Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 25

Thread: 7 star mantis clubs

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    bradshaw , halifax england
    Posts
    160

    Question 7 star mantis clubs

    just how many 7 star northern praying mantis clubs are there in england/scotland/wales and ireland are there ?.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    142
    Hello Holymantis good to have you back . Do you mean mantis only clubs or the one hour a week wing chun sideline clubs ?
    If it is full time mantis only clubs then there at least four in England that I know of that specialize in 7 star only .

  3. #3

    Question

    just curius what Do you mean mantis only clubs or the one hour a week wing chun sideline clubs???

    and what/who are the 4???

    Dave

  4. #4
    or should that be curious???

    Dave

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    142
    Hello and welcome to the forum . Unfortunatly most of the newer 7 Star clubs in the U.K. are run by instructors who also run other kung fu style clubs as well so that the mantis is a side line only and not their main or only style . There are only a handful of mantis only clubs about , meaning ones that specialize in teaching and promoting the 7 star mantis style .
    The main ones are in Oxfordshire , London , Halifax and Huddersfield . I have not come across others that will only teach mantis boxing only . ( But I am always ready to stand corrected !!! )
    What branch of Tang Lang do you train ?

  6. #6
    ( But I am always ready to stand corrected !!! )
    What branch of Tang Lang do you train ?

    branch LKW under Sifu Frearson im in Sheffield and Doncaster i only teach 7*

    Dave

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Newcastle upon tyne, UK
    Posts
    422

    7* Clubs

    Hi everyone,

    I teach mantis in the Newcastle area and for my sins, I also teach wing chun and a little tai chi. Does this make my mantis skills/teaching/students any less proficient? Most of my students specialise in one style (Wing Chun or Mantis) and the same goes for my kung fu brothers in Leicester. Most (98% ish) are strickly wing chun or Mantis.

    Another interesting point. how many clubs would exist and how well known would styles be if instructors only promoted one style?

    Sifu Frearson's group is probably the largest Mantis group in the uk and he also has one of the larger wing chun groups, yet he does not sell out, mix styles or even market himself.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Newcastle upon tyne, UK
    Posts
    422
    Unfortunatly most of the newer 7 Star clubs in the U.K. are run by instructors who also run other kung fu style clubs as well so that the mantis is a side line only and not their main or only style .

    Just to reply to this comment,

    What is a newer club, Sifu Frearson has been teaching & Promoting 7* since about 1990, (Wah Lum for several years before that and I believe Sifu Frearson first learnt some 7 * Mantis very early on in his Kung fu days from a Taiwan based lineage.

    I have been training in 7* since 1994. Wing Chun since 1985. If you look at my profile, you will find a website and see that I teach both styles equally (if not more mantis at the moment)

    The uk has lots of good teachers trying to do thier best to develop good skills and students and lots of research should be done before broad statements are made.

  9. #9
    Hi Paul

    How’s life up North

    >The uk has lots of good teachers trying to do their best to develop good skills and students and lots of research should be done before broad statements are made.

    I don’t think Feelerstrike meant it to be a broad statement but I can see why you and others might think of it in that way.


    Dave

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    142
    Hello Guys and again welcome to the forum . At last it is good to have comments and feed back from U.K. clubs . This place has been lacking input from the U.K. ( The lengths one has to go to ) Hopefully with you on board we can all pull together to help promote the style in the U.K. as a whole , as it seems that everyone here is from the USA .
    My only question with teaching multiple styles comes from when push comes to shove what style would you use ? Having seen Shifu Lee Kam Wings forms list how do you find time to train in anything else but 7 Star ? From my own experience it takes all my free time to concentrate on it alone .

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Newcastle upon tyne, UK
    Posts
    422
    Hi, I agree the uk reps on all of the forums are lacking a bit.

    Thats a good question and one I often ask myself and my students. I always tell my students that one style is hard enough and if you are doing more than one, its going to double the time commitment required.

    For me, I had completed(Not mastered) the wing chun material before starting mantis so that made it easier. I must admit I dont have the same amount of time that I had a few years back to practice and I find it tough with teaching commitments. I have had the opportunity to learn over sixty of the forms in Sifu Lee Kam Wing's system but at present I can only do about 35 without help from notes and other people. Luckly I don't need them all for my own personal skill development and my students have enough trouble with the first 20 (up to black sash).

    As far as application, it varies. Some mantis comes out and some wing chun comes out and then some things come out that I don't know how I got them. If teaching I am 100% for traditional and aware that while sparring in a mantis class its mantis I must demostrate and try. For personal or pressure situations more efficient the better.

    Sorry to ramble, thats probably a wing chun trait!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Newcastle upon tyne, UK
    Posts
    422
    Hi Dave,

    Things are good, Mantis classes are really busy. Baby is due in January.

    I will send u an email and chat more.

    Paul

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    home
    Posts
    284
    Hi Paul

    Could you tell me how long it took you to learn the 60 mantis forms?

    Just wondering. I am curios as to what time frame other instructers use when teaching forms.

    Have a good day.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Newcastle upon tyne, UK
    Posts
    422
    Hi,

    I live 200 miles away from my Sifu (Derek Frearson) so visits are as and when I can.

    I have been learning the system since about 1994. For the first couple of years I attended by-monthly instructor training sessions to get the foundation forms. Since then it has been private lessons, instructor training with my sifu and summer camps and 3 trips to hong kong to study with my sigung.

    I can say I have done over sixty forms but I focus on the first 30 and a few of the two man forms. I am at a stage now that I need to work on what I have and don't worry about the last 20 forms. I normally pick up 3 or 4 forms a year at summer camp and thats quick enough for me.

    When I teach my students I would say than they learn a form every 3 months on average.

  15. #15
    Hi Feelerstrike & Sayloc

    So what are your backgrounds??? I know what Paul's is as we started training at the same time and with the same Sifu.

    By the way Paul didnt you started training in WC b4 then???
    I know we are getting on in life HE HE HE.

    Dave

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •