0:00 - [Jesse] Why is this kung fu style practiced by the special forces? That man has the answer. His name is Jiang Yu Shan, and he's the grandmaster of monkey kung fu. Today, he's gonna show me why this might be the most underrated- - I will kick your face. - And deadliest style of kung fu. So what makes the monkey style so effective? - It is developed in the Shaolin temple, but because of the Buddhist doctrines, these dangerous techniques are not allowed to practice in the Shaolin monastery. So the monkey style is an external style where the killing, and I would say, the violent things are taught. The secret style of Shaolin.
0:46 - So the monkey fighters are like the special forces of the Shaolin temple? - The executioners for the emperor. - Well, I'm very excited to learn some of these techniques. Do you mind showing them to me? - We need to go inside. First, your body weapons needs to be prepared. - So this is an ointment you use for the conditioning? - That your skin doesn't break. That is iron grains inside. That is the chop. I let it only fall down. (blows thump) Then you have another skill, which is very important, because if you hit something and there is an impact, the energy travels here through, then here through, the next point is the elbow. It goes like a domino. And then they have the stiff neck. And when it reaches the neck,
1:32 it will also reaches the spine. - So you should condition all the joints, basically. - No, actually, you only need to condition one and two, and it's enough. Here always needs to be loose, because you want to be very fast and quick. Here also, you need to have that ability to move very loose so you can have a good breath. - Okay, so I- - Relax. (Jesse exclaims in pain) - This is rock solid! It looks so soft! - Okay, release. Look at this. - Okay. - Concentrate yourself. - Yes. - Sit, stand in the kiba-dachi. - Okay. - And now let the elbow fall down. Look at me. - Yeah. (target clangs as blows fall) - Or even you can do this. - Like a hammer fist. (groans)
2:19 If you don't hit it just right, it really hurts. - So this one, look at this one. (blows clang rhythmically) - I can tell that my skin is not really used to this. - The skin is only one part we need to train. We call that we train "jin gu pi". Jin is the tendon. Gu is the bone. And pi is the skin. We train from the inside to the out, and from the outside to the in. So it will meet each other, and it become very solid and firm. - Yes. - Not like this swollen, watery hands, where you poke in and you have (blows raspberry). Now come, we switch places- - Oh no.
3:04 - And you now do this. Okay. Okay. Yeah, that is- - It's real, it's real. - It's granite. (blows thump rhythmically) Okay. I feel a little bit bored. I do this. - Wait, what? This is metal, right? - Yeah, that is okay. Come. (metal knocks) So look. (blows thump rhythmically) (Jesse laughs giddily) - This is surreal. - And look at this. (blows thump rhythmically) (Jesse winces in pain) (blows thump rhythmically) - Yeah. - Okay? And that you can also. (blows thump rhythmically) - Yeah, no thanks. (Jesse laughs) I'm not ready for this yet. Wow, yeah. - Okay? As a beginner, you shouldn't play like we play.
3:51 - No, I understand. - It has his method. Where you practice step by step. You can see that in your hand. Okay? - [Jesse] It's so thick. - [Jiang Yu Shan] Yeah, and also the side of the fist, like that thickness. - [Jesse] Yeah. - So that is the trademark. "Demon's hand and Buddha's heart." - Mm. Yeah. - Yeah? So you have the destructive power. But you need to have also a kind and noble heart, ready to use that kind of power. - So can we look at how to apply this deadly force in some techniques? - No big deal. Let's go! - Okay! - Look, I will show you something. You do, it's okay. Forward actually. You do 'tsuki' - Okay. - Only in the air, yeah? You do- - I punch, like a classical karate punch? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look at this, and look. And look mine. (fist whooshes)
4:37 - Mhmm! - I show you again. You do yours. - Okay. (punch whooshes) (punches whoosh) Oh. Like a whip, almost. Snapping. This sound is very interesting. It's like a- - Vibration! - A vibration, yeah! - Here in that area. - Yeah. (fists whoosh) Wow! I don't know if you can hear that in the microphone, but it's like a- - [Camera Man] Yes, you can hear it clearly. - Wow, yeah. - Yeah? When you attack with the fist. - Ah, okay. (fists whoosh) Mm. So you're blocking and striking at the same time. - Yes. - I see. - That's why that technique. And the monkey fist have another special technique. The Wing Chun have the chain punch. The monkey fist have. (fists whoosh)
5:23 - Oh! - The other thing is, look at this. - Hmm. - That goes here in front. - Yeah. Wow. - Another style, which attacks like that, is the drunken style. - Yes, the drunken fist! Yeah. - Yeah! But if you don't have that hand- - No. - Then it's useless. - If I try to use any of these techniques, I will probably break my hand. But you can almost do anything when you have this level of hand conditioning. - The other thing is, you can attack your opponent in angles he even don't know and realize from where it comes. (Jesse laughs) The conventional angles. - Yeah, yeah. - Like in boxing. - [Jesse] Yeah. - We all know. - [Jesse] Yes. - But even if I'm here, I'm. You do something. - Okay, yeah. Mm. - That is a different angle.
