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Northern p raying mant is kun g fu has, s ince i ts bi r th

350 years ago , maintained its eclect ic r oo ts. Each

generation has added a measure of impr ovement to

the sys tem witho ut alter ing the or igin al concepts that

make i t such an eff ic ient f ight ing art .

Wong Long began the process with the development of thetwelve character principles. This does not mean twelve separateprinciples, but rather refers to the actual twelve written Chinesecharacters that describe the concepts Wong Long organizedfrom his observations of the praying mantis insect.

The first three characters kou (hook), lou (grasp), and tsai(strike) refer to the way that the praying mantis would deflect,grasp, and strike an attacker. For Wong this could beaccomplished in human terms by deflecting a hand strike, andusing the mantis hook to hold on to the arm. The next twoactions, the grasp and strike, are more or less executedtogether. The grasp would facilitate a trapping action at theopponents elbow. By grabbing the elbow, the praying mantispractitioner would have momentary control of the opponents

body and could execute a strike without much chance of beingcounterattacked. From the praying mantis insect Wongdiscovered a method of attack and counterattack that did notrely on brute strength, but rather on skill and timing. He furtherdiscovered the concept of controlling an opponent by trappingat the elbow with a grab.

The next character kwa (upward block) by itself is a simpledefensive action. Put with a hand technique, however, itbecomes part of a concept that advocates a simultaneous block(more like a deflection) and strike. As Wong observed, thepraying mantis insect would catch its prey and strike at thesame time. From this Wong deduced that it was more efficient todeflect the opponents attack while striking simultaneouslycausing greater impact and damage to the opponent. Thisconcept effectively uses part of the opponents striking poweragainst him, thus requiring less strength and more of the use ofskill on the part of the praying mantis practitioner.

Tiao (a mantis hook not followed by lou) is another techniquethat Wong found in the praying mantis insects fighting arsenal.

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If the insect could not go directly in to attack after grabbing itsopponent, then it would continue to hold on, perhaps evenpulling back, and launch into a second attack to strike at itsintended prey. Wong saw in this a grasping type hand technique

that was quicker than the five finger grip used in the Shaolinsystems he was familiar with. This highly effective grabbingmethod uses the last three fingers to begin the grabbing action.The forefinger and thumb follow up and complete the action.This grab is extremely quick and allows the grabbing of anopponents arm efficiently whether the opponents arm is inmotion or not. Wong further discovered that this praying mantishook creates a stable hand position to use as a strike. Theoutside part of the wrist can hit a vulnerable part of theopponent with devastating force.

The two characters chen (advance) and peng (recede) refer tothe way that the praying mantis insect moved in and out ofharms way. When Wong poked the insect with a straw, theinsect responded by catching the straw, moving back justenough to be out of range, and then moving in again to effect anattack. From this experience Wong learned that there is a linebetween two opponents that the praying mantis partitioner willnot cross unless he is striking at his opponent. Called thereaction distance line, this position is where the opponentcannot move in to strike the praying mantis practitioner withoutbeing neutralized.

Within a certain distance range, no one can react as fast as onecan act. It is therefore necessary to be far enough away from anopponent to have enough time to react to an attack. If insidepast the reaction distance line, then the praying mantispractitioner needs to be doing one of two actions: movingoutside the reaction distance range or striking the opponent.

The ability to be able to judge the correct distance is what Wonglearned from the praying mantis insect. He further discoveredthat it only takes short quick shuffling footwork to accomplishthis.

Wong learned and applied the praying mantis insects conceptof advancing and receding to gain an advantage over anopponent. For example, when the opponent moves toward thepraying mantis practitioner, then he can move back acorresponding amount. By and large moving back should only

be necessary once. Then, however, a counterattack is likely tobe the next alternative. A direct attack or counterattack can also

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take place when the praying mantis partitioner moves forwardtoward the opponent. Using a stop hit he can neutralize theopponents attack without needing to move forward or back. Itwill depend on the opponent and situation as to what motion

tactic is necessary. Thus the praying mantis practitioner has theoption of moving back, in, or staying in place while still beingeffective.

