This page is about Ho Mei Pai Mantis. Yin/Yang Mantis was not added through experimentation but, like Horse Fist, it was found to have similiar basics that only varied at the advanced levels. There have been no changes made to the style except for the order of practice. Anyway, Mantis uses the medium range and rotational forces in their techniques. The mantis hand or fist is the only hand strike, although the whole body is used. The style tends to have the personality traits of efficency and lazy. I don't mean lazy as in bad technique or lazy as in Bear where they will let you hit them, so they dont have to reach for you, but lazy in the sense that they will attack first, even over a verbal threat, because they don't wish to waist time thinking or waiting. If you threaten them ,verbally or physically, them you must be capable; right? Otherwise it would be a lie and you are not a lier, right? And they don't want to be looking over their shoulder so they might as well deal with you now, right?.

The techniques of mantis tend to specialize in joint locks and mid air breaks. The throws are so you will be in the air and won't be capable of stopping the mid air breaks. The strikes and kicks are to allow for the joint locks and, similiar to some other animals, the strikes are to the throat. The kicks are mainly sweeps ( for throw then mid air break) and because of this their body conditioning tends to start at the shin and then move to the rest of the body. Fights between two mantis people will usually be over quick do to the breaks however Snake/mantis pairings tend to be balanced for the most part with both getting hurt.

Flexible weapons and knives tend to be popular with this style and other short paired weapons are easy to apply. This style tends not to use points as they are considered to much work and with the breaks they would be redundant.


Last Updated July 2, 1998
Copyright Sphoenix Associates
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