MantisQuarterly nglang Quan ke a Terie. fod of tea mae ts fghng met Te Ser Jeo a chonte Pcp, ener ee ees rca arog a The 12 Gace Pings sr ewe of Mas Bor Sore cpeeind ln torts cece rrinaaes Evelpast alee ensraeees Seren Ts chan Tretia papel es ete ara ing he ton of then ena eal i ea ee eee erry Heeeg tiga flan tla yn wad dem Sean Sie aieceee Fett Oe pclae many 15 | PRBS SAN GE a Seer the characters ae ely remem- bred and immediately ander- stood tool for comprehending, “Tanglang Quai The 12 Charscter Principles ‘outlined previously can be wnderstood in avery basic sense as ou, to hook ‘Gov ie used eo inezcope an tracking limb with the ls three fingers ofthe hand. Ie can be used to deflect, catch or simply monitor the actions of an opponent. Lou, to clamp Lou is a five fingered closure on an oppo nents arm to hold or seal off his arms to ‘open him for attack Cai, to pluck (Cai isa sudden sharp jerk of limb that can Mester Luo Guangyu performs the scond postr rm the st Bag Bu ‘Quan in 1836. The tele keywords for his schoo of Tanglong reflected ‘is changing emphossin the crt be used to trap, chrow or cause damage ro Gua, to hang. (Gus isa motion that guides the opponents limb upward. K-can be used to open the opponent lower areas for atack, 1 rap his atm infront of his face oF 10 throw, Diao Jin, to trick and to charge Diao jin refers to the dia shou, or hook hand, being used eo cach an opponent's limb and using che erp to charge forward nto the opponent. Her, the keywords ate red together in function, but they can also be used separately.cai diao we diao MZ zhan Hi Mantisquartety hii Diao Da, to trick and to hit Diao da refers to using the dio shou ro catch and, instead of charging forward, taking the ‘opportunity strike Than Nian, to contact and to adhere “Zan nian refers o attaching tothe oppo- rent’ limb and remaining in contact with hin, both ro protect yourself and to find ‘openings in dhe opponent’ guard Tie Kao, to close and to lean ies the at of slipping inside an opponent's guard, Once inside, kao is used. Kao refers 10 ‘lose range srkes or throws executed while leaning one’ weight agunst the opponent, eis cay to se that this formula, used by Luo Guangyu and Huang Hanaun of the Hong Kong branch of Tanglang, focuses on ations ‘executed on an opponents bridge arms. Inter cepting, capping, striking at various canges and closing to finishing range ate the theme ofthis particular st of keywords ‘The ideas can be grouped differently, how ‘ever, and other ideas can be drawn from them, ‘thus Functioning o spur che students eos to understand the system with greater depth, ‘The formula used by a particular branch may change overtime ot a new formula may be added for greater flexibility or to herer express 2 particular instructors emphasis. For example, Luo Guangys used che formula outlined prev ‘ously at times, bur also used this formula: gou, Jou, ea, gua, dao, jin, Beng, da, zhan, nian, tie, kao. The difference between the two formulas lic in the use of beng da instead of diao da, Inthe second formula, the ideas are being. taken separately a8 principles fr fighting. Beng, to-crush, refers to powerful strikes that ate meant to cause the opponent co collapse. Da refers to striking ico an open space wo hit the ‘opponent, to fla space where he might seike ‘oF to distract him. The intent of a weacher and ‘where his emphasis les guide his choice forthe series of characrer principles he employs. ‘Another example of this type of development respected sifu Loc Kam Wing. Early in his carer, hie held tothe second of che character principle formulas outlined previously, but he added foot ‘wotk principles he Fle were csental for under- standing Tanglang as he practice it ‘Qian shan, to jamp and evade, became one pair of added principle, and the other was tng, ‘Avo, co soa and shift. These foue powerful