- ‘Needle Through Glass’ takes more than 10 years of training to master
- The Slow Mo Guys invited Shaolin monks on their show to demonstrate the move, which was then filmed by slow motion cameras
- A monk is shown throwing a needle hard enough to pierce a pane of glass
- Viewers can see the needle punch through the glass and pop a balloon
Slow motion cameras captured the exact moment when a Shaolin monk threw a thin needle at a pane of glass with enough force to break through it.
The Slow Mo Guys, aka Gavin Free and Daniel Gruchy, invited three Shaolin monks to showcase the difficult skill during the latest episode of the The Super Slow Show, which was posted on YouTube on Monday.
As Master Bruce explained in the video, the ‘Needle Through Glass’ move is one of the 72 Arts of Shaolin and requires more than 10 years of training to successfully master the ability to concentrate one’s energy and then throw the slender needle, as if it were a dart, through glass.
Shaolin monk Master Feng Fei demonstrated ‘Needle Through Glass,’ the art of throwing a needle through a pane of glass, during the new episode of The Super Slow Show
In a slow motion playback, the needle that Master Feng Fei throws can be seen piercing a glass pane and popping the balloon positioned behind it
The needle hits the glass with enough force that it punches through it at the point of impact
Master Feng Fei is then called on to demonstrate the move. To make it easier for the naked eye to witness the moment when the needle punches through the glass, Gruchy holds a red balloon behind a pane of glass held aloft by one of the monks.
After a few practice moves, Master Feng Fei – standing just a few feet away from the glass pane – whips the needle forward and the balloon pops, seemingly of its own accord.
It’s only afterwards, when the damaged pane is held up and, then during a slow motion replay, that viewers realize the needle was thrown hard enough for it to have pierced the glass, not only sending shards of glass flying, but also popping the balloon.
In a super slow motion replay, the camera captures the needle breaking through the glass for a split second, before ricocheting back towards Master Feng Fei due to the force of his throw.
Later, Gruchy tries his hand at the trick. Despite his best efforts, the balloon remains unpopped, but he does manage to put a slight ding in the glass pane.