Legends say the first martial arts system was developed at the fabled Shaolin Temple located in the Hunan province of southern China around the 5th Century AD. It began when an Indian monk named Bodhidharma came to the temple. He is credited as the principle source for all martial arts styles, or at the very least, for any style which traces its roots back to this Shaolin Temple.

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Shaolin Monks say that Bodhidharma traveled to Shaolin-si (small forest temple) China in 526 where he spend many years teaching Zen Buddhism. During this time he introduced a system of physical and breathing exercises which developed into what is now known as Kung Fu. Bodhidharma developed the physical exercises by watching and imitating the natural movements of different animals; ie: praying mantis, tiger, crane, horse, monkey, snake and dragon. The breathing exercises were developed to keep the inner organs healthy so as to improve one's Chi, the ability to reach inside and to draw power from within the body itself.