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basic exercises (warm up, endurance, stretching, and balance training), from the very beginning to the most advanced level achieved by high monks of Shaolin temple
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1
Shaolin kung fu training
from beginning to the highest level of Shaolin temple monks
Shaolin (少林) kung fu (功夫)/wushu (武术) contents are:
1. basic skills (基本功: ji ben kung): stamina and flexibility&balance (童子功: tong zi kung);1
2. power skills (气功: qi kung):
a. internal (内: nei) and external (外: wai) Qi kung meditation for energy control;2
b. the 72 secret skills (七十二功: qi shi er kung), the legendary exercises of Shaolin monks;3
3. combat (散打: san da) skills: barehanded, weapon, and barehanded vs weapon styles (套路: tao lu).1
Shaolin kung fu training schedule depends on the lineage, master, the trainee, and has varied from
era to era. the typical schedule recorded in Shaolin temple texts is: monks train every day and every
year, except for one or a couple of days a week to rest and do the chores. they get up before sunrise. then
do Qi kung meditation for a half hour. they also do external Qi kung later every day. Qi kung is better
done at sunrises, early afternoons, or before sleep. after morning Qi kung, they usually do basic training,
before breakfast, by a quarter to a half hour of warm-up and a half hour on Tong Zi kung. routines and
their combat methods are usually trained in afternoons or other sessions for an hour or so. every monk
also practices a few ones of the 72 skills, at any time, day or night; practicing each skill takes a few
minutes but some of them take up to a half hour every day. in general, Shaolin kung fu exercises can be
done at any time, all in one session or different sessions. also, Shaolin temple believes that “kung fu is
trained wherever a bull lies down,” they mean Shaolin kung fu can be trained at any place. they also
believe that after 100 days of training skills emerge, and after 3 years initial mastery is attained, but
complete mastery takes decades.
1 Shaolin kung fu (instructionals) (at YouTube.com): hundreds of full video tutorials by Shaolin temple inheritors.
2 books: Yang Jwing-Ming’s “Qigong for Health and Martial Arts,” “Qigong Meditation: Embryonic Breathing,” “Qigong Meditation: Small Circulation,” and his other Qi kung books.
3 books: “Training Methods of 72 Arts of Shaolin” and “72 Consummate Arts Secrets of the Shaolin Temple.”
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1. Shaolin ji ben kung (basic training)4
a. Warm-up makes stretching and other exercises much easier and more efficient, and prevents
injuries to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Shaolin monks loosen up the 9 main joints and the relevant
minor joints, like finger joints, before stretching and in beginning of any training session. pictures show
the typical loosen-up method for every joint. repeat each one several times, for example, 9 times to the
clockwise and 9 times to the counterclockwise direction:
arms:
legs:
trunk:
at the end, loosen up whole body and shake all extremities.
4 Shaolin monks basic training tutorials (at YouTube.com).
rotate knees around rotate hips around rotate ankles around
rotate upper body around the
waist
rotate head around the neck
twist shoulders around the back
rotate arms around the
shoulders rotate hands around the
wrists
rotate forearms around the elbows
3
b. Endurance exercises develop stamina and sometimes are considered a part of warm-up. repeat
each exercise for a while. begin endurance training lightly at the first minutes, then make it as quick as
possible gradually. there are various endurance exercises; do a few exercises every day:
run: jog; run and twist upper body from side to side; sprint forward; sprint backward; …
run sideways; switch direction: legs get close to and far from each other alternatively like a scissor;
legs cross each other; legs cross each other with feet alternate to front and rear; …
raise knees high alternatively: run and raise knees; raise knee and punch with opposite hand; …
jump: jump high; run and jump high; jump and raise both knees high; …
roll: forward; backward;
pushup: lie prone with hands on ground near the shoulders with straight body to push up by
straightening the arms;
squat: walk forward; leap forward; leap to sides; …
walk and slap kicks alternatively: slap feet soles in behind near the hips with opposite palm; slap
outside of feet in behind near the hips; slap feet soles in front of chest with opposite palm; slap insteps
in front of chest; …
flying kicks
… and many other exercises.
