Your Favorite Mantis Named Set

Wai Jia: The Kung Fu Forum Northern Praying Mantis
1

Several of the families of Mantis have sets that are named Tanglang…

Of the following sets:

Praying Mantis Catches the Cicada (tanglang bu chan)
Praying Mantis Hand (tanglang shou)
Praying Mantis Exits the Cave (tanglang chu dong)
Praying Mantis Steals the Peach (tanglang tou tao)
Praying Mantis Whirling (tanglang bu xuan)

Which ones does your school practice?
Which one is your favorite and why?
What merits do you feel each have?

Note: Though the Qixing Tanglangquan families use the names Tanglang Bu Chan and Tanglang Bu Xuan interchangeable for the same set of movements, Tanglang Bu Chan is a separate set in the Taiji Meihua Tanglangquan tradition.

2

[QUOTE=mooyingmantis;1116386]Tanglang Bu Chan is a separate set in the Taiji Meihua Tanglangquan tradition.[/QUOTE]

Which branch?
Who teaches it?

3

My fav is Mantis Exits the Cave.

Why: 'Cuz it makes me feel cool when I’m doing it. Plus there’s a couple of sequences in it that I like.

4

I agree with MightyB on TongLong Chut Dong and for an even more trivial reason than his! It is the only one I have been taught so far! :frowning: I suppose after another six years at the school I will probably have one more off the list :wink:

I do like the ending with the stepping forward fan jeurn and chit bo (sp?) is always fun. MightyB, is that what Sifu refers to as Doon Da?

5

@ Codeboy

kind’ve - but I tend to think that he refers to anything that falls within that two palm lengths of pain that he describes as his doon da.

Back in the day in his old location - for an example he walked over to the steel pole/beam that used to support the heavy bag and extended his hands palm to finger tip. He used this double palm length distance as a measure of space between him and the pole. He then chon toi / push kicked the pole and said to me that I should be comfortable fighting in this distance. He then removed one palm length and kicked the pole with force - he winked as he said he was comfortable in this distance (about 6 maybe 7 inches).

6

[QUOTE=Tainan Mantis;1116413]Which branch?
Who teaches it?[/QUOTE]

Kevin,
Zhang Zhen Yuan teaches the form. I am trying to find background on him currently. I will let you know if I find anything.

MightyB,
Enjoyed the story you shared!

7

Does anyone here do a version of Tanglang Shou? There are several versions depending on family.

8

I know the form. Most people here know the form as it was taught by Wang Songting. I am pretty sure that he is the only teacher of this form in Taiwan and hence all versions in taiwan descend from him. It was taught most widely by Gao Daosheng for many decades in Taipei and most people learned his version.

At some point my Shifu, Shi Zhengzheng, did his own research on three versions of this form that he had learned and found them all to have started with Wang Songting, even though they were not all the same.

Master Jinchuan
This form was the creation of Liang Jinchuan, the son of Liang xuexiang.
this form works together with other forms in a series that was probably created before the zhai yao sereis, though I can not be sure of that. Just an educated guess since it is Liang Xuexiangs son.

Chuan Zhi
This form Tang Lang Shou, Mantis Hands is like a simple version of the Chuan Zhi series of forms which also date to the same era roughly speaking.
The Chuan Zhi forms consist of four long forms of a very active looking mantis.

They were primarily based on Monkey( not the ape we find in the white ape series) and thier movement and activity hints at that.

In fact, the name Chuan Zhi means through the branches and is a reference to the dexterity with which monkeys dart through the branches of a tree.

A Rarity
They are fascinating to watch, but never became famous like the zhai yao forms since it was not easy to learn them. Supposedly Hao LianRu wouldnt even teach the form if you had not trained there for 5 years minimum.
Which is a contrast to the first zhai yao which is sometimes taught as one of the first forms of Mantis.

9

Kevin,
Thank you for the fascinating background information!

I believe that Gao Daosheng was one of the instructors of the man who first brought kung fu to Akron, Feeman Ong.

10

I had learned two versions of Tanglang Shou when I lived in Taiwan. My first teacher there was Gao Daosheng, so I had learned his version initially. In fact, Tanglang Shou was the very first set that he taught, pretty much from the first day.

I later switched schools and trained under the late Peng Han-ping, who taught a different lineage of Tanglang…in fact, some 7-star and 8-step. The version I learned from Peng Laoshi (he actually preferred being called “teacher” and not “Shifu”) was shorter and a bit simpler, and also included a one-half tornado kick (ban hsuen feng tuei) during one of the turning movements. I have observed this version of Tanglang Shou being practiced by students of the Wu Tan school (Baji/Piqua) who trained Tanglang Quan in addition. Not coincidentally, Peng Laoshi was also an ex-Wu Tan student as well as having had many other teachers. I’ve also seen this version demo’d in one of Japanese author Matsuda Ryuchi(?)'s CMA books on Tanglang Quan.