6:08 - Yes. - And up. - Yeah. Right right right. Yeah. Smash me right there. - Or even if I'm here, I'll smash you here, exact on the point. With that monkey hook. - Yeah. - That one. It is only authentic and applicable if you have the body weapon. - Ah, and that's why you started with the conditioning. - And that makes the monkey kung fu style the hardest style in Chinese martial art. The next hardest martial art style what you know is Thai boxing. (Jesse laughs) Because they have that conditioning. - Yeah. - We have that also! Always when you see the monkey, he's pointing one foot up. - Okay. - [Jiang Yu Shan] He is blocking in that direction, or in that direction. - Hmm. - His techniques is also involved in the monkey style
6:54 with the knee. - Oh! - You see that? - Yeah. - And look! - [Jesse] Yeah. - [Jiang Yu Shan] What is that? - Like a Thai boxer! - And look at this. - Oh yes, exactly! - Look at this! Because the gloves. - Yes. - But actually, is- - Wow! - And that shows, because, Thai boxers, they're Hindu. And the Hinduism, they have the Hanuman. - Yes. - And they pray also to Hanuman. And there's even some deadly techniques they practice, and also devote techniques to Hanuman. - And that is the monkey god. - Wow! - That is one thing. - So the connection goes back in history. - The other thing is, you know the wrestling in India. - [Jesse] Yes. - The maharajahs always practiced wrestling,
7:40 then it developed in England, because the English earls and, I would say, lords, they practiced wrestling. Bring that to England, it becomes catch wrestling. They know every lock and every submission. And now you can see. Both Hinduism martial art. One is in India. One is in Thailand, they practice striking. - [Jesse] Right. Yes. Elbows knees yes. Oh, that looks like the Muay Boran. The old Thai boxing. - Muay Boran, or even much older. The (indistinct) style. Which is also called the tree monkey. - [Jesse] Really? - Yes. Okay? - Wow! - And because, they even climb on somebody and give that- - They do! Their climbing techniques, yeah. - And that is a monkey style. - Oh! So that's like a monkey! - It is a monkey! It's a monkey style!
8:26 - Wow! - And then we have another style in India. They do only the wrestling. - Yes. - So you have down and up, separated. One in India, one in Thailand. - Yeah. - When you put these together. - Yeah. - You have the very beautiful monkey boxing style. When we fight, I will first give you something. - Something to grab? - To grab. - Like I wanna grapple you. - Yeah. And then look. I will take that. I will snap first that. - Oh! - And kick your face. Look. I will kick your face. - Okay. - And then, look at me. - [Jesse] Yeah. - I have that. (Jesse groans) Inverted heel hook. I do this. - Okay. And that's the monkey. - Yeah, look at this. - Ah! So we have that in the form.
9:11 - Now you know. (Jesse laughs) And that form. - Yeah. - I can show you again in another angle. Look, we go this way. - Okay, okay. - If I want to attack you suddenly. - Yes. - And dangerously, I will bring you back. - Ooh! - And I will attack you like that. - Oh! Okay yep. And snap the neck. - That is again here. - Same move. - You know that. - Yes, yes, yes! Right. Exactly. - And you know that. Look at this. - Mhmm. - And look at this! Look at me now! No, look at me. Look at me. - Uh-huh. Oh, yeah yeah. Oh! Your fingers? - Sometimes they do this. - Fingers in the eye? - That is the grab, and that is the stab in the eyes. - Yeah. So the same movement has several applications.
