Of all the adversaries you'd least like to square up against, the Shaolin monk is the most fearsome. His strike capable of splintering concrete, his limbs a blur of speed and his expression an impassioned, composed calm, the Shaolin sees martial arts as a manifestation of his Zen Buddhism.

Pit the religious zeal and mental grit of the Shaolin against the brutish strength of a Rocky, and I know where I'd put my money. For 1,500 years the soldier monks have practised longer, harder and with more discipline than any other fighters in the world. In AD495 they created a meditation-in-motion; a set of 18 fighting actions that used every part of the body. When later their temple was under attack, their discipline evolved into a lethal martial art - also known as kung fu.

Wheel of Life

Each year, the Shaolin showcase terrific feats with the stageshow Wheel of Life. Monks splinter wooden staffs against their bodies, smash concrete slabs and hoist their entire body weight on to two fingers. But it's the quiet, mental resolve behind the showy physical display that is more evident at the Shaolin Temple UK. Meditation and 'qi gong' (a series of fluid, hypnotic movements) are just as essential as the gong fu or kung fu.

'The internal and external training in Shaolin martial arts are indivisible,' explains Shifu Shi Yanzi. 'It doesn't matter how hard you hone your body, if you don't train your mind or use your qi (pronounced 'chi' - the body's internal force), you are only using half your might,'

Shifus (Shaolin masters) believe the body's qi is a special energy stored in the abdomen, three inches below the navel. Learn to control it and you will be able to summon terrific power to a fist, a foot or a finger at will. Learn to move it around your body, as in qi gong, and you can use it to detoxify the body, strengthen the internal organs or even heal yourself as in Chinese medicine.

Time, sweat and training

Typically, pupils perform sitting meditations to calm the mind before a qi gong class. Instruction is minimal: you follow by example and directions are all in Chinese. Despite its pace, qi gong requires mental sharpness and internal control and, after several repetitions, the mind, the breath and the movements synchronise and the body begins to act intuitively. The idea being, when next you progress to the very physically demanding training of gong fu, the body stays elastic and the mind stays flatlined yet focussed.

Literally translated, gong fu means 'time plus sweat' - and training is hard, teaching is strict and pupils train several hours a day, several days a week to master the notoriously difficult discipline.

But all the hours in the world are not enough without the mental strength and strong chi. Without these it's puff and punch, but no power.

Wheel Of Life UK tour from September 17. Tel: 0870 735 5000, www.wheeloflife.co.uk
Shaolin Temple UK. Tel: 020 7687 8333, www.shaolintempleuk.org