Bamboo Forest Praying Mantis, more commonly known as Southern Praying Mantis, was developed as a kung fu style by the Hakka Chinese. It was developed as a martial resistance to the Manchus in China. It is supposed to develop skills suitable for self defense at a more rapid pace than most styles. The four main schools of the system are the Chu, Chow, Kwong Sai Jook Lum, and Iron Ox. Southern Praying Mantis, unlike Northern Mantis, has no preference to any single move over another although Dim Mak (death-touch techniques) and healing arts are implememted. Hakka (Chinese: 客家; pinyin: kèjiā, literal meaning guest families) are a Han Chinese people whose ancestors are said to originate from around Henan and Shanxi in northern China over 2700 years ago. ... This martial art is known for imitating the movements of a praying mantis in combat, in particular using the hands in a praying mantis hand shape. ...

Southern Praying Mantis shares many similarities with Pak Mei and Wing Chun. Pak Mei is a southern style of gong fu. ... Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春; pinyin: ; Jyutping: wing4 ceon1), also spelled Ving Tsun, is a Chinese martial arts system with an emphasis on unarmed close-range fighting, although it includes weapon techniques and techniques suitable for various ranges. ...

Emphasis is placed on strengthening and lengthening the arms to appear more like a praying mantis. When an extended arm has strength, it allows the practitioner to move about faster since his arms don't need to recoil or move back for more strength, like in boxing or many other fighting systems. There is a lot of emphasis placed on short power techniques. It is a close range fighting system. It is a soft style. It has elements of both an external and an internal system. Like other southern styles, the arms are the main weapon, with kicks usually limited to the hip and under. Southern Praying Mantis has relatively no aesthetic value, unlike its northern counterpart and many other styles. This is most likely due to the fact that this style was created as a pure fighting art, like Wing Chun. Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春; pinyin: ; Jyutping: wing4 ceon1), also spelled Ving Tsun, is a Chinese martial arts system with an emphasis on unarmed close-range fighting, although it includes weapon techniques and techniques suitable for various ranges. ...

See also

• Kwong Sai Jook Lum Gee Tong Long Pai
• Dim Mak
• Chin Na
• Tui na
• Nam Pai Chuan