Martial Art Styles & Training
Our Kung Fu system incorporates the following Styles & Techniques:
- Praying Mantis System
- Chin Na
- Northern Long Fist - Chang Chuan
- Practical Self Defence & Martial Arts
Praying Mantis System *
The history of Northern Praying Mantis Boxing has been handed down from master to student for over one thousand years through a long oral tradition. There are many versions of the story and very few written documents which corroborate these legends. The account below is a combination of several versions of the story, retaining facts where possible and taking into account the culture and geography of Shandong and Henan provinces.
The Northern Praying Mantis system was developed by a famous martial artist called Wang Lang of Long Bao village in Ji Mo county of Shan Dong province during the Northern Song period (AD 960-1126). He was the only son of Wang Man Tang, a respected landlord in the village. Wang Lang was a talented child and in the Confucian tradition, was given the best possible education. This included the study of martial arts for many years at the nearby Temple of the Supreme Purity (Shang Qing Gong), a Taoist monastery in the Lao Shan mountains. There he learned the Taoist boxing style Tai Gong Quan.
After the completion of his studies, following his teacher's advice, Wang Lang travelled through China to visit other great masters of martial arts in order to perfect his own skills. His journey brought him to the Shaolin monastery in the Long Shan mountains of neighbouring Henan province. There he learned several styles of Shaolin temple boxing.
After seven years of study he was able to defeat all of the Shaolin monks except for the head monk of the monastery. In sorrow, Wang Lang left the monastery. He was walking through the woods when he decided to take a short rest under a willow tree. Suddenly, Wang Lang heard a strange noise, lifted his head and saw a praying mantis catching a large cicada. Astonished by the skills of the insect, Wang Lang caught the praying mantis and returned back to Lao Shan mountain where over a period of a few years he watched praying mantis movements-- fighting and teasing it with a small stick.
Inspired by the movements and tactics of the insect, Wang Lang together with Yu Hua Zhen Ren, the Abbot of the Taoist monastery, developed a fighting system which they called "The Gates of Praying Mantis" (Tang Lang Men). The system was based on twelve guiding principles: zhan (contacting), nian (sticking), bang (linking), tie (pressing), lai (intruding), jiao (provoking), shun (moving along), song (sending), ti (lifting), na (grabbing), feng (blocking), bi (locking). eight hard and twelve soft techniques. Also Wang Lang borrowed the best techniques from seventeen styles of boxing and incorporated them into Praying Mantis Boxing including the footwork of the monkey style. Using this new system he returned to the Shaolin temple and was able to defeat the head monk.
Years later, the Abbot of the Shaolin monastery was the great monk Fu Ju. His virtue was high and his reputation significant, he perceived Buddha, martial arts, medicine and literary culture, his name was known everywhere between the borders of the Heaven and the Seas. In order to improve the martial skills of the monks' brotherhood, he invited great masters of eighteen martial art schools to visit the monastery. His goal was to improve the martial arts of the Shaolin monks and to learn from each others styles strong points in order to offset each others weaknesses. Wang Lang was one of the eighteen masters invited to the Shaolin temple during the Song Period, and this is recorded in ancient documents that survived the destruction of the Shaolin temple in 1928.
Wang Lang retired to the Taoist monastery in Lao Shan and transmitted its techniques and theories to his best disciples, Yu Zhou Dao Ren and Shen Xiao Dao Ren. It is said that later Wang Lang took part in the rebellion of secret societies against the Manchurian invasion. However, all Wang Lang's troops were killed and only he escaped. When Wang Lang returned to the Lao Shan mountains, Manchurian soldiers had already been there. Wang Lang and his Taoist teacher Yu Hua Zhen Ren left Lao Shan and went to Kun Lun Shan mountain where Wang Lang continued self-cultivation and lived as a hermit until the end of his days.
* The above referenced from www.prayingmantis.com.auChin Na (Qin Na or Chi Na)
Chin Na (also pronounced Qin Na) is the art of controlling and subduing an attacker by joint manipulation.
