The atmosphere was buzzing at Swiss Cottage Sport Centre as students and Shaolin Temple Masters gathered for the First Team Shaolin Interschool Shaolin Kung fu Competition in London, on Saturday 7 November 2009.

The competition kicked off with children performing traditional forms of Shaolin Kung Fu. Seated at the four corners of the room, the masters scored their performances while curious passers-by gathered on the mezzanine floor to watch. The overall winners of the day and the trophy this year were from Shifu Heng Wei's school, Tang Long, based in London’s Finchley Road. Other schools and Masters competing were

• Shaolin Culture (Bromley) - Shifu Yang
• UK Shaolin Temple (Bournemouth) - Shifu Yan Ming
• Shaolin Temple Bristol - Shifu Yan Xing
• Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Centre (SE London) - Shifu Heng Sheng
• Amitofou (Essex) - Shifu Heng Xuan
  
  Also represented on the day

• Shaolin Wushu (Bristol)
• Natural Healing (Bournemouth) - Paul Lockyer
• Shaolin Gong Fu City
• Rens Overdyk from the Netherlands school

Standards on the day were exceptional with gold medals going to Jason Seaton and Andy Dempsey of Shaolin Wushu Bristol for Drunken Sword and Coin spade (respectively). Other gold medal winners on the day were Michael Puricelli (Tang Long) for Ba Ji Quan, Oskar Gawron (Tang Long) for Ba Ji Quan in the children's section, Allan Martin (Shaolin Culture) for Black Tiger and Tai Chi sword. Some 75 separate entries were judged during the day and the bench mark has been set for next year.

The driving force behind the competition is Shifu Heng Wei, a 35th Generation Master from the Shaolin Temple who came over from China in 2003 to spread the knowledge of Shaolin Kung fu for health and fitness and in 2004 set up his own School , Tang Long in Swiss Cottage. He set up Team Shaolin, an association of the very best Kung Fu Masters so that people who wanted to train in this traditional martial art would be able to find authentic training.

Shifu Heng Wei decided to organise an event that would crystallize the abilities of any person training Shaolin Kung Fu. After seeing the dedication of his students and how well they were progressing, he proposed that Team Shaolin members arrange a competition that would show what the average person can achieve through training.

In addition to showing unity between traditional Shaolin Kung Fu schools, the annual competition is also a first step in standardising Shaolin Kung Fu taught in the UK and Europe. To date there is no event in the whole of EU that benchmarks the standards achieved by Shaolin Masters and their students and the competition therefore represents an important milestone in this direction.

While Shaolin Kung Fu was popularised in the 60's and 70's through Bruce Lee films and is now globally known, people are often unaware that they can train with genuine Masters in the UK without having to go to China. The growth of Shaolin Kung Fu in Europe has been exponential in recent years. Perhaps people are beginning to understand that ancient martial arts unlock the body’s natural energies and help instill a calm mind and build a healthy body. More Masters are expected to come to Europe to spread the benefits of this martial art and by working together Team Shaolin hope to create strong foundations to pave the way for future Kung Fu Masters.

The competition which will be held again in Autumn 2010 is not only aimed at Shaolin Temple Masters and their students; anyone who teaches traditional Shaolin Kungfu is encouraged to participate. This is by far the best way to even out what is being taught by the many Kung Fu Masters while keeping the heritage of this ancient martial art alive for the benefit of all generations.

Team Shaolin = One Team, One Dream