Is southern mantis better than northern.

[dturner]

What are the diffrences between these styles.

[dturner]

and whats the diffrence between northern kung fu and southern.

[iron fist mike]

to be honest , the two are nothing alike . popular northern mantis systems are 7 star , 8 step and 6 harmonies.
the northern styles of PM imitate the insect , utilizing the mantis hook , fast hand and leg techniques , agile footwork , generally considered one of the most effective and complete northern styles. i'd suggest reading about it on the net .
southern PM styles dont imitate the insect , and most use pheonix eye fist instead of the usual fist of most styles( index finger knuckle extended) most southern PM emphasize the legs being more rooted and more hand techniques rather than leg techniques, unpredictable and powerfull hand techniques . kicks are usually used with similtaneous hand techniques to make them very hard to see coming , and are usually to the legs , groin and at the highest the heart. i have found that SPM styles usually have similar principles to the white crane styles of the south. but different techniques.common southern systems are chu gar, chow gar and bamboo temple.
http://www.shaolin.com/page.asp?content_id=975

[Jook Lum]

I have seen this and other articles claiming that the northern style
imitates the mantis insect,while the southern style does not resemble
or imitate the movements,spirit or aspects of a mantis insect and i say this statement is completely wrong and also a very misinformed
statement.

[Sam]

Not only does Southern Mantis reflect mantis movement and spirit but applies it without any Northern or Southern outside Kung Fu influence. I heard that Mantis came from one source. Sam Dot-Lee Siem-Wang Lang. This was out of Kwong Sai Jook Lum Gee Tong Long Pai Temple.

[ZhouJiaQuan]

Yes....

ha

(no real way to answer this question universally. its an opinion, at a best a value judgment based on some criteria that not everyone will agree with, nor would they agree with the decisions based on those critera...

example: criteria - asthetics... i might think nothern is prettier then southern. and others might think southern is prettier then nothern...

[Ego_Extrodinaire]

Southern Mantis is a phoney mantis style that does not imitate the insect in anyway. Like someone had said - it uses the pheonix eye fist instead. It's like you ordered a chocolate milkshake and you get vanilla ice cream with the waiter insisting that it's chocolate milkshake. Or it's like someone pi$$ing on your back and then telling you that it's raining.

Northern mantis is like kick boxing. The southerners needed something called mantis so they being dumb @ss farmers that they are, they added a pheonix eye fist to bak choy kuen and called it mantis.

Farmers are too slow in their wit to make their feet move fast. therefore southern mantis is not very agile.

[Chin Chung Cao]

Ego, I'm not sure what Southern Mantis you've trained in (if any), to make the statment that south mantis is not very agile. Based on what I've been taught and what I have seen of Southern Mantis I'd have to disagree with you. Southern Mantis make's ample use of the knee's, elbow's, and feet in striking. The footwork is quite nimble and very mobile when needed. As for the pheonix eye fist, it's only one of many striking area's used. The late Grandmaster of Jook Lum in this country, Lam Sang See, was a fan of western boxing and admired the footwork. Anyone familiar with his teaching know's that, perhap's different teacher's emphsize other aspect's of his practice, but to say that it's not an agile system is incorrect. As for your thought's on Southerners being dum@ass farmer's who "needed" something called mantis(Why?), throwing a pheonix eye fist to Bak Choy kuen to make mantis is laughable.
As for the original question of which is better north or south, it's not the style but the individual that make's the system "better or worse". Both are good, find the one you enjoy and embrace it.
Peace All

[cerebus]

Dude, Ego's a troll who just says stupid things to get a response outta people (like he did outta you ). Just ignore him.

[iron fist mike]

Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu had its origins during the Ming Dynasty and was taught only to members of China's royal family. At the time, the system was known as Jew Gar (sometimes pronounced Chu Gar, Chuka or the royal family kung fu).

With the advent of the cold-blooded Ching Dynasty, the Emperor and his family fled to the Northern Shaolin Temple to escape certain death at the hands of the Manchurians. But the forces of the Ching followed. Knowing that the revolutionary spirit was being nurtured within the confines of the Shaolin monastery, the Ching burned the Northern Temple to the ground. The royal family escaped and moved to the Fukien Shaolin temple of Southern China.

Knowing the forces of the Ching were looking for Chuka practitioners, the system's name was changed to Southern Praying Mantis, in hopes of fooling the Manchurians into believing that their style was the same as the popular Northern Praying Mantis. Still, the Manchurians pursued and burned the Southern temple also. A number of the royal family escaped and went into hiding. They became known in Southern China as "Hakka", or northern guests.

