Southern Praying Mantis

Southern Praying Mantis Kung fu rivals Northern Praying Mantis Kung fu in popularity and exposure. The style was developed by the outsiders of the Kwangsi province of China, Hakka Chinese. The style also has a heavy use of the Taoist philosophy through the Yin-Yang concept. The skills include "death-touch" techniques as well as healing arts. The discipline of the art is so demanding that it often requires one to devote themselves to their master or practitioner of teaching. The process of choosing of the disciple is more focused on the individual's qualities, rather than being a relative of the family.

The Southern Mantis style also defends against the Northern Mantis because of the applied technique. As the Northern Mantis focuses upon one type of technique, the Southern Mantis uses a variety of skills to trap and control the foe. Northern Mantis hand strikes are of a closed fist as the Southern Mantis utilizes the leopard punch, a striking technique that uses the foreknuckles of an open fist, unlike the Northern Mantis hard strikes, the leopard punch focuses the point of impact within a single finger, centering the blow to one precise point. Other strikes consist of the use of elbows, low and strengthened kicks, and knees. There are also feint blows to bait or deceive the opponent, which can cause the opening that the Southern Mantis style needs to land one of its severely effective blows.

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"Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu." Shaolin Gung Fu Institute. Shaolin Gung Fu Institute. 23 Jul 2007 <http://shaolin.com/s_mantis_martialarts.aspx>.