Southern Shaolin Animals
Northern Wudang Sword

Why practice Southern Shaolin Animals & Wudang Sword?

People come to Southern Shaolin Animal Kung Fu and Wudang Sword for many reasons.

Some are drawn by the iconic animal styles they saw in movies, books, and martial arts demonstrations.

Others seek practical self-defense, traditional weapons training, physical conditioning, internal development, or a deeper connection to Chinese martial arts culture.

Some are fascinated by the power methods, body mechanics, and training traditions that produced generations of highly respected martial artists.

But many dedicated students eventually find themselves drawn to a deeper question...

Why have these arts captured the imagination of practitioners for generations?

The answer extends far beyond the animal forms, fighting methods, and weapons that first attract most students.

Generations of practitioners discovered that Southern Shaolin Animal Kung Fu and Wudang Sword offer a rare combination of practical skill, physical development, internal training, cultural preservation, and lifelong study.

What often surprises students is that traditional training is far more than a collection of forms.

Beneath the visible movements lies a complete and interconnected system built around power development, internal cultivation, martial applications, weapons training, conditioning methods, strategic principles, and the transmission of deeper training methods preserved through generations of lineage instruction.

Many practitioners spend years learning techniques before realizing that the techniques themselves are only the visible surface of the art.

Hidden beneath the forms are the body mechanics, force-generation methods, internal training practices, tactical concepts, and training principles that give the movements purpose and meaning.

Students frequently discover that the benefits unfold in stages.

Beginning students often develop improved coordination, balance, flexibility, physical conditioning, body awareness, confidence, and a practical understanding of fundamental martial movement.

Intermediate students begin discovering deeper levels of timing, structure, force generation, body connection, strategic understanding, and the unique training methods that distinguish traditional systems from modern sport-oriented approaches.

Advanced practitioners explore the deeper layers of the transmission, including Fujian Three Battles power development, sophisticated martial applications, traditional weapons, sublime Wudang Sword, internal training methods, and the underlying principles that reveal how the entire system functions as an integrated whole.

Perhaps most importantly, students gain access to a rare complete transmission preserved through generations of martial families, lineage inheritors, and traditional teacher-to-student instruction.

The various parts of the system work together much like the components of a finely tuned sports car. The engine, suspension, steering, transmission, and drivetrain each perform different functions, but none reach their full potential in isolation. In the same way, each area of training develops specific qualities while simultaneously supporting the others.

Animal Boxing teaches tactical methods, body mechanics, force generation, footwork, and martial strategy through the study of the traditional animal systems.

Three Battles Training from the Fujian Hand develops the structure, power generation, body integration, and internal skills that support and unify the whole system.

Conditioning Methods cultivate strength, resilience, impact training, and the physical attributes historically associated with traditional martial development.

Martial Applications, Qin Na, and Throwing Methods reveal the practical function behind the movements while demonstrating how principles are expressed under pressure.

Weapons Training and Wudang Swordsmanship extend the same principles through increasingly refined methods of timing, precision, body connection, strategy, and intent.

Together, these methods form an integrated system in which each training method helps explain and reinforce the others.

Whether your goal is physical development, martial skill, internal cultivation, cultural preservation, self-defense, or a deeper understanding of traditional Kung Fu, Southern Shaolin Animals and Wudang Sword offer a path that can be explored for a lifetime.

Students may choose to focus on individual areas of training or follow the complete lineage curriculum, including Animal Boxing, Fujian Three Battles power development, martial applications, conditioning methods, traditional weapons, Wudang Sword, internal training, and advanced lineage teachings preserved within the system.

Why most practitioners never discover the True Fujian Hand

Many Southern martial systems preserved the animal forms.

Some preserved the applications.

Others preserved conditioning methods, fighting tactics, or weapons training.

Yet relatively few preserved the complete relationship between these methods and the deeper power-development systems that supported them.

So the real question is not...

Which animal style do you practice?

The real question is...

What gives your methods life?

In other words, what injects the true internal power into the methods?

For generations, practitioners recognized the power, speed, structure, and effectiveness of the Southern systems.

What was less obvious was the deeper body of training that helped create those qualities. These underlying methods that amplified power, unified the body, and transformed techniques into high level skill (true meaning of Kung Fu) often remained hidden within closely guarded family traditions, rare lineage transmissions, and the teachings entrusted to select inheritors.

Which means...

Over time, many students only inherited portions of the transmission.

Some learned forms.

Others learned applications.

Some became experts in fighting methods.

Others specialized in conditioning or weapons.

But complete transmissions sought to preserve something larger.

These traditions preserved the principles which connect, explain, and expand the methods into something truly functional and suitable for both self-defense and self-cultivation.

Which brings us to...

The Hidden Influence of Fujian White Crane

One of the most influential sources of this deeper training was Fujian White Crane System.

Like most traditional martial arts, Fujian White Crane did not emerge in isolation. It evolved through generations of refinement and integration, combining multiple influences such as traditional Shaolin methods and ancient Daoist practices into a coherent method of power development and martial function.

Ironically, the "Crane" in Fujian White Crane is often misunderstood.

Many assume it refers to another animal style. It's a regrettably common but understandable mistake as there does exist a Shaolin White Crane style and many of the modern version of the Fujian have lost their deeper internal and principle-based methods.

In reality, traditional Fujian White Crane represented far more than mere imitation of an animal, as cool as the animals are.

Beneath the name existed a sophisticated body of training concerned with structure, body integration, force generation, breath regulation, power development, and internal Qi cultivation. There were even advanced, specialized esoteric practices reserved for direct lineage inheritors of the method.

So rather than refer to the original Fujian White Crane as an "Animal Style" it would be more proper to call it the "Fujian Hand." Which is an old way to refer to the system which avoids the "animal imitation" connotation so mistakenly applied in moder times.

Over time, elements of this training became integrated into many Southern systems.

The animal methods remained visible.

The deeper power-development methods often became increasingly difficult to find.

Why Three Battles Matters

One of the most recognizable expressions of this transmission is the Three Battles training.

Many martial systems preserved versions of Three Battles.

Some used it primarily for conditioning.

Others used it for external power development.

Still others adapted it to support fighting applications.

But a complete transmission includes more than the choreography of the form.

It includes the body methods, training progressions, internal principles, and developmental practices that transform Three Battles from a sequence of movements into a vehicle for deeper skill development.

The form is important.

The principles are more important.

The Fujian Hand

Within our lineage, these deeper methods are often referred to collectively as the Fujian Hand.

The Fujian Hand is not another animal system.

It is not merely a form.

Nor is it limited to a particular fighting style.

Instead, it provides many of the underlying principles that support and unify the broader system.

Animal Boxing expresses those principles.

Three Battles develops them.

Martial applications apply them.

Weapons training extends them.

Wudang Sword refines them.

Sparring tests them.

Together they form a complete transmission in which each area of study helps explain and reinforce the others.

A Rare Complete Transmission

This is one reason complete transmissions became so highly valued.

The goal was never simply to preserve animal forms, weapons routines, or fighting techniques.

The goal was to preserve the principles, methods, and relationships that allowed the entire system to function as an integrated whole.

Many systems preserved pieces.

Some preserved specialties.

A few preserved complete transmissions.

Our lineage belongs to that latter tradition.

Our Southern Shaolin & Wudang Lineage

Unlike many martial arts lineages that trace through a single family or institution, our Southern Shaolin and Wudang transmission emerged through a network of martial families, village traditions, lineage inheritors, and Tian Di Hui Grandmasters who preserved the arts during periods of tremendous social and political upheaval.

The transmission includes influences from Southern Shaolin Animal Boxing, Fujian White Crane, Nan Hua Quan, Wudang Sword, and related family traditions that survived through highly selective teacher-to-student instruction.

Like many traditional martial arts, these arts carry stories, legends, and origin narratives passed down through generations. While historians may debate the literal details of some accounts, the stories continue to preserve important principles, values, and lessons that remain embedded within the arts themselves.

For generations, these traditions survived not through public institutions, but through martial families, village teachers, lineage inheritors, and organizations such as the Tian Di Hui who preserved the teachings during periods when open transmission was often impossible.

The Tian Di Hui Grandmasters

Much of our transmission ultimately traces through Grandmasters associated with the Tian Di Hui tradition. Because of the nature of the organization, many teachers were known primarily through sobriquets, brotherhood names, or pseudonyms rather than public identities.

The Tian Di Hui occupied a unique place within Southern martial culture. Their traditions combined martial training, personal development, mutual aid, cultural preservation, and strong concepts of loyalty, responsibility, and transmission.

These teachers emphasized that forms alone were never enough.

The real transmission consisted of principles, methods, body mechanics, power development, internal methods, and the relationships that connected the entire system.

From Village Traditions to the Modern Era

The transmission passed through influential teachers including a direct head of the Tian Di Hui, a Grandmaster of Nan Huaquan, Grandmaster Hsieh of Fujian White Crane, Grandmaster Chen of Fujian White Crane, and later through Shifu Casey and Shifu Alsup before being passed to Shifu Shawn Cartwright.

