Breathing In Southern Praying Mantis

Here is a demonstration of the first line of Sam Bo Gin by Sifu Mark Foon of Kwongsai Mantis USA. In contrast, to Chu Gar and Ip Shui’s Chow Gar, the relaxation is apparent.

Instead of the forced breathing (Ba Tao) on the strikes, the breathing is natural (Wong Tao). The use of breath is extremely important in Hakka Mantis for the development of internal strength, along with the development of a strong and stable base. It can be combined with micro adjustments of the posture to find the root.  Shallow breathing with the chest should be avoided. In inhaling, the abdomen is expanded and in exhaling the abdomen is contracted: making full use of the diaphragm. In striking the breath may be held.

Mor Sau- The Mantis Grinding Hand

In Hakka Mantis, Mor Sau is said to be the mother, whilst the Mantis horse is the father: showing the importance of the attributes of strong root combined with a feeling hand. Mor Sau is a very practical hand, used to cover the upper, middle and lower gates and can be used to search for the bridge, as the Mantis searches for insects.There are two ways in which Mor Sau can be applied: from the inside to outside, favoured by the Chu gar factions here in China and the outside to inside favoured by Kwongsai Mantis USA.

There are number of common mistakes that a player can make using Mor Sau:

Banging rather than slicing which is usually due to excessive tension

Not redirecting the force past the centre line

The horse is too long: if the horse is too long then the hands are short

Not tucking the thumb in to avoid injury

Not using the second hand (elbow to the wrist) to apply pressure to the opponent’s centre

Note: The material presented in this blog is part of the authentic transmission here in China, using my lesson notes and material by Sifu Roger D Hagood (RDH) Further information on MANTIS HANDS see the book Eighteen Buddha Hands by RDH