The History of Eight Step Preying Mantis Kung Fu

:: View the Eight Step Mantis Lineage ::

The history of the Preying Mantis Style of Kung-Fu (T'ang L'ang

Ch'uan) began in Gimore County in the Shantung Province, during
the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). From the oral tradition and the
writings of later Mantis masters, we know that the founder and
patriarch of the style was Wang Lang. Wang Lang was the smartest
and most talented child of his family, and from an early age had developed a great interest in the
martial arts. He had travelled widely through China to learn the various arts, and soon became well
known for his skills. Despite his mastery, Wang Lang felt that something was missing from his
technique and decided to test himself.

As it is well know, there were no better martial artists than those that were to be found in the
temples of Shaolin. So, during the mid-Autumn festival, Wang Lang set out for the Lao Shan
mountains to challenge the monks of the Shaolin Temple. Upon his arrival, the first thing he saw
were taoist monks practicing the art of boxing in the main plaza of the temple. Wang Lang counted
some sixty positions and styles that he had never seen before. Sensing that this was the perfect place
to test his abilities, he challenged the monks but was ignored. Time and again he issued his
challenge, but the silent monks would have no part of it. It took much time and patience for Wang
Lang to persuade the monks at the temple to test him, but eventually they decided that he would
fight a lower level student. Wang Lang had trained hard for many years and was confident in his
abilities. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

The fight was set. Wang Lang and his opponent of the famous Shaolin Temple were face to face.
Wang Lang fought hard and with great swiftness but was defeated, for the abilities of the monk
were far superior. There was much for him to learn.

Wang Lang returned home. Determined and dedicated, he practiced very hard. After two years of
continuous training, Wang Lang was in the best shape of his life. The time had come to test himself
once again at the temple.

Wang Lang returned to Shaolin, much more powerful and fierce than before. Once again he faced a
student of the temple. This time Wang Lang was victorious. His rigorous training had paid off and
his improvement became more and more evident as he moved higher through the ranks of monks.
Wang Lang fought one monk after another until he was face to face with the head abbot of the
monastery. Wang Lang had fought many fierce opponents and had proven himself a courageous
fighter, but this was the true test. Wang Lang fought his best but was easily beaten by the abbot.

Humiliated and aching, Wang Lang realized the depth of the abbot's martial skills and immediately
left the temple. He had trained hard, but having tested himself he realized he would have to have
much better technique as well. As Taoist masters have recognized, the answers to many questions
can be found in nature by those who observe. It was in just this way that fate stepped in and
changed the life of Wang Lang and the future of the martial arts.

Resting his tired body, Wang Lang sat for a moment near a willow tree on the wooded slopes of the
Lao Shan mountains. As he pondered on his unsuccessful fight and the reasons he lost it, his mind
came to focus on his surroundings. He heard some curious sounds which grabbed his attention.
Finding the source of these sounds, Wang Lang was amazed at the sight of two insects battling for
 their lives--a cicada and a much smaller praying mantis. The movements of
this praying mantis were astonishing. With its strong legs and amazingly
strong arms the mantis waited, ready. Drawing its opponent in, then striking
with devastating power and fast, instinctive movements, the mantis was able
to defeat its much larger and fiercer opponent. Wang Lang had discovered the
key to what he had been missing.

Astonished by the skills of the insect, Wang Lang captured the praying mantis and carried it with
him on his return home. Having built a cage for his new friend, Wang Lang had decided to keep the
mantis and study its movements. Using chop sticks, Wang Lang spent much of his time battling
with his tiny opponent, and very carefully watched to see which actions the mantis would take in
order to defend itself. Wang Lang took these techniques and incorporated them into his training.
Having learned the techniques of the Preying Mantis and having trained much harder, Wang Lang
felt the time had come to test himself once again.

Wang Lang could not forget the beating he had received last time, but he was dedicated to truly
perfecting his skills. His defeat was all the more reason to return, and it was further evidence he had
indeed chosen a worthy test. Wang Lang returned once more to the Shaolin Temple.

The monks recognized Wang Lang and agreed that he should be able to test his skills. Once again
he stood face to face with the head abbot of Shaolin Temple, but this time Wang Lang was
victorious. Everyone was perplexed by this strange new form of fighting. How did he learn such
skills, where had they come from, they asked.

Wang Lang had defeated some of the Shaolin Temple's most fierce monks but now he had faced the
fiercest and most skillful of all and had beaten him. The monks could hardly believe what they had
seen. They could not let Wang Lang leave until they too learned these techniques. Wang Lang did
not want to stay with the Shaolin monks so he left quietly in the night. The monks were left only
with the memories of what they had seen Wang Lang use.