While each teacher contributed unique knowledge, all shared a common commitment to preserving complete systems rather than isolated fragments.

In many cases these were not famous public instructors, but traditional village-style teachers whose responsibility was preserving the art rather than promoting themselves. Ironically, it was often these quiet family and village traditions that carried the arts through difficult periods of history and ultimately helped ensure their survival.

Sadly, not all of these family transmissions survived the upheavals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We remain grateful to those who kept the torch burning, even in secret, preserving a priceless legacy for future generations.

Wudang Sword and Tongbei Transmission

The Wudang Sword forms an integral part of this lineage.

In addition to the sword methods embedded within the Southern transmission itself, Shifu Shawn Cartwright continued his Wudang study through instruction from a Wudang priest who requested anonymity and through Grandmaster Bai Wenxiang, whose own Wudang training came through a direct inheritor of that tradition.

In addition, Grandmster Bai taught Shifu Shawn Cartwright a comprehensive method of Tongbei which contained many, but not all, principles also found in the Fujian tradition. This is not surprising when you consider that Tongbei is an ancient, Daoist derived art that influenced many martial systems.

These experiences helped deepen, refine, and validate the principles already present within the broader system while providing additional insight into the relationship between internal development, body mechanics, power generation, and swordsmanship.

Preservation Through Transmission

My students know me as Shifu Shawn Cartwright.

I was fortunate to inherit portions of a rare complete transmission preserved through generations of Tian Di Hui teachers, martial families, village traditions, Fujian White Crane instructors, Wudang practitioners, and traditional lineage holders.

Like many traditional teachers before me, I eventually faced the same question:

How do you ensure the art survives when so many have faded?

My answer was simple.

Teach my son.

Document the lessons on film... something that was not even possible until recent advances in digital cinematography and online technology.

Thus, preserving the transmission for the next generation of dedicated practitioners.

Many of the lessons contained within this program were filmed during actual instruction with my son, Drake Cartwright, as part of our effort to preserve and transmit the system to future generations.

Look, our goal was never merely to record just techniques or cool forms.

Our mission is to preserve the complete principles, methods, relationships, internal cultivation, and unique mechanics that allow the art to function as a complete living system.

Because forms can be copied.

Techniques can be imitated.

But true lineage transmission is something much, much deeper.

And that is what this program was created to preserve.

The Origins of the Southern Shaolin and Wudang Traditions

The origins of the Southern Shaolin and Wudang traditions exist at the fascinating intersection of history, folklore, martial culture, and secret-society transmission.

Like many traditional Chinese martial arts, the Southern systems preserve stories that blend documented events, oral tradition, symbolic teaching, and cultural memory. While historians continue to debate the precise details, these stories remain important because they helped shape the values, identity, and training traditions that survive today.

According to Tian Di Hui tradition, only five monks survived the destruction of the Southern Shaolin Temple: Cai Dezhong, Fang Dahong, Ma Chaoxing, Hu Dedi, and Li Shikai. They were said to have dispersed throughout Southern China carrying their martial tradition with them and dedicating themselves to preserving both the arts and the cultural values of the previous era during a time of profound upheaval.

But, because they were hunted, they had to teach in the utmost secrecy, sharing their teachings with a select, trusted few.

Over time, these teachings became associated with organizations such as the Tian Di Hui (Heaven and Earth Society) and later the broader Hongmen tradition, traditionally associated with founders Ti Xi, Li Amin, Zhu Dingyuan, and Tao Yuan. The historical details remain debated, but the stories themselves became foundational to Southern martial culture.

Whether understood literally, symbolically, or somewhere in between, these figures embody themes that remain deeply embedded within Southern martial traditions today.

These stories consistently emphasize principles that continue to shape the arts...

Loyalty, Responsibility, Brotherhood, Resistance to oppression, Preservation, and Transmission to future generations

The importance of these stories is not merely whether every detail can be historically verified... it cannot.

Their value lies in the principles they were designed to preserve.

Daoist Origins and the Internal Tradition

Many of the traditions represented within our lineage share remarkably similar origin stories.

The legends surrounding Wudang Sword, Tongbei, portions of Fujian White Crane, and related Southern systems frequently trace their roots to Daoist mountains, wandering adepts, immortal sages, mountain hermits, and internal cultivation traditions.

The most famous of these stories centers on Zhang Sanfeng, the legendary Daoist immortal long associated with Wudang Mountain and the development of internal martial arts. While historians debate the historical details, Zhang Sanfeng became a powerful symbol representing the integration of martial skill, internal cultivation, health practices, and spiritual development.

In a similar manner, many Tongbei traditions preserve stories connecting the art to ancient Daoist cultivation methods. Elements of Fujian White Crane likewise preserve narratives describing the integration of Daoist internal practices, breath work, and body cultivation with practical martial methods.

Whether these stories are viewed as history, symbolism, or both, they point toward an important idea...

The greatest martial arts were never intended to be merely systems of fighting.

They were systems of transformation.

And while the origin stories differ, the lesson remains the same.

From Founder Traditions to Living Systems

While the legends provide meaning and identity, the historical development of these arts was likely far more complex.

Many Southern martial systems evolved through military experience, village traditions, martial families, secret societies, regional fighting arts, religious influences, and generations of practical refinement.

Among the most influential figures within our lineage traditions are Fang Qiniang, the founder traditionally associated with Fujian White Crane, and Cai Mao, who is commonly connected to an important branch of Tongbei-based Huaquan traditions that later influenced portions of the Southern transmission as adopted by the Tian Di Hui.

Like most great martial systems, these arts did not emerge in isolation.

They evolved.

They integrated.

They adapted.

And they survived.

Over time, Southern Animal Boxing, Fujian White Crane, Nan Hua Quan, Wudang Sword, Tongbei, and related family systems continually exchanged ideas while preserving distinct identities. This process of refinement ultimately produced the principle-based methods that later became integrated within our own lineage transmission.

The Survival of the Southern Systems

One of the most remarkable aspects of these traditions is that they survived at all.

Consider a hundred-year milieu facing political upheaval, foreign occupation, civil conflict, relentless modernization, and extreme cultural disruption.

Each generation faced challenges that could easily have ended the transmission.

Many systems disappeared entirely.

Some survived only in fragmentary form.

A rare few preserved a complete transmission.

The lineage represented in this program comes from that latter tradition.

Rather than preserving only forms or techniques, these teachers sought to preserve the principles, methods, internal cultivation practices, body mechanics, and training relationships that allowed the system to function as a complete martial art.

This commitment to preserving the whole rather than merely the pieces ultimately led to the transmission that passed through the Tian Di Hui Grandmasters, Fujian White Crane teachers, Nan Hua Quan instructors, village traditions, Wudang practitioners, Grandmaster Bai, Shifu Casey, Shifu Alsup, and ultimately to Shifu Shawn Cartwright.

Today, this program continues that preservation effort.

Not merely preserving forms.

Not merely preserving techniques.

But preserving a rare complete transmission for future generations of dedicated practitioners.

Who Is The Southern Shaolin Animals & Wudang Sword Program For?

Southern Shaolin Animal Kung Fu and Wudang Sword can be studied by practitioners of many backgrounds and experience levels.

You do not need previous experience in Kung Fu, internal arts, or traditional weapons.

That said, this program is not defined by your current skill level.

It is defined by the type of practitioner you want to become.

This Program Is For You If...

• You want to study a complete traditional martial system rather than a collection of isolated forms, techniques, or drills.

• You've practiced martial arts before and suspect there is a deeper layer beneath the visible movements.

• You are fascinated by traditional Kung Fu and want to understand the principles that give the arts their power.

• You want to learn how Animal Boxing, Fujian Three Battles, internal training, martial applications, conditioning methods, sparring, and Wudang Sword function together as one integrated system.

• You are interested in understanding not only what to practice, but why the methods work and how they were traditionally transmitted.

• You value authentic lineage instruction and understand that preserving a complete tradition is more important than collecting isolated techniques.

• You are willing to develop real skill through consistent practice rather than searching for shortcuts, secrets, or instant mastery.

• You appreciate both the life-protecting and life-transforming dimensions of traditional martial arts.

• You want a training system capable of revealing deeper levels of insight and understanding over years or even decades of study.

This Program May Be Especially Valuable If...

• You've learned forms but were never taught the body mechanics and power-development methods that bring them to life.

• You've practiced Animal Styles but never understood how they relate to internal development.

• You've encountered Three Battles forms but were never shown the deeper principles traditionally associated with it.

• You've studied Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qigong, or other martial systems and want to understand how the pieces fit together as a complete transmission.

• You've become frustrated with collecting techniques and are now seeking genuine understanding.

• You've watched the movies, admired the legends, and become curious about the traditions that inspired them.

• You're interested in studying the rare principle-based methods that historically remained hidden within family traditions, village lineages, and select transmissions.

• You believe important traditions should be preserved and passed forward rather than allowed to disappear.

This Program May Not Be For You If...

• You're looking for instant results, effortless mastery, or overnight transformation.

