Wang Lang

I know you guys are knowledgeable in praying mantis history,so here it goes..

How many forms did Wang Lang invent and develop

And when <dynasty/A.D>

Good friend, my teacher Dr. Su Yu Zhang says that he knows all the Tang Lang Chen styles

im not sure about the forms but something wierd about Wang Lang is that i have heard other sites call him Wong Long but i dont know why

It is not weird. Just that different Chinese dialects pronounce things (including names) differently. Therefore the Romanised spelling varies.

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“	Originally Posted By: Fu-Pau It is not weird. Just that different Chinese dialects pronounce things (including names) differently. Therefore the Romanised spelling varies.	”

thanks for that info i wasnt sure why they said his name different

It is true.

i used to not be sure about the wang lang/wong long story until now, thanks

There are a few stories that vary about him.The story has a moral behind it.But basically as most of them say he trains hard and persists no matter how many defeats ,he perservere's progresses in his training ,gains knowledge and invents a new martial art and is un beatable.

I was hoping that some of the praying mantis practitioners would try to answer the question .

yeah i know some of them are different, but they all say that either he watched the praying mantis battle other insects, or that he used a stick to see how the mantis defended its self, i wonder which one he did because whenever i capture a praying mantis and poke at it with a stick it either runs, flies away, or cover it face up, i have only had one defend itself and all it did was swing its arms at me really fast

Hey thats funny ,you actually caught one and played with it
The mantises' in Asia are alot larger and more tenacious than the variety we have here in North America.You probably won't get the reaction you want.

I had a chance to play with some asian ducks and they are very aggressive,it's about a wonder why the masters took inspiration from these creatures.
Not to mention that they studied martial arts before they invented and added alot from other systems as well.It just derives the art behind the martial part, to give it style,and uniqueness as well as aggressiveness.
Why there are many stories from this system ,as Wang Lang may or may not had existed,may be a metaphor for the common man to follow.

He was a frail young man who was rebel with an attitude who would go around the countryside challenging other martial artists ,and was a great swordsman as well,when he came across the shaolin temple he figured he could learn from them as well,so he challenged the monks ,but to no avail,so he went to the forest and practiced ,then he came to the monks and challenged them again ,this time the head abbot sent his lowest most inexperienced monk to spar,and Wang lost easily.
After being beat he returned to the forest and resided there for awhile,and thats when he was suprised by the fight between the mantis and the cicada who was alot larger than the mantis.But with the powerful fore arms he bested the cicada,and it was this inspiration that Wang took from.Even though the mantis was smaller it still had the veracity to best the other creature. He captured a few mantises and prodded them with a reed but also had them in a cage to study there fighting movements ,and with the basic mantis techniques he invented and blended with his kungfu he knew already,
he practised for year,then eventually went back to challege again.
This time he easily bested all the monks except the head abbot Fuju,which was a tie.The head monk was amazed by his prowess asked him to stay at the temple ,then became his freind and master.
Together they incorperated the best 17 other styles of kungfu,and monkey footwork.
Then he taught praying mantis to the other monks and it bacame very popular and eventually replaced Lohan kungfu,which was what was taught at the time there.

The story I heard was similar, but Wong Long was an actual monk.

As the story went we wasn't sickly, but was always bested by his older brother. His brother traveled for several years, and in that time Wong Long encountered the Praying Mantis fighting a ciccada. So he studied and developed the style. But he noted how weak the Mantis's legs were, and how little mobility they had. So he took the best footwork of Monkey style and blended the two. Supposedly then he defeated the other Shao Lin men, and even his brother when he returned.

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“	Originally Posted By: lightnin Hey thats funny ,you actually caught one and played with it The mantises' in Asia are alot larger and more tenacious than the variety we have here in North America.You probably won't get the reaction you want. I had a chance to play with some asian ducks and they are very aggressive,it's about a wonder why the masters took inspiration from these creatures. Not to mention that they studied martial arts before they invented and added alot from other systems as well.It just derives the art behind the martial part, to give it style,and uniqueness as well as aggressiveness. Why there are many stories from this system ,as Wang Lang may or may not had existed,may be a metaphor for the common man to follow. He was a frail young man who was rebel with an attitude who would go around the countryside challenging other martial artists ,and was a great swordsman as well,when he came across the shaolin temple he figured he could learn from them as well,so he challenged the monks ,but to no avail,so he went to the forest and practiced ,then he came to the monks and challenged them again ,this time the head abbot sent his lowest most inexperienced monk to spar,and Wang lost easily. After being beat he returned to the forest and resided there for awhile,and thats when he was suprised by the fight between the mantis and the cicada who was alot larger than the mantis.But with the powerful fore arms he bested the cicada,and it was this inspiration that Wang took from.Even though the mantis was smaller it still had the veracity to best the other creature. He captured a few mantises and prodded them with a reed but also had them in a cage to study there fighting movements ,and with the basic mantis techniques he invented and blended with his kungfu he knew already, he practised for year,then eventually went back to challege again. This time he easily bested all the monks except the head abbot Fuju,which was a tie.The head monk was amazed by his prowess asked him to stay at the temple ,then became his freind and master. Together they incorperated the best 17 other styles of kungfu,and monkey footwork. Then he taught praying mantis to the other monks and it bacame very popular and eventually replaced Lohan kungfu,which was what was taught at the time there.	”

yeah i play with them all the time, some are more aggressive then others, some will cover their face and hide, some will run, and very few will fight with you, i would love to catch an asian praying mantis if they are more aggressive, then you could really see how a mantis defends itself

Hey wraith ! ,
the stories can be entertaining but like this style and alot of others had a big influence on the kungfu world in general.This style in it's time then, was an inovation.probably one of the first MMA's ever invented yet traditional.
But like all the styles they went through changes as a sign of the times,to what they needed and differing talents influenced the arts.
It's just a shame that alot of masters and kungfu styles died out of existance for one reason or another.Like currupt governments ,invasions by neighboring countries,or even putting the masters in prison and forcing them to teach to currupt people,like in the Macau incedent,thats why you have shams ,who were passed on some kungfu and thought it was the real deal.Thats' why we are lucky here in North America.We can learn from the real deal,because alot of them emmigrated here.
But as you well know it's not the same as there, because we can't live at a temple .We are working people ,so obviously it will take along time to perfect the art,unless you are rich or something.

if the footwork of the monkey was combined with the mantis arms, then shouldnt praying mantis style be more wild, like, hopping around all the time

Hey Tigerfu ,
If you can get yourself to a praying mantis school,like in Fortworth Texas,and train with them ,or go on a seminar weekend you'll find out how tenacious the practitioners are,and maybe learn a few tricks too.
There are tonnes of weekend seminars advertised in the back of the kungfu magazines.It would be worth your time I'm sure .I'm sure you would find new respect for the other MA's,through the training.