Back home again, Wang Lang continued his training. He had discovered a very effective style but
wasn't about to leave it at that. Wang Lang had fought many opponents in his lifetime and now he
had faced the best in the world. Wang Lang now had the experience needed to develop and refine a
fighting style that would be effective over any style or level of fighter. Wang Lang then dedicated
himself to further develop the Preying Mantis system of fighting throughout his lifetime.

Although his Preying Mantis techniques were very effective, Wang Lang realized a large part of his
failure in his first fight with the head abbot of the Shaolin Temple was due to a lack of footwork.
Once again an answer was to be found in nature. Carefully looking for the for the stepping
techniques needed to complete his system, Wang Lang discovered the fast and deceptive footwork
of the monkey. Their movements were swift and agile, skillful and tricky. The stepping and jumping
techniques of the monkey were a very effective addition to what Wang Lang had developed, so he
decided that he would incorporate them. During the rest of his life, Wang Lang further refined his
Preying Mantis techniques until it was easily considered one of the most effective and fierce martial
arts styles that had ever been seen.

The art of Preying Mantis had become very famous, everyone had heard of its incredible
effectiveness and many sought to learn, but despite all this the Preying Mantis system was kept very
secret. Almost no one saw the techniques performed and little was heard other than the legendary
stories and accounts of great men performing this elusive and secret style of fighting. Many years
 passed before in Tai City, during the 1800's, "Ghost Hands" appeared.

Chiang Hua Long was the 7th generation master of the Preying Mantis
system. Before him, much of this art form was shrouded in mystery. With
his appearance people would again marvel at skills that had only been
dreamt of. Famous for his lightning fast hands, "Ghost Hands" became a
very prominent figure in Chinese history. Not only did Chiang Hua Long
posses great skills as a martial artist, but he proved to be a person with the
highest of morals as well. Taking from the rich to distribute to the poor, it
is easy to see similarities between Chiang Hua Long and Robin Hood.
Chiang Hua Long's courageous and selfless acts won him the love and
admiration of the Chinese people. His mastery of the Preying Mantis system won him the respect of
martial artist everywhere, and the fear of his enemies.

To uphold his responsibility as Grandmaster of the style, Chiang Hua Long could never be short
sighted. The very energetic jumping style of the monkey footwork was very effective but it required
a great deal of energy. Chiang Hua Long realized that if he were to live up to his obligations he
would have to maintain his fighting abilities well into his old age. He would have to create a new
system of footwork that would use energy efficiently but also maintain the Mantiss devastating
effectiveness. Changing the Mantis system was not to be taken lightly, but as Grandmaster he was
responsible for strengthening any weaknesses.

Being well respected by the masters of the martial arts throughout China, Chiang Hua Long was in
an advantageous position. Traveling throughout China, Chiang Hua Long met with masters of many
styles. To have such a man as Chiang Hua Long ask about their techniques was a great honor. The
masters of martial art's most effective systems openly shared their techniques and secrets with him.
Chiang Hua Long studied the footwork of many styles such as Bagua and Tom Pei. He spent a great
deal of time studying and experimenting with each movement. Having an incredible amount of
experience applying his skills, Chiang Hua Long knew what would be an improvement and what
would simply be change. Very carefully he considered each technique until, after ten years, he had
narrowed down the most effective to eight short and eight long steps. Chiang Hua Long had taken
one of the very most effective fighting systems in the world and was able to improve it. The Eight
Step Preying Mantis system had been born.

Although the Preying Mantis system was very famous, nothing was yet to be known about Chiang
Hua Long's innovations. The techniques of the Preying Mantis had been kept secret for centuries.
Chiang Hua Long had a great many, dedicated students. If this new system were to be passed on,
Chiang Hua Long would have to find a disciple that was worthy and able.

The city of Yan Ti in the province of Shantung was the home to Fong Hua Yi. He had studied Shuai
Chiao and Eagle Claw and had become well known as a powerful fighter. Fong Hua Yi was a
confident young man; he trained hard and had won many fights. It was a real shock for him when a
friend of his was able to defeat him. This friend studied Preying Mantis under a student of Chiang
Hua Long.

