I have read that 8 step mantis has moves from eagle claw, wu style tai chi, tong bei, hsing-i, and pa kua in it. What other styles make up this art?
ok
Wu style tai chi isn’t a part of 8 step. They are two seperate styles, they are just taught together. Plum Flower Mantis,Ba Gua, Hsing I and Tong Bei (added by Master Chiang Wang Long)
Eagle claw, chin na, shuai chiao (added by Master Feng Hua Yi). Wu Style Tai Chi and Chinese Medecine (Added by Master Wei Hsiao Tang)
8Step Sifu
I’d also like to add
These other styles werent slapped onto 8 Step. The Grandmasters of 8 Step who inherited the system went to other Masters to get this information and make the additions. They werent amateurs slapping pieces together.
8Step Sifu
A friend of mine, who studies 8 step from master Lin Chin Fu, says that master Wei was very adept at using the 3 section staff.
no kidding???
I didn’t know that. I end up getting hit in the shin and back of the head every time I play with one. I’m suprised it was a traditional weapon…8 Step has some strange weapons. Like bullwhips and chucking rocks at people! who would have thought? When I found that out I thought of the movie “BraveHeart”
8Step Sifu
Wah Lum has some odd weapons also. I don’t know how many other styles teach Bow and Arrow, but we have that as well as the Bullwhip.
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lets name the strangest kung fu weapons
Theres the lasso and the bullwhip. All you need now is a cowboy hat and a six shooter.
8Step Sifu
more odd weapons
how about the monk’s spade or the moon tooth spade. they’re little more than shovels aren’t they?
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3 section staff in 8 step
Peng Han-Ping,who recently died in a motorcycle accident, studied 8 step from Wei Hsiao-Tang and weapons from Han Te-Hsiang. He was also apparently very good at the 3 section staff. In the May 2000 issue of Inside Kung Fu, it is stated that at the Tat May-Wong Chinese Martial Arts Championships he dazzled the crowd with his 3 section staff in the Master’s Exhibition! 
I saw Sifu Peng’s obituary in inside KF. He had some legs on him. Huge legs and forearms are must have’s for kung fu masters. Do you have any pics of Master Wei?? If so I would love to see them.
8Step Sifu
How effective is the 3 section staff, is it just for show or what, seems kind of cumbersum. i maybe wrong.
You could consider all weapons for show. It’s really the techniques that are for show. It may not seem practical, but you can become proficient with one. It all depends on how long & how hard you practice.
Footwork
There are 8 stepping patterns which are the foundation of the 8 step system—Hence the name 8 step. Some of these I have seen are similar in application to Hsing-I; Specifically, “Sweeping the Leaves” and “Chicken step”. However, aside from the hand techniques which are fairly representative of all Northern Praying Mantis (but with different emphasis), the actual footwork in 8 step is very characteristic of Ba Gua.
HMM?
What are “sweeping the leaves” and “chicken step” can you describe them. I think something might have gotten lost in translation. IE. Frozen Chicken Stance is now called “single leg stance”. I know some of our power generation comes from hsing I and ba gua’s influence is found all throughout 8 step applications.
There are actually 16 kinds of footwork. 8 long steps and 8 short steps
8Step Sifu
Are you interested in the hand, foot or moving technique of the 8 stepping patterns? For instance, the short step leg movement for “sweeping leaves” is: In a left stance, the right (rear) foot makes a circular sweeping arc (counterclockwise) to a position in front of the left foot. The right foot points out 45 degrees in a loose legs crossed position.The right foot, then quickly moves foward, returning to the original left stance.
Are you familiar with the kou pu and bi pu principle of direction change which 8 step adopted from ba gua?
oh
I think thats for throwing. And If it is I knew that was a ba gua set up. The names are different. The kou bu I have no idea about if bi bu can be at all pronounced ba bu, then yes I do. I also heard that the ba duan entry techniques also came from ba gua. Was your friend’s teacher a park student of Master Wei’s?
Does Ko bu mean cutting step? If my interpretation of sweeping the leaves is correct, then I don’t think thats one of the 8 steps. I think thats just positioning for throwing.
8Step Sifu
the 8 Steps
With sweep leaves, what I was referring to was an evasive angular step, both defensive (getting out of the way) and offensive (tripping) at the same time. Another one of the 8 steps makes use of a 45 degree angle zig-zag pattern maintaining the mantis stance. There is one which utilizes 3 quick steps foward. The chicken stepping is a series of steps which together form a semi circle—sort of resembles how a chicken runs!
Kou bu and bi bu is something different. It is just the footwork for how one changes direction and keep the same stance they’re in. 
Oh Ok
I misunderstood you. Now I know what your talking about. Do you practice 8 Step too or is this from what your frined tells you? If so how many sets do you know?
What else do you know about Grandmaster Wei? What was he like, noted for etc. How many years did your Sifu study under him.
8Step Sifu
[This message was edited by 8stepsifu on 10-28-00 at 02:44 PM.]
Park Students
I was told by my Master that the Park Students that unicornfist is talking about aren’t very good at all. Master Wei only tought real mantis to a few people.
8 SHORT STEPS
HERE IS THE FOOTWORK FROM MASTER WEI XIAO TUNG WANT TO KNOW MORE COME VISIT MY FORUM
1.HEN YE BU – ( SIDE STEP ) DEFENSIVE STEP TO AVOID A PUNCH
2.SU JIAO BU – ( TRIANGLE STEP ) 3 PART FORWARD STEP MOTION
3.FANG XING BU –( SQUARE STEP ) DODGING FORWARD & BACKWARD
4.MEI HUA BU – ( FIVE CORNER STEP ) STEP AROUND OPPONENT
5.LIU XING BU – (TWO TRIANGLE STEP) POINTED OPPOSITE DIRECTION
6.QI XING BU – ( 7 STAR STEP ) FORWARD TRIANGLE
7.ZOU ZHAN BU – ( 3 STEP ) FOLLOW FOOT 3 STEP FORWARD & BACK
8.BA GUA BU – ( 8 CHANGING STEP) TURNING IN A CIRCULAR FASHION