Guys and gals im not trying to start anything, but what is better out of these 3 mantis styles?
i watched a wah lum demo video and it looked like wushu, i fell asleep! Is that style an original mantis system?
:rolleyes:
why all the splits and jump kicks in wah lum? is it because of the spring leg or tan tui?
Everybody here really likes what they do, so it’s really up to you to decide which style of PM suits you best.
I can’t speak for the other systems, but I can tell you a little about 7*.
7* is quick and tight with a lot of hand techniques. It seems to be the most rigid or external of the PM systems. It is designed for close quarters in-your-face fighting with an emphasis on a quick and decisive kill. There isn’t a lot of kicking. Most kicks are low, mainly shin, groin, and gut kicks. The techniques are progressive in nature meaning they build upon one another (if the guy does this, then you do that, if he blocks, you do this, if he blocks again, you do this, etc.). It also is a very active defense system, as opposed to a reactive defense. Active defense is if the guy attacks, your defensive counter attack is immediate and simultaneously executed with their attack. A reactive defense would be if the guy attacks, you receive the attack and then counter attack (karate does this).
I hope this helps,
The B
ROFL at FT
Dude thats like asking whats better out of Bak Mei, Southern Mantis and YKM.
You wouldnt be turning green and thinking of moving to under a bridge would you:p
hehe just j\k F.T
lol i just realised the irony of my own post:rolleyes:
Of course you will simply say YKM:p
What’s YKM?
I would have to say 8 step, simply becuse it is all the effectiveness of all the other praying mantis systems with superior footwork, but then agin I am partial to 8 step becuse thats my system.. however you have to judge for yourself, but just remember the style is only as good as the teacher and even though you did’nt like Walum master chan pui is a awsome teacher and a great martial artist. and could make you like walum.
fiercest tiger
Wah Lum is not an ‘original’ mantis system. It is a mixture of Tam Tui and Jut Sow. What you see in our demos are standard forms modified for show. Wah Lum is heavy on the leg work because of the Tam Tui roots. Generally a show form will have a lot of flashy moves taken from all the forms and put into one form. Standard curriculum forms either have no flash or 1 or 2 flashy moves. When I put together a show form I take a form I like and take out some of the boring (but effective) moves and add some of the slick looking moves from other forms. After all it is a show. If you want to see standard Wah Lum forms go to the nearest school and watch a class.
Also, I’m not a fan of Wu Shu but don’t equate flash with not being effective. I’ve seen some applications for Wu Shu moves. I think a better word to describe some of these moves would be ‘exotic’.
Like my si hing Hua Lin said we don’t do our true forms in public.It’s usually modified.The flashy moves are just for show.However since you’re a martial artist you caught on to that quick.I’m pretty sure you can see a difference when you see them as they truly are done.
Don’t disregard Wah Lum,
I’ve seen demos of Chan Pui doing “flashy” forms. I have no idea how old he is, but I wish I had 1/4 of his flexibility. In the demo that I watched, he dropped into the splits at least 5 times in a row while holding on to a spear with one hand. After he did the splits, he squatted on one leg with the other forward like a kick and then raised up to a standing position and did a back kick. That’s impressive.
My Sifu has also told me some stories about Master Chan when Master Chan was younger, and, according to the stories, he wasn’t somebody that you would’ve wanted to mess with.
thanks guys
jon,
you following me mate?
you can say like this whats better hung gar, jow gar, choy lee fut?
i bet you say hung gar!
thanks guys for the info, i was wondering where wah lum fits into mantis. it didnt look like a mantis system!!
MightyB
That sounds like you might have been watching the Houston Tournement. I don’t remember what year that was but it was awhile ago. The fact is Master Chan still does all that today. He’s still not someone you want to mess with!
hi
i practice wah lum and i would like to make one thing very, very clear. what you see of wah lum at tournaments is for the most part seriously modified from the original forms,for example, there are very few forms in wah lum that have butterfy kicks , the tam tui kick where you hold your leg out and lower yourself to the ground, and as far as i know there are no traditional wah lum forms that have splits in them.
the fact that somoene would compare wah lum to wushu is the very reason i disagree with modifying forms in this way. wah lum is a very serious, very traditional form of martial arts. it has been proven many times to be just that , from villages in china to the streets of hong kong where there was no such thing as "points' and "light contact".
you can just as easily modify a form by changing the order of certain techniques or the direction they are preformed in.
CLOUDHANDS
Thanks for the info, but why modify the forms when they should be practising the original forms.
what are the original forms look like? what are there names and are they mantis forms?
why *******ize your system with wushu moves?
there have been some people who stole the modified ones.Think of what it would be like if the real ones were performfed.Some karate guy came into our class one day and did a heavily modified wah lum 1st form.MiamiMantis saw the whole thing and he can tell you a couple of stories of how guys have tried to steal our forms.
ok
so what is taught at wah lum?
modified forms or real forms? are the real forms mantis or tan tui mixed?
thanks
FT,
I can say that in class, we learn the complete form (traditional). When we decide to do a tournament the sifu (Sifu Tu in my case) asks what form(s) we want to do and then helps us work in modifications.
Most of the forms us beginners do are pretty well known or in a book, for example I did 1st form last year in tournament with no changes. The modifications made at my level are to make the forms a little flashier, IMO. (Right-Hand stick just ain’t that exciting).
Also, we don’t do a form in tournament unless we’ve learned the complete (original) form beforehand.
Hua Lin Laoshi knows more about the history of the forms (praying mantis/tam tui & where they mix in); I’m still learning.
Sam
Wah Lam’s PM forms are Chan Po’s own stuffs… they have nothing to do with the 7*.
fiercest tiger
“you following me mate?”
lol following you? i think not…
Still if i see a post from you i do read it, sue me for reading a fellow Aussies views;)
“you can say like this whats better hung gar, jow gar, choy lee fut? i bet you say hung gar!”
Just to be annoying…
There all good if your that way inclined:p Similar seeds just a different strain:D
Correct me if im wrong Wah Lum guys…
If im not mistaken the orginal Tam Tui [seeking leg] is pretty demanding stuff and included quite a few acrobatics and flashy kicks, but mainly just for strength and flexablity training. Jumping kicks, low level sweeps and high spinning kicks where always part of the system. As to whether there used for combat or just training as im not dead sure. When it was added to the mantis system it kept on to a few of the Tam Tui aspects like favoring legs over hands and having jumping kicks and high kicks. Plus im sure it kept many of its better kicking skills as well.
It is traditional, just from a northern, heavy on the kicking perspective.
I think the Mantis in Wah Lum is ‘wrestling hands’ which is another off shoot of the orginaly northern mantis, though it is a close offshoot.
Anyway im not a mantis guy so if im wrong then someone point me out.
jon,
looks right to me! Yes, wrestling hands (jut sow) is a big part of Wah Lum.
Jump kicks, low sweeps and high spinning kicks do have combat applications, tho a good sense of timing and speed are critical to pulling them off, I think. I heard (didn’t see) that at T2000 two guys sparring each other did tornado kicks at the same time and messed each other up. One guy had to be carried off. Ouch.
Sam
jon
see you in court!
lol tornado kicks and carried off, seeking a new leg!!!:rolleyes:
do they condition there shins in wah lum or just do forms?:eek:
hoo yeah. we do shin conditioning, arm conditioning, body conditioning … it’s not just forms.
I think one of those guys ended up “seeking a leg,” the one who was carried off hurt his back. wish i’d been there to see it, or just ask 'em, “so, what were you thinking when you decided to counter a tornado kick with a tornado kick?” 