Ta, (to strike first) was the praying mantis insects strongestattribute. If the first strike is successful, then further fighting canbe unnecessary. The insects speed and timing would overcomeits preys ability to mount a defence. Wong saw in the prayingmantis insect the skill he knew would give him an advantage.Striking first meant that if the opponent was outside of the

reaction distance line, then Wong would employ a stop hit tocounterattack an opponents initial move. If the opponent wasnot attacking then Wong decided that he could use either adirect attack or an indirect attack to strike first. The expressionused by praying mantis practitioners is: "aim high to strike low,"exemplifies the skill of striking first. It means that the prayingmantis partitioner will use a fake to get inside the reactiondistance line and strike first.

Chen (contact) and nein (cling) are two skills that Wong learnedfrom the insect that helped develop the valuable trapping tacticsin praying mantis kung fu. The ability to make contact, and fromthat use sensitivity to the opponents actions is what makes thepraying mantis insect such a strong predator. As the insectwould grasp its prey it could feel how its intended victim wouldreact, giving the praying mantis insect a decided advantage.Wong saw that when he developed the trapping skills of thepraying mantis he could have the same advantage as the insect,an ability to sense how an opponent is going to react. The

concept of nein (cling) is what the insect utilized to keep incontact so as to employ its sensitivity skills. Grabbing withintrapping tactics is the method that Wong used to help keep incontact and cling. In addition, Wong learned how to feel hisopponents movements by utilizing the nein (cling) concept.Instead of resisting the attack he would flow with it and redirectto accomplish a position of attack or counterattack.

Teih (tag) and kao (lean) are skills the praying mantis insectused to catch its prey and pull it off balance. From this Wong

Long synthesized that if he could catch his opponent, and indoing so create an imbalance, he could execute a throwing

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action. Much of the throws he developed are based on catchingand then pulling an opponent into an unbalanced position as afollow-up tactic. One aspect that the praying mantis practitionerattempts to do in executing a throw is employing "top spin."

This skill will see the opponent end up in an awkward position inthe fall from the throw, causing injury to the head area, orpossibly dislocating the shoulder joint.

The eclectic process of praying mantis kung fu was furthered byWong including in his new system the use of internal strengthfor power in the techniques. Called body power, praying mantiskung fu practitioners need not be big, youthful, or strong tohave devastating powerful techniques. It is necessary, however,to be in good health and fit, which comes from regular training.

Once a fit body is achieved, and strong basics are learned thenthe sophisticated aspect of the internal type power can bemastered.

The basics of the body power that Wong used are: balance,coordination, and suppleness. Balance gives the praying mantispractitioner the opportunity to create mobility and stability, bothcrucial to the development of body power. Coordination isessential for body power to work. This begins with a balancedposition and a total linking of the legs, waist, and upper body.For example, as movement is initiated to create body power in ahand technique, the power starts from the ground in the legsand is amplified by the waist. The hips are positioned to help ina torquing action that, with body linked action, sends the waist-generated power out and through the arm. All of this needs asupple muscular environment to work.

The use of body power gave Wong a style that can be describedas an internally oriented system. In fact it has a mutuality of

hard and soft tactics. Called the eight hard ways and the twelvesoft ways, they serve to describe concepts that work insituations that require a praying mantis practitioner to use eithera strength-oriented approach or a tactic that utilizes more of ainternal-oriented movement. If, for example, an opponentattacks, the praying mantis partitioner has two options:overcoming the opponents size and strength (with a hard-waytechnique), or dissipating the opponents attack (with a soft-wayapproach) followed by striking a vulnerable spot. Using a hard-way tactic does not mean brute strength, but rather a

combination of skill and strength, such as an arm pull and ahammer fist to the back of the opponents neck. A soft-way

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technique does not seek to overpower the attacker, but rather toavoid and strike a vulnerable target such as the throat toincapacitate the attacker without an undue use of unduestrength.

Wong Longs praying mantis kung fu system has stood the testof time. Its eclectic beginnings have served to help it adapt tothe requirements of the day. The principles and concepts thatworked in Chinas battlefields will work on todays modernstreets. The historical roots and traditions help keep the systemfocused around its main premise: "if a tactic works we can useit". From iron palm to the intricate weapon sets, praying mantisis a three-hundred-and-fifty year old style that is still effectivetoday