Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute
S.T.Q.I. Downtown Toronto School


Explore Shaolin Kung Fu

Shaolin Kung Fu
Shaolin Kung Fu [少林功夫 - Shàolín Gōngfū] is the ultimate expression of the human body for physical and mental strength.

Shaolin Kung Fu Class Introduction

Student Testimonial by Koan W.
I like doing the virtual classes during lockdown. I can attend more classes because there's no commute. Also, I'm doing more broadsword than during the regular classes. It's easy to follow Dao's instructions and we get individual attention in break-out rooms. At the beginning it's a little hard to get used to, but once you get used to it it's great! Dao shows you how to do everything in one spot if you don't have enough space. I recommend everyone try it to keep up your training during the winter.

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Shaolin Kung Fu Index

We have many Shaolin classes for adults and children! Explore them on this page to find out which ones are for you! You can click on a link below to jump to it.

Shaolin Kung Fu Classes
Shaolin Kung Fu Foundation Class
Shaolin Kung Fu Taolu Forms Class
Womens Self Defence Class
Shaolin Preschool Kung Fu Class
Shaolin Kung Fu Sanda Fitness Class
Shaolin Kung Fu Sanda Sparring Class
Shaolin Kung Fu Resources
History of Shaolin Kung Fu
Shaolin Kung Fu Blogs and Videos

Shaolin Kung Fu Classes

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Kung Fu Foundation Class

This class is about training traditional Shaolin fundamentals that builds strength, flexibility, coordination, cardiovascular endurance, and power.

We have foundation classes for children as well as adults. Many of these happen at the same time for the convenience of family planning!

A typical class includes warm up drills, stretching, stance training, foundation kicks, self-defence kicks and punches, conditioning exercises.

This class is designed to be challenging regardless of level. Expect to be pushed a beyond your limits each time!

Target Age: Children 5 years and older, Adults

Prequisites: None

Kung Fu Taolu Forms Class

This class is about application. This includes safe sparring exercises, advanced training techniques unique to Shaolin, and taolu forms.

For those unfamiliar with Taolu Forms, these are a set of self-defence techniques and movements put together for convenience of practice and improvement.

You will start off with a foundation form, which will take around 3 months to achieve an intermediate level.

You will then progress to more advanced levels of the form, and learn the secrets of how to use the techniques and movements for self defence.

As you develop your self-defence capability, you will learn even more difficult hand forms as well as weaponry.

Target Age: Children 5 years and older, Adults

Prequisites: Shaolin Kung Fu Foundation

Womens Self Defence Class

This is intended for women who want the comfort of taking a self defence class with other females, and will emphasize strategic, mental and physical training using traditional Shaolin philosophy and methods.

Simple techniques with repetitive training are necessary for immediate and long-term effectiveness!

Each class will include philosophy and mental exercises, warm up and stretching, footwork, striking techniques, escaping techniques (from various grabs and holds), safe sparring drills, wrestling, iron body training, and core strengthening exercises.

Students will also practice a Shaolin form especially designed for this class by Master Dao.

Target Age: Young Teens 16+ years and older, Adults

Prequisites: None

Preschool Kung Fu Class

This class prepares children from 3 to 5 years for advancement into the regular kids kung fu classes.

Our main task is to make preschools comfortable with our environment through positive reinforcement.

Preschoolers are motivated through fun animal kung fu games that help them to train their motormechanics, flexibility, and balance. In this way, they'll also be introduced to meditation, stretching, and stance training.

Parents may sit near their child and offer encouragement and support until the child is comfortable participating on their own.

Target Age: Children 3 to 5 years

Prequisites: None

Sanda Fitness Class

This is a fun class that stresses on cardiovascular endurance and power, utilizing the traditional Shaolin methods.

There is no sparring or gear needed for this class.

Each class includes footwork drills, aerobic style kung fu exercises for power muscles. Includes Sanda exercises unique to Shaolin!

Recommended to adults for fitness or to supplement the Sanda Sparring class.

