Mantis Quarterly

[MantisifuFW]

Greetings,

We have finally gotten a PDF copy of the first issue of Mantis Quarterly on our website for download. Anyone interested in having a look can see it at www.mantisquarterly.com

Feedback and suggestions are welcome!

Steve Cottrell

[CHAZ]

I have just read your first copy, and I must admit being a Southern stylist I found it a really interesting read. In fact it has me considering taking up Northern 7*Mantis to practice along side my Choy Lee Fut.

I look forward to seeing your Mantis Quarterly continue to grow over the next few years, to become a major publication the world over, a nice glossy colourful magazine that all other Martial Arts the world over can be envious of.

Keep up the great work:D

[MantisifuFW]

Chaz,

Thank you for your kind comments. We have done our best to make Mantis Quarterly the kind of quality representation our art deserves. We have contributors from all over the world and from all lines of Tanglang so the information will be comprehensive. The articles are well researched and contain information useful to everyone from basic practitioners to advanced.

It is my intent that students subscribe through their instructors so that the instructors can read the material also and be able to answer questions as they arise. There has been a misconception that Mantis Quarterly is for advanced practitioners only. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mantis Quarterly is intended for students of the art and in many cases it is intended to be the kind of high quality newsletter we all wish we could provide for our students but that we don't have the time to do. I have schools who have signed up their entire student base, (this is how we have already paid for our first year). Those who get Mantis Quarterly will have the best informed students overall.

If interest and support holds, we might yet expand our size and scope.

Again, thanks for your kind comments,

Steve Cottrell

[Shaolin-Do]

Id be interested if you began running full subscriptions to individuals.

:)

Only pm I know is what I learn in SD, but Id really like to expand my base knowledge of it. Barnes and nobles is really in lack of good PM literature.

[MantisifuFW]

Shaolin Do,

Indeed, as we approach our second year we may reconsider individual subscriptions. I have been really impressed by the numbers of folks who have written wanting to subscribe as individuals though we have been directing the Quarterly to schools. It seems there is a wider interest among practitioners who do Tanglang along with other arts than I had originally thought.

On another note, we have now put up a page with the topics of the past three newsletters outlined with the authors so folks can see the kinds of articles we have been presenting.

Thanks for your encouragement. Sorry it took me a while to respond, we have been putting the third issue to bed and it did not want to go quietly...

Steve Cottrell

[yu shan]

Just received volume 1, very informative reading ! Especially enjoyed Shrfu Kevin Brazier`s "the two person set". Hopefully we will hear more from Kevin in the future. It was nice to see Master Shr ZhengZhong`s name mentioned, he is remarkable!

[SaMantis]

Really nice publication, thanks for putting the first issue up! I'd be one of those "individuals" interested in subscribing, thanks. :)

[bung bo]

really enjoyed reading! especially the artical by kevin brazier, also liked master shr zhengzhong's method on teaching two-person sets. nice lion dance information.

[Oso]

very good issue. much appreciation of your efforts.

Will you eventually be placing all of the issues up as a .pdf ???

If not, add another vote for individual subscriptions?

I too liked Kevin's article. It seems like he could certainly go into more detail and that would be very interesting to read (hint);)

[MantisifuFW]

Yu Shan, SAMantis, Oso, bungbo,

Thank you for your kind evaluation of our efforts.

Kevin, aka Tainan Mantis, has contributed more to the Quarterly in the form of a training drill called Wai Gua Shou appearing in the third issue. It is a photographic display of a two person set. I hope to hear more from him too.

In the second issue, Sifu Hui, Tai Chi Tanglang, contributed some excellent information on training with the wooden dummy and Shifu Buenviage of the Philippines has contributed an article on body conditioning in Tanglang that will be in the fourth issue.

In each issue we try to get the best information possible from experienced sifu and present it in a clear format. We will probably not put future issues on the website, hoping that schools who are not yet on board will eventually join in order to be a part of this. However there will be Tanglang information from all lines available on the website eventually but not the Quarterly.

Additionally we will be seriously considering individual subscriptions for the future. The response from schools has been strong enough that I believe we will be able to afford the added handling costs individual subscriptions represent in the future.

Again, thank you all for your interest. Has anyone seen the second issue yet? Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

Steve Cottrell

[MantisifuFW]

Greetings,

The breaking news is that Lee Kam Wing has submitted an article to Mantis Quarterly. It is the first article that he has submitted to any publication that he wrote himself and did so in Chinese. We have translators on staff and have made an appropriate English rendering of his work.

This submission is significant in that the senior members of the Tanglang community are recognising the Mantis Quarterly as the publication of practitioners world wide.