• You want entertainment more than training.

• You are only interested in memorizing forms without understanding what they mean.

• You prefer collecting techniques rather than developing skill.

• You are unwilling to be corrected, challenged, or gradually refined through practice.

• You want a simplified version of Kung Fu separated from its traditional roots.

• You are interested only in the external appearance of the art and have no curiosity about the principles that support it.

• You are seeking fragments rather than a complete system.

Ultimately...

The ideal student is not necessarily the strongest.

Nor the youngest.

Nor the most experienced.

The ideal student is the one who looks at a movement and asks...

"What gives this method life?"

Or perhaps...

"What am I not seeing beneath the surface?"

Or even...

"How did these traditions survive, and what can they still teach today?"

If questions like these resonate with you, then you are exactly the type of practitioner this program was designed to serve.

Because the goal is not merely to learn forms.

Or techniques.

Or weapons.

The goal is to study a complete living tradition and gradually discover the principles, methods, and deep wisdom that give the art its depth.

What Will You Learn First?

Many people imagine that learning traditional Southern Shaolin Kung Fu begins by immediately memorizing animal forms, learning combat techniques, or picking up a sword.

In reality, you'll begin exploring those exciting aspects of the art from the very beginning.

The difference is that they are not taught as isolated subjects.

Instead, they are introduced within the broader framework of principles, body mechanics, force generation, internal development, and training methods that give the movements meaning.

This is important because the goal of a traditional lineage system was never merely to teach forms.

The goal was to teach the principles that make the forms work.

For that reason, your training typically begins with:

1. Fundamental Principles of the Southern System
2. Foundational Body Mechanics and Structure
3. Fujian Three Battles Foundations
4. Animal Boxing Methods and Forms
5. Internal Development and Power Training
6. Martial Applications and Partner Training
7. Traditional Weapons Foundations

At first, these may appear to be separate subjects.

They are not.

Each develops qualities needed to understand the next layer of training.

In other words, each training method helps explain, reinforce, and refine the others.

The foundational principles introduce the concepts that guide the entire system.

Structural training develops alignment, balance, coordination, force transmission, and body awareness.

Three Battles begins teaching the deeper power-development methods associated with the Fujian Hand.

The Animal Forms introduce the tactical methods, body mechanics, force-generation methods, and unique characteristics associated with the traditional Southern systems.

Martial applications reveal the practical purpose hidden within the movements.

Weapons training extends those same principles through increasingly refined methods of timing, precision, strategy, and intent.

Throughout the process, students gradually discover that the visible movements are only one layer of the art.

The Tiger teaches more than Tiger.

The Crane teaches more than Crane.

The Sword teaches more than Sword.

The deeper you study, the more you begin to recognize the same principles appearing through all of them. Each becomes a vehicle for understanding deeper principles that reappear throughout the entire system.

Unlike many modern approaches where students simply accumulate forms and techniques, traditional training emphasizes understanding the principles that give the methods life.

As your training progresses, you do not simply collect more material... although you may be surprised by the depth and variety contained within the Animal Systems themselves.

You'll discover increasing depth within the same principles.

The concepts introduced in Fujian Three Battles reappear throughout the Animal Systems.

The principles learned through the Animal Systems reappear in martial applications.

The lessons learned through applications reappear within weapons training.

The internal Qi cultivation methods continue developing throughout every stage of the curriculum.

New material is introduced over time, but it grows from the same root.

This means your training becomes deeper rather than merely broader.

Instead of collecting disconnected forms, techniques, and drills, you develop an increasingly complete understanding of the principles that unite the entire lineage transmission.

How to Begin the Southern Shaolin Animals & Wudang Sword Lineage Training Program

By now you've probably noticed a recurring theme throughout the Southern Shaolin and Wudang traditions.

The Animal Forms are not the destination.

Three Battles is not merely a form.

The Fujian Hand is not simply a collection of exercises.

Wudang Sword is more than a weapon.

Martial applications are not isolated techniques.

Each method exists to help explain, refine, and reinforce the others.

That is what makes a complete traditional transmission so valuable.

And that is precisely what this Lineage Training Program was designed to preserve.

This is much more than a collection of lessons.

It is part of an ongoing generational preservation mission.

The transmission passed through generations of Grandmasters who safeguarded it through some of the most disruptive and destructive periods in history before ultimately passing it forward into the curriculum you are studying today.

The goal was never merely to preserve cool forms or techniques.

The goal was to preserve the principles, methods, internal development practices, body mechanics, training progressions, and deeper understanding that give the art life.

That is why much of this curriculum originates from actual lineage instruction and private teaching footage recorded while I was teaching my son, Drake Cartwright.

I didn't hold anything back from Drake.

And you receive the same complete curriculum that was entrusted to him.

It is a structured progression through the traditional Southern Shaolin and Wudang system that brings together...

• Animal Boxing
• Fujian Three Battles
• The Fujian Hand
• Martial Applications
• Internal Development
• Conditioning Methods
• Weapons Training
• Wudang Sword
• Strategic Principles
• Traditional Lineage Methods

... into one integrated whole.

As you progress through the curriculum, you will discover that Southern Kung Fu is not merely a collection of forms to memorize.

It is a method for developing skill.

Cultivating vitality.

Refining body and mind.

Understanding martial principles.

And uncovering deeper layers of the art throughout a lifetime of study.

Opportunities to learn Kung Fu techniques are everywhere.

Opportunities to study a rare complete transmission preserved through direct lineage instruction and documented as part of a generational preservation effort are far more uncommon.

Why this training Is different

• Traditional Southern Shaolin and Wudang lineage transmission
• Fujian White Crane, Southern Shaolin Animals and Wudang Sword preserved within a single curriculum
• Complete system approach integrating Animal Boxing, Fujian Three Battles, Applications, Internal Development, Conditioning, Weapons, and Wudang Sword
• Preservation guided by Liu He Ta (Six-Sided Tower) principles
• P5LIM methodology used to preserve deeper traditional meaning for Western students
• Structured progression from foundational training through advanced development
• Curriculum documented and preserved as part of an ongoing generational preservation mission
• Study of principles, not merely techniques
• Designed to preserve a complete transmission rather than isolated fragments

Ultimately, the decision comes down to a simple question:

Do you want to collect pieces... or do you want to study a complete system?

If you're seeking a deeper understanding of traditional Southern Shaolin Animal Kung Fu, the Fujian Hand, and Wudang Sword, and you're willing to practice with patience, consistency, curiosity, and an open mind, I believe you'll find this journey worthwhile.

Sincerely,

Shifu Shawn Cartwright
Preserving the Southern Shaolin and Wudang Lineage Traditions

What Does "Kung Fu" Mean?

The Chinese term Kung Fu (功夫) is one of the most recognized words in martial arts.

Ironically, it is also one of the most misunderstood.

Most people hear the words "Kung Fu" and immediately think of fighting systems, animal styles, Shaolin monks, martial arts movies, or legendary masters performing astonishing feats.

But that is not actually what the term means.

Strictly speaking, the Chinese term for martial arts is Wushu (武術), which literally means "martial methods" or "martial arts." Traditional systems such as Southern Shaolin, Fujian White Crane, Tongbei, Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, and countless others would all be considered forms of Wushu.

To make matters more confusing, many people today associate the term Wushu with the modern Chinese performance sport featuring acrobatics, jumps, spins, and highly choreographed routines. While modern sport Wushu certainly requires athletic skill, it is only one modern sport branch of a much older martial tradition. Traditional Wushu includes fighting methods, self-cultivation practices, weapons training, internal development, and the transmission of complete martial systems. It was not designed for simple entertainment.

Another common traditional term is Quan (拳), usually translated as "fist" or "boxing."

Consider these famous arts...

• Taijiquan
• Tongbeiquan
• Fujian Beihequan
• Xingyiquan
• Nan Huaquan

The word Quan simply indicates a boxing method or martial system.

So where does Kung Fu fit into all this?

Surprisingly, Kung Fu doesn't actually mean "martial art."

A person can spend twenty years studying martial arts and still not understand that distinction.

The word is much closer to what we might call cultivated skill, earned ability, or even mastery developed through effort over time.

Think about someone who has spent decades playing the violin.

Or a master carpenter whose hands know exactly how much pressure to apply before a tool even touches the wood.

Or an experienced chef who can tell something is wrong by smell alone.

What you're seeing in those examples isn't talent.

You're seeing Kung Fu.

... Years of practice.

... Thousands of repetitions.

... Countless corrections.

Skill developed so thoroughly that the person can express it almost without thinking.

Traditional martial artists used the term in much the same way.

The forms help develop Kung Fu.

The weapons help develop Kung Fu.

The Neigong, conditioning methods, partner drills, applications, and sparring methods help develop Kung Fu.

But none of those things are Kung Fu any more than a piano lesson is music.

They are the training methods through which skill is cultivated.

This distinction helps explain why traditional teachers often cared more about how a student practiced than how many techniques they knew.

Look, there's no doubt that knowledge, techniques, and forms have value.