Fong Hua Yi begged his friend to share his techniques but he refused. If he were to learn the
techniques he would have to go to the source. Fong Hua Yi went straight away to the school of
Chiang Hua Long. If there was a student that could beat him, he would have to learn the techniques.
At that time, joining a school was more than registering and paying tuition. It was necessary to
prove your dedication before being accepted. Fong Hua Yi went through a lot of trouble to join.
Once he was allowed into Chiang Hua Long's school it was still necessary for him to prove that he
was a dedicated student. He spent six years working at the school, cleaning and cooking and was
only allowed to participate in the basic physical drills. Then finally, Chiang Hua Long took special
notice of Fong Hua Yi. Fong Hua Yi had trained hard and was dedicated; it had become evident that
he was worthy to begin learning under Chiang Hua Long's tutelage. Chiang Hua Long had
something very special in mind for his young student. He was to be the first to learn the new Eight
Step Preying Mantis. Fong Hua Yi eventually mastered the new footwork so well that those that
witnessed his agile movements named him "Ghost Shadow." Chiang Hua Long continued to teach
everything he know to Fong Hua Yi until his death at the age of 106.

Fong Hua Yi was now the 2nd generation Grandmaster of Eight Step Preying Mantis. He had
learned the entire system of fighting, which included incredible hands techniques, long and short
range techniques, as well as pressure points and devastating ground techniques. All that really could
be added were throwing techniques and joint locks. This was just where Fong Hua Yi could make
his contribution; this is what he learned during his childhood training. Fong Hua Yi went through all
of his throwing techniques and, because of his education under Chiang Hua Long, was able to refine
and perfect each technique until it was truly worthy of becoming part of the system.

Fong Hua Yi was already famous because of his association with Chiang Hua Long. As Chiang Hua
Long's student, Fong Hua Yi had a lot to live up to. Fame can cause a lot of jealousy and this in turn
seems to always lead to foolish acts. Many people had come to the conclusion that if they were able
to defeat Fong Hua Yi that they too would become very famous. Although this could very well be
true, it would very likely be a deadly chance to take. Some men were willing to take this chance.

Fong Hua Yi was having tea one day in a local teahouse when a fight broke out. One man, seeing
this as an opportunity, kicked over the table were Fong Hua Yi sat. As he jumped out of the way the
attacker quickly stabbed him with a knife. The group of men at the teahouse immediately saw that
they might have a chance to defeat this famous master and gain instant fame. They then chased after
Fong Hua Yi who fled, not wishing to get involved in such a foolish situation.

Running out of the village, Fong Hua Yi came across a small hut. Seeing that this man was badly
hurt, the owner of the house hid him inside. As the villagers caught up they demanded to know if he
had seen anyone run past. The man said that he had just seen a man go by, and that he had continued
running down the path and out of view.

Fong Hua Yi had spent a few days recuperating when one morning he went outside to see the man
who had helped him participating in some activity with his son. He asked what it was that he was
teaching his son. The man replied that he was teaching him Kung Fu. Amused, Fong Hua Long said
that his son was likely to be killed if he were to attempt to use such techniques. Becoming quite
angry with this seemingly ungrateful man, he demanded to know who he was to be qualified to
make such a statement. Having no pictures during this day and age, the man had no way to
recognize his face; but upon hearing his name, Fong Hua Yi, the man was completely dumfounded.
Falling to his knees, he begged that his attitude be forgiven and that he please teach his son.

It seems as though fate had stepped in. There could have been no better teacher nor could there have
been any better pupil. Fong Hua Yi's new pupil was Wei Hsiao Tang. This young boy would spend
his life studying Eight Step Preying Mantis and was destined to become the 3rd generation
Grandmaster. Wei Hsiao Tang practiced very hard and was a very dedicated student. He managed to
 develop phenomenal strength and incredible speed. So much so that he
come to be known as "Thunder Hands".

Wei Hsiao Tang was chief instructor in the Chinese Military. He was in
charge of instructing the 25th Regiment in fighting techniques. After
serving in China, Wei Hsiao Tang went to Korea where he was an
instructor to their military. It was here that a famous incident occurred.

It happened that one day while Wei Hsiao Tang was walking through town
he came across a fellow Chinese, who was working as a merchant,
involved in a dispute. As Wei Hsiao Tang came upon the scene a great
many Koreans had begun beating the Chinese merchant. The situation was
out of hand and Wei Hsiao Tang immediately intervened and asked for
everyone to stop. Attacking with sticks and different manner of weapons, the mob would not quiet
down. They soon turned on Wei Hsiao Tang, angered by his interference. The next day all of the of
the papers told of the mob scene in which Wei Hsiao Tang drove off 50 men, injuring most and
killing 4. The Korean government immediately set out to capture Wei Hsiao Tang. If it were not for
friends in the Chinese underground, he might not of been able to escape.

