Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan (; literally "Shaolin North and South Boxing") - also Nam Pai Chuan () for short - is a style of

Chinese martial art Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

s. It is a relatively modern style,

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

established in 1978 that has mainly proliferated in the UK and from there, to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Japan, Australia and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

History and development

This style was brought to Malaysia by Cho-Si (ancestral master) Seh Koh San, who became abbot of the Siong Lim Temple in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, and died in 1960 at the age of 74. When Seh Koh San was young he learned

Wuzuquan Five Ancestor Boxing (''Wuzuquan'' or ''Ngo-cho Kun'') is a Southern Chinese martial art that consists of principles and techniques from five styles: * the breathing methods and iron body of Bodhidharma (達尊拳) * the posture and dynamic ...

from Cho Pew; and southern

Shaolin Kung Fu Shaolin Kung Fu (), also called Shaolin Wushu (), or Shaolin quan (), is one of the oldest, largest, and most famous styles of wushu, or kung fu of Chan Buddhism. It combines Ch'an philosophy and martial arts and originated and was developed ...

(which has been referred to as

Fut Gar Fut Ga Kuen or Buddhist Family Fist is a relatively modern Southern Shaolin style of Kung Fu devised primarily from the combination of Hung Ga Kuen 洪家 and Choy Gar 蔡家 Kuen. The style utilizes mostly punches, palm strikes and low kicks, ...

, Luohanquan,

Nanquan Nanquan may refer to: * Nanquan (martial art), a family of martial arts from Southern China * Nanquan Puyuan (c. 749–c. 835), Chán (Zen) Buddhist master in China during the Tang Dynasty * Nanquan Temple, a Buddhist temple in Xiangyin County, Hu ...

, Ng Ying Kungfu). from chief abbot Wei Jing. One of his students was Quek Hen Choon, who is famous for his demonstrations of Ying

Qigong ''Qigong'' (), ''qi gong'', ''chi kung'', ''chi 'ung'', or ''chi gung'' () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in ...

. The style was brought to international attention by Christopher Lai Khee Choong - often identified as "Sifu Lai". Prior to Lai's travels to Europe, he studied Shaolin Kung Fu under Quek Heng Choon from 1967 onwards. At that time, Lai also practiced

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

under Leow Cheng Koon, who was the head of the Malaysian Taekwondo Federation. Later, Lai would serve as Secretary General of Malaysian Taekwondo Association (WT) from 1974 until him leaving the country in 1979. Lai had emigrated to United Kingdom around 1977 and opening his martial arts school in 1979 at London. Under permission by Sifu Quek, Lai used the name "Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan" for his martial arts system, that combined Lai's expertise in Northern and Southern

, Taekwondo and other styles - such as

Judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

and Wado-Ryu Karate. The style has since expanded to include many centres on the UK and other countries.

Features

According to author Chris Crudelli, the Nam Pai Chuan is a very broad style that includes kicking, punching,

chin na Qinna () is the set of joint lock techniques used in the Chinese martial arts to control or lock an opponent's joints or muscles/tendons so they cannot move, thus neutralizing the opponent's fighting ability. ''Qinna Shu'' ( meaning "technique") ...

locking, take-downs, throwing, pressure points (

dim mak The touch of death (or death-point striking) refers to any martial arts technique reputed to kill using seemingly less than lethal force targeted at specific areas of the body. The concept known as ''dim mak'' (), alternatively ' () traces its ...

), weapons and many other techniques, as well as Chi Gung (breathing energy exercises). It also combines elements of

Wadō-ryū is one of the four major karate styles and was founded by Hironori Ōtsuka (1892–1982). The style itself places emphasis on not only striking, but ''tai sabaki'', joint locks and throws. It has its origins within Tomari-te karate, but was al ...

and

Notes

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Nam Pai Chuan Headquarters UK
Chinese martial arts