But wisdom, skill, and style emerge from the process of working with those things over time.

That's one reason complete traditional systems were built the way they were... like a castle on a foundation of bedrock.

Each training method in the art developes something different, but complementary to the rest.

For example, techniques teach the fundamental shapes while basic forms teach how to connect the shapes... movement.

The applications reveal function while the weapons sharpen timing and precision.

The specialized training methods develop the unique Jins or power expression of the art.

And the often-hidden internal methods develop deep connection, awareness, and Qi power.

Over time, those pieces begin reinforcing one another until the practitioner gradually develops genuine ability rather than simply accumulating information.

In that sense, Kung Fu is not something you can purchase.

Kung Fu is not something you memorize.

And it is certainly not something you acquire over a weekend seminar.

It is something you build like a castle.

Brick by brick...

One quality practice session at a time.

How is this Southern Shaolin & Wudang System Different?

Southern China produced an incredible variety of martial arts traditions.

Animal Boxing.

White Crane.

Hakka Arts.

Village Systems.

Family Systems.

Temple Traditions.

Secret Society Traditions.

Many of these systems share common influences and underlying principles while still preserving their own unique methods and traditions.

For that reason, the question is not:

"Which style is best?"

The more useful question is:

"What aspects of the tradition were preserved?"

Some systems emphasize forms.

Others emphasize applications.

Others focus heavily on conditioning, competition, self-defense, health, or cultural preservation.

Our lineage places special emphasis on preserving the complete relationship between the Animal Systems, the Fujian Hand, internal development, martial applications, partner training, weapons methods, and the principles that connect them together.

The Animal Forms are Only the Beginning

Most people encounter Southern Kung Fu through the visible layer of the art.

For example, many have heard of the famous Five Animals of Southern Shaolin...

Tiger, Leopard, Snake, Crane, and Dragon.

These methods are valuable in their own right and contain unique body mechanics, tactical concepts, force-generation methods, and training strategies.

However, the most advanced traditional teachers generally viewed the Animals as expressions of deeper principles rather than mere animal imitation styles.

So while the movements are important, it is the underlying Jin development that powers them, the internal methods that bring them to life, and the principles that integrate the entire system.

The Fujian Hand Provides the Deeper Foundation

One of the distinguishing characteristics of this transmission is the preservation of the Fujian Hand (Fujian Boxing) traditions found "under the hood" of many of these diverse and interesting arts. The most visible influence of Fujian Hand is the iconic Three Battles (sometimes called Three Step Battles) power-development methods that support the broader system.

Over time, many practitioners inherited portions of the Southern systems.

A smaller number inherited the deeper body methods, power-development practices, internal principles, and training progressions that connected those methods together.

In other cases, the forms survived while portions of the underlying power-development methods were gradually lost during the political upheavals, social disruption, and cultural changes that plagued the last few centuries.

This is one reason the Fujian Hand occupies such an important place within our curriculum.

It helps students understand not merely how to perform a movement, but how to generate the structure, connection, power, and internal qualities that allow the movement to function as intended.

Internal and External Development

Many martial systems emphasize either external development or internal cultivation.

Traditional Southern systems often sought to develop both.

Strength and relaxation.

Power and refinement.

Conditioning and internal development.

Life-protecting skill and life-nourishing practice.

As students progress through the curriculum, they discover that Animal Boxing, Three Battles, martial applications, conditioning methods, sparring, and Wudang Sword are not separate subjects competing for attention.

They are different expressions of the same underlying principles.

A Complete Transmission Rather Than Isolated Fragments

Perhaps the greatest difference is not found in any individual form, technique, or training method.

It is found in the completeness of the transmission itself.

Many practitioners spend years collecting forms.

Others collect techniques.

Some accumulate seminars, certifications, and information from many different sources.

Traditional lineage systems were designed differently.

The objective was to preserve a coherent training progression through which forms, power development, internal methods, applications, weapons, strategy, and self-cultivation could support one another.

A beginner sees movements.

An intermediate student begins recognizing the methods behind those movements.

An advanced practitioner discovers how the same principles appear throughout the entire system.

This is one reason practitioners can spend decades studying traditional Southern arts without exhausting their depth.

The goal is not simply to learn more material.

The goal is to discover increasing depth within the same principles.

Is Southern Shaolin Kung Fu Internal Or External?

The short answer is:

Both.

This surprises many people because Southern Shaolin Kung Fu has long been associated with powerful strikes, strong stances, vigorous conditioning, and methods that are often described as "hard" training.

That reputation is well earned.

Many Southern systems emphasize conditioning, force development, impact training, and practical fighting methods. In fact, arts such as Karate trace portions of their heritage back to Southern Chinese boxing traditions, which helped reinforce the perception that Southern systems are primarily external arts.

Movies and demonstrations have contributed to this impression as well. Iron Palm, Iron Shirt, Golden Bell, board breaking, and other dramatic conditioning methods are visually impressive, so they often receive the most attention.

What is less obvious is that many of the Southern systems were profoundly influenced by the internal methods of the Fujian tradition.

The original Fujian Hand emphasized structure, relaxation, breath regulation, body integration, internal cultivation, and coordinated whole-body power. Proper practice often requires a degree of softness, sensitivity, and connection that surprises students who expect Southern Kung Fu to be based solely on muscular force.

In this sense, the traditional Southern systems sought to develop both:

• Hardness and softness
• Strength and relaxation
• External skill and internal development
• Life-protecting and life-nourishing methods

Consider Taiji (the principle, not the martial art named after it)...

The mutual interchange of Yin and Yang...

... Hard and Soft, Internal and External, Fast and Slow, Gentle and Violent, Qi and Li (internal energy and physical force).

All are needed to make the art function as intended.

For this reason, students in our lineage eventually discover that Animal Boxing, Fujian Three Battles, Internal Development, Martial Applications, Conditioning Methods, and Wudang Sword are not separate subjects competing for attention.

They are different expressions of the same underlying principles.

Or to put it another way...

The external methods train the body.

The internal methods give the body life.

Together they create complete Kung Fu.

Why Are Southern Shaolin Animals and Wudang Sword Taught Together?

The short answer is that they were probably never as separate as modern martial artists often imagine.

Traditional accounts credit the famous Five Animal methods of Southern Shaolin to a Daoist master associated with the ancient Tongbei traditions. Over time, those methods influenced countless later systems, including many forms of internal and external Kung Fu.

Fujian White Crane followed a similar path. It combined existing Southern martial methods with Daoist cultivation practices, internal development, and sophisticated power-generation methods that eventually became known throughout Fujian and beyond.

By that point, hundreds of years of cross-pollination had already occurred. Teachers exchanged methods. Students traveled. Systems borrowed, adapted, refined, and evolved.

Then we arrive at Wudang Sword.

Although most people think of it as a completely different art, the sword was historically prized for many of the same qualities valued in the Fujian traditions: structure, refinement, body integration, intention, timing, relaxation, and the ability to express power without relying on brute force.

In other words, while the Five Animals, Fujian Hand, and Wudang Sword may appear very different on the surface, their stories, principles, and methods often intersect in surprising ways.

Which is why traditional teachers frequently saw no contradiction in preserving them together.

The modern mind sees separate styles.

The old masters often saw different expressions of the same deeper principle-based methods.

Why is Fujian Three Battles so important?

One of the biggest misconceptions about Fujian Three Battles is that it is "just another form."

Or worse, that it somehow replaces the Animal Systems.

Neither is true.

The traditional Southern Animals already contain their own power-generation methods, body mechanics, tactics, and training principles. In fact, many of the famous Animals became complete martial systems in their own right.

Tiger develops power differently than Crane.

Crane develops balance differently than Dragon.

Dragon develops change differently than Leopard.

Leopard develops speed differently than Snake.

Each Animal teaches its own lessons.

This is where Three Battles becomes interesting.

The Fujian traditions viewed Three Battles as a deeper developmental method that could be applied across many different methods.

Think of the Animals as high-performance sports cars.

Each one has its own design, strengths, and style.

Think of the Fujian Three Battles as more like the supercharger, engine tuning, suspension upgrade, and guidance system that helps all of them perform at a higher level.

It develops the body, breath, and mind while harmonizing them with power, Qi, and spirit.

In short, it develops the ability to coordinate the entire body-mind-spirit as a single unit.

Over time, these qualities begin enhancing everything else the practitioner does.

This is one reason myriad versions of Three Battles spread so widely throughout Southern China and eventually found their way into derivative arts such as Karate.

Traditional teachers recognized that while the Animals taught specific methods, Three Battles helped develop the practitioner at a deeper level.

Which is the real goal.

A dedicated practitioner is not content with merely imitating the moves of animal... and no matter what nickname your friends give you, you're not really a tiger.

They want true transformation.

For that reason, Fujian Three Battles is often described as one of the gateways into the deeper levels of the Southern arts.

Not because it replaces the Animals.

But because it helps bring the deeper potential of the student fully to life.

What is the Difference Between Southern Shaolin, Fujian White Crane, and Related Arts Like Karate?