body movement sis gave his stadents unique insight ino the naare of Tanglang as he envisioned Prine 2008Sift Lee has expand! co his appreach co character principles even further, now using 31 characters that even more closely addres his theories and concepts of Tanglang Quan, This clearly shows how teachers, both pas and present, can and do alter theory to follow practice in Tanglng, For the student of traditional Tanglang, learning the character principles will come only after extensive practice inthe art. I is ‘eal interaction with che teacher that guides the practice of the student and helps him to shape his Kang Pu, nota ser of prince ples. When the student has prac: ticed enough, the character pein- ciples can then be examined to chance his understanding ‘When use in dis way, the cha acter principles of Tangang are an invaluable resource into understanding the art. MQ. | Theory In this pho, the prince of (to close) ust ated, ‘5 lef sips post the guard ‘of right while opphing on bow brook. Effective Use of the Elbow he bene elbow of the arm is known as “pus shou” in clasical Praying Manes ter rinology. I isan extrmely powerful and versatile close quarters weapon. The elbow domi nates in close range combat; it can be used 10 strike, grapple and take down, ‘The Barhou (Eight Elbows) form, docu mented in an 1842 manuscript by Grandmaseer Liang Xnoviang (1810 -), is ndoubwedly one of the most important aspects of the Mantis system heritage. Bathow is regarded highly among the lineages of Grandmaster Liang. The theme of this ancient form is the effective use of the eight sharp extremities ofthe body, which are known asthe eight short or cight elbows in Grandmacter Liang’ terminology “The eight shore are the head, mouth, shoul- ders, ribs, elbows, bustocks, knees and neck (the chin is consider the necks “slbow). This pow erful form is both an anatomy ofthe bodily ‘weapons and 1 manual of the Afsctive usage of the human body in close-quarters combat. The gual zhou isthe predominant weapon in the form, and icas eight principle wes, hence the ‘name Bazhou, "The effective use of gua show relies on good fundamentals, such a the Eight Postures tnd the 12 Character Principles. For example, ‘once a Mantis stylist makes contact (chan) and adheres (nian) tothe opponent, he or she can lean in (cielkao) with guaizhow either fora knockout ora takedown. Clearly understand ing the basic principles i eritial to being able to properly use gua thou. In addition, footwork i key in gaining and maintaining the close range and position esenval to the effcrive use of gua rho. Mantis students ‘mus dil thee basic exercises and understand the Fundamentals ofthe system hefore che will be able o fll wslize guaizhou. The flowing example, drawn from the Xia Barhos (Lower Routine of Eight Elbows for) of (Chia Chak Kai Tai Chi Praying Mantis, llasraes one of ee principe wes oF gual zhou — the About the Author ‘tu bert Hu beg his sung Fe raining nthe Southem Drogon end Bok Me ses in 1972 under the fae Sita Chow Fu We studjng in Voncoures BC ona in 1985, Sits Hu ‘met Galen Fok wo inae- ‘daced i tthe at of Yo hi ia) Proping e's Sis then resid 0 Hong Kong to tty under the ote Gondnostr Chis (hak Kei from 1987 to 1991 Cent he researching and teochng Grardnostr hiss ort his Chk Ka To (hi Praying Marts in loka, NW Canede Comet Sty Hu at “ul aitemarthcom, antixouiy | 3Black takes the ini- tiative and strikes with yang jeung (upward facing palm). Gray checks it with a parry. Black uses lu shou (grabbing hand) witha let elbow smash in 2 right Taj stance. Note the position ofthe grab- bing hand and the footwork. Gray absorbs the blow and counters with a punch to Black's face 4 | manscusctey coiling elbow strike. The 2uoyou panahou (let and rghe coiling bow strikes) techaique x be ‘ued in combination with the Mantis toro ‘method asa lose