Shaolin Praying Mantis and 18 Lohanarts

[Luo Lang]

Dear all,
I would like to thank Sifu for his generousity to teach us the Shaolin Praying Mantis Kung Fu and the 18 Lohanarts again.

The course was amazing in many terms. I shall share some insights with you and I shall also point out that the Shaolin Wahnam Switzerland classes turned out to be pioneers in two aspects.

The pioneer work in Shaolin Praying Mantis Kung Fu:
It was about one year ago when I made an approach towards Sifu with the question if he would know Shaolin Praying Mantis. He did obviously and suddenly I found myself in preparing and researching for a course.

Sifu has got a lot of material by Luis from Portugal who met many Masters of PM and who trained it for years, whom we would like to thank also on this Way. Then Sifu had also some information from his training in the Past and of course some useful lecture of old classics.

At the same time I invested some time in finding or researcheing on my own for the time beeing. It was very very interessting and I would keep Sifu updated with what I found out. One thing was interessting though I came across of certain information even Sifu was quite surprised.

That said, the course started actually last year. Sifu and I had put a lot of time in investigations.

It is then worth to menation that we believe that we, Sifu and his students, did something quite historical. There is no website, no book which has gathered so many informations together.

We have a sound wisdom and knowledge about the history and philosophie of Praying Mantis.

We have listed up the single patterns within the Sap Pat Sau Set with names.

We have listed up the features of the 18 Masters and named them to pay them our respect. We know the specialities of those Masters.

We have listed up a relation between features and patterns and pattern and features.

We are able to apply every single pattern for combat in more than one Way.

We have a sound knowledge about the Praying Mantis secrets and we know how to apply them.

We will create combat sequences and further enhance our training and the training methology. It is our aim and motivation to bring the glory of this Kung Fu style back and to spread it within our school, but further more in the world.

So what was special at the course? The training in the essence of Praying Mantis and any Kung Fu style. We are most probably of the few schools who train Praying Mantis as a Internal style, meaning we are able to use energy and to enhance and increase our Internal force.

Pioneer work for futural developments: 18 Lohanarts
While our researches we have an opening for a new generation of exercises to appear in our Institute eventually though by Sifu in the future.

The internal force training of Praying Mantis Kung Fu and other styles at this time was the 18 Lohanarts. Sifu generously researched and revitalised his knowledge and the result is simply put amazing.

We, Sifu and I believe that without the aim to restore Praying Mantis we would not have come across this wonderful exercises so easily. Maybe they would have kept forgotten or disappeared in our school.

Now the students of this course can be proud of themselves:
You are pioneers and you are the first students ever in our Institute who learnt the 18 Lohanarts from Sifu in person!

Hopefully out of the results of the course with experiencing these Arts and their dimension a new generation of courses will be created and spread throughout the world of the International Wahnam family.

We our school but of course those who took part at the course especially are Pioneers in may Ways: Restoring the essence and the glory of Praying Mantis Kung Fu to honour the Great Wang Lang. Having created the opportunity of spreading the 18 Lohanarts into the world of Shaolin Wahnam.

Sifu himslef put it simple at the graduation dinner:
Invented by a Confucianist, developed by Shaolin monks spread by a Taoist priest and spread by Westeners

Thank you so much Sifu for this wonderful gift!

[Darryl]

Invented by a Confucianist, developed by Shaolin monks spread by a Taoist priest and spread by Westeners

Beautiful!

[Michael S]

Wish I could know firsthand what you're talking about. But it sounds like it's been one for the books .

[Mark CH]

Amazing post Roland Siheng.

[Luo Lang]

Thanks for the heartwarming posts.

Dear Michael,
Yes it was mindblowing and interessting indeed. You brought an idea up which is somehow in my mind. To put this work eventually into a book in the future.

We would have a lot of material and insights to write down and share.

Who knows, maybe in some years there will be a book about the Art of Shaolin Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

Best regards,

Roland.

[Chiahua]

Thanks for the heartwarming posts.

Dear Michael,
Yes it was mindblowing and interessting indeed. You brought an idea up which is somehow in my mind. To put this work eventually into a book in the future.

We would have a lot of material and insights to write down and share.

Who knows, maybe in some years there will be a book about the Art of Shaolin Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

Best regards,

Roland.

I'm curious Sihing, do you prefer Praying Mantis to the Monkey set? Or maybe the question should be, what do you like about Praying mantis over Monkey set, and vice versa?

[Luo Lang]

Dear Chia Hua,
I don't prefer One style over the other. They are very different, but they can comprehence eachother tremendously. That's the unique thing about Wahnam.

Well, without the Monkey I would never got interested by Praying Mantis.

Honestly said, I am a Monkey specialist and will always be. That is my first choice öy first romance with more advanced Sets. But then Praying Mantis is my second One.:-) If that makes sense:-)

[Kingmonkey]

Actually Sigung said:

Invented by a Confucianist, developed by Shaolin monks spread by a Taoist priest and revived by Westeners

Mind-blowing puts it quite to the point
it really was a very very special course, I still can't put all my thoughts together, we learned so much and so deep, we learned lots of skills lots of secrets and had a great bunch of fun too....