From that time on, the art of Southern Praying Mantis was taught secretly to Hakka only, for fear that Manchurian spies would betray them. In Hong Kong, Southern Praying Mantis was primarily taught only to Hakka descendants. This rule was later expanded to include students that were of Chinese heritage. It is only in the past 25 years that occidental students have been taught the Southern Praying Mantis system.

Unlike Northern Praying Mantis, the Southern style bears no resemblance to the insect, and is strictly a short-hand system. It is both an internal and external style, capable of delivering internal force similar to a compressed spring that has an explosive force when released. It follows internal principles such as using condensed breathing for energy, flow-relaxed hand techniques, and borrows the enemies’ strength to uses against them. The style also follows external principles, as it features dynamic tension-type exercises to build power and develop muscular strength for attack and defense.

Although recognized as an in-fighting style with the ability to explode power in any direction form short distances, the system's method also extends the arm longer than most northern styles by constantly rounding the back and stretching the arms, shoulders and rib cage, and also by shifting body angles for extension. Hence, the ability to use explosive force at short and longer than usual distances is developed.

Southern Praying Mantis is quick, direct, and effective. Chuka practitioners do not give their opponent a chance to deliver more than one blow. The practitioner attacks rapidly until his opponent falls and is disabled. The theory is to get your opponent off balance and not let him regain it. At the same time, the practitioner shifts in close and attacks with many rapid-fire short strikes. The opponent must desperately try to ward off this barrage of machine-gun like blows; however, the Chuka practitioner will not stop until the attacker is down.

Speed is essential. All attacks come from the elbows. The fist is not withdrawn to the waist as in karate and other Kung Fu systems, as the practitioner must be able to hit many times from the same position.

Chuka practitioners do not, themselves, draw back either – this is too slow. Instead, the practitioner slides forward and shifts his weight from side to side, backward and forward with each attacking punch. Instinctive reaction is vital due to the speed of the attack. The exponent of this art is hard to defend against. At one moment he may be upright, dodging quickly to one side. The next moment he may drop into a kneeling stance to attack lower areas without thinking what his opponent's next move will be. He then acts quickly to close all avenues of attack.

Basically a close-in fighting system, Southern Praying Mantis is known for its one-inch punch, similar to the punch Bruce Lee used so much. It also uses a variety of open-handed techniques and specialized hand movements, such as the ginger-fist, three-finger spear, and bamboo slicing hand, all of which attack the body's vital points. These strikes can cause paralysis, as well as cut off blood flow and distribution of chi to vital areas of the body.

At the heart of the rare Chuka Shaolin style is the phoenix-eye fist. The Chuka art makes no use of the popular clenched-fist attack seen in other styles, rather preferring to exclusively use this extended index-finger knuckle to strike the enemy. This single-knuckle attack allows the Chuka exponent to focus his energy to the one small area covered by the knuckle, rather than the larger area covered by the entire fist. It might be referred to as "acupuncture boxing", due to the fact that the phoenix-eye fist is used to strike vital acupuncture centers in rapid succession. When used in combination with various kicks, palm and finger strikes, Chuka Shaolin becomes a very effective art that aims its attacks only at an opponent's vital points.

Southern Praying Mantis kicks are all low and below the waist. This is done in order to maintain balance and speed. Low kicks are harder to block, because the practitioner always uses them with simultaneous hand techniques. Chuka Southern Praying Mantis is a complete and effective fighting system with soft and hard aspects uniquely interwoven into the style. It is ideal for men and women of all ages. Simple, basic mechanics make it easy to practice regardless of age, physique, or sex. It is a highly effective, easy-to-use method of self-defense. It is also a superb form of training for health and overall physical fitness.

[David]

The last post is stolen from Jane Hallander's book except where it says Chuka, the book says southern mantis .

I know this because I stole some of it too to use as a background to a poster I made. Changed a bit here and a bit there

Rgds,
David

[iron fist mike]

not stolen....just borrowed from a website
http://www.reddragonkungfu.com/chuka.htm

[Ego_Extrodinaire]

Mike,

I see you've learned the copy and paste routine but not the read and reason. If southern mantis were so effective, why hide and practice in secret. Perhaps they just didn't dare get close enough to the troops to use it.

That's right, they thought a simple name change would fool the enemy. How stupid is that.

[ZhouJiaQuan]

Everyone knows that nothern mantis is just for show, with no real substance. all that fancy movement just waste. looks like opera...


haha

(edit: for those wondering, this was a troll twds Ego. I have no illwill twds nothern mantis, its kinda sweet actually.)

[mysteri]

Originally posted by ZhouJiaQuan
Everyone knows that nothern mantis is just for show, with no real substance. all that fancy movement just waste. looks like opera...


haha

si dai,

it is not polite for jow ga men to speak ill of our gung fu brethren. this is most disrespecftful and immature!

besides, that's what TKD and krotty forums are for!!