The transcript below is from the video “Most Incredible Things Shaolin Kung Fu Masters Can Do !” by Mad Lab.
Mad Lab:
Who among us hasn’t swung a punch or kick after watching the Kung Fu movie? I still do that myself. Just don’t tell anyone. But even Jackie Chan could never be as awesome as the Shaolin monks. These guys don’t just fight hard, they possess real superpowers. And today, I’ll tell you all their secrets. But first, subscribe and hit that bell button.
Mad Lab:
The first thing you should know, these Monk’s biggest secret is simply exhaustive training of their minds and bodies. No magic involved. The Shaolin Monk’s main weapons are their hands. So they created the iron Palm technique. To develop incredible endurance they punch ice cold water until they can’t feel their hands anymore. Then they move on to the main exercise and practice punching a bag full of iron filings. After a long and tiring training, the hands become like iron and breaking bricks with their bare hands is child’s play. A person who has mastered this technique can easily drive a nail into a wooden board or tear metal balls apart.
Mad Lab:
But the diamond finger technique is even more amazing. From an early age, Shaolin disciples train their fingers by striking a tree with them. Yep, it wasn’t woodpeckers. Only after long training do the nerve endings die and the fingers become just as hard as a hammer. Then the monk is ready for the test. This thing weighs about 70 kilograms and only true masters can handle it. But after that, they can Pierce literally anything with their fingers, even bricks and good old Stones.
Mad Lab:
Then thanks to the iron body technique, their entire body is completely invulnerable. During training, the monks hit one another with such force that they practically punch right through the muscles, thereby tempering them and making them stronger. This type of workout is clearly not for regular people. But it comes in handy for the iron leg technique, which monks have been practicing since they were small. After thousands of strokes on trees breaking even such sturdy wood is no big deal. Their bones become strong enough to crush even metal. And yet their punches remain incredibly accurate. But that’s not the only purpose of foot training for Shaolin monks, they’re trying to overcome physical laws for real.
Mad Lab:
How about jumping almost to their own height or two meters in length? Sooner or later, they will overcome gravity and be able to jump on mountains but for now, they just make climbers feel stupid. Their secret techniques also can strengthen even vulnerable parts of the body such as the head and throat. So their neck is able to withstand enormous weight and even move it from place. Just look at how strong their head becomes. Oh, by the way, one of these sticks costs about 17 bucks and that’s yet another reason to never repeat it at home, unless you’re a professional named Rina Takeda. But the foundation for all the above mentioned skills is flexibility. The monks train their flexibility from an early age because maintaining such a position places demands on every single muscle. Once they’re older, they can do more than just perform incredible stunts. They can also use that flexibility when striking blows.
Mad Lab:
But that’s all nothing without a balance. Monks usually perform an exercise where they hold uncomfortable positions with dishes full of water placed on their heads and shoulders for hours. When this already becomes old hat, the saucers are replaced with burning candles and then with something really heavy. They even learn to rest in the most uncomfortable positions and their stretching will envy even Jean-Claude Van Damme. But not just feet are good enough for balancing, so the monks have found a way to make push-ups truly inhuman. It looks like this Pro wouldn’t stop even if he had a full refrigerator on him and only the most hardened Shaolin masters are able to perform such a stance without endangering their health.
Mad Lab:
In the monkey fighting style, balance is especially important because the main element here is the stick. A Shaolin master balanced on a single stick must move like a monkey. He must be dexterous, agile and constantly attack the enemy without ever giving him a chance to strike back.
Mad Lab:
Yi Long is one of those Shaolin fighters who put their techniques to work in the ring. He learned these techniques on his own though he represents the Shaolin Monastery in the ring. The man is just 172 centimeters tall and he weighs just 72 kilograms and his record already stands at 61 wins, half of which were knockouts. In the final MAS fight, he went against the Korean monster, Choi hung Man, who stands at 219 centimeters tall and weighs 150 kilograms. And 9 minutes into the fight, Yi Long performs an incredible kick and sends the giant into knockout. This time, the Shaolin monk entered the ring with the toughest MMA fighter, Muay Thai fighter, Buakaw Por. Pramuk, and he was defenseless in front of the invincible Yi Long.
