How many people here do mantis?

[Pete]

Northern mantis... this section seems a little dead! i'm currently learning taiji mantis which seems a little different from other styles

what style do you guys do?

[Tainan Mantis]

I have not posted lately as I am working on a book about the culture of kung fu and Mantis from the Ming Dynasty.
The THirty-Six Mother Technqiues of Praying Mantis
The cultural aspect that I am writing now mostly deals with the stories and figures that men of rivers and lakes entertained themselves with and used as the inspiration for mantis kung fu (as well as other styles)

For example, in the list of 18 styles that comprise Praying Mantis Kung Fu there is Zhao Kuang-Yin's longfist. It is listed as being the beginning taizu de changquan qi shou.

During the Ming there were popular stories about the exploits of Kuang-Yin. These stories served to contrast and compare different virtues and vices with the goal of presenting the martial virtue wu-de for the common man and the men of the "greenwoods" to use as inspiration in their conduct and training in life.

One of those stories involved Kuang-Yin's uncle.
Kuang-Yin had an uncle who lived as a recluse in a Buddhist temple on the border region of Shandong and who provided Kuang-Yin with rare medicine which he used to help others.

The life style of Kuang-Yin's uncle is illustrated by a short 28 character verse poem roughly translated:

I don't detest the poverty of wearing poor patched up clothes.
In idle time I burn cypress twigs as incense.
Meditating by the window I disregard worldly affairs.
Just one pot of clear tea and one scroll of sutra.

Anyway, this work is keeps me from posting much here these days.

[Pete]

sounds interesting, i'm familiar with wu de but never really looked into the history surrounding mantis! good luck with your book

[MightyB]

the mantis forum isn't as lively as it used to be. Fact is, the shiite's hard to discuss - it's easier to show or experience in person.

Here's a term you'll have to learn

"One Family"

[mooyingmantis]

Qixing & Hao family Taiji Meihua Tanglangquan.

With whom do you study Taji mantis?

[HmorenoM]

Liu He Tang Lang Quan from Wu Tan Lineage still a newbie

[Pete]

One family... i like that!

i guess i should have asked a different question, i've never heard of most of those styles! haha

i only know what i learn is "taiji mantis" and it's abit different to any others i've seen

Qixing & Hao family Taiji Meihua Tanglangquan.

With whom do you study Taji mantis?

my shifu is Andy Zhou, i always forget his full chinese name sorry!

Hi

Do you train the Taiji Mantis of Chu Chuk Kai or the Taiji Mantis of Song Zi De..... coz they are very very different.

I train the latter, under Master Zhou Zhen Dong in Yantai.

I'm not sure if it's either of the ones you mentioned! i remember your website though, i emailed you about a year and a half ago about coming to china to train

was your shifu at the competition in kaifaqu a few weeks ago?

i'm also in yantai

[Pete]

went off the radar for abit... wheres my thread gone?!!

edit: ok thanks for making it reappear lol

[Biyn Jiu]

Tainan, If you stop eating and sleeping you can finish quicker and we will be able to read your book that much sooner. I will be anxiously awaiting your completion. Please keep us updated.

[Tainan Mantis]

Tainan, If you stop eating and sleeping you can finish quicker and we will be able to read your book that much sooner. I will be anxiously awaiting your completion. Please keep us updated.

I am on book four of san guo yan yi about 1800 pages into it so far. A Chinese novel from the early Ming. Praying Mantis references two characters that are in this book.

After having read this book I will probably come to the conclusion that Praying Mantis reference to these two characters, Zhang Liao and Zi Long, were not from San Guo Yan Yi but were from some-now obscure-play of the mid-Ming dynasty.

I have a collection of over 4,000 pages of plays from late Yuan to early-mid Ming with the scripts of all the remaining plays. All written in a combination of classical -songs and poems- and vernacular Chinese-dialogue.

I still will have to comb through this to find Zhang Liao and Zi Long.

[bagchun]

Our lineage is as follows.

Wang Lang
Li Bing Xiao
Zhao Zhu
Liang Xue Xiang
Jiang Hua Long
Wang Zhen Gao
Wang Xi Shan
Wang Bai Li ( my sifu )
Me

[Pete]

hey welcome

now i will sound harsh but is lineage really that important?

[mooyingmantis]

hey welcome

now i will sound harsh but is lineage really that important?

It just depends on your goals.

If you want to be able to defend yourself. Nope!

If you want to win forms tournaments or cage matches. Nope!

If you want to represent your particular family's lineage as an instructor. Maybe!

Lineage is kind of a funny thing. It means very little outside of your own particular family. It may even mean little outside of your own school.

When someone walks into most schools, they will be judged more on ability than lineage. I know several people with impeccable lineage who can't fight worth a ****. I also know several people with questionable or no lineage who are awesome fighters and/or teachers.

So, lineage only means as much as the value you and your immediate peers place upon it.

Let me tell you a little "secret" which most people who have been around a while already know. Most Chinese instructors only pretend to respect others of their own family outside their own school. They bicker within their own family and believe that only they have the true teachings. In fact, I can't think of one famous Chinese shifu that I have not heard dirt about by another famous Chinese shifu.

Is it any wonder that non-Asians often act so contentious?

[xiao yao]

Actually, I think lineage is important. Bagchun mentioned in his lineage that he comes through Jiang Hua Long. That means technique wise I probably have more in common with him than I do a Seven Star person etc.

Also from looking at lineage you can see if somebodys teacher is good or not, or their teachers teacher.

The problem is when lineage becomes more important than skill.........

[Pete]

It just depends on your goals.

If you want to be able to defend yourself. Nope!

If you want to win forms tournaments or cage matches. Nope!

If you want to represent your particular family's lineage as an instructor. Maybe!

Lineage is kind of a funny thing. It means very little outside of your own particular family. It may even mean little outside of your own school.

When someone walks into most schools, they will be judged more on ability than lineage. I know several people with impeccable lineage who can't fight worth a ****. I also know several people with questionable or no lineage who are awesome fighters and/or teachers.

So, lineage only means as much as the value you and your immediate peers place upon it.

boom! i think you read my mind

Also from looking at lineage you can see if somebodys teacher is good or not, or their teachers teacher.

The problem is when lineage becomes more important than skill.........

that's the thing i don't like about it to me it only matters if i think my teacher is good, i don't care about his teacher or teachers teacher...

if his teacher was bad maybe he learned more from it

definitely agree with your last point though