One of the most confusing aspects of traditional martial arts is that many systems share common roots, movements, training methods, and principles, yet can look dramatically different from one another today.

The reason is simple.

Over time, different traditions preserved different aspects of the art.

Some preserved forms... others focused on applications or conditioning methods.

Many were focused on imitating the animals.

But a rare few preserved the complete transmission.

A good example is Fujian White Crane.

Many people hear the word "Crane" and assume it is simply another animal imitation style, similar to the Crane found in Southern Shaolin Animal Boxing.

In reality, the traditional Fujian system represented something much deeper.

While it certainly contains movements inspired by natural principles, the art became especially known for its methods of structure, body integration, force generation, breath regulation, internal development, and power cultivation. These methods profoundly influenced many Southern martial traditions.

Over time, portions of those teachings made their way into Southern Animal Boxing systems, village styles, family traditions, Hakka arts, and eventually even into Okinawan Karate.

This helps explain another common question:

Is Three Battles the Same as Sanchin?

Simply put, the question starts with the wrong premise.

The famous Three Battles (San Zhan also called San Bu Zhan) of the Fujian traditions was the ancestor of the Sanchin found in certain Karate systems.

Many aspects of the forms are similar...

Basic structure, breathing, conditioning, tension, and raw power.

However, the original Fujian Three Battles traditions emphasized the internal Qi development and refined power (Jin).

As a result, two practitioners may perform forms that appear similar while training very different aspects of the art.

There's a reason some experienced Karate Senseis (teachers) are seeking out Fujian White Crane practitioners to continue their training.

Likewise, the same points apply to many other Southern systems, which often absorbed just the superficial elements of Three Battles while gradually losing portions of the deeper internal and power-development methods.

What About Modern Sport Wushu?

Traditional Wushu refers broadly to Chinese martial arts.

Modern Sport Wushu provides another, even starker example of what happens when a tradition chooses to preserve one aspect of an art while setting aside others.

In this case, the emphasis shifted toward athletic performance, visual presentation, flexibility, speed, and competitive demonstration.

The result is undeniably impressive.

But at what cost?

Recall that traditional Southern martial arts were designed to preserve martial function, internal development, self-cultivation, conditioning, weapons training, strategic principles, and teacher-to-student transmission.

While you can say that "neither approach is inherently better since they simply emphasize different goals."

The real question is...

What do you want out of your training?

Are you in for balletic "Kung Fuey" movie-like moves?

Or do you want to immerse yourself in the methods that the old Tian Di Hui Grandmasters considered important enough to preserve through generations of turmoil, secrecy, and change?

As you probably already know, very few systems preserved the complete transmission.

And preserving that complete transmission is ultimately what this program is about.

Why Does Traditional Kung Fu Include Weapons Training?

The modern mind often assumes that weapons were added to martial arts.

Historically, it was usually the other way around.

No warrior, soldier, bodyguard, militia member, or village defender wanted to fight empty-handed if they could avoid it. In earlier times people reached for a sword, spear, staff, knife, or whatever tool happened to be available. Today they reach for pistols, rifles, tanks, drones, or other modern weapons.

Empty-hand training provided a relatively safe way to develop timing, structure, power generation, footwork, strategy, and martial skill while reducing the likelihood of seriously injuring your training partners.

Over time, teachers used weapons for something else...

Further refining the practitioner's skill.

A sword quickly exposes flaws in precision.

A spear exposes flaws in power generation.

A staff exposes flaws in alignment.

The weapon becomes a demanding teacher that refuses to lie.

This is why traditional teachers viewed weapons as much more than combat tools.

The goal was not merely to learn a sword form.

Nor was it simply to improve your empty hand.

The goal was to develop better Kung Fu.

The weapon sharpens the practitioner.

The practitioner sharpens the weapon.

Both improve together.

That is one reason Wudang Sword occupies such an important place within our lineage. It is not treated as a separate art added onto the system. It is one more vehicle for developing the same skill, refinement, and understanding that traditional teachers sought throughout the rest of the curriculum.

Are Traditional Martial Arts Still Relevant in the Modern World?

It's a fair question.

After all, most of us aren't carrying swords, defending villages, or preparing for duels at the local teahouse.

The world has changed.

Human nature hasn't.

People still struggle with stress, fear, distraction, poor health, and the challenge of becoming better than they were yesterday.

If traditional martial arts were only about fighting, they would have disappeared long ago.

Instead, they survived because they develop something deeper:

Strength.

Discipline.

Resilience.

Focus.

Character.

And while the weapons, clothing, and technology have changed, those qualities remain just as valuable today as they were centuries ago.

Many practitioners eventually discover that their greatest opponent isn't another person.

It's inconsistency.

Impatience.

Comfort.

In that sense, traditional martial arts remain remarkably relevant.

The old masters understood a simple truth:

A strong body matters.

A disciplined mind matters.

And Kung Fu... skill earned through years of effort... matters in any century.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Shaolin Animals and Wudang Sword?

That depends entirely on what you mean by "learn."

If your goal is simply to memorize the movements of the traditional Yang Taijiquan Long Form, most students can learn the general sequence within several months of consistent practice.

But Yang Taijiquan is not merely a sequence of movements.

The form was designed to teach principles, body mechanics, internal development, balance, coordination, efficient movement, martial understanding, and self-cultivation. Those deeper layers continue revealing themselves over time.

Many students initially believe that the goal is to learn the entire form.

Later, they discover that learning the movements was actually the easy part.

The real challenge is learning to express the principles hidden within those movements.

For example, a beginner may focus primarily on remembering the choreography.

An intermediate student begins refining relaxation, structure, balance, rooting, coordination, and whole-body connection.

An advanced practitioner explores the deeper layers of Neigong, Push Hands, martial applications, weapons training, internal development, and the principles that unite the entire system.

Eventually, students discover that the form is not the destination.

It is the vehicle through which the principles are transmitted.

This is one reason practitioners can study the same Yang Taijiquan form for decades without exhausting its depth.

The goal is not simply to memorize more movements.

The goal is to continually refine the quality of the movement, the body mechanics behind it, and the understanding that brings the art to life.

So how long does it take to learn Yang Taijiquan?

A few months to learn the movements.

A few years to develop meaningful skill.

A lifetime to explore the depth hidden within the art.

And for many practitioners, that is precisely what makes Yang Taijiquan so rewarding.

Can Kung Fu be learned online?

That is a fair question and one that more people should be asking in this online age.

In fact, I used to be skeptical myself.

Yang Taijiquan has traditionally been taught through direct teacher-to-student instruction, hands-on correction, and years of careful practice. Like many martial artists, I originally assumed that serious training had to take place in person.

After all, "hands on, bruises and blood" was how I was trained for decades.

Then something happened.

The pandemic forced many instructors, including me, to teach online.

To my surprise, I discovered that some students actually progressed faster than I expected.

The reason wasn't that online training was better than direct instruction.

It was that online training has advantages that traditional group classes do not.

Students can review lessons repeatedly, study movements from multiple angles, practice at their own pace, and revisit corrections they would normally hear only once.

Which is huge... I can't tell you how many times I wished I had film of some of my training sessions so I could go back through all the stuff I was taught rather than wait until the next lesson to ask for a review. And given that so many of my teachers have transitioned to the next world, there is no "next lesson."

That realization became one of the motivations behind our generational preservation mission.

Many of the lessons within this curriculum originated from actual lineage instruction and private teaching footage recorded while I was teaching my son, Drake Cartwright, with the goal of preserving the complete system for future generations.

Anyway...

I've found that students can successfully learn standing practice, Shen Fa, forms, Neigong methods, martial applications, weapons training, and the theoretical foundations of the art through high-quality video instruction and consistent practice.

Of course, some aspects of the art benefit greatly from direct interaction.

Push Hands, partner drills, sensitivity training, and advanced application work are naturally enhanced when practiced with another person.

However, that does not mean students must wait until they find a training partner before beginning.

In many cases, students can build an exceptionally strong foundation before ever stepping into a training hall.

In fact, I have found that students who arrive for in-person instruction after studying the material online often have a deeper intellectual understanding of the movements, principles, and training methods than they would otherwise.

This allows the in-person training to focus less on explanation and more on refinement. The student ends up getting far more value from the lesson because they already understand the basics and we can focus on the deeper layers of the art.

Look, no video can completely replace direct "hands on" teacher correction in the martial arts.

But a well-structured online training program can provide an excellent foundation in the forms, principles, Shen Fa (Body Method), internal development methods, and training progression of the authentic art.

The goal is not to replace traditional instruction.

The goal is to help students build a stronger foundation so that when direct instruction becomes available, they are prepared to get the maximum benefit from it.

Why is it called Five Animals if there are really a dozen in Southern Shaolin?

A dozen animals?

Surely, you jest.

If there is one animal in Southern Shaolin, there's an untold number.

All invented by a wise master watching some critters do cool stuff and then thinking "How I could make something kickassery out of that?"

Or something like that.

Regardless of their actual original, there are many more than the five famous animals everyone knows...