quarters striking combination The Zuoyou Panzhou Technique “This se of photos shows te double coling elbow sik anwar fom the Chin Chul Kal Ta Chi Praying Mants version ofthe Lower Routine of Eight Ellows form. Here, thi tch- nique fused to achieve Xn Ren Zia Fa {immoral Pulls Hai) a head-gabbing moe. In addition to the esenial footwork the corso method, spell uring and shi ings present in this combination, The two sus to che rb cage belong tothe Eight Pr- mid Suikes, The knce tothe grin and the sek o the back ofthe hea ae wo ofthe Hight Forbidden Sek, The lu shou (grabbing hand) is crucial clement in his technique, a it lend the exetial ap forthe entering strike ofthe combination, MQ PING 2008Black quickly grabs Gray's countering punch with is left hhand and attacks with a right elbow smash in a left Taj stance. Black has ‘tumed and shifted twice with this technique, which could also be used as.a takedown, Gray manages to block the right knee strike, but does not have enough time to check the hair grab because Black restrained his left hand, Ba ie 6. Black pins Gray's head down with the momen: tum from shifting back to a tiger-riding statce and performs a finishing strike to the back of the head (one of the Eight Forbidden Strikes). 1% Close-up of the hand position of the stike SPRING 2004 Mantisquatey | 5History ‘About the Author en Brae has bon 6 pracy marl ons sine 1962 He moved to Tanwann 1989 continue hi study of Proving thant under te tutelage of Sh Zhengzhong. He cent epectes a Pray “ing Mans schoo Tener hy ord is head incr of Taine Boy's High Scho! Morel As Cha. |No Rival Under Heaven Hard collapring slid smashing i purely wnyild ‘ing hand method. Ibis like the caging atack of bate Ta charge forward one mare pose corage for without courage victory is not eal atained. Those sho tain inthe martial ar miata bave 1 rene of wiadom, hinds and courage, as veel as a sharp mind. Ie has you mus now sourelf inorder to Ienow the enemy, then out of one hundred ba tes will ome one hundred victories. "—Wei Hsiao Tang, fom his book Ba Bu Tang Lang Chuen This atitude of supreme confidence perme ‘ues ancient Mantis Boxing manuscripts. In che past, the writings of mascers were intended wo be 4 source of both technical insight and inspirs- ‘ion, In chis way, instruction in Mantis Boxing was a path of acquiring technical knowledge, developing physica skill and fearing spiived martial courage. The writings of dhe masters were intended to communicate to thei martial descendants the esentals forthe mest compre- hensive inespretaton of thee ar. [eis with this in mind thar we consider the following: "Phen ing fic ou epee When using mantis your opponent ha no way 0 dfind. Adapt oncelf the changing cincumtances hen ‘using them ‘The entre boy i ad for biting. This isthe prfoundnes of shor srk, ‘The bighes extreme of technique Fu Ju Manusrip, Wang Yi Master Wang published a manuseripe in 1936 ted Shore Series of Eighteen Luoban, Here refer ‘encod asthe Fu Ju Manuserpc, the document bas ‘been aeibuted by many to Fu Ju, che abhor ofthe ‘Shaolin monasery during the carly Song Dynasty. ‘The document isl is belicved by many wo be the produce ofa meeting of masters Shakin, during ‘which they combined ther knowledge. “This mocting has been referenced by others, in their esearch. For example, modern martial ants historian De Qian quotes from the temple's own records: [is eonded in he armas of te Shaclin temple thee the pri Ju invited eights master 20 the a | MantisQuarterly Shaolin empleo pracce and tach martial rer Jor thre yeas, The best spiced from each and ‘collected in the manasripe of Shalinpagilsm. Shaolin Was Jing Bua, Di Quan Although the actual authorship and date ‘of the manuscript has been in dispute among scholars for decades, the manuscrip itself con- Tinues toe cited fr its technical accuracy. Ie is