Our Kung Fu training was obtained from the Shaolin Temples, and was developed to work the mind and the body, in turn creating a better and well-rounded martial artist. Shaolin Kung Fu is the original blend of the “hard” and “soft” martial arts, developing internal strength and external strength simultaneously. The focus is to generate power through natural body mechanics with linear and circular movements, unlike other martial arts that rely on body rigidity.

From White Belt to 1st Degree Black Belt students will learn over 21 long forms consisting of 7 different open hand fighting systems and 6 different weapons, 30 short forms that develop power and coordination, and over 50 different street fighting techniques that include knife defense, grappling and ground defense. This makes for a well rounded martial artist. Each student will learn how to defend themselves at long and short range, from the ground, with weapons and against multiple attackers.

Art of Survival – Not of Sport

The Caldwell Shaolin Center stays true to its temple roots as an art of survival, not of sport. If one is to determine how lethal their training is, one should look at the techniques being practiced. Our techniques consist of neck, knee, and elbow breaks. They utilize strikes to vital areas (pressure points) and teach multiple attacker strategies. In order to survive a multiple attacker situation, every blow must be capable of completely disabling a person. That ability comes from conditioning and strength training developed within Shaolin. This training consists of iron bone training (palm, shin, forearm, etc.), building great strength (internal and external), and a complete knowledge of the human anatomical weak points (pressure point striking). Compared to many of the competition and sport oriented martial arts so popular today, this type of training is considered too lethal for tournament fighting.