Tiger, Leopard, Snake, Crane, and Dragon.

Think of those five as the headliners... the main band at the Rock and Roll concert.

In addition, there are a number of other animals in the system such as Mantis, Monkey, Panda (just joking, but there is a "Bear"), Phoenix, Hawk, Dog, Qilin (Unicorn), Butterfly, Elephant, and Ghost (I know, it's weird that Ghost is considered an animal, but that's a complex and esoteric discussion.)

Had enough animals yet?

No?

Okay how about Rat, Spider, Crab, Dove, Tai Bird (more mystical beasts!), Turtle, and Mo or Demon (Yikes!)

Want something less exotic? Try on Cat, Lion, Scorpion, Horse, Rooster, Ox, Sparrow...

Clearly those old monks had a lot of free time to observe nature.

And if there is one thing the old Grandmasters seem to love, it's turning animals into Kung Fu systems.

Which is one reason Southern Kung Fu remains so fascinating.

The deeper you study, the more you discover that the "Five Animals" were never really meant to be a complete list.

They were simply the most famous doorway into a much larger world.

Did People Really Learn Kung Fu Through Secret Societies?

Yes.

It's one thing the movies actually got right.

Of course, not everyone belonged to a secret society, and Kung Fu was certainly taught through village lineages, martial families, military traditions, and temple communities as well.

But many highly skilled practitioners did belong to organizations such as the Tian Di Hui (Heaven and Earth Society), also known as the Hong Men.

These groups helped preserve, refine, and transmit martial methods during periods of tremendous political and social upheaval. Many of their Grandmaster teachers passed their knowledge only to dedicated practitioners who demonstrated loyalty, discipline, perseverance, and good character.

The Tian Di Hui traditions placed tremendous value on brotherhood, honor, dedication, and transmission from one generation to the next.

Were the Legends True?

That depends on what you mean by "true."

Stories about the Southern Shaolin Temple, the Five Ancestors, Zhang Sanfeng, wandering Daoists, immortal sages, hidden manuals, and secret transmissions have been passed down for generations.

Some may contain historical facts.

Others likely preserve symbolism, folklore, cultural memory, or important lessons disguised as stories.

As historians often point out, the exact details may be debated.

But the stories themselves reveal what the tradition considered important enough to remember.

Why Are There So Many Different Stories?

First, many of these traditions operated behind a veil of secrecy.

That secrecy helped protect the arts and the people who carried them.

But it also created a problem.

When only a handful of trusted students received the complete transmission, valuable knowledge could easily be lost when a teacher passed away without fully transmitting the art.

Second, these traditions evolved through countless families, villages, temples, secret societies, military groups, and individual teachers over hundreds of years.

There was no central committee issuing official press releases.

Stories evolved.

Details changed.

Local traditions developed their own versions.

Sometimes metaphors were used to conceal deeper meanings from outsiders.

And different teachers naturally emphasized different aspects of the same events.

Ironically, that diversity may be one of the reasons the arts survived at all.

The real question is not...

"Which story is completely correct?"

The more useful question is...

"What did the story preserve?"

And ultimately, the most important question is...

"What will you do with the knowledge?"

Does This Course Include Internal Or Esoteric Training?

Yes. Traditional Internal Kung Fu has always included internal training concepts that are part of the larger lineage system, including Neigong, Qi cultivation, Shen Fa (Body Method), whole-body power development, and traditional methods of self-cultivation.

These ideas are not presented as abstract philosophy. They are explored through posture, movement, breath, attention, body mechanics, and consistent practice.

Just as importantly, you are not required to hold any particular belief about every traditional explanation in order to benefit from the training.

Many students approach concepts such as Qi from different perspectives. Some view them through the lens of traditional Chinese culture. Others prefer to think in terms of body mechanics, physiology, breathing, coordination, and nervous-system development.

Both approaches are welcome.

What is not helpful is becoming distracted by the need to constantly debate, dismiss, or challenge ideas that are part of the traditional training culture.

You do not need to believe everything.

You do need to approach the material with respect.

If a concept makes sense to you, explore it.

If it doesn't, simply train the method and observe the results for yourself.

The goal is not to convince anyone of a particular worldview.

The goal is to provide an honest introduction to the traditional principles, methods, and language preserved within the lineage while allowing students to develop their own understanding through direct practice and experience.

Skepticism is welcome.

Disrespect is not.

This course is designed for students who are willing to keep an open mind, train sincerely, and allow the art to speak for itself.

Is this the Complete System?

That depends on what you mean by "complete."

If by complete you mean every Southern form, every branch, every variation, every family tradition, and every related art ever developed in Fujian or Southern China, then no such system exists.

Southern martial arts are incredibly diverse. Over the centuries, practitioners created hundreds, perhaps thousands, of forms, training methods, and specialized branches.

That is not what traditional teachers meant when they spoke about a complete transmission.

Traditionally, a system was considered complete when it contained all the essential elements necessary to develop, understand, preserve, and transmit the art. In our lineage, this concept is evaluated through the Liu He Ta (Six-Sided Tower) framework.

In other words, the question is not:

"Does the system contain everything?"

The more useful question is:

"Does the system contain everything necessary?"

Our Southern Shaolin and Wudang curriculum preserves a complete transmission of our family tradition, including the forms, principles, body methods, power-development practices, applications, weapons training, internal cultivation methods, training progressions, and teacher-to-student knowledge that allow the system to function as an integrated whole.

But that does not mean the journey ends there.

Just as Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, and Baguazhang are closely related members of the Northern Internal Arts family, Southern China produced many related traditions that share historical connections, training concepts, and developmental methods.

A practitioner may spend a lifetime studying only one complete system and never exhaust its depth.

Others eventually explore closely related arts to gain new perspectives and deepen their understanding.

Both approaches are valid.

What matters is understanding that a complete transmission is not measured by the number of forms it contains.

It is measured by whether the principles, methods, and relationships that bring the art to life have been preserved.

Our lineage was entrusted with several complete transmissions in the Southern Shaolin and Fujian related traditions.

The system presented in this program is one such complete transmission, preserved and passed forward through our lineage as a rare cultural treasure for future generations of sincere, dedicated practitioners.

How Much Material Is Included In The Program?

We strive to be both concise and thorough in our teaching approach.

Our goal is not to inflate course hours with unnecessary repetition, filler content, or lengthy lectures designed to make a program appear larger than it really is.

If a concept can be explained clearly in ten minutes, there is little value in turning it into a one-hour presentation.

In our experience, students benefit far more from reviewing lessons, reflecting on the principles, and actually practicing the methods than they do consuming endless hours of video.

Traditional Chinese Kung Fu is ultimately a cultivation art.

The lessons provide the instruction.

The practice develops the skill.

The application of the principles produces the results.

For students who wish to understand the structure of the curriculum, the program currently includes approximately:

• 64+ training modules
• Hundreds of lessons
• Sequential curriculum progression
• Forms, Conditioning Drills, Martial Applications, Neigong, Weapons Training, and Internal Development Methods
• Structured progression from foundational through advanced study

However, the more important consideration is not the number of lessons.

It is the depth of the material.

Unlike many programs that focus primarily on teaching movements, the Lineage Training Program was designed to progressively guide students from learning the movements, to understanding the principles behind them, to developing the skill required to express those principles in practice.

The lessons are delivered over a period of months and years, depending on how far the student wishes to progress. This reflects both traditional training methods and modern educational best practices.

Most students complete the foundational curriculum within approximately one year, though individual progress varies based on practice frequency, prior experience, and personal goals.

The cultivation practices themselves, however, can continue providing value for decades.

Because the Lineage Training Program is a living and evolving preservation project, lessons, curriculum content, and program structure may occasionally be updated or expanded over time.

For students pursuing professional development, certification, continuing education, or training documentation requirements, TCCII can provide documentation of training completed, instructional hours, and instructional format upon request.

What If I Can't Follow The Program Perfectly?

Many students assume they must complete every lesson perfectly and maintain an ideal training schedule.

Traditional cultivation rarely works that way.

Life happens.

People get busy.

Work, family, travel, illness, and unexpected events all have a way of disrupting even the best intentions.

The goal is not perfection.

The goal is steady progress over time.

The program is self-paced specifically so students can adapt their training to real-world responsibilities while continuing to move forward.

Some students progress quickly.

Others take longer.

What matters most is not how fast you finish, but whether you continue cultivating and developing over time.

In fact, many experienced practitioners eventually discover that progress is rarely the result of perfect training schedules.

It is usually the result of returning to the practice again and again over months and years.

Miss a day?

Resume the next day.

Miss a week?

Resume the following week.

Get it?

Remember, traditional Yang Taijiquan is not a race.

It is a lifelong practice.

The students who ultimately develop the most skill are rarely the ones who train perfectly.

More often, they are the ones who simply keep showing up.

Will This Program Complement Other Taijiquan, Martial Arts, Qigong, Meditation, or Wellness Practices?

In many cases, yes.

The Lineage Training Program was designed to teach fundamental principles and methods that can deepen understanding of many related practices.

