As we close the books on 2021 and prepare to move forward into the new year it’s time to take stock of the past 365 days and plan for 2022. This past year was dominated again by a global pandemic that continues to expose vulnerabilities in populations, healthcare systems, and socio-cultural equity. Cumulatively there has been over ~281.8mn ...
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A Guide to preparing the body and mind for traditional training
Kung Fu refers to a skill attained through hard work. In Chinese, Kung Fu can be used for any person that has achieved mastery of a chosen ability such as a chef or artisan. When we say Kung Fu with regard to martial arts we specifically mean traditional Chinese Kung Fu ...
Continue Reading →Footage of Master Lin Bo Yan performing staff routine.
Master Lin (1903-1990) studied under the tutelage of Master Luo Guang Yu for almost a decade in the Shanghai Jingwu Association. He was a senior disciple under LGY and described as one of top four students in Huang Han Xun’s book, Six Harmony Double Sabers, 1956. Master Lin was a humble learned man who lead a peaceful life eventually settling overseas in Singapore where he continued to work ...
Continue Reading →Master Kai Uwe Pel performing Xiao Hu Yan in Penang, Malaysia.
The Xiao Hu Yan empty handsets (Xiao, Zhong, Da) are said to have been introduced by Master Wang Rong Sheng (c. 1854), who is generally recognized for expanding the Seven Star Praying Mantis style curriculum with a deeper integration of Shaolin long fist boxing traditions and content.
Born 1854 in Shandong province, Wang Rong Sheng is said to have already been a master of the Shaolin long fist ...
Continue Reading →This year Master Kai Uwe Pel celebrates forty years dedicated to the mastery and preservation of Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Master Pel of the Seven Star Praying Mantis style came to Shanghai to teach from 2002, first with the surviving Jing Wu organization, then at the Longwu Center and privately in the suburb Xin Zhuang. We identify ...
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Praying Mantis Kung Fu was founded 400 years ago in the tradition of Shaolin, integrating late Ming dynasty martial practices with Chan Buddhist meditation and Neo-Confucian philosophy. It evolved against a backdrop of political instability, social unrest, and large-scale violence premised on the notions of self-preservation, individual autonomy, moral agency and the natural right to self-defence. ...
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Traditional teachings in Praying Mantis Kung Fu conceptualize important life lessons into more easily digestible principles that enable a student to understand and intuitively put into practice. This foundational approach translates into more meaningful learning experiences which the student can apply to other parts of their life.
”The secret to better performance is control.” ...
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The origins of Praying Mantis Kung Fu are founded in the tradition of Shaolin integrating Ming dynasty martial practices with the Chan Buddhist meditation and Neo-Confucian philosophy. It is premised on the notions of self preservation, individual autonomy and the natural right to self defense in the pursuit of peace. Peace is commonly understood to mean a lack of ...
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