Southern Praying Mantis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Southern Praying Mantis
南派螳螂

Also known as	Nan Pai Tanglang
Focus	Striking, Grappling
Country of origin	China
Creator	Chow Gar style: Chow Ah-Nam Chu Gar style: Chow Ah-Nam & Chu Fook-To Kwong Sai Jook Lum style: Som Dot Iron Ox style: Hung Mei Thong Long Quet Tsot style: Chen Kiu
Famous practitioners	Wong Fook Go Lau Shui / Lau Soei Lee Kun Ching / Lee Siem See Choi Dit-Ngau / Iron Ox Choi Hsiung Khan Seong
Parenthood	Southern Shaolin kung fu
Olympic sport	No

Southern Praying Mantis (Chinese: 南派螳螂) is a Chinese martial art. It comes from the Hakka people, a special group in China. This style is similar to other Hakka martial arts like Southern Dragon Kung Fu.

Even though it has "Mantis" in its name, Southern Praying Mantis is not related to the Northern Praying Mantis style. They are completely different!

Southern Praying Mantis focuses on fighting up close. It uses quick, strong movements, especially with hands and arms. Kicks are kept low and fast. This helps the fighter stay balanced and ready. The goal is to protect yourself and use quick, powerful moves.

History of Southern Praying Mantis

There are five main types, or branches, of Southern Praying Mantis. These branches are:

• Chow Gar (Chow family)
• Chu Gar (Chu family)
• Kwong Sai Jook Lum (Jiangxi Bamboo Forest)
• Iron Ox
• K. S. Hsiung Thong Long Quet Tsot (Mantis Martial Arts)

These styles likely came from the same area and were popular among the Hakka people. They also share similar training moves and ideas. However, their family trees are not clear enough to say they all came from one single person.

Hakka Kuen: The Hakka Fist

The Kwong Sai Jook Lum style mentions that people once called Southern Praying Mantis "Hakka Kuen." This means "Hakka Fist." This name was used because the style was very closely linked to the Hakka community.

The Hakka people lived in a wide area of Southern China. Many founders and teachers of Southern Praying Mantis came from these Hakka regions. For a long time, this martial art was mostly taught within the Hakka community.

Why "Praying Mantis"?

The name "Praying Mantis" is a bit of a mystery. Each branch of the style has a different story about it.

Some stories say that founders like Chow Ah-Nam and Som Dot created their styles after watching a praying mantis fight a bird. This idea of learning from animals is common in Chinese martial arts legends. You can find similar stories in Northern Praying Mantis, Fujian White Crane, and Wing Chun.

The Chu family branch has a different story. They say the name "Southern Praying Mantis" was used to hide their true purpose. They were supporters of the old Ming royal family and wanted to trick the new Qing rulers. They pretended their secret style was just a local version of the well-known Northern Mantis style.

When you see people practice Southern Praying Mantis, their movements can look like a mantis. They use sticky hands, keep their elbows close, and have quick, explosive moves. However, some martial artists say these moves are more like other styles, such as Five Ancestors or White Crane. Unlike Northern Praying Mantis, Southern Mantis doesn't have specific hand moves named after the mantis.

Lau Soei: A Famous Teacher

Lau Soei (1866–1942) was a Hakka martial artist. He became very famous in Southern China and later taught in Hong Kong. He was known as the "tiger of Dong Jiang."

Lau Soei had special techniques, including a staff form called "Tanglang-puchangun." Many of his students became teachers themselves. Both the Chow Gar and Chu Gar styles see him as an important teacher in modern times.

Chow Gar Style

The Chow Gar branch is very well-known. It started around 1800 with Chow Ah-Nam. As a boy, he went to a Southern Shaolin Monastery for medical help. While there, he learned martial arts and later created Southern Praying Mantis. His student, Wong Fook Go, was one of Lau Soei's teachers.

A student of Lau Soei, Ip Shui, helped make Chow Gar popular. He taught the style in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Chu Gar Style

The Chu Gar branch says its style was created by Chu Fook-To. He developed Southern Praying Mantis for people who were against the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty was a new ruling family that had taken over from the old Ming royal family.

This branch is thought to be the oldest. It might be where the other Southern Mantis styles came from. According to the Chu family, Chu was part of the Ming royal family. He found safety at a Shaolin Monastery and later shared his martial art in nearby areas.

Kwong Sai Jook Lum Style

The Kwong Sai Jook Lum style comes from temples like Jook Lum Gee (Bamboo Forest Temple). A monk named Som Dot created this style in the late 1700s or early 1800s. He taught it to Lee Kun Ching, also known as Lee Siem See ("Zen master Lee"). Lee Siem See traveled around Southern China, sharing the art with many people.

Later, masters like Wong Yook-Kong and Lum Wing-Fay helped spread the Kwong Sai Jook Lum style. Wong Yook-Kong was a big, strong man who focused on physical conditioning. He even trained with heavy iron rings on his wrists! Lum Wing-Fay was smaller but focused on soft, explosive energy. He brought the style to the United States, teaching in New York City's Chinatown.

Iron Ox Style

The Iron Ox branch was named after a teacher called Iron Ox Choi. He got this nickname because he was very strong and could take many hits. He was also known for fighting in the Boxer Rebellion around 1900. The founder of this style is said to be Hung Mei (Red Eyebrow).

This style is mostly found in Southern China. However, it is now also taught in Europe.

K. S. Hsiung Thong Long Quet Tsot Style

This Southern Praying Mantis style was taught in Kolkata, India. It came from China, specifically from Moi-yan in Guangdong. Chen Kiu first taught this style only to the Hakka community. Later, Sifu Hsiung Khan Seong opened the style to non-Chinese students in 1975. He taught in Kolkata until his death in 2000.

How Southern Praying Mantis is Taught

Like other Southern Chinese martial arts, Southern Praying Mantis uses strong stances, powerful body movements, and quick hand techniques. The style's main ideas are often found in poems and sayings.

Training includes practicing forms by yourself, practicing with a partner, and using weapons. The names and types of forms can be different between the branches.

Some common training methods and forms include:

• Sarm Bo Gin: This is a very important form. It helps make the body strong and develops power. It should be practiced daily.
• Eighteen Points
• Seven Stars
• Poison Snake Staff
• Butterfly Knives
• Staff
• Spear

Students also do conditioning drills to get stronger and faster:

• Rolling bamboo
• Speed bag
• Chains
• Iron rings
• Hand weights
• Training with rice or stone buckets
• Using dummy training partners
• Free sparring (practicing fights)
• Weapon sparring

Some schools also teach traditional Chinese medicine practices like:

• Dit da how (healing liniments)
• Chi gong (breathing exercises)
• Acupressure (pressing on specific body points)
• Tui na (massage)

Other activities might include:

• Lion dance and music
• Brushwork and calligraphy

Southern Praying Mantis in Media

Movies

Lo Mang, a famous actor, is an expert in Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis. He studied it for over 13 years before becoming an actor. You can see his skills in the movie Invincible Shaolin (1978).

Cartoons

The character Toph Beifong from Avatar: The Last Airbender uses a unique earthbending style. This style is based on the Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis. Other earthbending in the show is based on the Hung Ga style.

G.I. Joe

The character Quick Kick from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toys and cartoons is said to know Southern Praying Mantis.

See also

In Spanish: Kung Fu de la Mantis Religiosa del Sur para niños

• Meridian (Chinese medicine)
• Nam Pai Chuan
• Toph Beifong
• Touch of Death
• Traditional Chinese medicine
• Tui na