It was back in 1998. Shi De Cheng had informed me that he knew about 80 different Shaolin forms. Now, making a list of all of those would be difficult, given the language differences. He had claimed to practice them on a regular basis. The reason for this? The transmission of information from master to disciple, in an exact fashion, as he had learned them from Shi Su Yun, Of all the monks I had met in Shaolin to this point, DeCheng was more of a Shaolin encyclopedia than most. The man knew a lot, and he was proud of the fact that he could remember, and, more importantly, teach the forms exactly as he had learned if. Shi Su Yun not only taught him the forms, as he had learned them from his master, but also taught him the importance of tradition, and maintaining the sanctity of the forms.
The following is a list of the commonly taught traditional weapon forms at Shaolin, historically through this century, as per Shi Su Yun, via Shi De Cheng. Granted, there are others, but these are the most well known, and most accepted. There may be more than one for each type, though generally, there is one well known form for each which incorporates most if not all of the generally accepted combat moves.
It should be known, that in the years after 2000, more and more iterations and changes to these forms, plus, the creation of new ones, took place. This was in response to the increase in competitions in China, and the need to alter the traditional forms to make them more stylized and competition capable.
Shaolin Traditional Weapons
Mei Hua Dao Sword (Broadsword)
Shi San Qiang Spear
Damo Jian Double edge sword
Yin Shou Gun Pole "Bow" staff
Jiu Jie Bien Nine section chain whip
San Jie Gun Three section pole staff
Damo Zhang Cane
Pu Dao Long bladed weapon
Chun Gui Da Dao Broadsword
Sheng Biao Rope dart
Yue Ya Chan Monk spade
Ban Fu Axe
San Gu Cha Tiger Fork
Shuang Dao Double swords
Shuang Bian Double chainwhip
Shuang Chui Cudgel
Shuang Fu Double axe
Shuang Gou Double hook swords
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- Written by: doc