2 comments about Praying Mantis Kung-Fu: Plum Blossom Hand.

1. "Plum Blossom Hand" is the fourth volume in the Praying Mantis Kung Fu series. Sifu Paul Eng demonstrates this form in 32 movements, including applications. Directions are written in Chinese and English, and are clear and precise. Paul Eng has studied Seven Star Mantis under Kam Yuen (the fellow who taught David Carradine everything he knows for the "kung fu" t.v. series back in the '70's), Tai-chi Praying Mantis under Jiu Jook Kite, and several other kung fu styles from other accomplished teachers.



2. An excellent book especially of you already know some of the intermediate Praying Mantis forms. The hands, steps, and the coordination between them as done in the Plum Blossum Hand will be no mystery.

2 comments about Spear Hand (Praying Mantis Kung-Fu Series, Vol 1).

1. Paul Eng introduces the art of Praying Mantis Kung Fu in this, the first of a four volume series on Mantis forms. Introductions are provided by Chan, Pui (Wah Lum), Wai Hong (Fu Jow Pai), and Kam Yuen among others. A section on Mantis Kung Fu history, and then Eng demonstrates the Spear Hand form in 48 sections, including separate photos which show the correct application of the techniques. An excellent introduction to the art of praying mantis. Text is in Chinese and English, instructions are precise.



2. The form demonstrated in this book is G-R-E-A-T!!! After you learn the form, try doing it back-to-back a couple of times for a great full-body workout. It'll strengthen your arms, legs, waist, back, chest, and lungs.

No comments about Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

No comments about KUNG FU 4 - A PRAYING MANTIS KILLS.

No comments about Praying Mantis King-fu Vol. 3 : Steals the Peach (Volume 5).

No comments about Praying Mantis Kung-Fu (Bong Po).

No comments about Kung Fu : A Praying Mantis Kills (Kung Fu, Volume 4).

3 comments about Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

1. Breaking a little ground but steps into too many things without finishing them. Also, too short of a book for the subject.



2. In this little green volume, Un presents some of the basics of Praying Mantis Kung Fu, including a decent section on the history of the style through his lineage. The form Bong Po is demonstrated, and the major complain I have with the book is that Author Un wears a dark uniform against a dark background, which makes some of the first pictures in this form difficult to understand for a beginner or anyone who is trying to learn this form solely from this book. There is also a section at the rear of the book showing applications from the Bong Po set. Altogether it is not a bad book for its size.



3. Could I have read what may be the world's worst book?
   I practiced Praying Mantis Kung Fu and thought this would give me a few insights... scatalogical would be a compliment... was the author writing in metaphore or just in Klingon?
   
   I can't say much about this book because I didn't understand a single page!

5 comments about Northern Praying Mantis (Shaolin Interactive Instructional Series).

1. The Northern Praying Mantis edition of the "Shaolin Interactive Instructional Series" is an excellent learning tool that should be considered by anyone with a desire to learn the basics of the style. Obviously the CD ROM cannot replace the hawklike eyes of an expert instructor standing attentively by your side. However, the program proves to be the perfect blend of an ancient art and the brilliant technological ingenuity of modern times. In other words, the interactive nature of the program (including but not limited to, multi angle viewing of techniques, an excellent slow motion feature and in depth investigation of "real world" applications of the basic techniques) brings this program to the cutting edge of martial arts instruction. Without access to professional instruction, this CD ROM is as close as one can get to the multi faceted, in depth knowlege of a seasoned (in the flesh) teacher. The CD ROM is way ahead of the archaic learning curve of other instructional media (with a nervous shudder, I hark back to the days of rewinding martial arts instructional videos much more than I could unwind through the enjoyment of an ancient discipline.) This program's intrinsic adaptability will provide much more quality instuction in that it can be easily tailored to the specific needs of the student. One needs only to click on the link to view a technique from multi angle, multi speed observation points second only to actually being there. In other words, buy it.



2. Please take the one-star review below with a grain of salt. This is the publisher of the Shaolin series here, taking the opportunity to point out that the author of that review is the producer of competing mantis videos.

   We apologize for having to respond in this review, but we think it only fair. We agree with the other reviewers that this is quite an excellent learning tool.

   Thanks everyone.




3. I found the CD an excellent overview of the northern praying mantis style. There is a wide range of technique, and the applications span the gamut of readily apparent to surprising.

   I must disagree with Mr.Ortiz' evaluation of the CD, as I have seen his work as well and can compare the two. The fact that he may not be familiar with some of the applications in the CD does not make them incorrect, merely unknown to him.

   While not having a sifu at your arm is a disadvantage, the methodical teaching style in the CD and the multiple angle format make it as close to the real thing as can be obtained.