Expect high calorie burn!

Target Age: Teenagers 13+ years and older, Adults

Prequisites: None (Kung Fu Foundation highly recommended)

Sanda Sparring Class

This class focuses on sparring exercises, strategic thinking, and conditioning.

With continued practice, one's mind will be prepared to handle oneself in a real self-defence situation.

It includes control exercises, iron body training, and practicing combination techniques to develop one's toolset.

Sparring matches are optional and highly recommended for the full experience.

Target Age: Teenagers 13+ years and older, Adults

Prequisites: Kung Fu Foundation or Sanda Fitness, plus Sanda gear

Shaolin Kung Fu Resources

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History of Shaolin Kung Fu

Shaolin Kung Fu is one of the oldest institutionalized forms of martial arts in the world, and has been around since around 500 AD. It was conceived and cultivated at the Shaolin Temple which is in the central north-east region of China today. Its peaceful perspective of self-defence first combined with the spiritual teachings of Zen philosophy is what makes it truly unique.

In the 1300s, the Shaolin Monks helped to keep the peace by training Shaolin Warriors who joined the militia. At the highlight of the Shaolin militia, there were over 2000 Shaolin Warriors. Although not necessarily Shaolin Monks, these warriors were adept at pugilistic self-defense and weaponry.

By the 1500s, a new government took power and disbanded the Shaolin Warriors. It was at this time that likely these Shaolin Warriors took on their own disciples and passed on their teachings, resulting in many forms of Shaolin martial arts today.

The traditional lineage of Shaolin Kung Fu continues through Master Guo Song and his disciple Master Dao in Canada today.

