BlackCatBonz said:
hey 7sm,
this might be a bit off topic, but could you explain the identifying characteristics of the mantis system that you study?
for example, do you tend to fight in close or more long range, etc.
thanks
Sure, we fight very close range utilizing "jeem leem" or "sticking". The idea is to stay in contact with your opponent in order to feel his movements and yield or attack accordingly. The points of contact are basically infinite. Fingers, hand, arm, shoulder, chest, butt, hip, thigh, knee, shin, etc. We utilize whole body feel and whole body fighting. Attacks or strikes may come from a fist, elbow, shoulder, hip, foot, knee, etc. Defense is heavily based on yielding and using the opponentÂ’s energy against them. We use a technique called "plucking" which is basically yielding to a strike, letting their energy extend or "empty", then having stayed in contact with the striking limb, you "pluck" just at the end of the extension pulling them off balance and allowing them to run into your own attack. We put heavy focus on balance, and keeping the opponent off balance and on the defensive. We utilize chin na alot and use alot of breaking. We attack the joints, elbows, shoulders, neck, knees, etc (not exclusively, but alot). You will see alot of the signature dil sou or mantis hook, basically we use a three finger grab allowing you to release quicker. The signature "mantis catches cicada" is a breaking technique using the forearm to break. 7* probably has the largest collection of groundfighting as well, using the same principles as standup fighting. You will see alot of sweeps, throws, and such using the attackerÂ’s energy to take them down.
I will say this, my school uses much deeper stances than most 7* schools and our lineage is broader than most. By that I mean that there are a couple of schools of thought on methods and such in the 7* world, and they usually differ, but my sigung trained with several of the differing "camps" and has combined them into ours. We also have some wah lum influence, which probably accounts for our lower stances. We focus heavily on fighting and application of everything we do. We fight using chi sou or "sticky hands" and we have pretty extensive groundfighting training as well.
I can't do it justice via this medium, but thatÂ’s basically it in a nut shell. I think most northern mantis styles share alot in common, but I donÂ’t have alot of knowledge of other mantis system through experience at least. Maybe someone else who studies another style could also answer this question and we could see some similarities or differences.
7sm