9:58 - Yes. Please sit down. - Okay. - Look at this. One. And here it is again. (Jesse exclaims in pain) (Jesse laughs) That is again there. It's that move. - Yes. - And we have a lot of these. Even if I do this. - [Jesse] Okay. - Wrist lock me. - Okay, like this? - Yeah, you can grab. And look what I do. - Oh, you smash my fingers. Okay. - I smash the fingers, and then I apply a technique where I can go back again. - Yeah. Oh yeah. - If I'm here- - Yeah. (chuckles) - Okay? You do. - I smash the fingers. - Yeah. - And then I go here? And I grab this. - Look at this. In the monkey style, we don't use the thumb to grab. - Really? - No. - Okay.
10:44 - That is like in Greco-Roman. We do this. - Ah, right! That's why you do these moves! - If you grab. - Okay. - Now the attack is coming. - Uh-huh. Yeah. Ooh! (clothes shuffle) Ooh! - Look at me! - Yeah. - Here. - Ah-hah. Ooh! Yup yup yup. - So that goes actually to the vital point. Sometimes when I do this movement. - Yeah. - People, they don't understand. And when I do this movement, they don't understand. Even when I do this. - Yeah. - This. People say, "What kind of weird martial art is that?" It's hidden. - [Jesse] Yeah. - Different level. - Yes. - And we have "wu lu hou quan". The wood monkey, the stone monkey, the low monkey,
11:29 the shy monkey, the drunken monkey. That is the five ways of the monkey. - Yeah. - Mostly monkey king oriented. - Okay. - Then you have the "bai yun". - [Jesse] Mhmm. - Where you have much more rolling movements and bigger movements and powerful movements inside. - Ah! - In combination with breathing. And then you have the "jin hou". The golden monkey. - Okay. - Which is only an internal art. That makes the Monkey Fist Door a little bit different than other monkey kung fu schools. - And why is it called the Monkey Fist Door? What is the meaning of the door? - In ancient time, when you enter a school, they have a door. And when you're in that door inside, it is locked behind,
12:16 and nobody know what is going on inside. - I see. - A door is a school which is closed. No other people from the outside have an insight. As soon as you read there is a school with one kind of a door, then you know it is the original school. Didn't change for generations and generations. - Okay. - They preserved something which is a treasure. That is the most important. And I'm very happy to meet you. - Yes! Likewise! - And call you my friend. - Oh, thank you so much! - Yeah? - Yes. - So, in the future, we can have a lot of good tea and exchanging of different skills. - [Jesse] Yeah. - Okay? - How about we have some tea right now? - That is a must. Let's go. - Okay! Thank you! (tea pours)
13:01 - To have a complete martial system or style, you need to emphasize these principles. (speaks Mandarin) I will translate that for you in an easy way. Shou means hand techniques. How to develop your hand, you practice it. Boxing, and fast grab something out of somebody's hand. Their hands, that needs to be not only fast, quick strong. Also, they need to be very sensitive. You'll see my hand. Touch it. Very soft. - Hmm. Yeah, I can see it also. And I can feel it. - Yeah? And also very straight. The only thing what I cannot do, and I cannot grab the small pinky, because the meat here is, you see that? - [Jesse] Yeah. - There is a gap, no? Because the meat here and the meat here
13:48 is a little bit thick. - [Jesse] Yeah. - Here I can do it. - [Jesse] Oh, okay. - Yeah? So that is my small hand, that grabbing one, and that is my smashing one. - Ah. So they have different purposes. - They have different skill. That is a different skill. - [Jesse] Okay. - And that is a different skill. Okay? And even the training method is a little bit, they differ a little bit. - Yeah. - So that is shou. - Okay. - Yan is the second word, what we need to have, and these are the eyes. The eyes are the first one observe the opponent. - Yes. - The eyes must be quick and clear. Because the eyes are, is connected to our brain and to our mind to give information. - [Jesse] Yeah. - You immediately can decide. Enemy. Friend. Only by the appearance,
14:34 the first appearance what you observe. - Before you even cross hands. - No, there is even no cross hands. You see somebody, he got here a little bit thick, and here a little bit like leather, and a little bit cauliflower, you know immediately, "Oh, he's a grand fighter". And you see here a little bit forward, that means, "Mm, he also do some boxing, because he eat a lot of jabs." - Oh yeah. - So you know, you can see that very clearly. The other thing is the nose, huh? That is very clear, huh? And this, our eyes can observe what kind of fighter he is. Then the next, is his shoulder a little bit forward? - [Jesse] Yes. - Then you know, "Oh, you got fast hands." - Mm. Yeah. - Then you know, his shoulder is a little bit fast. And then how he walks. Can he kick quick? This is the first thing what you do.