We appreciate Lee Kam Wing's support. We hope that all Lee Kam Wing associated schools will follow his lead in supporting Mantis Quarterly.

Sincerely,

Steve Cottrell

[tanglang]

I'm really looking foreward to read the next quaterly...!

[MantisifuFW]

Greetings,

I would like to announce that Shifu Ilya Profatilov and Shifu Wang Rengang have both offered articles on their respective lines of Tanglang.

Shifu Wang Rengang, know to many here because of his knowledgeable posts on Dacheng and Hao style Tanglang has offered a technical article on his art. Having trained with him and seen his skill I personally look forward to this.

Shifu Ilya Profatilov has offered a historical article that promises to be extensive and significant. (Like everything he presents)! After his article in AJMA, I cannot wait to see what he has for us next!

The support of these talented and knowledgeable practitioners is greatly appreciated.

Steve Cottrell


www.mantisquarterly.com

[mantis108]

All round congratulations to Sifu Cottrell and the Mantis Quarterly team. I am so happy and really taken by surprise the support the MQ is receiving. So many high profile mantis practitioners putting their supports behind the project. I would said this is unprecedented in Mantis publications history! Even in Mantis community, this type of coming together is rarely rarely seem before. Two thumbs way up. I think this really calls for a celebration of sort. Hopefully one day we will have an all Mantis gathering like we had discussed before. I think the momentum is there. All it takes is someone or some organizations to get the ball rolling. This is just very exciting!

Sincerely,

Mantis108

[MantisifuFW]

Sifu Kai Uwe Pel,

Indeed we would be interested. I will email you off list to discuss the details.

It would be great for someone with your experience to share your technical and historical knowledge with the community.

Sincerely,

Steve Cottrell

[MantisifuFW]

Originally posted by mantis108
I think this really calls for a celebration of sort. Hopefully one day we will have an all Mantis gathering like we had discussed before. I think the momentum is there. All it takes is someone or some organizations to get the ball rolling. This is just very exciting!

Sincerely,

Mantis108

Mantis 108,

I too am amazed at the growth and positive attitude of the community. We have participants from all lines of Tanglang now both in subscriptions and submission of articles. The participation of major personalities in the Tanglang community in terms of organizations, technical knowledge and ability has gone far beyond what I had envisioned for the Quarterly's first year.

As for a mantis meeting, I am researching the possibilities. Accessablity to the majority of the international community, timeframe, length and scope are all under examination. When I get a proposal together I would like to send it to you and a few others to review. Your ideas on who should participate, what would qualify them to do so, (such as being involved in the Quarterly through subscription or submission among other things) are all up for discussion.

I initially would have thought that such a gathering would be some time away. However, now, (though I still think so), I am less dogmatic about it. The community is moving with a speed now that I am trying to keep up with, providing its own momentum and energy to go with the information. I believe that we will all know when it is time.

Anyway, I have rambled enough. Thank you and the many others who are making this thing a success.

Sincerely,

Steve Cottrell

[tanglang]

I'm really happy that your idea of creating an international mantis magazine where the art is discussed on a very high level begins to bear fruits now. It's a great thing and you can be really really proud about it. Cool, Steve!

[mantis108]

Hi Sifu Cottrell,


As for a mantis meeting, I am researching the possibilities. Accessablity to the majority of the international community, timeframe, length and scope are all under examination. When I get a proposal together I would like to send it to you and a few others to review. Your ideas on who should participate, what would qualify them to do so, (such as being involved in the Quarterly through subscription or submission among other things) are all up for discussion.

That sounds like a plan. :) I'll be honored to the share my ideas for such awesome event(s). BTW, I would said it should be a gigantic Mantis fair or convention with a workshop galore.

Warm regards

Mantis108

[PAMantis]

Sifu Cottrell,

I am going to get the latest issue from my Sifu tonight if he has any more left. I hope he has the second issue as well. Are you makein back issues available? Also when you begin to sell individual subscriptions have you thought to provide the issue as a PDF for subscribers only? It may cut down on your handeling costs, but would slightly increase your web hosting/admin costs. Just a thought.


PAMantis

[MantisifuFW]

PAmantis,

You and my editor, (a professional who publishes for a living), suggested the same thing from the beginning. She also said that the costs would be far less going the on line route despite the hosting costs for the same type of thing the newspapers use for subscribers. (Either way her fees are the same but the publishing costs, handling, postage would be eliminated). IN terms of costs and efficency you are apparently spot on, as they say. (Something I did not know).

