THEY are fit, energetic and specialise in death-defying tricks.Whether they are flipping through the air or lying on a bed of nails, these highly-trained kung-fu practitioners have mastered the act of keeping an audience on the edge of their seats while staying calm and composed.The Shaolin Warriors from China are on a nation-wide tour and will bring their two-hour show to Sutherland Entertainment Centre on Tuesday, September 27.

The show will feature 22 warriors, aged from 11 to 33, who will interpret the journey of a young child’s transformation into a warrior through martial arts moves and Buddhist meditation.

Han Wenqiao, the group’s translator, said the warriors used meditation to not only find balance in life but to also control their muscles and stay focused during dangerous stunts.

Mr Wenqiao said most Shaolin Warriors started training aged five.

These modern day monks practise a style of kung fu that originated from the Shaolin Temple, which is more than 1000 years old, in China.

Mr Wenqiao described Shaolin as a style that represented the north of China because of the masculine and beautiful movements.

He said the Shaolin philosophy is a combination of philosophical Taoism and Buddhism so a practitioner can be in harmony with the universe and himself.

Feng Changbao, 21, has only had one accident — a dislocated ankle when he didn’t land a jump — in his 14 years as a Shaolin Warrior.

His specialties in the show include having a brick slapped in half on top of him as he lies on a bed of nails and being lifted in the air by spears.

Mr Changbao said the stunts hurt him at first but strong concentration and training helped him control his mind and muscles.

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