Northern Shaolin Kung Fu - Is it similar to Traditional Northern Praying Mantis style (Jut Sow Tong Long)?

Question

Hi everyone. I was interested in learning Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. However, the only place I've found near me that teaches kung fu says it is Northern Praying Mantis style. I've tried to find out information on my own over the internet about the differences between the two, but I am coming up empty.

Could someone please tell me if Northern Shaolin Kung Fu is similar at all to Northern Praying Mantis style? If not, how are they different?

Thanks for your time.

Answer 1

Shaolin is a huge range of styles you n00b. Praying mantis is one of those styles.

Answer 2

Well this all depends on your sifu or one teaching it to you. I am in northern shaolin kung fu, and it is based on long reach and fluent movements to create more momentum and power. Praying mantis style uses some long reaching as well, but uses more whipping movements and quick attacks on certain areas of the body. So i would think that they are similar in the sense they both use longer reaches most of the time, but they differ in the fact one is more fluent and consistant,while one is more of a quick "snapping" style.

Answer 3

They are similar only very little, but they are different alot. Northern Shaolin Kung Fu is not ONE martial art but a system of martial arts, it is between northern and southern Shaolin Kung Fu that most of the worlds martial arts have stemmed from. Northern Shaolin is where mantis originated, so eventually you would learn mantis from learning shaolin, however you would also learn: crane, tiger, snake, eagle, iron palm, internal (tai chi), weapons, hard styles, soft styles, etc. from Shaolin. Shaolin is a MA that takes a lifetime dedication just to learn all of the techniques, in fact almost no one knows every move, but between different masters all the techniques are preserved; most Shaolin students select a handfull of froms and moves and master those alone. I don't know where you live, but there are very few schools outside of China that teach Shaolin, so it would be a very difficult search. There are, however, many schools that teach arts that originated from Shaolin, such as the mantis school you speak of. What these schools did was to branch of from the original Shaolin techniques and add on extra forms to make a more complete art out of what was originally only a piece. Some martial arts that originate directly from northern or southern shaolin: mantis (north and south), Hung Gar (tiger/crane), Crane (north and south), Eagle Claw, San Shou/Da, Choy Li Fut, Wing Chun, Ba Gua, Hsing I, and many others. These were only the DIRECT branch-offs, almost every art you can think of was INdirectly originated/influenced by shaolin/chinese kung fu: karate- all types, jujitsu/judo, muay thai, krav maga, sambo, etc. Getting back on topic,  Northern Mantis is a very good art, and very tough. You will work on toughening your forearms and shins in mantis (similar to muay thai). In mantis you kick and block low with the shins and you block above with the forearms (like a praying mantis). Mantis focuses on fast strikes with the arms using: fists, elbows, and chops and also low kicks. It is a very good MA, but a word of warning to make sure that it is northern, and NOT southern. Southern mantis is a little wierd, and even though I don't believe in speaking disdainfully of any art I personally don't recommend learning southern mantis, it is very different from its northern counterpart.

Happy Training!

Answer 4

Northern Shaolin is MANY styles.

Northern Mantis is one of the Northern Shaolin styles.

When someone says they teach Northern Shaolin, they are teaching a variety of Northern Shaolin styles of which Northern Mantis is one.

Cunamo - You said that "crane" is learned in a northern Shaolin curriculum. Crane is a Southern style. There is no northern crane.

Answer 5

they are both northern styles. so they will have similarities. but praying mantis is only one animal style. of which there are a great many. in northern shaolin you'll learn about many animals. the main five are dragon, tiger, crane, snake, and leopard(panther) ...as well as weapons.