The Basic Principles of Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu

Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu

The Seven-Star Stances

The book "Master Lee Kam Wing's Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu," by Leung Ting, came in the mail yesterday, and I read it in one sitting. Awesome book, definitely one to have for anyone interested in Martial Arts, and particularly for someone like me who is a huge fan of Mantis Style Kung Fu. 

Below is a short summary of some of the basic principles that make up Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu, as per the information in the book.

1.) Horse Stance

• A basic horse stance.

2.) Hill-Climbing Stance

• Similar to a bow stance, but front foot turned in slightly.

3.) Medium Stance

• Feet are in position similar to a Hill-Climbing Stance.
• The knee of the forward leg is held back. 
• Back leg is not straight, but slightly bent.

4.) Collapsing Stance

• A reverse Hill-Climbing Stance. 
• The body turns towards the back leg of the Hill-Climbing Stance.

5.) Circle-Entering Stance

• Similar to a knee-drop, the back knee is tucked behind the front leg's ankle.

6.) Seven Star Stance

• Similar to an empty stance or cat stance, but the front leg is straight.
• Front leg rests on the ankle with the foot pointing upwards.

7.)Tiger-Riding Stance

• A basic empty stance/cat stance.

8.) Leg-Hanging Stance

• Similar to a "Rooster" or "Crane" stance. 
• Basically an empty stance with the front leg raised up, thigh parallel to the ground.

The Twelve Key Words

1.) OU- "Hook"    2.) LOU- "Grapple"    3.) TSAI- "Pluck"

      These three are used in combination. Ou is a upwards going parry into a hooking grip applied to the forearm/wrist.  Lou is a  downwards going parry with the opposite arm, usually gripping the elbow. Lou is called "grapple" because combined with Ou it secures control of the opponent's arm. Tsai, or "pluck", means to pull down with the Lou hand to force the opponent to move forward and lose balance. At this point, Ou is released and is turned into either a punch or a palm to the opponent. 

4.) KWA- "Upward Block"

         Kwa is a basic upwards going block with the forearm to the opponent's arm. As it makes contact, the opposite arm launches a palm or punch to the opponent's face or midsection.

5.) TIAO-CHIN- "Intercept-> Go Forward"

      Tiao, meaning to intercept, is an upwards parry-hook, like Ou, but it doesn't grip. Rather, it's aim is to lower the opponents arm. Then, Chin, go forward, means to attack with the same hand. After the Tiao hand moves the opponent's arm down, the practitioner steps forward and palms with the same hand as the Tiao.

6.) PENG-TA- "Chop"

      Peng-Ta uses the Tiao hand, but instead of attacking with the same hand, the opposite hand is used, delivering a downward going chop or back fist to the opponents body.

7.) CHAN- "Contact"                8.) NIEN- "Cling"

      These refer more to principles of usage, it seems. Chan is like a warding parry, where the forearm is raised to intercept or meet a strike, and Nien is using the hook to guide or lead an oncoming arm or attack. Together, the practitioner stays stuck to the opponent, similar to Chi-Sau, using the forearm and hook to control the opponents arms.

9.) TIEH- "Tag"                          10.) KAO- "Lean"

      Tieh and Kao refer to actions involving footwork in addition to hand work. Tieh, or "tag", means to close distance to the opponent. For example, the practitioner could parry a strike while stepping to the side of his opponent. On the other hand, Kao refers to leaning one's body into the opponent to throw them off balance. Because Tieh and Kao compliment each other, they are often utilized together. Also, because these actions move the practitioner closer to the opponent, it allows the practitioner to make use of short range attacks such as elbows and knees.

11.) CHIEN-SHAN- "Dodge"
        Chien-Shan means to dodge--literally to move out of the way. However, this is done without losing the ability to attack the opponent. In that sense, though Chien-Shan is a defensive movement, it has offensive capabilities.

12.) TENG-NUO- "Bounce"
      Teng-Nuo, or bounce, is the use of jumping. It can be used to apply long range and high range techniques, namely leaping kicks and midair attacks. In the air, these attacks are sometimes done in combinations, such as a hand-technique and a kicking technique being done in combination.