Blogs and Videos

(Go to Index)
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Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2021
The Top 10 Shaolin Taolu Forms The rebuilding of the Shaolin Temple in the early 1980s was a slow process. New Shaolin Monks such as Master Dao's Shifu, Shifu Shi Guosong, had to undergo strict and tough training for many years to rebuild the martial art talent. By 1997, the Shaolin Temple was ready to announce its Shaolin Top 10 Taolu Forms. This was a special project declared by the Abbott to develop instructional videos for each of these Shaolin Top 10 Taolu Forms. The Shaol... [more]
Posted on Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Master Shi Guosong Demonstrates Plum Blossom Fist Meihuaquan Here's an old video of Master Shi Guosong demonstrating the Plum Blossom Fist 梅花拳 (Méihuāquán). It was filmed at the Shaolin Temple in the early 1990s. Plum Blossom Fist is a particularly special form as it is a primary taolu training exercise for the guards at the Shaolin Temple. It requires years of proper traditional training to master, and features strong stances combined with athletic movements to deliver practi... [more]
Posted on Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Master Dao Shi Performs Plum Blossom Broadsword Meihuadao The Plum Blossom Broadsword, or 梅花刀 Méihuādāo, is an exciting taolu form that demonstrates a certain mastery of Shaolin kung fu as it requires many elements of strict foundation jibengong training. It's a fast moving form with fast defense-based strikes. It requires great wrist strength and flexibility as well as athleticism. The broadsword weapon itself is the second key weapon of Shaolin (the staff or cudgel being ... [more]
Posted on Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Master Shi Guosong Demontrates Small Flooding Fist Xiaohongquan Small Flooding Fist, or Xiǎohóngquán 小洪拳, is one of the top 10 Shaolin forms of all time. These form focuses on speed and short strikes to effectively defend oneself from all kinds of attacks. Master Shi Guosong demonstrates a gentle fist version of the form. Slow and relaxed movements generated from soft energetic qi coupled with powerful bursts of energy - it's mesmerizing to watch!... [more]
Posted on Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Master Dao demonstrates Big Flooding Fist Dahongquan Big Flooding Fist, or Dàhóngquán 大洪拳, is one of the top 10 Shaolin forms of all time. It is meant to be a powerful form with damaging short strikes, quick movements, and athletic movements. Master Dao demonstrates the traditional form of Big Flooding Fist at the Chinatown Festival in 2017.... [more]
Posted on Monday, January 11, 2021
Impressive Kung Fu at the Shaolin Temple In 2018 we had a school trip to the Shaolin Temple in China. We were trying to have an audience with the Abbott but their main Administrative Manager told us he was busy that day with a delegation from another country. But as a result we got treated to an impromptu performance and demonstration by the Shaolin Warriors there. Amongst the dazzling display of Shaolin Kung Fu, one of the Shaolin Warriors displayed an incredible technique and purposely fel... [more]
Posted on Saturday, January 09, 2021
Master Guosong Iron Qigong Demonstration at 14th World Congress Master Shi Guosong is the first to ever demonstrate hard qigong techniques in Canada. Watch as an early Master Dao cracks thick wooden dowels on Shifu Guosong's head, arms, belly, and legs. The early apprentice Dao had hair back then and was given that honour to swing the wooden dowels. Master Dao recalls, "These dowels were thick and made of fresh wood. I remember trying to hit my own arm with one. Not only did it not break, it... [more]
Posted on Monday, December 21, 2020
Master Shi Guo Song on Discovery Channel Showing Traditional Kung Fu This is a throw back to times around the early 1990s when Master Shi Guo Song was living at the Shaolin Temple. Back then there were only a handful of actual Shaolin Monks that did kung fu martial arts. Master Shi Guo Song was the Chief Warrior Coach and responsible for all the traditional Shaolin Kung Fu training at the temple. Here he is being interviewed by Discovery Channel and showing what traditional Shaolin kung ... [more]
Posted on Saturday, December 19, 2020
Iron Arm Qigong Demonstration at Songshan Shaolin Temple Luohan Institute 300 pounds of crushing force on the fingers! Normally this would break your fingers but through hardwork and practice it pays off eventually. Master Shi Guo Song previously demonstrated this in a Discovery Channel program. Here, his student Tong Jiaolian is demonstrating that he too can do it! Mind you, he struggled with it initially and Master Shi Guo Song makes it look so effortless. We took this video when... [more]
Posted on Tuesday, December 15, 2020
How Master Dao Can Break Three Iron Bars at Once! In this video, Master Dao demonstrates how he channels his inner qi (called subtle qi) to his head in order to lessen the blow of 3 stacked iron bars. You can see the level of mental focus required for this high risk demonstration. He makes it possible to break a three iron bars without any bruising or swelling. Hitting yourself with an iron bar is a lethal venture so don't ever try this yourself! It takes years of dedicated training an... [more]
Posted on Tuesday, December 15, 2020
CBC Masters of Our City Keepers of an Ancient Culture Featuring Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute Our STQI family of schools were featured on CBC's production titled 'CBC Masters of Our City Keepers of Ancient Culture'. Watch Master Shi Guo Song perform a traditional Shaolin Praying Mantis form and appreciate the speed, sharpness, and fluidity of his movements. He also talks about some philosophy and qigong and how he views traditional Shaolin going forward through his disciples. You also ge... [more]
Posted on Monday, December 14, 2020
Shaolin Warriors Training Kung Fu Martial Arts One of the places we visited in 2014 was a school that still maintained some traditional forms of Shaolin. In fact, many of the teachers there were once students of Master Shi Guo Song and we got the opportunity to train with them. This school is close to the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng city and is quite large with thousands of students. This is a short summary of our trip there including an incredible demonstration by their students.... [more]
Posted on Monday, December 16, 2019
Shaolin Tai Chi Yun Quan Performed by Master Dao Master Dao takes the opportunity to demonstrate a rare style of traditional Shaolin which we call Shaolin Tai Chi. It's more formally known as Shaolin Gentle Fist style. Here Master Dao performs Yun Quan, a Shaolin Tai Chi form that he created himself. It celebrates that soft and fluid nature of the cloud hands techniques and the ability of this style to accumulate qi and then use it to explode forcefully and powerfully. This was demo... [more]
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