Students often find that body mechanics, structure, whole-body movement, conditioning, rooting, balance, coordination, and force-development principles enhance their understanding of other martial arts, movement disciplines, meditation practices, and health-oriented systems.

Because the program emphasizes principles rather than isolated techniques, many students discover that the lessons learned through Kung Fu practice naturally carry over into other aspects of their training and daily life.

We're not trying to create dependence on a single exercise, form, or training method.

What we want is to develop a deeper understanding of the principles that give those methods meaning and effectiveness.

At the same time, students should understand that every traditional system has its own methods, priorities, and training culture. Our objective is not to replace your existing practice, but to help you see it through a deeper understanding of the principles that unite many traditional arts.

What If I Can't Afford The Program Right Now?

Only you can decide whether this program is a worthwhile investment for your current situation.

Some students choose to enroll immediately because they view health, personal development, stress management, and self-cultivation as priorities that are worth investing in today.

Others decide to wait until their financial situation improves.

Both decisions are perfectly reasonable.

For those who prefer to spread the investment over time, tuition is accepted through most major credit cards. Some students choose to arrange payment terms directly through their card issuer.

However, the more important question is not:

"Can I finance it?"

The more important question is:

"Will I actually use it?"

A program collecting digital dust helps nobody.

On the other hand, even modest, consistent practice can create benefits that continue for years.

If now is not the right time financially, that's okay.

The program should support your life, not create stress within it.

What If I've Bought Training Programs Before But Never Finished Them?

You might be surprised how common that is.

Many people have books on their shelves, videos on their hard drives, courses in the cloud, and training programs they purchased with the very best intentions.

However, in my experience, the problem is rarely a lack of motivation.

More often, the problem is that students never found a complete system they truly believed in.

Many programs teach exercises but not principles...

... others teach fragments without showing how the pieces fit together.

... some are, sadly, incomplete.

And others are poorly translated, stripped of context, or disconnected from the traditional training methods that gave the practices their original meaning.

As a result, students often sense that something is missing, even if they can't quite put their finger on it.

The good news is that you've already overcome the hardest obstacle.

You've discovered an authentic lineage system that has been organized, preserved, translated, and taught as a complete, principle-based curriculum.

In many ways, that's the hardest part.

The next challenge is simply beginning.

And beginning does not require hours a day...

... It doesn't require perfect conditions.

... It doesn't require becoming a mountain hermit chanting sixteen hours a day.

None of that nonsense.

Look, some of the most sincere practitioners started with just five minutes.

Before they know it, five becomes ten.

They just looked at one lesson and did...

...one practice session.

When students begin experiencing the methods for themselves, something a little bit wild often happens.

Their practice stops feeling like another item on a checklist (Lord knows we don't need more of those!)

Instead, it starts becoming part of their daily routine.

Much like brushing your teeth... the thing we hated to do as kids, but now we do out of habit. Habit is something developed by simple, regular repetition and not ridiculous, heroic effort.

Remember...

... Traditional cultivation is not a race.

... The goal is not perfection.

... The goal is not to finish as quickly as possible.

What the highest performing students want is steady progress, deeper understanding, and consistent practice over time.

The lessons provide the instruction.

The practice develops the skill.

The application of the principles produces the results.

And when you're ready, simply begin...

Who are you?

​I’m Shifu Shawn Cartwright.

I began my formal martial arts training in 1985, after first being exposed to military combative methods through a former Marine. Since then, I have spent decades studying traditional internal Kung Fu and Chinese martial arts with a specific purpose: to find, preserve, and pass on authentic lineage-based training.

Over the years, that search has taken me through Taiwan, China, and the United States to study with highly respected teachers and Grandmasters, including Grandmaster Chen, Grandmaster Bai, Grandmaster Li, Grandmaster He, Shifu Lo, Shifu Alsup, and others.

But I was not simply looking for impressive demonstrations or famous names.

I was looking for complete traditional systems with real depth, clear method, and the ability to transmit skill from teacher to student.

In the old training model, a complete art was evaluated through the Liu He Ta, or Six-Sided Tower. This refers to the six essential components that make a traditional system whole. Without those pieces, a method may still be useful, but it is not the complete art.

I also learned that three things matter when choosing a teacher:

1. They must have the real lineage method.
Not just movements, but the principles, body method, applications, and internal training behind them.

2. They must be able to teach.
High-level skill is not enough. A teacher must be able to pass the art into the student’s body and understanding.

3. The transmission must be accurately understood.
When training crosses language and culture, interpretation matters. Important details can easily be lost if the interpreter does not understand the art, the language, and the training context.

That is why I have been careful about who I study with, how the material is preserved, and how it is taught.

Shifu Shawn Cartwright co-founded TCCII with Dr. Yinong Chong to help preserve rare Chinese martial and internal arts, and to make them understandable for serious Western students.

Dr. Chong uses her proprietary P5LIM, the PhD 5 Level Interpretation Method, to interpret classical Chinese martial and internal arts teachings into modern English while preserving their meaning, training context, and teacher-to-student details.

Her interpretation work has been sought out even by professional interpreters working at the highest levels, because this material requires more than language fluency. It requires deep cultural, historical, and training context.

We are dedicated to transmitting the complete, authentic systems to the next generation of practitioners.

The mission is simple: to build a clear bridge between the Ancient Arts of the East and the Modern Practitioners of the West.

The Kē Lóng (珂龍) Internal Arts Tradition

This program is part of the broader Kē Lóng (珂龍) Internal Arts Tradition.

Within Ke Long, principle-based internal arts are not viewed as isolated disciplines.

They exist alongside Meditation, Qigong, Neigong, Internal Alchemy, Taijiquan, Internal Kung Fu, Yi Jing, Bazi, healing methods, and other traditional cultivation practices that share common principles and developmental goals.

A student may enter through Taijiquan.

Another through Kung Fu.

Another through Qigong.

Someone else through meditation or internal cultivation.

Yet over time, many discover that the same principles continue appearing throughout seemingly different disciplines.

This is one reason traditional teachers often viewed the arts as interconnected at the deepest levels.

Within the Ke Long tradition, our objective is not to produce students who simply collect disconnected methods.

Our mission is to preserve, document, and transmit the complete principle-based systems of these rare arts to the next generation of practitioners, instructors, and lineage inheritors.

Some students choose to specialize in a single art.

Others explore several branches of the tradition.

In the end, what matters most is not how many methods you study, but how deeply you understand the principles that bring those methods to life.

What Is Your Southern Shaolin & Wudang Lineage?

Unlike many martial arts that trace through a single family or institution, our Southern Shaolin and Wudang transmission emerged through a network of martial families, village traditions, Tian Di Hui Grandmasters, Fujian White Crane teachers, Nan Hua Quan instructors, and Wudang practitioners who preserved these arts through periods of tremendous social and political upheaval.

The transmission includes influences from Southern Animal Boxing, Fujian White Crane, Tongbei, Nan Hua Quan, Wudang Sword, and related family traditions that survived through highly selective teacher-to-student instruction.

Our primary lineage comes directly from the Grandmaster instructors of the Tian Di Hui organization and closely related martial families. They were some of the last remaining "old school" Shifus trained in an era where these arts were directly used in the fighting of the early 20th Century.

These include Grandmaster Hsieh and Grandmaster Chen. They preserved some of the oldest and most complete Fujian systems. Grandmaster Chen was regarded as one of the Five Tigers of Taiwan and Grandmaster Hsieh was a bodyguard for Chang Kai Shek.

Shifu Casey had the unprecedented opportunity, particularly for a Westerner of his generation, to become a full member of the Heaven and Earth Society (Tian Di Hui, Hong Men), granting him access to teachings rarely available outside those circles. This organization was responsible for preserving the actual combative methods of many traditional Chinese Boxing arts through the 20th Century.

Shifu Casey studied many traditional internal arts in Taiwan through the elite access the Hongmen Hui provided. These include Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, Wing Chun, Nan Shaolin, Qinna, Baoding Shuaijiao, San Da, Weapons, Martial Neidan, and several versions of Fukien White Crane. 

Shifu Alsup was fortunate to be one of the few indoor students of Shifu Casey which enabled him to learn Shifu Casey's personal method of Internal Kung Fu derived from his Hong Men Hui teachers and other traditions which includes Iron Shirt, Qigong, Mind Training and esoteric methods. He passed these teachings to Shifu Shawn Cartwright.

Another influential teacher of Shifu Cartwright is Grandmaster Bai Wenxiang (白文祥大师).

Many students know Grandmaster Bai through his accomplishments as a professional martial artist, national coach, and senior Wushu educator. What attracted me was something different.

He preserved complete systems.

Grandmaster Bai studied a remarkable range of traditional arts, including Tongbei, Xingyi, Bagua, Six Harmony Boxing, Praying Mantis, Yang Taijiquan, Chen Taijiquan, Zhaobao Taijiquan, Sun Taijiquan, and Wudang-related traditions. His teachers included some of the most respected martial artists of the twentieth century, including Grandmaster Ma Xianda, one of China's most influential martial arts theorists and a renowned master of Tongbei.