clear, cherefore, that the masters ofthe past placed great emphasis on fanche and lulu as ‘acing essential for fully comprehending Mantis Boxing This emphasis has continued to more mod- ‘mn times among master boxers. For example, Hong Kong Mantis Boxing Master Huang Hans tun sated the following: ‘Since ancient siesta been that ro have Mantis yo cas be without face. ‘Aad lace in his writings: anche ll fe uses hard force ra defo hard force dane sa purely anyelding technique, To hands make aft mat toward the frome and reurn ‘ontiminay withou break, When this it gor, that one rewrns, and when tis fis rss, that one descend, Te must smach the incoming hand. I is like the wheel of «care whore marin isa noncop turning The singe hand is ul, Ie comes fom above and ills in decent, shen whips up. from below, revolo- ing ound and round wits end. If ou ae sled inthe application fof face lulu), then there willbe no sreneh chat can be destroyed sand no enemy thas can be defeated. (Clearly, Huang Hanxun saw fanche and Ful as pomerfil weapons in the Mantis Boxers acsenal, With his description, caken with Wang, YYfuis contrast of the nature of Tanglang sou, for Mantis hands, and fanche, one arrives atthe Image ofan fighter who can close rapidly and ‘powerfully with the fanche, breaking through fn opponent’ defenses to crow and overwhelm ‘wich Mantis hands in close range. Fanche is che powerful, direct, nearly unstoppable force that makes way for Tanglang shou. “That opinion is also shared by che great Mantis Boxing Master Li Kunthan In one of his books, there i a chapter called are Collapsing Solid Smashing Fist, in which he writsFanche ofthe cenral road, ‘hs begining and ending cant be clearly defined. Ie dao rely on blocking, 4 doe rly on joint manipulations 1 does rely on pasting and leaning, 4 doe rely om counter aries 1s has mo concer for dor, If theres a deor go sraigh m, I rbereis no deor breakthrough the wal, A purely bard schnique devoid of afc ‘The doors and walls are the guard and defensive motions ofthe opponent. Master Li considers chem no estacle for a powerfully exe cuted fanche. For Master Li, Fanche iso be exe ‘uted outright, without resorting to other tech- nique to support it. His clear description ofthe direct nature of fanche combined with Wang Yilis admonition to “adapt oneself ro the chang- Jing circumstances when using them [fanche and ‘anglang” paints a pierre of fanche as being far ‘more dependene upon tactical circumstance and timing than other considerations For Master Li, ite the pirure of strike delivered at the right moment, s0 “ies beginning and ending ean be clealy defined.” Ie carches the opponent’ timing, poston and psyche with ‘an overwhelming offense, This contrasts clearly with the right moment for che mach closer-ange “Tanglang shou techniques chat take into acount factors and uilze supporting skills tae are ele vane fanche, So it is clear that fanche lulu was, to our ‘martial ancestors, an essential and powerful ‘weapon in the Mantis Boxer’ arsenal. Ie remains forthe student and instructor to look again a chs weapon, unlock its secrets and come ro know what these masters knew and wished to pass on to future generations Tis such secrets that inspced the historian of Shaolin wo waite: Wag Lang Mente ewithou road. MQ. Ee 8 % Pi & a z #e Ne if iG i: a x ae = i be =. a zs om 25 " a Za i, if ae a BA Ze ue a ED ae oh ae ae ee eh ae Praying Mantis Boxing in Germany ‘ermany has had organized public inseruction in Mantis Boxing for over two decades. Inthe beginning, Ger- ‘many Tanglang consisted exclusively of. Hong Kong syle Mantis Boxing. That organiea- ‘ion eontinites to preserve the teachings ofthat school but has als become a springboard for cxploring other branches of Tanglang. The result SPRING 2004 is that todas in addition o a continued strong Hong Kong Tanglang presence