Southern Praying Mantis
南螳螂拳
Southern Praying Mantis (南螳螂拳, Nán Táng Láng Quán) is a close-range Chinese martial art from the Hakka communities of Guangdong province. Despite sharing a name with Northern Praying Mantis, it is a completely different system — emphasizing short-range explosive power, sticky hands, and internal energy generation rather than the long-range hooking techniques of its northern counterpart.
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Southern Praying Mantis develops devastating short-range striking power through its unique "shock power" (震勁) generation method. Its sticky-hands sensitivity training and low stances build a fighting system optimized for real close-quarters combat — practical, efficient, and deceptively powerful.
At a Glance
Who It's For
What You'll Learn
Phoenix-eye fist (鳳眼拳) — single-knuckle precision striking
Shock power (震勁) — explosive short-range energy release
Sticky hands (黐手) — close-range sensitivity and control
Low horse and cat stances for stability and power generation
Som Bo Gin (Three Step Arrow) — foundational form of most branches
Iron body conditioning for forearm and fist hardening
Your First Class
Wear comfortable clothing. Expect conditioning exercises, basic stance work (low horse and cat stances), phoenix-eye fist drills, and introductory sticky-hands training. Classes run 60-90 minutes.
Legends of Southern Praying Mantis
Chu Fook-To (legendary Chu Gar founder)
Chow Ah-Nam (Chow Gar founder)
Som Dot (Kwong Sai Jook Lum founder)
Lau Soei (1866-1942, Tiger of Dong Jiang)
Related Styles
Northern Praying Mantis
Northern Praying Mantis (北螳螂拳, Běi Táng Láng Quán) is one of the most prominent kung fu styles from Shandong province, China. Attributed to the legendary **Wang Lang**, who combined insect-inspired upper body techniques with agile monkey footwork, it is a complete fighting system known for rapid, continuous attacks.
Wing Chun
Wing Chun (詠春拳) is a Southern Chinese martial art emphasizing close-range combat, simultaneous defense and attack, and economy of motion. Popularized globally by Ip Man and Bruce Lee, it uses centerline theory and sensitivity training — Chi Sau (黐手, sticky hands).
Hakka Kung Fu
Hakka Kung Fu (客家拳, Kejia Quan) is a family of Southern Chinese martial arts originating from the Hakka people — Kejia (客家, "guest families") — of Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces. These styles emphasize close-range explosive ging (勁, power), low ma bo (馬步, horse stances), iron-body conditioning — tit san (鐵衫) — and efficient combat techniques refined through centuries of clan warfare and migration.
Bak Mei
Bak Mei (白眉, "White Eyebrow") is a rare Southern Chinese martial art known for its aggressive, explosive short-range techniques. It emphasizes ging (勁, sudden power release) through the four energies — tau (吞, swallow), tou (吐, spit), fau (浮, float), chum (沉, sink) — and deceptive entries, making it one of the most feared kung fu styles.
Dragon Style
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