Questions about Hung Gar and/or Mantis...

[Apprentice]

Hi, i just have a few(well maybe a little more than a few) questions to ask about these styles...i am considering taking them, but i want to get an idea of what their like, can you help? Feel free to only answer a few questions, hopefully someone else will answer the rest, jes answer what you know and feel like...if it has a star, i REALLY wanna know about that one especially...just make the topic what art you study, then answer the Q's in the reply part...

1) What's their stances like? (low, everchanging, no stance work)
2)* What's their footwork like?
3)* Attack points?/Strategies (ie. centerline, angles)
4) Attack distances? (far, close, trapping, ground)
5)* Starting attacks? (jab, finger strike, kick, whatever is most common)
6) How long does it take before you are taught how to "Flow" with your techniques?
7)* Do you spar? When did you start? How often do you?
8)* Does it take long before you can see how and why it works?
9)* What do you do in class, curriculum wise, such as pushups, forms, running, anything, and in what order?

I know i ask alota questions, just tryin to decide what i should take...

[norther practitioner]

Try a class of each, see which you like more. If the school's won't let you try a free class, then be a bit scepticle, watch out for a McKwoon. As far as Mantis is concerned, the footwork depends on the style of mantis, southern, Northern, etc. Anywho, have fun and good luck.

[Apprentice]

kind of on a "General Basis"....meaning i'd like to know how it is with YOUR kung fu school(whoever reads it)...then if i get replys from several mantis or hung gar people, i'll be able to get a vague idea on it...ie. You could've said, "Well i dont know about southern, but northern mantis has foot work where....." or something along those lines, or better yet, u could've just said "In northern, we..." Just to give an idea of how people should take these questions, thanx for anyones help :)

[jon]

Go check your post [same topic] in the southern forum ive given you a few more answers there.
I think people are just trying to hint to you that simply asking questions wont be able to let you make up your mind.
A good instructor is the most important thing. If the sifu is good the art is not of such a high issue.

[nobody]

well in 8 step mantis, we use the same footwork as bagua zhang

[Apprentice]

i just wanted to know how the arts were so i could see "which suites me"...and im still not entirely sure, the footwork of MANTIS seems like it suits me a little more, yet the Disipline i'd kinda like to get lays towards HUNG GAR...conditioned forearms n such so that your opponent gets hurt whne u block is a great asset i'd like....anything like this in mantis?

[Mr. Nemo]

"well in 8 step mantis, we use the same footwork as bagua zhang"

Are you sure? I thought all mantis styles used the footwork from monkey. I've certainly never seen any mantis that looked like it was using bagua footwork (or bagua anything else, for that matter).

There are different types of mantis, of course. I understand that 8step uses a more "sliding" type of stepping, while sever star uses a more "hopping" type of stepping. I've seen seven star mantis's footwork, but not 8step.

[jon]

Not all mantis kung fu uses monkey footwork.
Im not as i say a student so i cant be to specific but to my understanding neither 8-step or Tai-Chi mantis use monkey footwork.
Wah Lum i dont think use it either, same with the southern schools of mantis to the best of my knowledge.
Infact there are quite a few styles of mantis that dont use monkey footwork.
As for the bagua in 8 step im really not sure, but i know that bagua uses the 8 triagrams footwork, so maybe the '8-step' has some relation to that?
Just speculating really anyone study 8-step wanna tell us?

[Robbie]

Chiang Hua Long changed the footwork to require less energy and be more efficient. Bagua was one of the many styles he studied to develope the 8step footwork.

[fa_jing]

Our 7* school really emphasized the forearm conditioning. This is one of the reasons I had to switch out, because one of my wrists has nerve damage. I feel that without the iron forearms, many of the mantis techniques are less effective.
Oh yeah, the 7* master loves to tell how someone he knew in China could break a small tree in half with his forearms. He himself can take a nunchuk blow full force on his forearms.

-FJ

[EARTH DRAGON]

To uphold his responsibility as Grandmaster of the style, Chiang Hua Long could never be short sighted. The very energetic jumping style of the monkey footwork was very effective but it required a great deal of energy. Chiang Hua Long realized that if he were to live up to his obligations he would have to maintain his fighting abilities well into his old age. He would have to create a new system of footwork that would use energy efficiently but also maintain the MantisÕs devastating effectiveness. Changing the Mantis system was not to be taken lightly, but as Grandmaster he was responsible for strengthening any weaknesses.

Being well respected by the masters of the martial arts throughout China, Chiang Hua Long was in an advantageous position. Traveling throughout China, Chiang Hua Long met with masters of many styles. To have such a man as Chiang Hua Long ask about their techniques was a great honor. The masters of martial art's most effective systems openly shared their techniques and secrets with him. Chiang Hua Long studied the footwork of many styles such as Bagua and Tom Pei. He spent a great deal of time studying and experimenting with each movement. Having an incredible amount of experience applying his skills, Chiang Hua Long knew what would be an improvement and what would simply be change. Very carefully he considered each technique until, after ten years, he had narrowed down the most effective to eight short and eight long steps. Chiang Hua Long had taken one of the very most effective fighting systems in the world and was able to improve it. The Eight Step Praying Mantis system had been born.