All hardening methods of ancient Shaolin consist of 3 elements: the method of hardening, qigong and the medicine. Here the grandmaster explains 5 different ancient Shaolin hardening methods.

The demonstrations of Shaolin body hardness are legendary at this point with Shaolin monks absorbing heavy hits to their bodies, even head (not smart) and bending spears with their throats.

Most of this is for show and it's not the real Shaolin.

Today, most people think these hardening skills are simply about hitting the body repeatedly until it becomes “hard.” In reality, this is only one small fragment of the actual training.

In reality, authentic hardening arts were complete systems that combined multiple elements together. Without these missing components, the training becomes incomplete and can even become destructive.

Why? Because many people today only copy the external aspect. They imitate the visible part and don't even know about the rest.

With enough practice, anyone can develop tolerance to impact, but over the long term, the body often begins to deteriorate with damaged joints, internal injuries and exhausted nervous systems.

You can see this pattern repeatedly in combat sports.

Many fighters can absorb punishment in their youth. But by the time they reach older age, their bodies are broken down.

Many professional fighters used to have an amazing chin and durability in their 20s, but once they hit their 30s, they get knocked out and injured easily. There are many examples of this.

Traditional Shaolin methods were never supposed to work like this where you burn yourself out. The real goal was to strengthen the body while preserving longevity. 

Moreover, the goal was not to just improve the hardness and durability of the body but also create internal "armor" that boosts your immune system and protects you from negative influences thanks to the increased emotional resilience and stronger mind.

You see, most masters never received the internal transmission. Many of these masters learned these ancient methods from a book which is just a horrific way to learn anything physical (more on this later).

People Have Access to Only 1/3 of the Original Method!

In ancient Shaolin literature, many Shaolin hardening methods are mentioned such as:

The problem is that the literature only briefly mentions the method with very limited knowledge. It's even worse for translations: the original Chinese text has more information than the translations in European languages.

Not only are the instructions limited but 1-2 other components are completely missing. The true hardening methods always rely on three separate components working together.

1. The first component is the physical conditioning method itself.

This is the visible part everyone notices. The impact training, body conditioning, rubbing and striking with objects.

Different Hardening systems use different methods.

Some focused on controlled self-striking with the hands. Others used bags, bundles, wood, stone, fabric, or other tools. Certain systems emphasized the torso, others the limbs, even the back.

But this external training was only the surface layer.

2. The second component was Qigong specific to the hardening method.

This is where many modern practitioners completely fail to understand the depth of the traditional systems.

The breathing methods, internal control, fascial tension, intent, structural alignment, and nervous system regulation were all essential parts of the training.

Without correct Qigong, the body absorbs damage instead of transforming through the process. For example, Lohan Gong was paired with The Golden Bell as it's done in grandmaster's Health & Fighting Qigong.

The Qigong component regulates how Qi force travels through the body and influences recovery, circulation, tissue adaptation and overall health.

This is why authentic systems place enormous importance on breathing methods and internal development.

The external conditioning alone is never enough.

3. The third component was medicine and massage.

And this is another aspect that is missing from many modern interpretations.

Traditional hardening systems often use both external and internal medicine such as herbal liniments and herbs you eat.

The body was not simply “hardened.” Rather, it was also continuously repaired and restored throughout the process.

Without proper recovery methods, the conditioning gradually becomes degeneration.

The purpose is not simply to become harder. The purpose is to become stronger while maintaining function and health over decades. 

Thanks to these other components, these hardening methods are much more than just skills to develop physical durability. 

For example, Lohan Gong paired with the Golden Bell develops an emotional and mental armor & shield as well. It's not just body hardening, it's also strengthening your mind and emotions.

Don't Learn These Methods From A Book

Due to the complex nature of these methods, these systems cannot truly be learned from books alone.

One of the big myths in martial arts is that someone can simply buy an old manual like the 72 Arts of Shaolin and think he or she knows anything about the real thing.

The reality is very different. Even many original texts contain only fragments of these methods.

They often describe the existence of a skill without fully explaining how to properly develop it. Important details are missing and only 1/3 is described or even less.

And when these texts are translated into English, the information often becomes even more incomplete.

This creates a dangerous situation where modern practitioners attempt to reconstruct methods based purely on partial written descriptions. This is actually what many modern masters have done and the results are not good.

Basically, you have two ways to learn the real thing: through in person training or through video. The structural details cannot be properly explained by books.

You see, these arts were never originally transmitted through text alone and were never designed for that. Rather, they were transmitted directly from teacher to student.

The great thing is that the grandmaster has the complete systems thanks to learning from the well-preserved lineages of Taiwan.

He has had many masters and now he is the one teachings us. Maybe you will be his next student.

You can learn the grandmaster methods at WarriorNeigong.com

Stay strong.