Oddly enough, at both places I trained TLQ, the Zhai Yao forms were not immediately or commonly taught.

It’s now been so long since I’ve practiced TLQ that I’ve mostly forgotten the sets except for Beng Bu, the version I learned from Peng Laoshi.

11

Jimbo,
Nice feedback! Thank you!

12

Here are video clips of Tanglang Shou:

Su Yu Chang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpdcYhk1gcM

Gao Daosheng:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfbHj3t-mZA

You Jin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=halxtqq1eSI&feature=related

13

Tanglang Shou - Quan Pu

Below is the quan pu used by Su Yu Chang for the first road of the Tanglang Shou set. The translation of the moves are my own.

Praying Mantis Hand

táng láng shu

First Road

táng láng din jng shu
Praying Mantis Dot Pupil Hand

q xng shì chun zào
Seven Star Pattern, Pierce Quickly

bái h x jin shu
White Tiger Cleans Eyelids Hands

lián huán mì j zhu
Continuous Close Amass Elbow

rù huán zhu dn bì zhu
Enter Ring, Single Forearm Elbow

fn tin fù dì zhng
Overturn Heaven, Cover Ground Palm

lián huán pò do shu
Continuous Break Knife Hands

gu lu shu din jng
Hook & Embrace Hand, Dot Pupil

lio yn xuán fng jio
Lift Yin & Whirlwind Leg

Questions, comments and corrections are welcome. :slight_smile:

14

Explanation of the Quan Pu Above

Praying Mantis Hand

táng láng shu

First Road

táng láng din jng shu
Praying Mantis Dot Pupil Hand

With feet together facing forward, execute a left hold hand (lou), then a right scissor hand attack to the eyes.

q xng shì chun zào
Seven Star Pattern, Pierce Quickly

Step the left foot forward to form a Seven Star Stance and execute a left upward thrust with the fingers of the palm hand.

bái h x jin shu
White Tiger Cleans Eyelids Hands

Step the right foot forward and rake down with double claw hands to the face(the right claw is in front of the left claw).

lián huán mì j zhu
Continuous Close Amass Elbow

Shuffle forward at a diagonal twice in a Hill Climbing Stance and twice use the right mantis claw and forearm to trip the opponent over the lead leg.

rù huán zhu dn bì zhu
Enter Ring, Single Forearm Elbow

Step the left foot forward into a Kneeling Stance while blocking with the left hook hand and executing a rising mantis claw strike to the diaphragm

fn tin fù dì zhng
Overturn Heaven, Cover Ground Palm

Step the right foot forward and execute a downward reverse palm strike to the top of the head, followed with a side-ward palm thrust to the opponent’s abdomen.

lián huán pò do shu
Continuous Break Knife Hands

Execute a left, then right side-ward chop to the opponent’s neck with the left and right palms respectively.

gu lu shu din jng
Hook & Embrace Hand, Dot Pupil

Execute a right hook hand. Step the left foot forward and execute a left hold hand, then strike to the eyes with the left palm in a fanning strike.

lio yn xuán fng jio
Lift Yin & Whirlwind Leg

Execute a right front kick. Drop into a low Horse Stance and slap the ground with both palms. Leap into the air with a left outward cresent kick/right inward cresent kick combination

Does this sound similar to how others learned it?

15

[QUOTE=mooyingmantis;1119563]Secret Door Praying Mantis Hand

mì mén táng láng shu[/QUOTE]

That is a misleading title. It is written as if to imply that it is from Zhang Dekui when it clearly is not.

Thanks for sharing.

16

[QUOTE=Tainan Mantis;1119679]That is a misleading title. It is written as if to imply that it is from Zhang Dekui when it clearly is not.

Thanks for sharing.[/QUOTE]

According to his biographical information, Su Yu Chang studied with Chang Te Kuei. Doesn’t Chang Te Kuei = Zhang Dekui? It also lists his other instructors as: Wei Hsai-Tang, Li Kuen-Shan and Liu Yun-Chiao.

He actually calls his style Pachi Tanglang Kung Fu. However, the tape this form was on was entitled PIMEN TANGLANG CHUAN - SECRET DOOR PRAYING MANTIS.

Please forgive the error. :o I corrected my above posts.

