The famous Shaolin Temple in China is training young kung fu disciples to play football to reverse the flagging fortunes of the national team. The temple, in central China's Henan province opened a soccer training centre in October that has more than 40 martial arts students learning the "beautiful game," the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Shi Yanlu, head coach at the training base, said the discipline and ethos of kung fu can translate into effective football.

"Chinese football is in the doldrums, and when some elements of Shaolin kung fu, particularly its spirit, are integrated into soccer, we hope it will help improve the training level of football," he explained.

The legwork and physical coordination of kung fu could also help future Chinese footballers, he added.

China's national football team failed to qualify for last year's World Cup, has performed poorly in the Olympic Games and recently failed to reach the Asian Cup's knockout stages.

The young recruits at the temple's training centre - all around 10 years old - are being coached by Alphonse Tchami, a retired Cameroonian national footballer, the report said.

The temple plans to attract more recruits among the 2,000 disciples who train at Shaolin, it added.