However, I continue to think that I want it in the hands of students and so I want to keep with the paper production for a while at least. My idea is that eventually schools will sign up people when they sign up for classes as a way to help educate their student population. Thats why we have kept costs to a minimum so that everyone could afford it. My hope is that it will become the published voice of the community. Maybe I am just old fashioned.

You may be on to the future of publication in general and maybe MQ too.

Steve Cottrell

[RSA]

Sifu Cottrell, you made a statement about hoping schools sign up their students for the mantis quarterly to help educate their student population. Personally I wouldn't want my Sifu to have to do that. If my Sifu is a Sifu, than he should be able to educate me himself. Also what makes the people who are writing articles for your publication right about the information they are giving. How do I know that they know what they are talking about? How do I know that they are even good tong long practitioners. I do not mean any offense by this, but you can't believe every thing you read.

[mantisben]

Originally posted by RSA
Sifu Cottrell, you made a statement about hoping schools sign up their students for the mantis quarterly to help educate their student population. Personally I wouldn't want my Sifu to have to do that. If my Sifu is a Sifu, than he should be able to educate me himself.
This is true. If you have a Sifu that is willing and ABLE to educate you in many of the different styles of PM (Tai Chi, Plum Blossum, 6 Harmonies, etc.) and all of their different variations, that is fantastic! Even in 7*, there is a difference between Qing Dao, Yentai, Shanghai, and HK. But some PM practicioners aren't interested in these other PM styles anyway. Nothing wrong with that. They have enough to learn within their own style of PM. Some PM practicitioners ARE interested in many different styles of PM, like me.:D

Also what makes the people who are writing articles for your publication right about the information they are giving. How do I know that they know what they are talking about? How do I know that they are even good tong long practitioners.
You DON't know if they know what they're talking about, plain and simple. You don't know if all those articles published in "Inside Kung-Fu", "Kung-Fu Qi Gong", "People" magazine, or the "New York Times" are legitimate, either.


I do not mean any offense by this, but you can't believe every thing you read.
This is absolutely true! You can't even believe everything you SEE on MSNBC or CNN, either. You have to use your own judgement in what you read, see, and hear. Still, if you don't think that the Mantis Quarterly will give you anything your mind can chew on, tell your Sifu that you want no part of it (I hope you don't do that). I don't think he will force you to read it. I'm sure he will make up his own mind, and so will the other students at your school aware that such a publication exists. Maybe your Sifu could publish an article in the Mantis Quarterly, and share his knowledge with us (I have absolutely no say in this matter).

By the way, have you ever read the Mantis Quarterly? They had a very good article on the Tai Chi PM Wooden-Dummy.

I would like to add that I could forsee something published in the Mantis Quarterly that might go directly against something that a PM Sifu is teaching his students. It could happen with Tai-Chi articles also. Should a Tai-Chi Sifu tell his students to never read articles or books about Tai-Chi, because they might conflict with what he is teaching them about Tai-Chi? Some Tai-Chi Sifus would say "Yes".

[PAMantis]

Just a thought and a question. There is no Sifu in the world that knows everything about all PM styles or even their speciality. This is an attempt to broaden all of our horizons, and share experience and knowledge. Do you really think that any Sifu can teach you everything? Do you really think that by learning from just one person you can learn all that there is to learn? Many of the great Sifu out there have spent their lives learning for many teachers, and the best will even be able to learn from their students. Is the pursuit of knowledge that repulsive to you that you do not welcome the opprotunity to at least have information presented to you so that you can decide whether you believe it or not? And one last question, how do you know that what your Sifu says is true? You can't believe everything you are told.


Just a few thoughts.


PAMantis

[BeiTangLang]

Its good that you are a skeptic as it will keep you away from many things that other will fall prey to. If you only want to learn from your Sifu, I must commend you again on your loyalty. I will commend you even more if you stick with just one system untill you learn it completely.

What I cannot understand is blind prejudice to the rest of the mantis world just because they are not your "immediate family". The education I believe Sifu Cottrell is speaking of is the elimination of ignorance to the significance that each Mantis family has to contribute to the rest.

Knowing what Mainland China is actually doing vs. what you hear second-hand. Knowing folks in Europe/Asia/South America etc.,.etc., have practitioners that are serious and seeing what they do vs. what you might imagine they did.

I believe the Mantis Quarterly _IS_ the tool to eliminate NPM's ignorances of each other & make us a tighter world community, as we should be.

If you do not wish to read it, I understand it from your point of view; but remember, there is a world out there & Mantis is all around it.

Best Wishes,
BTL

[MantisifuFW]

Originally posted by PAMantis
Are you makein back issues available? PAMantis

PAMantis,

Sorry for not answering you sooner on this. Yes, we will have back issues available for subscribing schools.