c. Tong Zi Kung literally means ‘childish skills’ and is the set of flexibility and balance skills. Tong
Zi kung is recommended to be trained since childhood, however, it can be mastered at any age, young or
old. if one masters Tong Zi kung, being as soft as cotton and as light as a swallow, they will feel like being
given a second childhood. various variants of Tong Zi kung postures have emerged in the course of the
centuries. however, the sayings go that “Tong Zi kung has 18 postures.” in this section, 18 (start & 8
flexibility & 8 balance & end) main postures and their most usual variants are shown. Shaolin flexibility
postures are mastered via stretching exercises. a complete set of Shaolin stretching exercises is described
below. Shaolin balance postures need calmness and perseverance. to learn some of them one is better
to use supports at the beginning levels, like the help of their hands, lean to a wall, etc. in Tong Zi kung
balance training, assume a few of these postures for a while, like for 36, 72, 108, or more breaths every
day.
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Stretching exercises begin lightly with holding the position, then a few, like 3~5, light stretching pulses
to wake up the muscles, then hold the position and stretch continuously in position for 9 deep lower-
abdominal breaths or so; then relax for some seconds to begin the next exercise. this way, each exercise
takes 1 minute or so. do all the exercises every training day until achieving the mastering level, at which
you can assume the Tong Zi kung flexibility postures with ease. this may take 3 years of training. in that
level of skill, you can abandon ordinary stretching exercises and, instead, do Shaolin Tong Zi kung in
meditative (video at YouTube.com) or combative (video at YouTube.com) routines.
this is a complete set of typical exercises:
for posture 1: both hands fixed on wall in behind, squat down to stretch.
for posture 2: feet apart, arc backward, try to land both palms on the floor at behind.
for posture 3: feet apart, lean forward, try to pass your head and shoulders through your legs.
for posture 4: stand, turn both toes inward as far as possible, bend down.
for posture 5: stand, turn both toes outward as far as possible, sit down.
for posture 6: sit down or stand up, try to hook your feet behind your neck, do with both legs.
for posture 7: one leg squats, other leg straight in front on heel with toes upward, hands clasp and drag
toes of the straight leg to you, bend forward and press your head to the leg; switch legs. at advanced
level, you can assume front ‘clasping Buddha’s foot’ as a prerequisite for ‘posture 7.’
try ‘front split,’ legs straight; switch legs. at advanced level, you can assume ‘posture 7’ itself.
for posture 8: one leg squats, other leg straight to side on heel with toes upward, hands clasp and drag
toes of the straight leg to you, bend sideward and press your ear to the leg; switch legs. at advanced
level, you can assume side ‘clasping Buddha’s foot’ as a prerequisite for ‘posture 8.’
try ‘side split,’ legs straight. at advanced level, you can assume ‘posture 8’ itself.
basic stretching kicks: ‘forward kick,’ ‘sideward kick,’ ‘inward crescent kick,’ ‘outward crescent kick.’
begin all with feet near together, palms to sides, both legs straight while kicking, kick at the head level,
take a half step with each kick, then kick with the other leg, repeat each kick 9 times or so with each
leg.
forward sideward inward outward
5
Shaolin Tong Zi kung (flexibility & balance) postures:5
Starting posture: 起势: qi shi, Salute!
Flexibility postures (to be as soft as cotton):
