Shaolin Monk Demonstrates Kung Fu Squatting Stance (Pu Bu)

The stretching the master demonstrates for this stance accompanies flexibility for horse stance well. In China the people squat very often - on the side of the road, toilet, cleaning, etc. You don't see so much of this in the West, and as a result, hip flexibility and leg alignment are often poor, leading to weak stances and frequent accidents when force is applied to the ankle knee, and hip joints, and is not carried through the bones correctly. Notice how flexible the master's ankle on the outstretched leg is, when he's deep in the stance.

A good way to check on the general health of your ankles is to stand with your legs a shoulder-width apart, with no shoes on, and look at how your lower leg bones connect with the foot. If you can see the bone going off to the side of the foot (normally to the instep of the foot in most people), then you will need to do some work on your general joint alignments. Walking on the edges of the feet is a good place to start; to get the ankles re-adjusting. Ma Bu (horse riding stance) I have been told (by a very experienced and martially competent taichi/bagua/hsing-I teacher) is the best for sorting the general leg alignments out; especially the hips. See my other video of the Shaolin master demonstrating this for reference.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• shaolin
• squatting
• deep
• stance
• pubu
• kungfu
• kung-fu
• monk
• low
• leg
• strength
• power
• defense
• martial
• arts

[Erime]

This seems to be a common problem - from what I've heard and seen, it's best to keep the heel flat and work stretching the hip joints outwards to the side while bouncing slightly - this might place your torso higher than you want for now, but over time the stance will deepen. I am guessing you fall backwards if you place both heels on the floor. Distance between the feet can be played around with also to get a better result.

[devarsi]

well i missed my chance, i am doing well for being almost 60 now still old age is approaching fast and I better start doing something soon :-)

[Erime]

Indeed; as the saying goes: "the body is the mind, and the mind is the body". From my investigations, I have found that the key issue between most calisthenic disciplines (and the thing which makes one discipline more healthy than another) is body alignments and awareness of when those alignments are present when one is physically still or moving. Although martial arts often have a confrontational side, the associated calisthenics have been 'tested' a lot more than in non-martial disciplines.

[devarsi]

i wish i would have started this when i was young

[Erime]

I am not sure I would have wanted to study under a Shaolin teacher - their methods appear to be a bit forceful in my opinion, but I would like to have this kind of flexibility - especially from a young age so I could use it!

[LGtheWise]

i dont give a fuck...no matter what anybody says...these monks are the hardest badasses on earth.

[Discordia5]

Wow, I don't speak the language, yet I feel I learned a bit.

[WindowsSoftwareDe]

this is not very easy .. .;''(

[fyte4luv808]

i showed this video to my wife so she could learn to ride the cawk better

[yasinpatel12345]

yeeeh been doing just this to help reinforce my joints for olympic lifts and boxing boy is this man a genius no more leg pain !!

[theicechinchilla]

Can a girl b a shaolin monk?

[8bobthebuilder]

@billybobhobnob101 tendon and ligament strength and flexibility? Does stretching of the legs promote not just flexibility but also strength of the tendons and ligaments?

[waterIsis]

Haha the arguments about bouncing are hilarious. Your muscles contract and relax at high speeds when you kick and drop into those stances at other times aside from stretching, ballistic stretching is commonly used for centuries, if used smartly, it is excellent. Even Michael Jordan bounced when he warmed up. Noone is saying to bounce so hard you tear your hip out of the socket lol I think after 1,500 years of different types of Kung fu out of Shaolin, that these monks know a thing or two

[alikarim1000]

shi de yang

[clcoc20s]

@Erime Adding to that - just because this guy wears a robe and bounces does NOT make it any more beneficial. The only time it's EVER safe to bounce is once you can bounce to your maximum. NEVER bounce past your maximum. In example - a small bounce is used in Shaolin 6 during the first crane drop.

[clcoc20s]

@Erime Bouncing is a horrible idea in pu bu. Your hip flexors are already stretched to their maximum. The idea is to keep your feet flat and try to drop your dan tien into the ground.

Ideally your back should be completely straight (for balance).

[ertren6]

@Erime well it doenst matter cause this seems to work for them and they're monks! MONKS I SAY