Praying Mantis Kung Fu Techniques
Praying Mantis Kung Fu Techniques
Praying Mantis Kung Fu Techniques have been practiced for thousands of years by generations of martial artists in China. The art was started by a monk of the Shaolin temple named Wang Lang. Wang was a smaller monk who found that he would often be beaten by the larger and stronger monks of the shaolin temple.
The tiger style for example requires an aggressive nature and a lot of powerful strikes. It is really great for people who are stocky and strong. The crane on the other hand is great for people who are tall and thin and the monkey style is great for small agile people who can be very acrobatic.
Praying mantis kung fu technique,s on the other hand, are versatile enough that most people are able to do them no matter what their body type. Wang Lang wasn’t good at the other styles of kung fu which is why he was getting beat up so often. One day he decided to go for a walk after receiving a beating by some larger and more capable martial artists.
On his walk Wang Lang noticed some movement in the bushes that were close by. He decided to take a closer look and what he saw was a locust fighting for its life. It was in the clutches of a praying mantis.
On any other day Wang Lang might have just continued down the path, but not on this day. Wang was fascinated by the way that he praying mantis was subduing the much larger locust. Wang decided to watch for a while longer and he copied the mantis' moves.
Wang poked at the mantis with a stick so that he could see how the mantis was fighting. Then after practicing the moves that he had seen the mantis execute, he decided to put his new style to the test. He sparred with several of the other monks and found that he could easily beat the larger opponents that had been defeating him just a short time before.
The masters at the Shaolin temple were very impressed with this new style of training and they decided to improve on it. They added monkey-style footwork to the mantis system and they also added pressure point striking techniques. This made the mantis style of kung fu extremely mobile and deadly.
Praying mantis kung fu techniques consist of several different types of finger strikes from odd angles to hit vulnerable pressure points. There are also closed fist techniques such as the hammer fist or the eye of the fist strike. One of the most unique things about praying mantis kung fu techniques is the strange angles for kicking or chopping. Imagine a round house kick where the kick twists outward instead of inward. If you know what I am talking about you can see that the angle of this inverted type of kick would be hard to predict.
Eye gouges and bone breaks are not uncommon in the repertoire of praying mantis kung fu techniques. The vast majority of the strikes are striking pressure points on the body. Sometimes these strikes are done with the fingers but they can also be done with the fist, palm or side hand.
If you are looking for a place to learn how to do praying mantis kung fu techniques then come on into our class in Lakeway, Texas. We are located on RR 620 N between Lakeway and Bee Cave. Give us a call (512-743-7261) to learn more. We have 18 praying mantis forms.
Ben Newcomb