Next on the Shaolin fighters list was New Zealand MMA fighter Brad Riddell and right away, things did not go according to plan for Brad. All that Ironhead training had not been in vain. Even a high fever didn’t stop him from defeating one of the world’s best kickboxers Adrian Grote in the first round. Really man, he just gave in. This Shaolin fighter had an excellent first fight in the international array.
Mad Lab:
Would you like to be like this too? Well, it is possible to become a Shaolin monk, but it’s not easy. First, you need to become a novice at The Shaolin Monastery. Every day, you’ll wake up at 5 am regardless of the weather and then take part in two hours of group meditation. But don’t even think about dozing off because otherwise you’ll get whacked with a stick by your supervisor and even have to thank him for the help. Then you’ll learn a mere 72 shell in techniques, including the iron palm and things even tougher still. This is not a gym you visit twice a week. We’re talking about whole days, one after another devoted to training. Now I’ll show you what would await you.
Mad Lab:
Novices must not only learn discipline, they have to move in perfect sync. Did you notice that guy who was out of step with the others? He can expect a good thrashing from his master. Do you think monks only train their arms or legs? What about their teeth? Their jaws are so strong they can carry tables by them.
Mad Lab:
Now remember how you complained about the mask during quarantine. These guys can even pull entire cars with their ears. And for the record, no one’s seen an earless Shaolin monk yet but still, don’t try that at home. One time, scientists decided to study how Shaolin Monks could use their brains to change their body functions. They found that they could slow down their metabolism by as much as 64% with meditation. It is the largest decrease in oxygen consumption that was ever recorded and some of them have learned to protect their qi energy to ignite things with the power of thought.
Mad Lab:
Now remember how you complained about the mask during quarantine. These guys can even pull entire cars with their ears. And for the record, no one’s seen an earless Shaolin monk yet but still, don’t try that at home. One time, scientists decided to study how Shaolin Monks could use their brains to change their body functions. They found that they could slow down their metabolism by as much as 64% with meditation. It is the largest decrease in oxygen consumption that was ever recorded and some of them have learned to protect their qi energy to ignite things with the power of thought.
Mad Lab:
Do you think that’s really possible? Write in the comments. I’m sure you’re going to want to learn this trick. A monk throws a needle with such force that it breaks through glass and pops the balloon placed behind it. Just 15 years of training and you too could be the life of any party. As a bonus, you’ll also be incredibly accurate at everything else, even if you suddenly have a strong desire to fish during a walk.
Mad Lab:
Remember the diamond finger technique? Well, I hope you didn’t think that this was only possible in The Sims because now I’ll show you what this technique is also good for. Through hard training, you can learn to stand on three, two or even just one finger. Here’s how the old masters did that back then and now a new generation is improving their skills even more. They can already do all kinds of gymnastics on their fingers and even push-ups. And I mean, really heavy push-ups, not some easy stuff for crybabies. You already know that they can run on walls but sooner or later, they have to get back down. For that, they use a ladder or they just scamper down on all fours. First, they support themselves on their toes and the palms of their hands and then they replace their palms with their fists and later with their fingers. This skill is known as the slithering snake. After training like that, it’s no wonder they can climb stairs like that if they want to. As you can probably already guess, the monk’s pets are just as remarkable.
Mad Lab:
In the monastery, they don’t keep cute little cats but real tigers. The Shaolin masters literally spoon feed them and play with them as if they were kittens. These big cats aren’t aggressive at all as they too live according to the Shaolin rhythms. In the morning, they are very active but towards the evening, they turn into lazy little darlings. Perhaps, it’s worth going through all the trials of the Shaolin Monastery just to hear a tiger purr.
Well now, do you already have a favorite technique of your own? Write about it in the comments. They say that the first step towards mastering the iron finger is clicking the like button. Just try it. See you again in the next video.
