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Throughout
China's turbulent history there have been many styles of Martial Arts that
owe their development to the Shaolin Temple in Henan province. The Temple
has acted as a catalyst for the development of the Chinese Martial Arts
for generations. According to tradition the founder of the Praying Mantis
style was Master Wong Long, an unshaven monk of the Henan Shaolin Temple.
Wong Long was a native of Shantung province; he came from a wealthy family
and studied the martial arts in his youth. Wong Long entered the Shaolin
Monastery around 350-400 years ago in the period between the Ming ( 1368
- 1644 ) and the Ching ( 1644-1911) Dynasties; it was a time of chaos for
China with the Manchu's committing many atrocities. The Manchu's were Mongoloid
people of Manchuria who conquered China in the 17th century establishing
an imperial dynasty that lasted until 1912. At Shaolin, Wong Long would
train with his Kung Fu brothers, but no matter how hard he trained, he could
never reach their standard and was always defeated by them. Wong would often
travel to other areas of China seeking out famous Kung Fu masters to help
improve his skills. When he returned to Shaolin he would again train with
his Kung fu brothers, although he had obtained the techniques of seventeen
different Kung Fu styles he could still not defeat the other monks. While
he was away his martial skills had grown to a higher level, but his Kung
Fu brothers were also training hard and so their skills had kept pace with
his. One day while out walking, Wong Long witnessed a fight between a Praying
Mantis and a Cicada (a large broad winged insect of the homopterous family).
Although at first glance it would appear that the small Mantis had a distinct
disadvantage against such a large insect, it fought with great courage.
Wong was fascinated by the aggressiveness, speed and strength of the apparently
overmatched Mantis. When the Cicada attacked, the Mantis would angle its
body to the side, and with lightning speed and strength it would pin the
Cicada with its powerful forearms. Wong Long took the Mantis back to his
living quarters for further study, he used a reed to prod the Mantis and
carefully studied its movements, examining how it reacted to various situations,
Wong would then imitate these actions and over time the system slowly evolved.
Wong Long compiled these movements into what is known today as the 12 Key
Words Verbal Formula, the Seven Long, 8 Short, 8 Rigid hand Patterns, the
12 Flexible Hand Patterns, the Eight Vulnerable and 8 Lethal points of attack.
This led to the development of the Praying Mantis style of Kung Fu with
its characteristic strong and rapid movements. When Wong Long was satisfied
he added to the new style the best techniques from the other seventeen styles,
which he had previously studied. The more he practiced, the more he realized
that although the structure of the style was very fast, depicting the power
and speed of the Mantis, the footwork was inadequate to deliver these speedy
blows. Wong later observed monkeys playing and fighting, the solution was
very clear. If he could blend the clever footwork of the monkey with the
hand movements of the Mantis, both speed of hands and feet would be assured.
After a further period of training Wong Long tried his newly created style
while practicing with his fellow Monks. Much to their surprise he was able
to defeat them, so much so they continued to train and research together
to further improve the skills of this new style. On leaving the Shaolin
Monastery Wong returned to Shantung and helped to establish a Temple at
Laoshan. The Seven Star Praying Mantis style takes its name from the star
constellation the Big Dipper, the inside meaning being ' the disciples of
this style should spread all over the world '. Some historians link this
with the Secret Societies whose aim was to ' overthrow the Ching and restore
the Ming '. Others say that the Mantis, which Wong Long caught, had Seven
Stars on its body. The Praying Mantis system started when a Chinese Martial
Artist named Wong Long needed to perfect his fighting ability. By chance
he observed a praying mantis in battle. As he watched, he was amazed how
well it fought and protected itself and also how it easily defeated a much
larger opponent. He decided to study the mantis' techniques, and developed
the trademark of Praying Mantis, the Mantis Claw (gou), a grabbing motion
that derives all of its power from the wrist and forearm. Wong Long also
observed the manner in which monkeys move and from that created the Mantis
"monkey step", a quick and balanced method of footwork Seven Star
Praying Mantis techniques stress that one hand should be used to defend
at all times. The guarding hand is kept up and centered on the front and
the other hand should remain free to execute the next move whether offensive
or defensive. This means that two or three movements are happening at once.
This is very effective for infighting techniques. The stances and foot movements
along with the hand techniques can be intricate and demanding but with practice
can be perfected. Classical form is also very important to the Seven Star
Praying Mantis stylist. 
Lineage - Mantis Cave
Founder Wong Long
(2) Taoist Monk Sheng Hsiao
(3) Li San Tsien
(4) Wang Yung Sang
(5) Fan Yu Tung
(6) Lo Kwon Yuk
Certified from Only
Learned from
Learned from
(9)
Manuel Marquez
Tai Mantis School ------ (10) Al Simmons - (10) Reggie Gonzales - (10) Sam Persons
Scott's Studio ----- (10) Steven Lomeli -- (10) Sotero Lomeli
Shaolin Temple of Lomita
(10) Rocky Baca - (10) Steve McAmis - (10) Jonathan Savell - (10) Ben Olson
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