4. They are not kidding when they say you need a sifu and this is only a suplemental tool. For $50 I expected a ton more than what was offered. You are better off putting your money into extra class time with a certified instructor. I would not recomend this item unless your sifu has specificly told you to get it.



5. After paying $50 for this cd-rom and thoroughly absorbing its contents I felt cheated in many ways. The first thing that bothers me is that no person takes credit for authoring it. And, insane and irrelevant as it sounds, the unknown creator claims that the U.S. civil war didn't really happen, it was just a scene from "gone with the wind", and that Americans have been brainwashed. Hmmm... seems like someone's blown a gasket... anyway... the essence of the cd-rom is basically a multi-angle video clip of an unknown unnamed person poorly performing his bastardized version of "crushing step." It is about 45 seconds in length (I didn't time it, maybe it's 20 seconds or possibly a minute), and that is just about all you get. No audio, nothing. The written explanations, stories, etc. are so pathetic and unprofessional, I just couldn't believe it. Very skimpy. I was expecting detailed explanations, decent graphics, in-depth theory... sadly, it failed to deliver. Anyway, I could go into the many details concerning why this product is a total joke but, if you want to buy it go ahead, just remember this: you WILL be disappointed. Let my mistake help you to not make the same mistake. I wish someone had been kind enough to write an intelligent review of this cd-rom before I bought it, then I would never have wasted my money and time. I really feel like a sucker. Consider this review a public service to the serious martial artist.

5 comments about Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

1. I have only had this book for 2 weeks, and prior to this I have had about a month and a half of basic karate and tae kwon do training. The forms are difficult to learn in the sense that unlike the "hard" forms of karate, the forms illustrated consist of several movements one must learn and then connect them smoothly. Therefore it may take 8 or so moves to deliver just one punch, but in the process you are also blocking and grabbing and pulling with each move. I highly recommend this book for those who earnestly wish to learn the basics of Seven Star Mantis. If you are unsure of which martial art is best suited for your body and mindset, this style is primarliy based on agility and flexibility. Evading all attacks to quickly defeat an opponent as well as reading every movement they make and "feeling" where they will move is the guiding force for Seven Star Praying Mantis



2. It is only introduction. Not much about Mantis itself. The book is actually teach wing Tsun because the author is expert in Wing Tsun.

   Only buy if you want to learn Wing Tsun
   Not worth if want real knowledge about Mantis kung fu




3. This book has a good overview of all the basic theories and techniques of the Mantis system (7*'s). The wooden man form is no good in the book though if you don't know a wooden man set this would be a very good beginner set to start with. All the keywords are translated and explained in detail as to what they refer to, this is a real treat as most martial arts books will not even mention the keywords that are present in almost every system. I would say it is a good book to start out your knowledge with, though it is not in depth enough to learn from alone. If you are stuck only learning from media be sure to cross reference with a few other books and videos. Look up Jon Funk for decent, quality videos on 7*'s Mantis. Between a few video sets and this book you should be able to attain some skill. Watch for another Mantis book coming out in early 2005 by Neil Ripski on the Eight Shadow Mantis Boxing, a different style of Mantis but with these basics it could be assimilated easily.



4. The book here written by Leung Ting through collaberation with other mantis practitioners (specifically 7 stars style) is a good one. The work is readable and thorough enough for a basic overview of all the major techniques and powers of the 7 stars system. Of course there could be more depth but for a person trying to get the gist of Praying Mantis northern style it is a good reference. The techniques within the book are all easily learned and executable with a partner with some work. Since I learned some praying mantis from my sifu in a different style I was very pleased to see a book that actually had some knowledge within it rather than some fancy techniques and no base. This is not a flashy book or filled with forms, but has the good solid workings of martial arts. I would reccomend this book to anyone trying to get a look at some praying mantis kung fu, but remember unless you have a LOT of previous experience it is downright dangerous to try and learn your martial arts from a book, a starting point perhaps, and addition of knowledge of course, but to treat a text as your teacher is a very misconcieved notion.



5. This book gets three stars because the techniques are accurate and highly illustrated, but the book also has a number of frustrating aspects, which I'll talk about shortly. It has an old style charm, as it was written in a time when martial arts books were not well edited. There are numerous cases of broken English in the intros. It was never re-edited in later editions. In a way this adds to the allure of the book, but its also distracting. Thankfully, most of the book is pictures. :)
   
   I get the feeling this book would be much better if they took all the photos and made a flip book. Seriously. It can be very difficult to follow the forms here, based on these static images, no matter how many there are. They need to be seen in motion. I'd rather see this on DVD, than in a book. As a book, its lacking, despite it's authenticity. A book is a training tool, and it gets three stars because it falls short of the many solid, modern texts on martial arts that exist today.