Back in China, hiding under an assumed name, Wei Hsiao Tang eventually made his way to
Shanghai. Here in 1930, he met and became friends with Grandmaster Wu Ching To, master of Wu
style Tai Chi Chuan. They were both the highest of masters who had come from an incredible
lineage. Their respective styles were complete, with little else that could be added and nothing to
change. The only thing they could do was to exchange their systems, so that is what they decided.
They taught their respective systems in their entirety, holding back no secrets. Soon after, Master
Wu died, taking with him what he had learned. Fortunately he had left Wei Hsiao Tang with his
knowledge.

In 1949 the communists took over China. Chairman Mao Tse-Tung gathered huge military support
from among China's poor peasants, and began a Cultural Revolution which attacked everything
from China's "feudal and superstitious" days. The ancient martial arts were outlawed, many masters
were killed, and schools were closed down until the new government could decide whether they
were in line with their political ends. As many did, Wei Hsiao Tang left China for Taiwan.

In 1949, the Shyun family moved to Taiwan from China. The youngest of the Shyun Family, a
young boy, become very ill. A successful family, with resources that they could call upon, they
spread the news everywhere that they desperately needed someone that might be able to save their
son. Searching among doctors, both Chinese and Western, there seemed to be no one that could save
their son. They were told to prepare for their sons death.

One day a friend of Mr. Shyun said that he had heard of someone that might be able to help. This
friend went off in search of the friend who had told him of this healer. His friend did not know
where to find this healer but he had a friend that surely knew where to find him, so they both set off
to find the other friend. This man knew where to find the man they sought and together they set off
to meet him. This troublesome search led them to Wei Hsiao Tang. All on bicycle these four men
went to the Shyun home.

Wei Hsiao Tang examined the young boy carefully. The boy was indeed very ill and Master Wei
was unsure if he could save him. He did, however, make a promise. If the parents would agree, he
would take their son to his home. If he were able to heal the boy he would return with him in one
 year. If he was unable, he would bury this young child and they
would not hear anything further. Very fortunate for the kindness of
Wei Hsiao Tang, it was agreed upon that this was what had to be
done.

Wei Hsiao Tang took the young child with him to his home in the
South of Tai Pei. There, around his home near the mountains, Wei
Hsiao Tang busied himself gathering herbs and preparing
medicines. Taking one full year Wei Hsiao Tang was able to completely cure the boy.

At the age of six, James Shyun was returned to his overjoyed parents. It was a miracle! The Shyun
family could not have guessed if they would ever see their son again but now after one long, painful
year, he was alive and well. Wei Hsiao Tang had done them a favor that they would never forget.
Wei Hsiao Tang returned home and the Shyun family, with their son with them once again, went
back to living their life happily, as a family should.

Having experienced some training under Master Wei during his rehabilitation, Shyun Kwong Long
now began his formal training in martial arts under Wei Hsiao Tang. Beginning early in the
mornings, the young Shyun would wake and start his days with two hours of stretching and chi
kung exercises. Then after a normal day of school and homework he would finish his day with
several more hours of training in two-man forms and new techniques.

This continued day to day, year after year, making the young James Shyun stronger and faster. It
was during this period that Wei Hsiao Tang came to live with the Shyun family. Wei had become
involved with a business venture, investing all of his money. When his business partners absconded
with his investment, he was left with nothing. Hearing of this, the Shyun family was anxious to
help. Being able to be of assistance, they invited Wei Hsiao Tang to stay in their home.

Living with the Shyun family for several years, it was during this stay in the Shyuns home that
Grandmaster Wei made the decision to pass the true heart of the Eight Step Preying Mantis system
to his young disciple. Taking advantage of their private setting, Wei proceeded to pass on the details
of the Eight Step system, sometimes even using street-fighters for training partners for the
developing Shyun.

Twelve years later he was a strong, young man ready to compete in Taiwans premier martial arts
competition. Wei Hsiao Tang had taught young Shyun a great deal and was confident in him. James
Shyun entered himself into the International Full Contact Martial Arts Championships. The
competition was very intense and at times even proved to be fatal. This would be a genuine test of
James Shyun's abilities.

