Praying mantis (disambiguation)

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The praying mantis is any insect of the order Mantodea.

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Praying mantis may also refer to:

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Martial arts

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Chin Na

Qinna is the set of joint lock techniques used in the Chinese martial arts to control or lock an opponent's joints or muscles/tendons so they cannot move, thus neutralizing the opponent's fighting ability. Qinna Shu literally translates as lock catch technique. Some schools simply use the word na ("hold") to describe the techniques. Qinna features both standing and ground-based grappling techniques.

Northern Praying Mantis

Northern Praying Mantis is a style of Chinese martial arts, sometimes called Shandong Praying Mantis after its province of origin. It was created by Wang Lang (王朗) and was named after the praying mantis, an insect, the aggressiveness of which inspired the style. One Mantis legend places the creation of the style in the Song Dynasty when Wang Lang was supposedly one of 18 masters gathered by the Abbot Fu Ju (福居), a legendary persona of the historical Abbot Fu Yu (福裕) (1203–1275), to improve Shaolin martial arts. However, most legends place Wang Lang in the late Ming Dynasty.

Chinese martial arts Category of martial arts

Chinese martial arts, often named under the umbrella terms kung fu, kuoshu or wushu, are several hundred fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families", "sects" or "schools" of martial arts. Examples of such traits include Shaolinquan (少林拳) physical exercises involving Five Animals (五形) mimicry or training methods inspired by Old Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles that focus on qi manipulation are called internal, while others that concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness are called external. Geographical association, as in northern and southern, is another popular classification method.

Mantis is the common name of any insect in the order Mantodea, also commonly known as praying mantises.

Chinese mantis

The Chinese mantis is a species of mantis native to Asia and the nearby islands. In 1896 this species was accidentally introduced by a nurseryperson at Mt. Airy near Philadelphia, United States. Tenodera sinensis often is erroneously referred to as Tenodera aridifolia sinensis because it was at first described as a subspecies of Tenodera aridifolia, but Tenodera sinensis is now established as a full species.

Ten Tigers of Canton

The Ten Tigers of Canton or Ten Tigers of Guangdong refers to a group of ten Chinese martial artists from Guangdong Province who lived around the 19th century during the Qing dynasty in China. They were said to be the best fighters in southern China at the time. Much of their existence has been embellished by folk legends and stories passed down from generation to generation.

Southern Praying Mantis

Southern Praying Mantis is a Chinese martial art originating with the Hakka people. It is most closely associated with styles such as Southern Dragon Kung Fu and Bak Mei.

Hook sword

The hook sword, twin hooks, fu tao, hu tou gou or shuang gou is a Chinese weapon traditionally associated with northern styles of Chinese martial arts and Wushu weapons routines, but now often practiced by southern styles as well.

Styles of Chinese martial arts Overview of the fighting styles

There are hundreds of different styles of Chinese martial arts, each with their own sets of techniques and ideas. The concept of martial arts styles appeared from around the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Before the Ming period, martial skills were commonly differentiated mainly by their lineage. There are common themes among these styles which allow them to be grouped according to generalized "families", "fractions", "class", or "schools" of martial art styles. There are styles that mimic movements from animals, or otherwise refer or allude to animals or mythical beings such as dragons, and others that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies or mythologies. Some deeply internal styles tend to focus strongly on practice relating to harnessing of qi energy, while some more-conspicuously external styles tend more to display skills and abilities in competition or exhibition.

Chow Gar

Tung Kong Chow Gar Tong Long or simply Chow Gar (周家) is a southern Chinese martial art of the Hakka (客家) people. It is one of the four major schools in Southern Praying Mantis, the other schools being Chu Gar, Kwong Sai Jook Lum, and Tit Ngau. It is an aggressive style with emphasis on close range fighting. These skills are developed by utilizing a range of training techniques which have been developed over several centuries.

John Fusco is an American screenwriter, producer, and television series creator born in Prospect, Connecticut. His screenplays include Crossroads, Young Guns, Young Guns II, Thunderheart, Hidalgo, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and The Highwaymen. He is also the creator of the Netflix series Marco Polo. Fusco is also a blues musician and a prose fiction author.

Hakka culture Ethnic culture

Hakka culture refers to the culture created by Hakka people, a Han Chinese subgroup, across Asia. It encompasses the shared language, various art forms, food culture, folklore, and traditional customs. Hakka culture stemmed from the culture of Ancient Han Chinese, who migrated from China's central plain to what is modern day's Southern China during the 6th to 13th century, and intermixed with local non-Han ethnic groups such as the Miao people. It has also been influenced by the cultures of surrounding Han Chinese groups, such as the Cantonese and the Hoklo. Having historically lived in the mountains of Southern China and being minority groups in many of the surrounding Chinese provinces, Hakka have developed a culture characterized by reservedness, stability, and frugality.

Rupert "Ojiji" Harvey is a Reggae, Jazz, Funk, Dance Hall, and Roots music musician who is known for his solo records as well as his work in the Canadian band Messenjah, which had a platinum record with the hit "Cool Operator".

Mantis Order of insects

Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 430 genera in 30 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks. Their elongated bodies may or may not have wings, but all Mantodea have forelegs that are greatly enlarged and adapted for catching and gripping prey; their upright posture, while remaining stationary with forearms folded, has led to the common name praying mantis.

Yu Chenghui, sometimes credited as Yue Sing-wai, was a Chinese actor, action director and martial artist.

Gene Chen

Gene Chen was a Chinese American martial artist. Though he was knowledgeable in many Chinese martial arts, he was a master in Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis and Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan.

Pui Chan

Pui Chan (陳培) is the leader of the Wah Lum Pai Martial Arts Organization. He is a sixth generation successor of the Wah Lum Pai Tam Tui Northern Praying Mantis style as well as also being a 33rd generation successor of the Shaolin Temple. He was instrumental in bringing the Wah Lum martial arts style to the United States. Chan is the last living disciple of Lee Kwan Shan, and has since studied under several other masters.

Snake Kung Fu

There are several Chinese martial arts known as Snake Boxing or Fanged Snake Style which imitate the movements of snakes. It is a style of Shaolin Boxing. Proponents claim that adopting the fluidity of snakes allows them to entwine with their opponents in defense and strike them from angles they would not expect in offense. Snake style is said to especially lend itself to applications with the Chinese straight sword. The snake is also one of the animals imitated in Yang family Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan. The sinuous, fluid motion of the snake lends itself to the practical theory that underlies the "soft" martial arts.