Shi Deru

Shi Deru (Chinese: 释德如; pinyin: Shì Dérú), born Liu Xiangyang, English name Shawn Liu, is a 31st generation Grandmaster of Shaolin kung fu. He was a close disciple of abbot Shi Suxi, and close Shaolin brother of Shi Deyang. His nickname is "iron leg".

He received an OMD from the Wushu Traditional Chinese School of Medicine in Anhui in 1978, and a MS in Exercise Physiology from the University of South Alabama in 1991.

Although he is technically a Chinese Buddhist monk, he does not consider himself one, instead stating that he is just "an ordinary Shaolin disciple who happened, since childhood, to have been traveling in Chan."

From 1993–2003 he served as chief referee for U.S. National and International sanshou competitions. Beginning in 1994, he became head coach of the U.S. Wushu-Kungfu Federation National Sanshou Team. Under his coaching, the team won international victories and produced 5 World Champions.

In 1999 he opened the LIU Shaolin Institute in Mobile, where he taught kung fu, tai chi, qigong, sanshou, and practiced Chinese traditional medicine. Since then, the Institute has opened additional campuses in New Orleans and Atlanta. Notable alumni of the Shaolin Institute include Cung Le and Patrick Barry, a UFC fighter who studied sanshou with Shi Deru and traveled with him to the Shaolin Temple three times to train.

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