kung fu
Northern Praying Mantis
Northern praying mantis was created by a Shaolin master called Wang Lang in the mid-17th century when he combined footwork techniques from monkey-style kung fu with hand techniques from praying mantis. The system went on to become one of the most well-known and best-loved Chinese kung-fu systems.
Based around the movements of the praying mantis and its aggressive, forward-thrusting nature, the art is often linked with an old story of a Daoist wise man who observed a praying mantis trying to hold back the wooden wheels of a cart laden with fruit. The mantis, locked in a futile battle with the huge wooden wheel, was constantly pushed back, but refused to give in.
To some Daoists this story is a call to stop fighting against life. To martial artists, however, it symbolizes the spirit of pushing and fighting, even if the struggle might bring about their demise. This particular characteristic is a prized asset among traditional martial artists: if a practitioner is aggressive and decisive he can assume control in many circumstances and emerge victorious.
Shared characteristics
Although there are a number of different styles of northern praying mantis, the differing martial arts systems share a number of key characteristics. All are characterized by a unique poking-hand posture imitating the leg of a mantis. This very distinctive hand posture uses a hooking, clawlike action to divert incoming threats before quickly changing into a vicious attack aimed at vital points of an opponent’s body— the eyes, or various acupuncture points. In combat, northern mantis body movements are similar to those found in monkey-style kung fu. This may be due to the fact that northern praying mantis includes a complex set of footwork that was originally taken from monkey-style kung fu.
gung fu
The three main styles of northern praying mantis are known as: six-harmony style, eight-steps style, and seven-star style.
Tiger Kung Fu
Inspired by the clawing motions of tigers and said to strengthen the bones, tiger kung fu is one of the the animal systems of Chinese kung fu and is closely associated with bak fu pai . The system focuses on quick attacking movements aimed at resolving a conflict swiftly, but places no emphasis on blocking or evasive defensive techniques. It is not taught as a sport. Traditional practitioners rely solely on deadly and shocking power and do no stamina training. This vicious system is characterized by direct movements, grabs, chokes scrapes, and punches, combined with straight, side, and crescent kicks.
Pigua Quan
Sometimes known as “chopping fist” because of its emphasis on chopping fist and palm techniques, pigua quan uses a number of sweeping actions to generate speed through the hips and arms to produce powerful strikes. It is sometimes taught alongside ba ji quan, and the two forms are thought to have been a single art before diverging some centuries ago.
Power with simplicity
Sometimes accused of being an impractical martial art because of the exaggerated nature of its opening moves, pigua quan’s value lies in its simplicity and its ease to master. In its original form, it would have differed markedly from the routine seen in competitive wushu , but even in modern demonstrations the principles of generating power through speed and rotation are clear to see.
Chang Quan
Sometimes known as “long fist” or as “extended arm boxing,” chang quan is one of the oldest kung-fu striking systems. Emphasizing large, extended, and sometimes circular movements, the system relies on strong muscles, tendons, and joints to generate striking power.
Forms also contain joint locks, throws, and a number of high kicks, jumps, and flips. It is an acrobatic style and in modern wushu competitions the forms are often the most spectacular and memorable to watch. Many of the tumbling and flipping kicks have been allotted exotic names, such as the “whirlwind kick,” “butterfly jump,” and “tornado kick,” and many of them are used by characters in video games.
Although many of the movements predate the system’s foundation (it was founded in the 10th century by Zhao Kuangyin), chang quan’s contemporary form combines elements of cha quan, hong quan, and hua quan.
Alternative meaning
The name chang quan is also used as a generic term for a number of different Chinese martial schools—such as cha quan, Shaolin chuan, fan zi quan, hong quan, hua quan, and others—to denote systems thought of as being of northern origin and which are external as opposed to internal. These arts all employ similar large, extended, circular movements and physical athleticism. They also use offence-driven techniques, where the fighter rarely remains stationary, throwing attacking strikes, before moving position to continue the attack.
Black Crane Kung Fu
kung fu
Black crane kung fu is a hybrid system incorporating white crane techniques and tui na locks. It places heavy emphasis on strength and stance training. Practitioners will typically use deflection techniques before striking their opponent and using a lock The system also incorporates qi gong breathing meditation techniques and the teaching of weapons, the most popular of which are the baton, sword, spear, staff, and the cane. Elements of xing yi quan and ba gua zhang can also be identified in the system’s footwork routines.
Mei Huaquan
Although the exact origins of this system are unclear, mei huaquan is thought to have originated in the 17th century in northern China. Typically the 18 traditional weapons are taught alongside fist, hand, and foot forms, which are built around five static training positions. The system is noted as much for its health-giving benefits as for its self-defense skills.
A secretive fighting style
A popular variant of the system is “mei hua zhuang,” where zhuang means “trunks” or “pillars.” The name of this branch, it is said, comes from the ancient training method in which all the moves were executed while standing on top of wooden pillars, thus encouraging good balance and quick, light, deft footwork. It was thought that training for long hours on the pillars would improve overall coordination and increase practitioners’ confidence when they came to fight at ground level.
Originally a secret style, the system gradually began to open its doors to outsiders, and in time fixed training regimes were employed to ensure that practitioners had the necessary determination, moral qualities, and skills to study the art as required by their teachers.
In the first three years of training students were carefully observed, and those found lacking would no longer receive instruction. Those who made it through the rigorous induction period would spend the next two years adding to the boxing skills they had learned during the first year.
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