15:20 You scan in front of you. - [Jesse] Yeah. - And when you see he's very strong in every aspect, you make him as a friend. (Jesse laughs) That is important. - That's the art of war. - That is, you don't want that enemy. You want these kind of guys always next to you and go to the war. - Yes. Together. - Yeah? You're like, "Come, we are going together." That is very clear. And also the eyes, they make decisions. When you accidentally go into a fight, you know what I'm saying? You can see the opportunities quicker. - [Jesse] Yes. - The eyes can also redirect the attention of your, you look down and hit up. - [Jesse] Yes. - Yeah? And you can see immediately, with the eyes, how his breath is. Open mouth. Or very calm and slow nose-breather. Or nose in, mouth out.
16:07 You can already analyze what kind of energy he is developing. When he's breathing in and, nose in, and mouth out, you know immediately, he is in the wind road. The wind road is a method, what always people are practicing when they do fast movements. They can't breathe in the dantian. And make another road, which is the fire road. - [Jesse] Ah-hah. - The fire road goes from the nose in, and goes downward to the dantian, or the psychic center. - [Jesse] Okay. - And moves upward on the opposite direction than the wind road. And at the highest point, on shen ting, you breathe out. Fast movements implies wind road.
16:55 Like jogging. - Ah, okay. - When you jog, you can't breathe in your dantian. It goes, shoots immediately, it shoots immediately to the head, and goes back. That's why you can move fast. Anaerobic movements, you can do, boxing sparring all these kind of things. Wind already says, "It's quick." - [Jesse] Yes. - Okay? The fire is developing for your energy, and you only can do that when you do the slow katas. - Mm. Yes. - Like the Qi Gong katas. And emphasize the expanding and contracting on your hara- - [Jesse] Yes. - Or we call that, you do that with Kime breathing. In Japanese terms, nah? Actually, we only develop our psychic center and accumulate energy.
17:42 Then you use the fire road. (speaks Mandarin) Shen is the third attribute. Shen means "shenti". Body. To develop your body, you need to be very flexible, that your internal organs are also function very well. Every movement will also massage your internal organs. And when your internal organs are massaged internally, not externally from somebody, you're healthy. You need to be flexible that you don't injure your spine. And other joints, like your hips, your knees, and the ankle, and the shoulders, the elbow, and the hand. That means shen. And the body should always be soft. Like a dragon's body. Because to have that kind of soft body,
18:28 you can accumulate and circulate your energy. Okay? So, (speaks Mandarin). And "fa" means method. What kind of style are you doing? Are you doing karate style? - [Jesse] Right. - Are you doing Five Ancestor style? White Crane style? Praying Mantis? Whatsoever. Because this method will help you to get what you actually want, you goal. - I see. Yes. - To become- - The path. - The fifth one is the "bu". Bu is the "bu fa". The footwork. When you see, for example, a very strong fighter, I give an example from Mike Tyson. His lower trunk and his ability to move as quick and change angles was amazing. - [Jesse] Yeah.
19:14 - Even for his size. So a fighter with a very stable trunk is very difficult to move. And when he's also quick in his feet, he's very difficult to catch. - Yeah. - And all the power which are generated in your fist have actually the root on the foot. We say, we're borrowing the power from the ground. These are the five recommendations what we need to consider. And when we see a western boxer. - [Jesse] Yeah. - He got the hands. - [Jesse] Right. - He got the eyes, he know when to hit and, he got the body. Very well-developed, no? Good muscles everywhere, nuh? Then he got the method. Different kind of combination. And he got a good footwork.
20:00 Next chapter are the five internal principles. (speaks Mandarin) Jin means the essence. What kind of person you are, what kind of body structure you inherit from your parents that is manifested in the essence. Are you short? Are you tall? Are you athletic, more? Or very skinny and tiny? And that will define what person you actually are. What you are built of. This is the jin. The other five before that, with the eyes and, that you can build. - [Jesse] Yes. - Even a person who is not, I wanna say, a talent, talent can be built, too. But the jin,
20:47 that is inherited from generations and generations, from your family scroll to you. - [Jesse] Yeah. - Okay? And that is, you can't build it the same. Shen is the spirit. The spirit in marital art is there, already there, but how to awaken that kind of spirit? Our martial way will help us to emphasize the internal spirit which exist to let it bloom out of yourself. You will learn the discipline and all the codex. This is what you do and this is what is not allowed to do. What we have in the Buddha way, or the Bushido way, the art of the warriors, you know? The warrior spirit.