5 Shaolin monks’ Tong Zi kung tutorials (at YouTube.com).
1 lazy monk praises Buddha 懒僧拜佛: lan seng bai fo
1, advanced single-arm variant Buddhist child shows the way 佛童指路: fo tong zhi lu
4 sun and moon 日月: ri yue
2, advanced variant on-chest hide flower under the leaf 叶底藏花: ye di cang hua
2, advanced variant on-knees
2, on-head variant 2
arc backward 下腰: xia yao
5 golden tortoise 金龟: jin gui
5, single-leg variant cross the river on a reed stem 一苇渡江: yi wei du jiang
3 head through the legs
3, simpler variant golden rooster pecks at rice 金鸡食米: jin ji shi mi
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advanced combination of split and 2 green dragon clasps its tail 青龙抱尾: qing long bao wei
7 front skyward step
朝天蹬: chao tian deng
7, prerequisite variant front clasp Buddha’s foot 抱佛腳: bao fo jiao
single/double leg
7, prerequisite variant front split
竖叉: shu cha
7, lying variant front split and
clasp Buddha’s foot 跌叉抱佛脚:
die cha bao fo jiao
8, lying variant side split and
clasp Buddha’s foot 跌叉抱佛脚:
die cha bao fo jiao
8 side skyward step
朝天蹬: chao tian deng
8, prerequisite variant side clasp Buddha’s foot 抱佛腳: bao fo jiao
8, prerequisite variant side split
橫叉: heng cha
6 golden rooster stands on one leg
金鸡独立: jin ji du li
6, lying variant
6, prerequisite variant green dragon coils in the nest 青龙盘窝: qing long pan wo
single/double leg
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Balance postures (to be as light as a swallow):
12, lying variant sleeping arhat
罗汉睡觉: luohan shui jiao
12, sitting variant sleeping fish carries Buddha 卧鱼载佛: wo yu zai fo
aka naughty child praises Buddha 顽童拜佛: wan tong bai fo
10 swallow-posture balance
燕式平衡: yan shi ping heng
aka dragon explores out of the sea 蛟龙探海: jiao long tan hai
9 child praises
Bodhisattva Guan Yin 童子拜观音: tong zi
bai guan yin
combination of 6 and 13 twin dragons play with a pearl 双龙戏珠: xuang long xi zhu
13 meeting a Buddhist ascending to heaven
迎佛升天: ying fo sheng tian
13, another variant meditation in midair
悬空打坐: xuan kong da zuo
11* child/arhat praises Buddha
童子/罗汉拜佛:
tong zi/luohan bai fo
11, simpler variant
*11, double-leg, simpler variant is on horse stance (马步: ma bu),
which is also practiced to improve balance.
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Ending posture: 收势: shou shi
Amituofo! _/\_
16 upside down monument 倒载碑: dao zai bei
16, prerequisite variant upside down monument 倒载碑: dao zai bei
15 upside down balance on hands
15, advanced variants* upside down two-finger meditation 倒立二指禅: dao li er zhi chan
*15, prerequisite variant arhat watching troops formation 罗汉观阵: luohan guan zhen
14, prerequisite variant single-arm support
单臂扶撑: dan bi fu cheng
14 double-arm support
双臂扶撑: shuang bi fu cheng
aka kneeling elbows hang body 跪肘悬身: gui zhu xuan shen
combination of 13 and 14
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2. Shaolin Qi kung (powers training)
a. Shaolin Qi kung meditation
Qi kung meditation is based on deep lower-abdominal (丹田: dan tian) breathing
Nei (internal) qi kung
Wai (external) qi kung
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b. Shaolin kung fu 72 consummate skills
the 72 skills of Shaolin temple have close relation with Qi kung. every monk selects a few skills and
practices them.
1、 六字桩功
2、 头面耳鼻目口功
3、 舌齿身功
4、 内外功夫秘诀
Elementary exercises:
1. hung gold coin (悬金钱: xuan jin qian):
2. hung Buddha's pearl (挂佛珠: gua fo zhu):
3. 1000 sheets of paper (千层纸: qian ceng zhi):
4. RuYi circle (如意圈: ru yi quan):
5. hung cotton ball (悬棉椎: xuan mian chui):
6. strike wooden dummy (打木人: da mu ren):
7. kick wooden pole (踢木桩: ti mu zhuang):
8. kick hung weights (踢称锤: ti chen chui):
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72 skills/arts/methods/techniques kung/yi/fa/shu艺/功/法/术:
36 external 36 internal
1.
2. swim (泅水: qiu shui) aka going into waves (浪里钻: lang li zuan): in
3.
4. spears and knives cannot wound (枪刀不入 : qiang dao bu ru): soft but has outer power: Yin&Yang:
soft
5. dodge and fight (闪战 : shan zhan) aka sand bags (沙包 : sha bao): ext . it develops maneuvering
agility. hang sand bags of smaller than 3 kg, or other objects like metal coins, small stones, knives,
etc., with strong but flexible string at the height of the shoulders. in case of hanging knives, the
exercise is called (金刀换掌 ; jin dao huan zhang). smaller objects are harder to hit and control. stand
in the center of the structure. first, hang 1 bag and strike at it so that it swings out and when it
returns back strike at it again with greater force. deliver 100 blows or more a day without pause.
after mastering it with 1 bag, proceed with 2 bags, with simultaneous or successive blows. then
proceed with 4 bags at front, rear, left and right sides. begin with orderly successive blows, then
proceed to random blows with different parts of your body. gradually proceed to fight with 10~14
bags, at full motion, while you walk, run, jump, fall, dodge, etc.
