Praying Mantis Kung Fu
Northern Mantis Kung Fu, also known as Tang Lang Quan, is a martial art that originated in Shandong Province of China during the Ming Dynasty. It was created by Wang Lang, a martial artist and reputed freedom fighter. According to legend, Wang Lang was unable to defeat the elite warrior monks he encountered during his travels, despite his extensive training. Frustrated, he began studying the movements of a praying mantis, fascinated by its speed, precision, and ability to subdue larger insects. By adapting the mantis’s hooking strikes and rapid, deceptive attacks, and combining them with agile monkey-style footwork for mobility and evasion, Wang Lang developed a system that finally allowed him to defeat the monks.
The style is known for its aggressive and offensive approach, with an emphasis on continuous chain striking and pressure-based tactics. Northern Mantis fighters use trapping, intercepting, and redirecting techniques to stay on the attack while maintaining evasiveness through unpredictable and nimble footwork. Practitioners aim to overwhelm opponents with rapid-fire combinations and strategic positioning, keeping them off balance and unable to recover. The blend of offense, evasion, and relentless pressure gives Northern Mantis its reputation as a highly effective fighting art.
Over the past century, much of Chinese martial arts has shifted toward performance and aesthetics, emphasizing acrobatics, synchronized forms, and visual appeal over practical combat application. We don’t teach for show at Wind in the Pines Kung Fu. Our approach is firmly rooted in the original purpose of Northern Mantis Kung Fu—combat. Our techniques are direct, efficient, and built for real encounters, preserving the old-school mentality and effectiveness that Wang Lang intended when he created the system to overcome skilled opponents in life-or-death situations.
Grappling, Throwing, and Ground Fighting
Our training includes Chin Na (joint locks and control techniques) and Shuai Jiao (Chinese wrestling and throws), both of which are essential components of traditional Kung Fu often overlooked in modern practice. Chin Na specializes in seizing, controlling, and neutralizing an opponent through joint manipulation, pressure point targeting, and off-balancing techniques. It's not about brute strength but about precision, timing, and anatomical understanding—skills that allow a smaller or weaker person to subdue a stronger attacker effectively. These techniques are deeply integrated into our hand forms and drills, making them practical and immediately applicable.
Shuai Jiao complements Chin Na by focusing on takedowns, sweeps, and body control. It trains practitioners to stay balanced, use an opponent's force against them, and bring a fight to the ground quickly and decisively. Whether it’s a throw from a clinch, a trip from a deflection, or a slam from a catch, Shuai Jiao adds a dynamic layer of real-world application to our curriculum. Together, Chin Na and Shuai Jiao reinforce our commitment to no-nonsense, effective self-defense—no wasted movement, no flashy choreography, just direct and proven ways to end a confrontation quickly and stay safe.
In addition to our standing techniques, we also train ground fighting with a focus on real-world survival, not point-based sport competition. Our ground techniques are designed to deal with common street-level threats—like punches, grabs, and ground-and-pound scenarios—rather than relying on rule-based positions or time limits. We prioritize positional control, escapes, reversals, and striking from the ground, with an emphasis on getting back to your feet safely whenever possible. The goal isn’t to play a game, but to respond decisively and effectively under pressure. Our ground training prepares you for real confrontations where rules don’t apply and the only objective is to survive and protect yourself.
Internal Martial Arts
Training in internal martial arts isn’t just about cultivating calmness or slow movement—it’s about enhancing combat effectiveness from the inside out. Internal systems develop refined body mechanics, structural alignment, and the ability to generate power with minimal effort. These arts train awareness, balance, and timing, giving practitioners the tools to remain calm and efficient under pressure. Instead of relying solely on speed or muscle, internal training teaches how to move with purpose, conserve energy, and strike with maximum impact. It’s not mystical—it’s practical, and it sharpens the mind-body connection in a way that directly improves fighting ability.
Tai Chi Chuan is often misunderstood as just a slow-moving health exercise, but it originated as a powerful martial art rooted in softness overcoming hardness. We train Tai Chi with a combat mindset, focusing on yielding, redirection, and explosive short-range power known as fa jin. It’s especially useful for close-quarters encounters, teaching how to absorb force, neutralize it, and counter without telegraphing. Tai Chi’s emphasis on posture, breath control, and internal structure makes it ideal for developing a relaxed, ready body that can handle real conflict calmly and effectively.
Xingyi Quan is the most direct and aggressive of the internal styles, known for its linear, driving power and no-nonsense tactics. It distills combat into simple, efficient movements based on the five elements and twelve animal forms, each with its own flavor and strategy. Xingyi trains you to move first, hit hard, and overwhelm your opponent before they can react. Its structure and intention make it an ideal bridge between internal sensitivity and external application, giving practitioners explosive power with deep roots in body alignment and internal force.
Bagua Zhang is all about movement, adaptability, and strategy. Known for its circular footwork and constant angle changes, Bagua trains you to be evasive and unpredictable, using spiraling force and turning attacks to dominate multiple opponents or shift dynamically around a single one. It sharpens coordination, timing, and spatial awareness, and it’s especially effective in chaotic or fluid combat situations where mobility is key. Bagua doesn’t meet force head-on—it flows around it, drawing opponents into traps and counters.
Finally, we include Qigong in our training not as a mystical energy practice, but as a tool for grounding, breath control, and mental discipline. These simple but powerful standing and movement-based exercises help develop body awareness, improve joint health, and center the mind. Chi Gung builds the kind of inner calm and focus that translates directly to better decision-making and composure under stress
Weapons Training
Our weapons training draws from both Northern and Southern Chinese Kung Fu traditions, emphasizing functionality, precision, and combat effectiveness over flash and flair. While many modern schools focus on stylized, acrobatic forms for competition or performance, our focus remains on practical application. Techniques are rooted in centuries-old battlefield-tested methods, adapted for modern contexts without losing their original intent. Students begin with contemporary weapons such as the stick and knife, developing coordination, timing, and close-quarters strategy that can be applied to real-world scenarios.
As training progresses, we introduce traditional long-range weapons like the staff and spear—staples of both Northern and Southern systems—focusing on power generation, distance control, and fluid transitions between offense and defense. From there, students move on to classical bladed weapons such as the broadsword (dao) and double-edged straight sword (jian), each with its own tactical principles and movement theory. For variety and to keep the training dynamic and fun, we occasionally explore exotic and unconventional weapons like throwing stars, weighted chains, ropes, and more. These tools sharpen reflexes, creativity, and adaptability, while staying true to our core philosophy: practical, no-nonsense martial arts grounded in real combat skill.