Iron Knee Skill

Wushu Instructor: Fu Biao, President and general coach of Beijing Shaolin Martial Art School
Demonstrator: Han Feng, Zan Yuming (both are Fu Biao’s students)
Photographer: Bo Wen, Xiao Guang, Fu Lei

Introduction
The iron knee skill is one type of external exercise using hard force. It focuses on the practice of knees. Few people pay attention to the knee skills, nevertheless, more skills is better to a practitioner, as with one more skill we can defend and attack with less dangers.

Practice principle
This skill is to be practiced from easy to difficult and complicated, from soft objects to hard ones gradually.

Practice steps
Step one
Cross your legs and sit down with fists held tightly. Hit to knees with fists for 72 times, then loosen the fists into palms. Press on the knees with the middle of palms and rub the knees for 36 times in an outside-in way. Then repeat it in a reverse way. Repeat the process for 9 times per morning and evening.
After one year of exercise, the knee bones become hard and strong, then change fists with wooden hammers which is as large as fists in pattern of ball or drum with a handle of vines. The reason for adoption of vines is that the vine is both hard and soft which is suitable for the practice.

Figure 1  Demonstrated by Han Feng   

Figure 2  Demonstrated by Han Feng   

  

Figure 3  Demonstrated by Han Feng   

Figure 4  Demonstrated by Han Feng   

  

Figure 5  Demonstrated by Han Feng   

Figure 6  Demonstrated by Han Feng   

  

Figure 7  Demonstrated by Han Feng   

Step two
After one year of such hard work, the knees grow much stronger and harder, you can go on with hitting iron poles or trees.

 

Figure 8  Demonstrated by Han Feng   

Figure 9  Demonstrated by Han Feng    

Figure 10  Demonstrated by Zan Yuming  

  

Figure 11  Demonstrated by Zan Yuming  

Step three
Three years later, the iron knee skill is finished. In this moment this pair of knees is as strong as iron and can be used in defense and attack.

Figure 12  Fighting with each other

Figure 13  Fighting with each other

Figure 14  Fighting with each other

Figure 15  Fighting with each other

Figure 16 Fighting with each other

Figure 17  Fighting with each other

 Figure 18  Fighting with each other