6. meteor poles (流星桩 : liu xing zhuang): & 1000 sheets of paper (千层纸 : qian ceng zhi) aka standing
like a pile and beating a pile (zhan zhuang da zhuang): ext
7. serial hits (排打 : pai da): ext. It strengthens all parts of body against enemy blows. The trainee takes
a piece of hard wood and delivers successive blows with it at all parts of his body, i.e., the arms, legs
(front and inner sides, outer and back sides), chest and stomach, both sides of the chest and waist,
back and waist. He can also hit all sides of his head. He starts with light blows and makes the blows
heavier gradually. He makes 100 blows or more at each of these parts. He can train himself 2 times
every day, e.g., once in the morning and once in the evening. After a year, instead of a wood, He uses
a brick and trains as before. He will use a piece of iron, e.g., a rod or hammer, after another half a
year. After another half a year, which is 2 years total, he is expected to reach mastership.
8. iron head (铁头: tie tou): ext.
9. enlightened (罗汉: luohan): in
10. tortoise back (龟背: gui bei): ext
11. metal bell cover (金钟罩: jin zhong zhao): ext+in
12. iron robe (铁布衫: tie bu shan): ext
13. iron belly (: tie dai) aka iron ox (铁牛: tie niu): ext
14. cloth bag (布袋: bu dai): in+some ext elements
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15. jade belt (玉带: yu dai) aka continuous round of the universe (qian kun juan), ext+in, The trainee hugs
a tree firmly by both his thighs and ringing his arms round it, and tries to uproot it. After a year he
can shake the tree forcefully. After another year, the tree gradually wilts. At the 3rd year, the force
may uproot or break the tree trunk. The hug the tree (抱树: bao shu) skill is mastered with success.
The trainee may then continue doing the exercise with pillar-like stones of 200-250 kg. Stones are
slippery and it is more difficult to raise them. He trains himself until he can easily raise and lower
the stone. He then will try to hold the stone suspended for as long as possible. After 2 years, he will
try to walk while holding the stone.
16. 500-kilo sluice shutter (千斤闸: qian jin zha): ext
17. raise pot (上罐: shang guan): ext
18. sack of iron (铁袋: tie dai) aka sack of iron beads (铁珠袋; tie zhu dai): ext.
19. stone padlock (石锁: shi suo): ext
20. frog (蛤蟆: ha ma): ext
21. separate water (分水: fen shui): ext
22. lash power (鞭劲: bian jin): ext
23. eagle wings (鹰翼: ying yi): ext
24. Bawang's elbows (霸王肘: ba wang zhou): ext
25. iron arms (铁臂: tie bi): ext
26. twin locks (双锁 : shuang suo): ext. The trainee hits all parts of both his forearms to each other, like
the two arms of a scissor. This is very painful. After a long time, he will feel no pain, and the forearms,
while colliding with each other, make a dull sound. Afterwards, he proceeds by training his hands as
well, his fists, palms, fingers, by hitting them mutually to each other. After a while, when a hollow
sound is heard while doing this exercise, this level of mastership is over. Finally, he will hit his arms
against his raised shins, raising the left and right knee in turn, to keep balance between hard and soft
in his arms.
27. hard and soft (刚柔: gang rou): ext+in
28. horse saddle (马鞍: ma an): ext
29. bullet fists (弹子拳: dan zi quan): ext
30. Yin hands (阴手 : yin shou) aka Yin fists (阴拳 : yin quan) aka mysterious air punch (玄空拳: xuan kong
quan) aka well fist (jing quan); if done by punching to a candle instead of a well chasing the wind
palms (追风掌: zhui feng zhang) aka sun-rays hands (阳光手: yang guang shou): in
31. pushing mountain palms (推山掌: tui shan zhang): ext
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32. bamboo leaf palms (竹叶手 : zhu ye shou) aka copper sand palms (铜砂掌 : tong sha zhang) aka palm
rotating sand (fan sha zhang): ext
33. iron sand hands (铁沙掌 : tie sha zhang) aka black sand hands (hei sha shou): ext. The trainee fills a
canvas bag with one or a few kilograms of iron sand or iron chips, or another hard sand-like material.
