Gulun Kung Fu Pan Gen and Internal Conditioning Retreat with Ben Lucas
A focused week dedicated to the Pán Gēn (盘根) form, internal kung fu leg conditioning, and systematic training to improve your flexibility for martial arts.
Twisting Root and Internal Conditioning
Pán Gēn (Twisting Root) is the first major form in the Gulun Kung Fu syllabus and the form Shifu Shi Heng Yi learned when he trained in China under Grandmaster Wu Nanfang. It is a compact form that only takes a few minutes to perform, yet its focus on developing a strong, stable base makes it an exceptional daily practice for building strong legs, a deep root, and the ability to generate power from the ground with your whole body acting in harmony.
To express internal movement properly, the body needs both strength in low stances and freedom in the joints. Alongside step-by-step instruction in Pán Gēn, daily sessions cover internal leg conditioning, progressive jump training, and the exact systematic flexibility methods Ben Lucas used while training martial arts in China to unlock front splits, side splits, deep stances (pū bù and mǎ bù), and comfortable meditation posture.
What You Will Practise
What Is Included
Venue accommodation and booking details at Shaolin Temple Europe will follow.
Who This Retreat Is For
Complete beginners and experienced practitioners who want a compact, powerful internal form alongside a clear system for building leg strength, springy power, and martial arts flexibility.
No prior Pán Gēn experience or existing flexibility is required. Every drill progresses from your current level.
Practice films: Pan Gen with Shifu Wu Nanfang · Pan Gen with Ben Lucas · Conditioning with Ben Lucas
About Ben Lucas
Ben Lucas lives in China and has trained one-on-one with Grandmaster Wu Nanfang since September 2024, the first Westerner to do so. His background includes seven years in Chinese martial arts, over a decade of meditation and more than 200 days on silent and darkness retreats, with experience across Theravada, Zen and Tibetan Buddhist practice. A former Goldman Sachs lawyer, he coaches people on bringing meditation and martial practice into everyday life.
Continuing Your Practice
To prepare, our online programme includes foundational practice, flexibility and leg conditioning. A free introductory programme is also available at gulunkungfu.org/online.
Booking details will be announced here.