Praying Mantis Kung Fu or Tang Lang Quan

The Praying Mantis style of kung fu divides itself into different branches. The one being practiced at the Chin Pang Kwan school is called Seven Star Praying Mantis or Qi Xing Tang Lang Quan. It comes from Shandong province and is characterized by its rapid and fluid combinations and the mobility of its footwork which imitates the monkey. The legs are a useful tool in that style; they're used for low kicking and hooking. The hands must be strong and the arms flexible. The practitioner doesn't initiate an attack but rather reacts to one.

There are 12 keywords for the practitioner to use as guidelines, and they are: NIAN and ZHAN for getting closer, TIE: to stick to, KAO: to press against, KOU, LOU, CAI: for the action of catching in 3 steps, GUA: for pulling upward, DIAO JIN and DIAO DA, respectively for hook and move in, hook and hit.

The man responsible for making this style famous is Luo Guang Yu from the Jing Wu association of Shanghai. He was Li Pei Xian's teacher, which in turn became master Kwan's teacher.