This broad foundation gave Grandmaster Bai a unique perspective on the relationships between internal development, body mechanics, power generation, weapons training, and martial skill.

His influence helped deepen and validate many of the principles already present within our Southern transmission.

However, Grandmaster Bai represents only part of the story.

The Southern system itself was passed through teachers associated with the Tian Di Hui traditions, Nan Hua Quan instructors, Fujian White Crane practitioners, village martial families, and related lineages that preserved these methods through generations of selective transmission.

Like many traditional arts, some teachers are widely known.

Others are known only within their own martial families and communities.

Ironically, it was often these lesser-known village teachers and family traditions that carried the arts through the most difficult periods of history.

My own training brought these influences together through years of study with Grandmaster Bai Wenxiang, Shifu Casey, Shifu Alsup, Dr. Tao Pingxiang, and other respected teachers.

Over time, I came to recognize the same challenge faced by every generation before me:

How do you preserve a complete transmission when so many of the old traditions have already been lost?

My answer was simple.

Teach my son the complete system.

Document the lessons on film to provide a visual record of the methods.

And thereby preserve and transmit the system for the next generation.

Many of the lessons within this program were filmed during actual instruction with my son, Drake Cartwright, as part of an ongoing generational preservation effort.

As a result, students are not simply learning forms, techniques, or drills.

They are participating in the same teacher-to-student transmission process through which these arts survived and reached the present day.

After all, traditional arts do not survive because books survive.

Or forms survive.

Or techniques survive.

They survive because each generation chooses to pass the complete system to the next.

What makes this program different?

Many Tai Chi and Kung Fu programs teach movements. Fewer preserve the full method behind the movements.

What makes TCCII different is the way we protect three things at the same time:

1. The completeness of the art
2. The accuracy of the interpretation
3. The ability to teach the material clearly to Western students

1. The art must be complete

In traditional Chinese martial arts, a complete system is not just a form. It includes structure, body method, applications, internal training, weapons, partner work, teaching progression, and the principles that connect them.

We evaluate the completeness of a system through the Liu He Ta, or Six-Sided Tower. This framework helps preserve the essential parts of a traditional art so students are not left with only choreography or isolated techniques.

This matters because many students only receive part of a system. Sometimes the teacher did not have the full curriculum. Sometimes the teacher had it but did not pass it on. Sometimes the material was hidden behind the old Veil of Secrecy, where important details were reserved, withheld, or never clearly explained.

We respect the old ways, but we do not believe serious students should be left guessing.

2. The teaching must cross the East-West communication gap

Even when a teacher has the complete art, the material can still be difficult to transmit across language and culture.

Traditional Chinese martial arts contain ideas that do not translate cleanly into modern English. Terms related to Qi, Jin, Fajin, Neigong, body method, intention, and internal training often carry layers of meaning. If those layers are not interpreted properly, students may receive the words but miss the method.

This is why Dr. Yinong Chong uses P5LIM, the PhD 5 Level Interpretation Method, to help carry the meaning from classical Chinese martial culture into clear modern English.

The purpose is not just translation. It is preservation of meaning, training context, and teacher-to-student detail.

3. The material must be teachable

High-level skill does not automatically make someone a clear teacher.

A teacher must know how to organize the material, explain the progression, correct common errors, and help students understand what to practice next. That is why TCCII places so much attention on teaching method, lesson structure, and progressive training.

The result is a program that gives students more than movements to copy. It gives them a structured way to approach the art with lineage, interpretation, and method working together.

That is what we mean when we say this program is different.

What is the Liu He Ta and why is it important?

Liu He Ta, often translated as the Six-Sided Tower, refers to six key components of a complete traditional art.

It gives us a way to understand whether a system contains more than movements and techniques. A complete art should also include the philosophy, principles, methods, tools, and teacher-to-student details that make the training work.

The six parts are:

1. Dao, the Way
   The larger philosophy and direction of the art. Dao helps you understand why the system exists, what it is trying to develop, and how the parts fit together.

2. Li, the Principles
   The rules and truths that guide the art. Li helps you understand what to do when things are uncertain, especially under pressure.

3. Fa, the Methods
   The training methods that develop the art over time. Fa shows you how to practice, how to progress, and how the skill is built.

4. Shu, the Techniques
   The specific movements and applications of the art. Shu helps you understand what to use, when to use it, and how the method becomes practical.

5. Bing, the Tools
   The training devices and support methods used to develop skill. Bing may include special exercises, equipment, drills, or training aids that help the body understand the method.

6. Mi Jue, the Oral Secrets
   The teacher-to-student details that are rarely written down and often reserved for serious students or lineage inheritors. Mi Jue helps preserve the subtle instructions, corrections, and training cues that make the art come alive.

This matters because a traditional system can become incomplete when one or more of these parts is missing. Students may receive movements without principles, techniques without method, or exercises without the deeper teaching that connects them.

That is why TCCII places so much emphasis on preserving the complete lineage method and documenting the teaching carefully for future generations.

What does P5LIM mean?

P5LIM stands for PhD 5 Level Interpretation Method.

It is Dr. Yinong Chong’s proprietary method for interpreting classical Chinese martial and internal arts teachings into modern English while preserving the original meaning, training context, and teacher-to-student details behind the words.

This matters because traditional arts like Taijiquan, Kung Fu, Qigong, and Neidan are not easy to translate word-for-word. Many important terms carry rich layers of cultural, historical, philosophical, esoteric, and practical meaning.

Dr. Chong speaks English like a native and has rare fluency in Classical Chinese, which allows her to work directly with older source material and verify meaning at a level most ordinary translation cannot reach.

Her interpretation work has been sought out even by professional interpreters working at the highest levels, because this material requires more than language fluency. It requires deep cultural, historical, and lineage training context.

The purpose of P5LIM is to keep the teaching from being flattened into a generic translation. It helps preserve the internal principles, training methods, and traditional lineage secrets so Western students can understand what is actually being taught.

How does the program work?

Once you complete your registration, you receive immediate access to the online TCCII training portal.

Inside the portal, you’ll find your course organized into clear lessons, structured in a logical progression to optimize your training. Select a lesson, press play, and follow the course at your own pace.

Some lessons and bonuses are intentionally locked until the right point in the course. As you progress, more material unlocks so you can follow the training in the intended order.

You can return to earlier lessons for review according to the access included with your purchase. This is especially useful for revisiting posture, movements, forms, and the deeper principles introduced in the course.

Because the program is online, you can study wherever you have internet access and train at the times that work for your life. You do not have to travel across town, rearrange your schedule around a local class, or depend on whether a qualified instructor in this method happens to live nearby.

The course gives you a structured way to begin this method with clear guidance, lineage context, and practice support inside one training portal.

Can I really learn from an online program?

That’s a fair question. Let me ask you this... have you ever learned anything meaningful online?

Most people have. Martial arts are different, of course, but the real question is not whether online learning can work. The real question is what can be taught well online, what needs hands-on correction, and how is the training structured?

Every training format has strengths and limitations: books, live classes, private lessons, demonstrations, and online study all teach in different ways.

I used to doubt whether serious internal martial arts could be taught online. Then the pandemic forced us to teach remotely, and I saw something surprising... some students actually improved faster.

There were two main reasons.

First, video made it possible to present private teaching material with clear structure, multiple angles, and careful explanation. In a live group class, students often miss details because of where they are standing, who is in front of them, or how quickly the class moves.

Second, students could rewatch the lessons. That matters. In a private lesson, you may receive a correction once and then have to remember it. In an online course, you can return to the same teaching again and again, compare angles, slow down your study, and review the details between practice sessions.

That changed the way I thought about online training.

This program is designed to give you many of the benefits of private instruction while using the strengths of modern video learning:

1. Structured progression
   Lessons are organized so you know what to study next and what to review.

2. Multiple viewing angles
   Forms, applications, and demonstrations can be studied from more than one perspective.

3. Repeatable instruction
   You can rewatch lessons as often as your access allows, which helps you catch details you missed the first time.

4. Lineage training without travel
   Study from home without airfare, hotels, meals, lost work time, commuting, or navigating the uncertainty and expense of international travel.

5. A clearer foundation before private correction
   If you later choose private lessons or partner training, you arrive with a stronger base. That makes hands-on correction more focused and useful.

For advanced martial application, push hands, and partner work, nothing replaces direct contact with another person. But online training can prepare you extremely well by teaching the forms, principles, body method, applications, and training sequence before you enter that hands-on stage.

Can I go back and rewatch my lessons?

Yes. In fact, you are encouraged to return to the lessons and review them according to the access included with your purchase.

That is one of the real benefits of our online training model. You can revisit the teaching, compare details, and notice things you may have missed the first time.

I often think about how valuable it would have been to have films of my private lessons from the early days of my training. That is one reason I filmed these lessons for my son, Drake Cartwright.

These class films are an important part of the legacy I am passing on to him. I am grateful that today’s technology allows us to make this training available to sincere students, even if you live in another city or country.