21:33 That our ability is only for the good. Where you go and what kind of area. You go into a restaurant? Actually, you can see, you position yourself in a good seat already, because you don't want something is behind. - [Jesse] Right. - And then you have the vision, because where you are, then it's safe for everybody. That is your responsibility as a martial artist. You can say, "Ah, ladies and gentlemen, actually, you are safe, because I am here." (Jesse chuckles) Yeah? And if you see another guy, he's also very strong. Say, "Yeah, you too." Now you're a team! Something happened, you'll work up like a team. Yeah? I said it already. Don't make enemies, or we go together. - Yeah. - Qi is the next one. Now we come to the qi. - Ah, the "ki" in Japanese.
22:20 - The ki. - Yeah. - Yeah? The key. (Jesse chuckles) That is very important, that you do exercises with breathing. You are equipped with a certain amount of qi. Only for your life being. And qi is not only breathing exercise. Qi is everywhere. You need to be very clear that the energy, what we are, or the air, qi means also air, is not only air. There are more agents inside. Even the old Egyptians, they know that kind of knowledge. That air is not only air. And when you do your movement, you can feel, actually, how you can swim in the air. You can, even when you do these kind of,
23:05 you can touch it, actually. You cannot see it, but you can touch it. That is here. Then the next is li. "Li" is physical power. A martial art skill without physical power is very, I would say, not very effective. - [Jesse] No. - Yeah? So you need to build up a certain amount of power to make your martial skill more effective. - [Jesse] Yeah. - A lot of people say, "Oh don't use brute force, use your mind." Like in the Tai Chi world. That is a misconception. That is correct, what they say, but how people read that? That is totally wrong. You can see the old Tai Chi masters.
23:52 Do they look weak? Yang Chengfu, the founder of the Yang family? He had his nickname, "The Invisible One". I don't think if you're in old China and you are a fighter and they give you the nickname "The Invisible", that you're weak. - No. - You must be very strong. Even his nephew, young nephew, (speaks Mandarin) he was over 190 centimeters tall. And his weight was over 130 kilogram heavy. - [Jesse] Wow. - Is the big guy, you know? When you see that Yang style Tai Chi old pictures, I think that kind of, I will say, elephant, whatever he's doing, he can promote every style. Because he's so strong, he looks like a Sumo wrestler.
24:41 And that also shows, my goodness, when it comes to fighting, you don't have muscles, you don't have power, you are weak. - [Jesse] Yeah. - And that is also the misconception of martial art people. You need to know how to wrestle yourself out of different situations. That is very important. - Yes. - Yeah? Not only by touching and say, "In three days, you are dead." That is utopia. The last attribute, what I would also say from these five internal keywords, is the gong. Gong like in gong fu. Gong means also how much wu gong, martial gong, have you invest? Wu, like wu shu. Martial.
25:26 And gong. That means what kind of ability you have. Are you deep-rooted? Are you loose? Can you open and can you close your muscles and tendons and fascias? That is the wu gong, where martial artists are actually categorized. - [Jesse] Uh-huh! - That's why, only when you perform your form, they can read this already. - [Jesse] Mm. - How strong your wu gong is. And they analyze again like they're scanning your body weapons. - [Jesse] Yeah. - Your body structure, your power. Your spirit. What all is inside. Gong also means how much effort you put in your training.
26:12 Are you training every day? Or one or two times per day? - Or one or two times a week, like most people. - Ah, if you train like that, you will gain nothing, and you are a slow learner. It's not because you can't grab it, it's because you're too lazy! (Jesse chuckles) I consider myself as a slow learner. Even I practice every day. And I also am very lucky that I have the chance to learn different styles in my life, and different information came to me through elder masters. You are a master. - Oh, no no. - Okay. That is very, of course you are! You have the opportunity to travel around, to research, to investigate,
26:59 to look and develop your own karate style. What I'm already very very curious about in the future. Because I see your development, (indistinct) but I see already. - [Jesse] Thank you very much. - Yeah. But a lot of people, they don't like you and still follow you. - Yeah, exactly. - Yeah? That is also what I see in the internet world, in the social media, and especially the enemies, they always follow you because they are the one looking for some weak points. - [Jesse] Yeah. - No. Don't care about them, no? - [Jesse] No. - Only be sure. Don't care and talk about how a man should be. Be first one.
27:44 That is nothing more to say. Okay? I'm done.