Before his first match Wei Hsiao Tang told James Shyun that he would give him a signal in order to
let him know which techniques to use. His first match of the competition was underway, James
Shyun looked to his master for a signal. As he turned to look, his opponent struck him. Looking to
his master once again the same thing happened. This continued until James Shyun was knocked to
the ground, losing his first match. In the traditional competitions losing your match did not take you
out of the running. If you chose to continue you were put into a line up which required that you
fight others who had lost their matches. If you managed to beat everyone you would then continue
on to fight with those who had won. This is what James Shyun did. Fighting as many as 12 matches,
in three days of full contact competition, James Shyun climbed his way to the top and won first
place! James Shyun continued his success and remained champion through five consecutive years.
 He then retired from tournament fighting to pursue other
opportunities. As a result of his notoriety in the ring, he was
offered starring roles in several movies. Once he had completed
his training under Wei Hsiao Tang, inheriting the Eight Step
Preying Mantis system at the age of 26, James Shyun traveled to
Singapore, Japan, West Germany, France and Australia. Everyone
had heard of James Shyun and they all sought after him to teach
their military and law enforcement agencies. Considering many
offers, James Shyun made his way to the United States where he
worked instructing law enforcement agencies on both coasts. He
had seen that many styles of authentic Kung Fu had been lost. Grandmaster James Shyun realized
that in this modern day the same could happen to the Eight Step Preying Mantis system. He had to
take steps to prevent this from happening. This is when he decided to open his school in San
Francisco. The year was 1984.

Eight Step Preying Mantis has been passed down from generation to
generation. Click the image to the left to see the Eight Step Preying
Mantis lineage.

The Disciple Group:

It was in the new San Francisco school, in 1986, that Dean Economos met Grandmaster James
Shyun. After several years of training under Master Suns tutelage, Mr. Economos was granted the
distinction of Sifu or Teacher by the grandmaster. With the objective in hand to increase the
American publics knowledge of Eight Step Preying Mantis, he returned to Buffalo, New York to
start his own school of kung fu. As a result of Sifu Economos dedication to the promotion of Eight
Step Preying Mantis and his unwavering devotion to Grandmaster Sun, Sifu Economos was
accepted into the Eight Step lineage as a generation disciple of Grandmaster Shyun Kwong Long.

Kevin Loftus arrived in Buffalo, NY in 1990 where he became a student of Sifu Economos. After
two years of training under Sifu Dean Economos in Buffalo, Kevin Loftus returned to his home in
the Midwest. With a similar directive as that given to Sifu Economos years earlier, Mr. Loftus began
teaching students what he had learned. Under the direct scrutiny and training of the Grandmaster
himself, Mr. Loftus was himself granted the title of Sifu by James Shyun in 1993. Sifu Loftus
now set himself to the task of increasing his skills while educating new potential sifus in the art of
Eight Step Preying Mantis. Sifu Loftus was fortunate to have talented and motivated students and
the reputation of Eight Step Mantis increased still. In 1996 Sifu Kevin Loftus was chosen by
Grandmaster Shyun to be a generation disciple of the Eight Step Preying Mantis system.

Jack Skutnik began his study of Eight Step Preying Mantis in 1992. A long-time friend of Sifu
Dean Economos, Mr. Skutnik was himself a high ranking teacher of Tae Kwon Do. Seeing the depth
of the Eight Step system, Jack Skutnik busied himself with learning this rare system. Granted his
sifu certification in 1994, Sifu Skutnik made himself and integral part of his New Jersey
neighborhood garnering honors from his community for his public service. Sifu Skutnik is a
disciple of the Eight Step Preying Mantis System, chosen by Grandmaster Shyun.

Immediately on Sifu Loftus return to the Midwest, Richard Mesmer began his education in Eight
Step Mantis. Eager to learn this treasured system he devoted himself to learning all he could.
Accompanying Sifu Loftus to visits with Grandmaster Shyun and Sifu Economos, Mr. Mesmer
achieved the distinction of Sifu after a several years of training. As a sifu, Mr. Mesmer opened the
first school of Eight Step Preying Mantis in the state of Iowa. Years of additional training in the
system and earnest devotion to the spread of Eight Step garnered the favor of the grandmaster and
Sifu Mesmer was granted discipleship in the Eight Step system in 1999.

Peter Ray became a student under Sifu Ecomomos while attending medical school in Buffalo, NY
in 1991. Juggling the full schedule of a medical student with the physical demands of studying
Preying Mantis Kung Fu, Mr. Ray completed his medical training at the university and moved to
Birmingham, Alabama to begin his surgical residency. Granted the title of Sifu by Grandmaster
Shyun, soon after his arrival, Sifu Ray quickly set about gathering a group of students to begin their
training in Eight Step. Sifu Ray made the arduous, but rewarding, efforts required of a sifu, while
becoming the chief surgical resident of the University of Alabama Medical Center. As a result of his
commitment to the promotion of the grandmasters system, Sifu Ray was bestowed discipleship by
Grandmaster Shyun in 2002.

The Eight Step Preying Mantis System has been passed down from generation to generation --
master to disciple, for over 350 years. Consisting of the famous fighting techniques as well as the
healing arts. The Eight Step Preying Mantis System is one of the last pure and authentic Chinese
Martial Arts existing today.