He puts this bag on a bench, a short wall, or on a hard ground and delivers successive blows with the
palm and the back of his hands at it. He may also use the lower edge of his hands. The blows should
be light at first and become heavy gradually. After training during 100 days, good results are reached,
but complete mastership takes one or a couple of years. After that, he is expected to be able to break
several bricks or stones with his hands.
34. hands of 5 poisons (五毒手 : wu du shou) aka 5 poisons chase sand palms (五毒追砂掌: wu du zhui sha
zhang) aka palm of 5 thunders aka Yin hands: ext+softness Yin
35. mantis claws (螳螂爪: tang lang zhao) aka diamond hand (jingang shou): ext+in
36. chop-devil swords (斩魔剑 : zhan mo jian) aka Bodhisattva Guan Yin's palm (观音掌 : guan yin zhang):
soft which developed outer power: Yin
37. rubbing palms (合盘掌: he pan zhang) aka golden dragon hands (金龙手: jin long shou): ext
38. whirlwind palms (旋风掌 : xuan feng zhang) aka cinnabar sand palms (朱砂掌 : zhu sha zhang) aka
plum-blossom palms (梅花掌: mei hua zhang) aka red sand palms (紅砂掌: hong sha zhang): in
39. one-finger meditation (一指禅: yi zhi chan): in
40. one diamond finger (一指金刚: yi zhi jin gang): ext
41. poke stone (点石: dian shi): ext
42. metal spades (金铲 : jin chan) aka immortal’s hands (仙人掌 : xian ren zhang): is external but also has
internal aspects. The trainee delivers forceful stabbing blows with his fingertips, with the four fingers
straight and close together, at hard objects, like walls, tables, benches, trees, etc., every day. After a
long time, he is expected to be able to make small dents in wooden objects. If he can make a hole in
a wooden object, the first stage is over. Then he will do the exercise on a stone as before. With time,
after many blows, he is expected to make a deep dent on the stone.
43. locking fingers (锁指: suo zhi): in+ext
44. pull out nails (拔钉 : ba ding): ext. It develops the locking force of the fingers. The trainee knocks a
number of nails with length of about 10 cm into a thick wooden board or a tree. He grabs a nail with
the fingers and tries to pull it out. The grab can be done with 2 fingers, the thumb and the index
finger, or with 3, 4, or all the 5 fingers. If he can pull out the nails, he has reached the first level of
mastership. Then, he pours salt water on the nails to become rusty and then trains himself as before.
At the highest level of mastership, he is expected to be able to pull out the rusty nails.
45. carry 500 kilos (提千斤: ti qian jin) aka water chestnut (shi bo qi, bi qi): ext
46. pull out mountain (拔山: ba shan): hard strengthens internal+develop soft Yin: hard Yang + soft Yin
47. eagle claws force (鹰爪力: ying zhao li) aka dragon claws (long zhao): in&ext
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48. pinch flower (拈花: nian hua): soft exercise for external strengthening: Yin soft
49. metal sand hands (金砂掌: jin sha zhang) aka rub and pierce (摩插: mo cha): ext+in
50. guitar (琵琶: pi pa) aka 3 Yin fingers (san yin zhi) aka springy fingers (zhi tou tan): ext
51. slithering snake (蛇行: she xing) aka jumping centipede (蜈蚣跳: wu gong tiao): ext
52. crouching tiger (卧虎: wo hu) aka sleeper (shui) aka feline (mao): ext
53. knock groins (门裆: men dang) aka golden cicada (jin chan): in
54. draw in Yin (吸阴: xi yin): in
55. stone pole(s) (石柱/桩 : shi zhu zhunag): hard but strengthen internal. The trainee practices the horse-
riding stance (Ma Bu) every day in many repetitions. With time, his legs become stronger and he
does the exercise in less but longer repetitions. After a long time, he can stay in the stance
continuously for one hour. The first goal is reached. Then he will dig two poles of the thickness of
about one third of a foot sole into ground, and will do the exercise on top of them. It is much harder
now, but after 3 months, painful feelings disappear and he may again gradually increase the time of
the exercise. Afterwards, he proceeds with putting a weight of 10-15 kg on both of his thighs. Every
3 months he will add another 5 kg or more until the weight reaches 50 kg, and he can do it
continuously for half an hour on top of the poles. His body is now rooted like a mountain. This takes
5-6 years or more.
