A military brigade in Beijing has scaled back traditional "kung fu" training methods, which have been criticized as being of little practical value, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily reported on Monday.

The special warfare brigade in Beijing cancelled over 10 classic training courses which include physical activities such as breaking bricks with heads, splitting sticks with people's backs and pushing vehicles with steel bars pressed against one's throat. The training methods are similar to the popular shows by Shaolin Temple monks that are often seen on their international tours.

Those subjects involve traditional Chinese qigong practices and are among the regular training methods for reconnaissance troops in China and often serve as a selling point at evaluation "performances" of special troops, according to military insiders.

In recent years, the Beijing brigade has won high praise for its spectacular skills in these training courses, the PLA Daily reported.

"But real combat is not a performance, and the training subjects must be designed based on the demands in a real fight," Zhang Aijun, the brigade commander told the PLA Daily.

The brigade has suspended organized training session for these subjects, but allows soldiers to practice them as a hobby, according to the PLA Daily.

"These practices that involve qigong movements can enhance fitness and health, and can enhance one's ability to handle impacts," Liang Jianfeng, the headmaster of a Beijing-based martial arts school, told the Global Times.

However, it will take a lot of time and energy to practice these skills, which can be risky at times, Liang said, adding that it requires constant exercises to maintain the ability.

"In actual combat, those skills are not really practical," Liang added.

Zhao Yongheng, a soldier from the brigade who used to be skilled in those exercises, told the PLA Daily that he felt relieved to be able to put more effort into other training subjects that are more helpful in combat.

"It has been a long tradition for scouts to take these special training projects," a soldier based in Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, told the Global Times.

The soldier, surnamed Wang, was a military school student majoring in reconnaissance. He said he believes that while those practices help improve one's physical strength, they also help with military morale.

The show of soldiers accomplishing those incredible feats gives an impression of strong force, and that's what sets them apart from others, Wang said.

"Those performances sometimes are used as an internal and external morale campaign of our military force," Wang said, adding that some troops have put many resources into training since they require professional guidance and experience to avoid injuries.

The emphasis on practical combat training began after President Xi Jinping called for all military training to focus on raising real combat capability during an inspection tour of the Beijing Military Region in July 2013.