Research Notes: The Plum Blossom Connection To Mantis Boxing
Praying Mantis Boxing (táng láng quán 螳螂拳) upon closer inspection, has a deeply rooted past that is intersected and conjoined with the plum boxing. There are a multitude of references in names of mantis boxing sets, movements within forms, and even branches of the mantis boxing style that split off from the main line and went on to brand themselves more specifically as plum blossom praying mantis boxing. It goes beyond mere symbolism. To understand this we have to…
Crushing Step (Bēng Bù)
Last week kicked off the new course I’m teaching on the mantis boxing set known as Crushing Step. Each week in live stream classes I’ll be taking you step-by-step through the fighting applications of this old boxing set; thought to be one of the originals of the style.
Join me as I give you an in-depth view of how these striking, kicking, and takedown applications work, and how to practice each move on your own.
Research Notes: The Origins of Wang Lang of Tángláng Quán - 螳螂拳
Wang Lang (王朗) was a military folk hero/warlord in the Eastern Han dynasty (25CE - 220CE). Born in Tancheng County in the south of Shandong near the border of Jiangsu province. Wang Lang’s deeds are recorded and as with other famous figures in Chinese history, Wang was later memorialized and embellished upon in a famous novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. How did Wang Lang become entwined with the history of Praying Mantis Boxing (Tángláng Quán - 螳螂拳) almost 2 millenia later? Is this the same Wang Lang, or was there someone else who founded this boxing style who went by the same name?
Mantis Boxer Meets A Karateka - A Chat with Iain Abernethy
Pandora's Box of Podcasts - Martial Arts Psychology with Sensei Ando
Guest Appearance: Fight Commentary Chats w/ Jerry Liu
I recently had the privilege to be invited on Jerry’s new podcast - Fight Commentary Chats. Some of you may have come across Jerry already in your YouTube travels…
Get Hooked - Mantis Hoodies and Tee's
Orders closed for this batch. If you would like one of these shirts, or hoodies, please email me and I will add you to the list for our next scheduled order. Thank you.
Get Hooked in style with these super comfortable hoodies and tees to represent your Mantis Boxing and Jiu-Jitsu team. Exceptional quality printing done with precision and care by Artforms in Brunswick, Maine.
Hoodies are manufactured by Independent, and the tees are made by Next Level, both amazing brands with comfort at the forefront.
Buying More than one item? See below for special discount packages
Package Deals
If you plan to purchase 3 or 4 of each item, please contact me for further deals. For example - you need 4 hoodies, or 3 tees, etc.
Please contact me directly for these deals.
12 Boxers Principles to Succeed in Fighting
5 Tips to Setup Your Home for Martial Arts Training
Here are 5 tips to help you with setting up, and training martial arts (boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, judo, etc.) at home. Today I'll go over good training practices to make sure you stay with your training, ideal locations and how to adapt to what type of space you live in, types of heavy bags and how to size them, throwing dummies, grappling dummies, and type of mats you want to look for if you do any ground work/takedowns/grappling or wrestling.
Scholar Warrior Interview - Dr. Peter Lorge
Using Chess to Solve Martial Arts Problems
Guest Appearance: Are Forms/Kata a Waste of Time in Martial Arts? w/ Sensei Ando
I had the great pleasure of returning once more as a guest on Sensei Ando’s channel Happy Life Martial Arts. We had an amazing, and thought provoking discussion on martial arts forms training, solo training, and more. We even threw some virtual punches, and a shadow Heimlich maneuver was almost necessary. Check out the video for a great podcast.
Our Brain on Solo Training
How to Train Martial Arts on Your Own
These times require us to innovate and adapt to the changes in our lives, routines, and day to day activities. For weeks many of us have been without a class to attend. The good news? We can still train martial arts without a class or partners, and continue to develop our skills and improve.
What does it take to make this happen? You can watch this video I made this week telling a story on why I had to learn to train myself in martial arts, or you can skip below and jump to the bullet points so you don’t have to wait any longer to train.
Either way, rest assured
Are Head Hits in Boxing/MMA Good or Bad? The Truth...
Countering the Hip Toss
Cracking the Black: Thomas McNair
How to Escape the Clinch - Continued
Here is another follow-up to the videos we shot in LA with Sensei Ando last year (May 2019) as we catch up with the backlog of footage. In this one, Thomas and I will cover the Reverse Hook and how to use it to gain control of the clinch, along with options for follow-up such as: crushing knee, wicked knee, and hanging hook.
Size Matters in BJJ!!! - Part 3 - Breaking Closed Guard
Here's one of my favorite closed guard breaks, and why it is horrible for taller vs. smaller. If you do use this BJJ escape, here is the answer to 'why isn't my closed guard break working?' Enjoy this next installments in our Size Matters series. This is a must see if you are trying to break a smaller grapplers closed guard.