17

First Road of Each Tanglang Named Set

Here are the moves for the first road of each of the Tanglang named sets for comparison:

Tanglang Shou
Praying Mantis Hands

FIRST ROAD

  1. Praying Mantis Dots Pupils Hand
  2. Seven Star Pattern, Pierce Quickly
  3. White Tiger Cleans Eyelids Hands
  4. Continuous Close Amass Elbow
  5. Enter Ring, Single Forearm Elbow
  6. Overturn Heaven, Cover Ground Palm
  7. Continuous Break Knife Hands
  8. Hook Grapple Hand, Dot Pupils
  9. Lift Yin, Whirlwind Leg

Tang Lang Chu Dong
Praying Mantis Exits the Cave

FIRST ROAD

  1. Middle Level Twins Store Up Power
  2. Enter Ring, Single Arm Claw
  3. Raise Leg, Right Uppercut Strike
  4. Penetrating Palm, Right Stride Step
  5. Ascend Mountain, Seal Gathering Strike
  6. Horse Pattern, Right Fill-In Strike
  7. Ascend Mountain, Right Uppercut Strike
  8. Enter Ring, Right Waist Chop

Tang Lang Bu Chan
Praying Mantis Catches Cicada

FIRST ROAD

  1. White Snake Winds Body
  2. Raise Body, Praying Mantis Pattern
  3. Reverse Wrist, Strike in a Circle
  4. Double Lift & Double Splitting Palms
  5. Swing Open Hands, Thunderbolt Palm
  6. Right Hook, Left Rubbing Strike
  7. Praying Mantis Catches Cicada
  8. Left Right Hang Hands, Head On Strike

Tang Lang Bu Xuan
Praying Mantis Whirling Step

FIRST ROAD

  1. Middle Level Twins Store Up Power
  2. Seven Star, Left Hook Hand
  3. Ascend Mountain, Right Splitting Strike
  4. Ascend Mountain, Hook Grapple Pluck
  5. Ascend Mountain, Left Thrust Palm
  6. Seven Star, Right Insert Strike
  7. Ascend Mountain, Hook Grapple Pluck

Tang Lang Tou Tao
Praying Mantis Steals Peach

FIRST ROAD

  1. Back Pattern, Double Overturn Palms
  2. Topple Power, Catch Cicada Pattern
  3. Seven Star, Right Split Stop
  4. Solitary Goose, Left Exits Flock
  5. Ascend Mountain, Right Circle Strike
  6. Right Hook, Grapple, Pluck Hands
  7. Enter Ring, Right Waist Chop
  8. Ascend Mountain, Left Circle Strike
  9. Ascend Mountain, Left Crushing Strike
  10. Seven Star, Left Wicked Hand
  11. Seven Star, Right Insert Strike
  12. Ascend Mountain, Right Uppercut Strike
  13. Ascend Mountain, Hang Gathering Strike
  14. Ascend Mountain, Right Split Stop
  15. Elbow Lowers, Right Watch Claw
  16. Seven Star, Right Circle Strike
  17. Seven Star, Left Circle Strike
  18. Ascend Mountain, Left Crushing Strike
18

[QUOTE=mooyingmantis;1119035]Here are video clips of Tanglang Shou:

Su Yu Chang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpdcYhk1gcM

Gao Daosheng:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfbHj3t-mZA

You Jin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=halxtqq1eSI&feature=related[/QUOTE]

Thanks for posting these clips, moonyingmantis!

One of my regrets is that I never got any footage of my late teacher Peng Han-Ping doing TLQ. I helped record him demonstrating a lot of his stuff (TLQ, Hung Gar, Chen Taiji, etc.) onto video about 20 years ago, for his own records. But I never even thought to get any of it copied for myself, which I’m sure wouldn’t have been a problem, at least the TLQ part. He also had a lot of footage of us training/sparring/competing, etc. Now I wonder if any of that footage even exists anymore (probably not). The only footage of him that I own is some quick footage of him demoing the 3-section staff at the 1991 Tat Wong master’s exhibition from a San Francisco TV broadcast of the tourney, and various stuff on a memorial tape I received from a classmate after his funeral (he passed away in 1999, 6.5 years after I left Taiwan). He was only around a couple years older than I was, and I guess I assumed he’d always be there. It still bothers me to this day.

On a lighter note, I remember Peng Laoshi mentioning that early in his TLQ training, he once saw Su Yu Chang and was quite impressed with his skills. Although they’d both trained under some of the very same teachers (Wei Hsiao-Tang, Liu Yun-Chiao, etc.), there was quite an age difference between them.

19

Jimbo,
I’m glad to pass on information!

Your appreciation means much! :slight_smile: