all the Monks either fled or were incarcerated or worse, killed off. As the Temple decays after many years, Martial Artists worldwide started donating money to sustain its upkeep.

Then once China became capitalistic, they reopened the Temple and turned it into a Chinese Disneyland with a Shaolin Temple theme. And it's now populated with the Chinese Wushu Team, dressed up as Shaolin Monks, doing parlor tricks to earn tourism dollars and teaching classes to anyone with a checkbook.

[rett]

It's just BS, otherwise, go collect your $1,000,000 from the Amazing Randi:
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

I mean, you can use $1,000,000 can you? Otherwise, making claims about supernatural activities over the internet w/o being able to demonstrate it is just BS.

The examples he was describing don't sound supernatural, but rather like scientific measurements of physiological changes, such as subtle subcutaneous electric currents. That wouldn't be a candidate for Randi's prize any more than showing him an electric eel would be.

[Miqi]

Man, those are mostly BS. I've seen them. They're on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-5S5mvayCw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy6hShfTz0Q

National Geographic, Discovery Channel, etc...just a bunch of *****s by different names. There are good and legit programs there, but there are plenty of stupid, fake crap too. They contract out and/or buy these documentary films and stick their channel label on it. They're not experts on everything, so plenty of BS gets through w/o much research done to verify. They don't know squat about fighting.

The Amazing Randi has a standing $1,000,000 challenge for anyone, anywhere to prove such BS exists. He'd even go to China. No one has taken his money yet for over 20 years. He's a master magician & illusionist. BS artists can't fool him. Fooling people is his life.

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

Think some poor Qi Gong whatever slobs in China can't use US$1,000,000 EACH? Ever since the Chinese govt' reopened The Shaolin Temple like a Chinese Disneyland, that place has been whoring for tourism dollars selling trinkets, fake monks putting on shows and Shaolin Kung-Fu lessons to fatboys all over the world for nearly 10 years now. China also exports a bunch of Wu-Shu players dressed up as Shaolin Monks, worldwide, to spread Kung-Fu + Buhdism because it's big money, despite Marxists are against religions.

Here's a skinny little kid who looks like he can't even do 10 pushups, bending spears with his throat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1XD1WIMRAo

Geeky White guy in his 20's or so in silk pajamas bending a metal rod with his throat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFofaRp2SlY

Two Bollywood Indian guys bending a metal bar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35Ig3eiVrp8

A bunch of chubby Whiteboys bending spears at a restaurant, haha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz94wiwx2hI

Indian chick showing a bunch of Dell Tech Support looking geeks how to bend metal rods with their throat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWFn5yK_z8s

http://www.ehow.com/how_8130741_break-bricks-hand.html

You must be new to the martial arts to think that these tricks are real. It's ok. I used to think they're real too from watching movies and even documentaries. Just like how people who've never really fought before, thinks that being a Marine or Navy Seal, etc. automatically makes someone great at hand to hand fighting. It's only after I started fighting in the ring and trying to knock people out during sparring was when I realized what's BS and what's not (most of the time anyway).

I'm very sorry to report that:

I had a chance to inspect the wooden sticks that the Shaolin monks break on their bodies, and the iron "bars" that they break over their heads. The sticks were like balsa wood - they looked quite thick, but weighed nothing and felt like they could be crushed in your hand. Someone with no training could easily withstand one of these being broken on their body, without any ill effects.

The iron bars were flat, very thin and brittle pieces of pig iron that a boy could have snapped with their bare hands - or easily just break on their head with a little tap, without causing any injury.

Perhaps some monks don't uses this kind of thing. I hope not. But - some do I'm afraid. Be wary of tricks - magicians can make amazing things seem possible.

[gunbeatskroty]

Are you able to demonstrate this?:

Demonstrate what?

[gunbeatskroty]

The examples he was describing don't sound supernatural, but rather like scientific measurements of physiological changes, such as subtle subcutaneous electric currents. That wouldn't be a candidate for Randi's prize any more than showing him an electric eel would be.

So like moon-walking on a shaggy carpet with wool socks on and hooking a small LED light to my butt to light it up, kind of scientific measurement?

[gunbeatskroty]

I'm very sorry to report that:

I had a chance to inspect the wooden sticks that the Shaolin monks break on their bodies, and the iron "bars" that they break over their heads. The sticks were like balsa wood - they looked quite thick, but weighed nothing and felt like they could be crushed in your hand.

I'm surprise they let you inspect them. They're a bunch of phonies, I agree.

[Miqi]

I'm surprise they let you inspect them. They're a bunch of phonies, I agree.

I just happened to be in the right place as the stage show was being dismantled, due to a contact I know, so I managed to take a look at their props and handle them. Let me re-phrase that... lol... Anyway, I was pretty disappointed. Hopefully they weren't real monks, but just, as you say, people who shave their heads and pretend.

[Miqi]

this is not the matter of being fake or real monk. even the real monks, like, let me name, Deyang, Degen, and many others have inherited an incomplete kong fu. they are not true warriors by no means. of course there are strong experts all over China, but they could be found very rarely for sure. if one wants to become a true kong fu warrior, i think, they must pursue the way themselves, the way is open.

I'm ok just being me. Thanks all the same.

[gunbeatskroty]

just because western scientists are only familiar with nervous cords and blood vessels, haven't made them dismiss Chinese qigong acupuncture map of body, which is totally different from blood or nervous maps! end of the story.

Acupuncture have been accepted and practiced widely in the US for over 30 years now. Acupuncturists just needs to have their patients go through a physical exam with a licensed US Medical Doctor first.