Seven Star Praying Mantis History

The art of the Praying Mantis style of Kung Fu is said to have been originated in the Shan Tung province of China around 350/400 years ago. Somewhere between the Ming and early Ching dynasties.

Stories have been passed down from one generation to the next that a layman Buddhist priest named Wong Long who was also opposed to the Manchurian rule, was the creator and founder of the Northern Praying Mantis style of Kung Fu.  The story goes that Wong Long rested in the woods that surround the temple and he heard the faint sounds of something in the nearby grass. Turning, he saw the strange sight of two insects locked in combat one a Praying Mantis and the other a Cacada. The Mantis was clearly outsized by the other insect, and Wong thought that it would be a matter of time before the fragile creature would be overcome. Instead, to Wong’s astonishment, the Mantis engaged the larger insect aggressively. It grabbed and damaged the Cacada’s legs and antennae with its forearms, literally climbing its opponent.

After Wong Long witnessed the end of the fight he was so fascinated by the aggressiveness, speed and power of the apparently over matched and smaller Mantis that he caught it for further studies later.

He watched its movements and how it reacted to various situations by poking and teasing the Mantis with a small reed and then copied the actions as it defended itself.

Slowly over time the Mantis System evolved rapidly this lead to the development of the Praying Mantis style of Kung Fu with its characteristic strong and rapid movements.

When Wong Long was satisfied that his studies were complete, he decided he would add to it the best movements of seventeen other styles as well as the footwork of the ape techniques that he has studied within the walls of the Shaolin Temple giving it the manoeuvrability and making it the rounded arts of Kung Fu.