Questions about Mantis Styles

[Angel Hunter]

Hi, hope someone can answer a few of these for me. I've recently become interested in southern mantis style kung fu, but a few things are confusing me.

1: how different are the styles? (i hear they can be very different)

2: is there anywhere in canada that teaches any style?

3: is it a bad idea to learn it from a book?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Hi, hope someone can answer a few of these for me. I've recently become interested in southern mantis style kung fu, but a few things are confusing me.

1: how different are the styles? (i hear they can be very different)

2: is there anywhere in canada that teaches any style?

3: is it a bad idea to learn it from a book?

The different main systems:
Jook Lum, Chow Gar, Chu Gar, Iron Ox
Are all different enough to be different enough.
Chow gar and Iron Ox don't have any "off-shoots" that I know of.
Jook Lum has a few different "off-shoots" as does Chu Gar.

In Canada, I don't know of anyone that teached SPM openly ie: commercial schools.
I know of a few that teach private.

No, you can't learn SPM from a book or a DVD, unless you have some "southern Hand" already and even then it is very hard to grasp the "hand" without a teacher to help you "feel" it.

[Angel Hunter]

next round of questions then, and thanks for the quick reply.

whereabouts would i need to look for a private instructor?

since it looks like i might have to travel to learn this, how long do you reckon it would take to learn the basics well enough to practise on my own without getting too many bad habits?

[sanjuro_ronin]

next round of questions then, and thanks for the quick reply.

whereabouts would i need to look for a private instructor?

since it looks like i might have to travel to learn this, how long do you reckon it would take to learn the basics well enough to practise on my own without getting too many bad habits?

I can't begin to state how difficult it would be to find, much less be accepted as a student of ANY TCMA who doesn't teach commercially.
Sorry.
Why must it be SPM?
My SPM Sifu is the brother of my Hung Kuen Sifu and the only reason I learn SPM from him is because he liked my Boxing ( he used to box too) and grappling skills and needed a "punching bag", LOL !
He doesn't teach anyone other than the 4 of Us ( all students of His older brother) and even then it isn't that often ( a few times a month at best).
Not ideal for a beginner in ANY MA.

Do you have prior MA experience? Male or female ?

[Angel Hunter]

male, and I know shotokan karate (I'm also a modern sport fencer, but I'm not sure if that really counts). My interest in SPM specifically comes from watching the Avatar cartoons and some youtube videos. Once I saw the stuff on youtube something inside me said "I must learn this," it felt a lot like the feeling I got when I saw what engineers do and then signed up for it at a university.

After I stopped doing karate I decided if I ever learned another martial art it wouldn't be japanese and it would have to be interesting, not the only martial art in town (not counting boxing and stuff)

[sanjuro_ronin]

male, and I know shotokan karate (I'm also a modern sport fencer, but I'm not sure if that really counts). My interest in SPM specifically comes from watching the Avatar cartoons and some youtube videos. Once I saw the stuff on youtube something inside me said "I must learn this," it felt a lot like the feeling I got when I saw what engineers do and then signed up for it at a university.

After I stopped doing karate I decided if I ever learned another martial art it wouldn't be japanese and it would have to be interesting, not the only martial art in town (not counting boxing and stuff)

There are certain elements in fencing the translate into SPM.
The SPM of Toph was based on the Chu Gar of Sifu Manny Rodrigues.
Whereabouts in Canada are you?

[Angel Hunter]

I'm smack in the middle of saskatchewan, the city of saskatoon.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I'm smack in the middle of saskatchewan, the city of saskatoon.

Better chance in learning the ancient Inuit style of Beaver munching, sorry.

You have to be realistic and see what you have around you in a distance that makes regular learning possible.
What do you have around you?

[Angel Hunter]

around here its mostly shotokan and jujitsu, i think we have 2 guys that do wing chun and one that does nine dragon bagauzhang

[sanjuro_ronin]

around here its mostly shotokan and jujitsu, i think we have 2 guys that do wing chun and one that does nine dragon bagauzhang

And none of those meet your needs and wants?

[Angel Hunter]

the bagauzhang looks to be the runner up, but SPM looks so cool

I was kinda hoping there was a master hiding under a beaver up here that someone could flush out.

[sanjuro_ronin]

the bagauzhang looks to be the runner up, but SPM looks so cool

I was kinda hoping there was a master hiding under a beaver up here that someone could flush out.

I got be honest, when I hear that SPM looks cool I don't get that.
Different? sure.
Exotic? Sure.
And I guess that can add up to cool, but it's not flashy nor is it easy.
Most can't even apply it n a real fight ( sorry to say).

[Angel Hunter]

I don't want easy, and if I'm in a real fight I'm not gonna be using anything fancy anyhow (cape and fist for that stuff). SPM just really tickled my fancy.

[TaichiMantis]

I'd check out the bagua guy first...good luck in your search!

[Angel Hunter]

thanks for answering my questions, you've been a real help. it's so nice to get straight answers.