I have more news concerning the Quarterly to come up soon. We have had yet another country to add to the list and more significant instructors offer articles!

Woo Hoo, (appologies to Homer Simpson).

Steve Cottrell

[German Bai Lung]

@ BeiTangLang:

Congratulation for your post!

Thats exactly what is important and I wish more people here in germany would think the same way! Especially the mantis people ...

[SaMantis]

PA Mantis:

Your questions are all very good and new students should consider them when looking for literature on their style. All I can draw from is my personal impression on this issue - I'm passing 3.5 years in my style and have noticed my perspective on MA literature has changed along with my understanding.

When I began martial arts, I read almost everything I could get my hands on - not just PM but every MA out there, CMA, JMA, whatever. And I was full of questions for my instructor, who very patiently said, it's OK to read all you can, but it's more important to practice your art and learn from that.

Comparing myself now to the rank beginner I was (I'm still a beginner in most ways, though), I find that I read less than I practice (good). However, I still find value in much of what I read, perhaps more so with a bit of practical foundation. Not all of it can be applied to my art, but it is good comparative reading. I certainly wouldn't come rushing into class saying "hey, we should do it like it says in this magazine," and neither would most MA students. But it's all food for thought.

[RSA]

Pa Mantis, you asked me how I know what my Sifu says is true, and that you can't believe everything you hear. Well that is true you can't believe everything you are told but I believe what I see and I believe what I feel. I have seen my Sifu perform and I have felt his techniques first hand, and both are done flawlessly. I know what he tells me is true because he backs it up all of the time. I am not repulsed by knowledge but I believe in my Sifu and I don't need to go anywhere else.

[mantisben]

Originally posted by RSA
I have seen my Sifu perform and I have felt his techniques first hand, and both are done flawlessly. I know what he tells me is true because he backs it up all of the time... I am not repulsed by knowledge but I believe in my Sifu and I don't need to go anywhere else.
That is great that you have a Sifu who, from what your saying, is very knowledgable, and willing to share his knowledge with you. Sifus like that are hard to come across these days.

I am not repulsed by knowledge but I believe in my Sifu and I don't need to go anywhere else.
Sounds like you're not interested in reading Mantis Quarterly. It also sounds like you're convinced reading about PM somehow means you don't believe in your Sifu, or have lost faith in him. Maybe it makes you feel like your disrespecting your Sifu. Don't read it if it makes you feel like that!

Would you read Mantis Quarterly if your Sifu approved of it?

[German Bai Lung]

RSA:

You´re a very loyal student. for that your Sifu could quite be happy!

BUT:
Don´t you think, that your post could be read: hey, my Sifu is the only one to know the right things and all the others are just bad and liars?
If you don´t think so, please write in a different kind ....

And: when you don´t want to hear, what other PA Practioners have to say/write, why are you here on this board?????

[PAMantis]

German Bai Lung,

You said exactly what I was trying to get to. That was the exact point that I tried to make with my questions. The problem with what we see in PM sifu is that even the ones that are not pure PM sifu (read Sword Polisher's Record to know what I mean by that) can convince us that they know what they are doing by integrating other styles into their teaching. RSA I mean no offense to you or your sifu, but how do you know that what you see is PURE PM? I know that as a new practicioner I can not judge yet what is pure, and what is not.

RSA,

I applaude your loyalty. That is commendable, but I think that it is unwise to limit yourself to learn, or at least be exposed to more than one source of information. That is what perpetuates misunderstanding, and misconception. I guess this is the old school thought process that threw up so many road blocks to Mantis Quarterly for so long. Why is there resistance to at least see or hear what other PM practicioners have experienced or researched? I mean no offense, I am just curious.

PAMantis

[tanglang]

I wanted to share this: .
Quote...Of the many issues we face in life, of the many concurrent battles that go on some seen and some unseen, there are two forces that have great impact upon us all of our days. One is the force of unification the other is the force of division. As responsible individuals in the martial arts community we must always work towards unification. Unification is always hard, always a struggle and uphill battle while division just seems to happen naturally and there is always someone or something ready to break apart our hard earned gains.(end of quote)
So what is wrong about something like the MQ, about it's unificaton-idea, and about going through the world with open ,seeing eyes? Loyality is one thing , very important, and a positive traite of character. But believe me especially because I'm a german: the reverse-side of the medal might be blind faith - can be very dangerous -depends on the personality of the person you follow then! I think the most important thing about that is to find the right balance.. don't want to say anything against your master- just some thoughts in generall that you should keep in mind..