The manipulation can be applied to a single, or a combination of the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders or legs.
There are a total of 108 Chin Na techniques, of which 36 can be learnt and practically applied with ease. Included in the 108 are "secret" techniques, which are normally only taught once a student gains a thorough knowledge of Kung Fu.
In most Chin Na applications, there are two points on one or more limbs of the attacker, that are subjugated to either a locking or twisting motion to achieve control. The affect comes about from the interaction of the human bodies' tendons, ligaments and joints being manipulated. The person applying the Chin Na technique is also able to choose the amount of control or damage he wishes to inflict upon the attacker. This can range from a simple immobilisation of the attacker, to dislocation of joints, breaking of limbs, or even worse...
An experienced Chin Na practitioner, if attacked, can apply these techniques at lightening speed, normally ending the conflict in only a few seconds.
The Legend of Northern Long Fist - Chang Chuan
The conception of Northern Long Fist was developed by Emperor Taizu, and further developed by Zhao Kuangyin founder of the Song Dynasty period (960 - 1279).
The Nanjing (or Nanking) Central Guoshu Institute was founded essentially to transmit the ancient art of Kung Fu into the 21st centuary.
In October of 1928, the Nanjing Institute held a national examination in Nanjing, which stands out as one of the most significant gatherings of Kung Fu masters of that time.
A Shaolin master by the name of Gu Ruzhang (Ku Yu Cheong, or Master Ku) inherited the Shaolin Kung Fu that Gan Fengchi brought out of the ancient Shaolin temple. The lineage came from Wan Bengcai, Yan Degong, Yan Sansen, then Ku's uncle Yan Jiwen, and then on to Master Ku.
Ku Yu Cheong became very famous, not only as a master of Shaolin Kung Fu, but specifically for his skill at Iron Palm. In 1931, he killed a Russian warhorse with a single slap. A post-mortem of the horse revealed no external injury; however all of the animal's internal organs had been shattered. After his victory at Nanjing, Ku traveled to Guangzhou with four other masters of Northern-Style Kung Fu: Fu Zhensong, Li Xianwu, Wan Laimin, and Wan Laisheng. Collectively, they became known as the Wu Hu Xia Jiang Nan or the Five Southbound Tigers.
These masters put aside age old prejudices to discuss the best techniques for each style. For this reason, this style developed at Nanjing contains the best elements from the many styles. This diverse style became known as the Northern Long Fist.
Grandmaster Li Mao Ching (1926-) a Chang Chuan teacher and Han Ching Tan (1903-1976) are second generation martial artists in the Nanjing Institute. After the communist take-over of mainland China in 1949, the masters left for Taiwan and Hong Kong. Grandmaster Li left for Taiwan.
Chang Chuan (Northern) has many diverse styles. There are ten barehanded forms, which also include various animal forms. The weapons used in the Chang Chuan are long staff, saber, straight sword, spear and double sets.
Practical Self Defence & Martial Arts
Kung Fu should not be thought of as something mysterious and different compared to the many varieties of martial arts that we find around us today.
In fact Kung Fu is one of the oldest, if not the oldest system of self defence that exists.
It could be viewed that other martial arts all take something from Traditional Kung Fu. For example; Aikido uses locks and manipulation (Chin Na), Taekwondo practitioners have excellent kicking techniques, while Judo teaches grappling and throwing. These were, and are all incorporated in Traditional Kung Fu. Martial arts such as Karate, Capoeira, Jujitsu and many others incorporate techniques and applications originally practised within Kung Fu. Even "modern" exercise systems such as Yoga and Pilates have stretching techniques similar to those originating from Kung Fu.
Besides practical training and self defence (punches, kicks, blocks, partner applications etc.) Kung Fu incorporates all training groups including: form (also known as patterns or katas), Tai Chi, Chi Gung, wrestling, light and full contact (San Shau) sparring, and competitions.
A monument to Wang Lang, near Laoshan Mountains, Shandong Province.
