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PRAYING MANTIS KUNG-FU SHORT STORY

 

According to legend, The Praying Mantis system began about 300 years ago in Shantung, Northern China. The Art was founded during the overthrow of the Ming Dynasty by the Ching Dynasty ... (end of the Ming Dynasty, beginning of the Ching.)

Famous Martial Artist Master Wong Long (also known as Wang Lang) was a Ming Dynasty Warlord,  (involved in the overthrow of the Ching Dynasty), had taken refuge in Shaolin Temple, hoping to build up an army to overthrow the Ming Dynasty.

During Wong Long' stay at the Shaolin Temple he developed the Praying Mantis style. There were many styles of Kung Fu that evolved from the Shaolin Temple and the Praying Mantis was one of them.

Wong Long was not one of the best Kung Fu fighters in the Shaolin Temple, although his Kung Fu was good, but when he would have friendly fighting competitions with his Martial Arts Brothers in the Shaolin Temple he would always loose, he was sad and disappointed.

One day Wong Long went for a walk in the forest where he saw Praying Mantis ready to attack a small Cicada (small insect). Wong Long felt sorry for the Cicada and raised his sword to stop the Praying Mantis, but to his surprise it leapt onto his sword and was ready to attack him.

Wong Long was amazed how brave and how much spirit the small insect had shown in trying to attack a fully-grown man. He then decided to study its fighting techniques. He watched the Mantis for many months and developed the Praying Mantis 13 Basic Hand Arm Techniques.

He knew that the hand techniques were very useful, good and correct, but he realised he also needed to develop stances for the legs, and also leg movements. Strong legs and stances and dynamic footwork would make himself less vulnerable and more capable of defending himself by moving quickly with more agility.

While Wong Long was training in the forest he had an encounter with a cheeky  Monkey. He chased the monkey through the forest trying to catch it. To his astonishment he could not keep up with the monkey. So each day he went to the forest to study the Monkeys leg movements.  

He then developed the eight monkey stances, Monkey Walking and Monkey Jumps, (this monkey footwork bears no resemblance to the footwork of Monkey Kung-Fu, which is another branch of Kung Fu style), which he joined to the Praying Mantis Hand Arm movements and thus emerged the Art of the Northern Praying Mantis Kung-Fu.

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