[Luo Lang]

Invented by a Confucianist, developed by Shaolin monks spread by a Taoist priest and revived by Westeners

Actually Sifu said first by Christians, but as not all students are christians he changed to Westeners

Dear Chia Hua,
I shall answer your question more accurate:

The Monkey is fantastic, the Way from cheekyness to realisation. He's tricky, agile, naughty, quite free, playing often around. That's what I love training the Monkey. It's often that you pretend beeing caught or getting in a hopeless situation and then surprisingly turning the table around.

On the other hand, the PM is quite direct without doing anything too much in its approach. There is often one direction the forward one. It uses often the tactics of defence cum counter and no defence direct counter.

Both are quite famous for their footwork, actually the PM's fundament lies on Monkey footwork. Both are famous for kicks. The mantis claw has several similarities to the Monkey paw and its application.

At the end the PM is a invention which turned into the fact that it almost replaced Lohan Kung Fu. The Monkey on the other hand is found in many Shaolin styles but often more in certain techniques or patterns. Yet the Monkey was most probably not a specialised style within the temple but some aspects were often implemented.

So for me both styles comprehend eachother in a fantastic Way. So all in all, the Monkey keeps my fundament in termes of a certain direction. But as it benefits so much of the PM I decided to focus also on PM.

Is it possible to train both styles and still get a specialist on both? Yes and no. If you have the possibility to train both style's essence then yes One may achieve a very advanced level in both. because both may open the door to the others understanding and skills. It may even be that One may get more advanced than so called real specialists.

Then on the other hand if One lacks on getting the essence of any of them, training both styles would be a hindrance in eachothers development.

Some people may be curious why I also train the Triple stretch, because this one is quite a paradox to the Monkey style. Tigers and Monkeys are nemensis. From direct experience my Monkey benefited tremendously from triple Stretch and vice versa. why because in Shaolin Wahnam we are able to train the essence!

best regards,

Roland.

[Michael S]

You brought an idea up which is somehow in my mind. To put this work eventually into a book in the future.

If that happens, will you sign one for me?

Kind regards,
Mike

[Andrea]

why because in Shaolin Wahnam we are able to train the essence!

This is probably one reason why the Shaolin Praying Mantis and 18 Lohan Arts course felt like a tremendous enrichment for my Tai Chi Chuan practice . Actually I was very surprised .
I hope to elaborate more when I get some time next week ...

Andrea

[Luo Lang]

Dear all,
I will share some insights and some sectrets soon. I will also give you all a gift, but it will take some time to work on that.

Stay tuned for sure.

Roland.
.

[Chiahua]

Thank you for both of your articulate replies, they were interesting readings.
I look forward to the "gift", and I'm sure it's worth the wait!

Best
Chia-Hua

[Luo Lang]

Dear all,
The gift Sifu, Shaolin Wahnam Switzerland and its students would like to share is called Lohan Worships Buddha. Please give me some time for the installment

Now coming back to something very intersting and important:

Why are we in Shaolin Wahnam able to train different styles and not only getting great results but are able to improve our overall performance?

It the Past it was more than unlikely that a Tai Chi Chuan Master would train Iron Wire for example. Even if he could, unless he was already a great great Master, training both styles would have resulted in a hindrance of progress.

So what is it what we in Wahnam have and makes us special? The Chi flow.

Let me try to explain that:
Imagine a Master of Tai Chi Chuan trains Internal force. He gets 100 units out of his training.

Now he is able to train Iron Wire as well. He does perfectly well within his performance as he is a Master. Nevertheless, because this two styles are so different in their approach he would only get 30 Units of Internal force out of his Iron Wire training.

Now what happens to his Tai Chi Chuan training. Whereeas he would get 100 untis before training also Iron Wire, he would now only get 30 units out of his training in TCC.

Now why does this happen? It's because of the essence of both styles which would normally inhibit eachothers process. TCC trains mainly chi, which will eventually transformed into Internal force. This is a process. The flow within TCC can be smooth flowing river who gets more and more vigorous and resutling into internal force.
Now Iron Wire is hard force and can be regarded as hard like iced water manifesting in the body. Or like a thik stream of lava flowing.

Both these manifestations would inhibit eachother resulting that a masters process would not only not reaching a high level of Units within the other style chosen to train, but furthermore inhibit the own style's process

Now coming back a TCC practitioner training TCC would get 100 Units of internalforce. Training Iron Wire as a substitute he would reduce his own TCC to 30 Untis but gets another 30 Untis from iron Wire. At the end he gets 60 Units which is 40 Units less than before. So all in all he would benefit more sticking only on TCC.

No we are able to benefit from training different styles and force trainings. In fact we may even improve our performance as well as the Internal force.

It's because of our knowledge and wisdom and experience and skill to deal with the energy chi flow.

I shall take another analogy: Praying Mantis and Triple Stretch.

In termes of Internal force, one would get 100 Units with sticking on his Art. Also here he would get less of it training both styles.

Now we in Wahnam are able to use our skill of let the chi flowing.
If we train two styles we would get 60 Units of Internal force out of PM and 60 Units of Triple Stretch. All in all it's 120 units, which means 20 Units more than a specialist in termes of internal force. Again we are able to use the chi flow, which will do all the work, meaning transforming and changing to the practitioners needs.

Happy training to all.

[Michael S]

Dear Roland,

I feel like a bit of a sycophant in saying this but I'm going to anyway. You have just blown my mind. A lot of things I was stuck on were cleared up by that post and I'm grateful to you for it. And Sifu Wong as well, of course.

Kind regards,
Michael Saudino