56. iron knees (铁膝: tie xi): ext
57. kicking legs (踢腿: ti tui):
58. iron sweeping broom (铁扫帚: tie sao zhu) aka iron leg (tie tui): ext
59. kick wooden pole (踢木桩 : ti mu zhuang) aka pole of cypress (柏木桩 : bai mu zhuang): ext. The trainee
finds a long pole which is rooted and dug into the ground. He kicks and pushes the pole with both
his legs in succession everyday. This is painful, but the pain gradually disappears after a half a year.
After a year, the legs become powerful. Then, instead, he will proceed by kicking a bigger thing, like
a sheer rock or a small wall, weighing 250-350 kg. This is painful again, but pain disappears over
time. If his kick, as expected, can displace the stone to a distance of several feet, the success has been
achieved.
60. shooting feet (足射: zu she): ext
61. light body (轻身: jin shen): in
62. pass on string (一线穿: yi xian chuan): in
63. plum-blossom poles (梅花桩: mei hua zhuang): in
64. flight walking (飞行 : fei xing) aka flight over the earth aka solitary walk of 1000 LIs aka night walking:
in. The trainee ties some small weight to each of his legs and runs as quick as possible on a flat ground
15
for as long as he can. Every few days, he adds about 50 g to the weight until it reaches 2-2.5 kg on
each leg. After a few years his body agility becomes great. He continues on by training on uneven,
rugged grounds instead. If at nights, he can run on a rugged ground with stones, rocks, and cliffs as
easily and fast as on a flat ground, the full success has been achieved. If he walks without the weight
on his body, he will see the lightness and extreme ability of his body to run fast and jump over
obstacles.
65. run on boards (跑板: pao ban):
66. fly to roofs and walk on walls (飞檐走壁 : fei yan zou bi) aka 8 steps in the horizontal position (heng
pai ba bu): in
67. deft jumps (蹿纵: cuan zong): in
68. high jumping (跳跃: tiao yue) aka higher and further (登髙超远: deng gao chao yuan): in
69. pass through the curtain (穿帘: chuan lian): in
70. reveal truth (揭谛: jie di): ex+in
71. flip and soar (翻腾: fan teng) aka leather strips (pi tiao): in
72. lizard climbs wall (壁虎游墙 : bihu you qiang) aka climbing a wall (pa bi) aka hung picture (gua hua):
in: ext softness&in hardness
in case of injuries, bleeding, fractures, etc, wait until after the healing, then continue on.
iron sand hand: each palm 30~50 times, 100 days; 50 times after 100 days.
sand claw: rice, 50~100 times (until claws get numbed), 2~3 months; then with sand; then iron, 30~50 times, 1
year; 50~130 times; then wall, more than 100 times a day, after a long time one can make a hole in the wall.
punch: 0-100 times, 3~5 months; more than 100 times; after the pain vanishes, 3~4 sessions daily, each session 50
times, 3~4 month later can break brick; then with stone, continue 10, 20, or 30 years.
head: both fists punch head, morning and evening 30~50 times, 3 months; 100 times, 1 year; 300 times 1 year;
continue 3~5 years; then hit head with a staff 45 cm long 5 cm thick, grab it with both hands, slow to fast, light to
heavy, morning and evening, 30~50 times, 3 months; 50~100 times 1 year; 100~300 times 3 years; after success
hit head to wall, 10~15 times, light to heavy, slow to fast, 3 months; 50~100 times 6 months; 100~300 times 3
years.
jump: hole 30 cm, 3~5 minutes; morning and evening 15~20 times, until about 1.5 meters.