Master Yan’an has trained at the Shaolin Temple in Henan province since age 6 and has climbed the roughly 1,500 stone steps up Wuru Peak to the Bodhidharma Cave countless times, according to ESPN. The staircase varies in height and width; tourists who make the ascent during daylight typically take one to two hours, and the temple does not recommend climbing at night because there are no lights along the trail.
Last summer the San Antonio Spurs All-NBA center Victor Wembanyama traveled to the monastery seeking challenges beyond physical preparation, Master Yan’an told ESPN. Yan’an described the mountain work as having two components: daytime training to develop the body and nighttime practice to cultivate awareness and the mind.
On the sixth night of Wembanyama’s retreat he joined Yan’an and a group of monks for a hike in total darkness to the cave, a practice Yan’an said forces steps to be taken “step by step” and requires listening to breath and heart, ESPN reported. Staff who accompanied Wembanyama expressed reservations, and Yan’an noted the 7-foot-4 center bumped his head on trees along the path and had to lean forward to pass under branches.
Daily routines at the monastery tested balance and stamina. Wembanyama rose at 4:30 a.m. for runs through forest terrain and work on an uneven 200-meter hillside track, performing frog jumps, sprints and one-legged hops uphill and downhill, according to ESPN. The monks also taught him the Shaolin 13 Fist Form, one of two basic kung fu forms meant to train efficient weight shifts, stability and striking principles.
Yan’an tailored the martial arts instruction to emphasize control of the center of gravity so force could be generated from varied positions and resist external pressure, a method he said would mirror double-teams and physical play in the NBA, ESPN reported. Wembanyama meditated several times daily with about 100 monks; sessions were timed by the length of an incense wick and sometimes lasted up to 90 minutes. Yan’an told ESPN he saw in Wembanyama an unprecedented set of skills and untapped potential that required an equally unconventional training approach.
