68.
Claws of Mantis (TANG LANG ZHAO)
TANG LANG ZHAO
Brief
description*
*Excerpt
from the book: Jin Jing Zhong. Authentic Shaolin
Heritage: Training Methods of 72 Arts of Shaolin. ISBN:
978-1440474170
Shaolin skill
“Claws of Mantis” is “hard” exercise which strengthens
the “external”. It develops the “hard” YANG force but
also contains “soft” YIN force. That exercise is also
called “Diamond Hand” – JINGANG SHOU. It strengthens,
through training, the edge of a palm and a wrist. In
outward appearance it resembles training in “force
ejection” (“force outburst”) of the Shaolin exercise
“Palm of Guan Yin” , but its essence is completely
different. Here the force of the forearm moving from
above downward is used and it is completely “hard
force”. It is one of combat arms techniques employed at
the shortest distance and here life or death of the
enemy depends upon the bent wrist. The effect from a
blow is a sort of chopping with an axe and movements
resemble a mantis which defends itself, hence, the name
– “Claws of Mantis”. Similar chops can be often found
among techniques of QUAN FA. But the difference of the
Shaolin school is that arm chops in this case are partly
executed with employment of “soft” force where
“softness” conceals “hardness” and it is the most
efficient employment of this technique ...
<...>
... After
successful acquirement of that exercise it is necessary
for a wrist and a palm to be filled with force when you
encounter an enemy, in that case there will be no man
who will be invincible for you. In usual peaceful
situation it is no need to use force, so your palm will
not differ from a palm of an ordinary man. If you touch
(unintentionally) the body of some man, you will not
inflict a wound on him. The efficiency of that skill is
comparable with the splendid Shaolin skill of “Deadly
YIN Hand” – YIN SHOU SHA REN. At the beginning, it is
necessary to use a pile of paper to develop the “soft
force”. The “soft force” goes through the paper that
separates bricks from your hand, then it transforms into
the “hard force”. “Hardness” and “softness” supplement
each other skillfully and naturally.
At first that
exercise got to Shaolin, from there it spread along the
right bank of Yangtze to its whole length and later in
other places to become very popular with contemporaries.
There are also such techniques as “13 Mantis Claw
Techniques” and a complete Mantis style with a great
number of techniques and methods. They are of
independent significance, but they do not belong to this
SHAOLIN GONG FU.
***
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