in Germany, there are ako Qixing and Meihua branches from both ‘mainland China and Korea Beginnings In 1983 Shi Kai Uwe Pt ist introduced tr ditional Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu = Manisquarteiy | 7 ozAbout the Author Sh lochen Waren ‘began his maar exper fences os 0 chit with he biganydo less Aihough he ms iwoled i moder fending fer some tne be od ‘osrong dese to study Chi ese maria ars 1589, he bragan ie sty of Seven Stor ‘Mons under 9 Geman, end in 1897 he wes cep as stent of Sh Lee Kam Wing ‘of Hong Kong. Hebi sud ed aks, Pok Hok ond 1 eta Tg tang, ut ow he concetres on Chat Sing Tanglang Shit Wot gram teaches this Chinese ‘marl as sho Bol Lar in Osnabrueck Germany. to Germany. Shifa Pl learned Mancis Boxing in Hong Kong fiom Shifu Lee Kam Wing and extned his teaching certificate in 1983, ‘hifi Pol popularized Tanglang in resulting in many people studying with him and inspiring others to cain dizeely with Shifu Lee Kam Wing. Shif Pel himself lar let Sifu Lee Kam Wing’ organization ro hecome a disciple of Shift Koh Kim Kok of Singapore. ‘Today, Shifa Pel continues to promote ‘Mantis Boxing as an instructor in the Qing, ‘Woo Men organization in Shanghai Seven Star in Germany Shifus Brunke Bast and Jorg Quade were among those who studied directly with Shika Iie Kaan Wing inthe wale of Shits Pel pro motion of Tanglang in Germany. Shifu Lee's ‘onpinitacion was again both a resource for ta ing for some and springboard for others to ‘xplore dif branches of Tanglang ‘Shifty Base remained with Shifa Lee's organi ration and contin- Hong Kong Qixing Tanglang, Today the Lee Kam Wing fines wo grove in Germany and Sifu Base has been joined by shifas Mare Hucsche, Nicolai Schild and Jochen Wolf- eramm. Shit tochen Woe yom and his teacher, Shits Loe Kam Wing. Shifs Quad went on to become a student of mainland Qixing Tanglang asa disciple of Shift Zhong Lian Bao of Yantai and now serves asthe head of Shits Zhong’ organization Germany. He is assisted by Shift Thomas Hole ‘man in teaching and promoting Yaneais Qixing Tanghing Germany Taiji Mua Tanglang is represented in Germany by Koreas Mantis Bosing Associaton and by ‘mainland Taiji Melhua Tanglang organizations. Shif Gerhard Milbrat began his studies in Taiji Meshua Tanglang under the lineage of Korea Gok Ga Chin and Choy Chae Gyn. He thas leo studied mainland Taiji Meihua with Sun Shi Gang and Qu J Jun. Today, Shify Mil brat and Shifu Choy teach Taiji Meihaa “Tanglang in che rowne of Liinghausen and Manster, respectively Mainland Tai Meihua Tanglang i also tep- resented by the orginization of Shifts Zhang Wan Fu, Over the yea, sifis Millrat, Heiko Klisch, Tim Otte and Arne Grande have all studied Taiji Meihua Tanglang with Shifa Zhang Shifu Klisch began his Tanglang studies with Hoong Kong Qixing Tanglang aya student of| Shifs Kai Une Pl from 1979 co 1988, In 1989, ShifaKlsch began tesning in Taiji Methua Tanglang with Shift Zhang Wan teaches this syle of Tanghang ac the Wa Dao schoo! in Hamburg Shif Ort began studying with Shia Klisch in 1988 and later stadied Taiji Meihua Tanglang dizcty with Shits Zhang, Shift Ott now teaches “Tanglang in Hamburg. ‘Sifu Grande began his studies in Taiji Met hua with Shifs Zhang. In 2002, he was awarded his instructor rating i Taji Meihus Tanglang in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. He veces achis Wan Fu Academy in Kol. and now Conclusion The Tangang community in Germany is weal and dedicated to cheat, and it possesses a rich mixture of Tanglang families and ses. MQ fot abncigion feat. by Astor kang Fue, Ftork al al re) 0565282597, sting res at ros Ut Capri 2008 ‘nf m emai ale 08358% suriitraanedD machng sturgeon eon es teers hinges rast oe sirinessimarutelom ine be praca pata sscumanire co ‘aan web se sol a tn eran onmumontoqutecom om the uber. sex 2008 8 | mansoustey