Chuka Gar (Chuka Southern Praying Mantis)
A branch of Southern Mantis tied to the Hakka community. Tradition traces it to Chu Fook-To, the Chuka Praying Mantis Kung Fu organization to Chu Nan-Chieh.
Quick Facts
ChinaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Chuka Gar (Chuka Southern Praying Mantis)
About Chuka Gar (Chuka Southern Praying Mantis)
According to English Wikipedia, Chu Gar, 朱家, is one of the four branches of Southern Mantis alongside Chow Gar, Kwong Sai Jook Lum and Tit Ngau. It says Southern Mantis stresses close-range fighting, short power, work of the hands and arms, and low short kicks, and is unrelated to Northern Mantis. Sources describe the origin differently. Wikipedia gives a tradition in which Chu Fook-To of the Ming imperial family created the style as a fighting system for opponents of the Qing dynasty. The organization Chuka Praying Mantis Kung Fu in the USA names Chu Nan-Chieh, a second-generation student of master Tung Chan, as the first grandmaster, and itself writes that most of the original accounts cannot be verified. According to it, the style was taught in secret during the Qing dynasty and up to the Second World War, mainly in the Hakka community. The exhibition 300 Years of Hakka Kung Fu at City University of Hong Kong, co-organized by the Hong Kong intangible heritage office, lists Chu Gar Gau among the old rural forms of Hakka arts that still exist in Sha Tau Kok, Sheung Shui and Yuen Long.
History
English Wikipedia states that both Chow Gar and Chu Gar trace back to Lau Soei, 劉水, while present-day Chu Gar students are not related to his students. It also gives an account by grandmaster Ng Si Kay from the Chow Gar side. According to him, a son of the Chu family who had studied Chu Gar all his life was sent to Lau Soei and told a reporter at a demonstration that he practises Chu Gar and his master is Lau Soei. The organization Chuka Praying Mantis Kung Fu does not mention Lau Soei at all. According to Wikipedia, supporters consider Chu Gar the oldest branch and the probable origin of the others.
Technique
Chuka Praying Mantis Kung Fu says students first learn tong long ma, the mantis walk, and the dan tien exercise, then basic exercises and dui da, then the set Sam Bo Gin. According to it, ging means movement with the dan tien for more speed and power, and Sam Bo Gin teaches the system's mechanics for fighting and defense. We have not found a specific description of the Chu Gar branch's technique in other sources.
Ranks and progression
The organization Chuka Praying Mantis Kung Fu lists the sashes white, yellow, blue, green and red as the final level. According to it, Sam Bo Gin is taught at the yellow sash, on average in 12 to 18 months, and Da-Sey-Mon at green. This is one organization's system, not the whole branch's.
Today
The organization Chuka Praying Mantis Kung Fu was founded in August 1984, according to its website. It lists the lineage Wuk-Kwong Wong, Sammy Wong, Eddie Chin and Tony Blum. According to it, Sammy Wong was born in 1950 in Po-on and taught in Hong Kong, New York and Chicago, and Tony Blum has taught since 1995. English Wikipedia states that Blum took over teaching in Chicago and received the lineage before Wong's death in 2007.
Did you know
The Hakka Kung Fu exhibition at City University of Hong Kong states that master Yau Wan Wah briefly learned basic stances in 1969 at the Chu Gar Praying Mantis village school led by Chan Kam. According to the organization Chuka Praying Mantis Kung Fu, Chu refers to the Ming royal house or the grandmaster's name, and Ka means family or order.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Chu Gar and Chow Gar?
According to Wikipedia, both are branches of Southern Mantis. Both appeal to Lau Soei, but Wikipedia states that present-day Chu Gar students are not related to his students.
Who founded Chu Gar?
Tradition names Chu Fook-To of the Ming imperial family, the organization Chuka Praying Mantis Kung Fu names Chu Nan-Chieh. We have not been able to substantiate a founder.
Is Southern Mantis related to Northern Mantis?
No. English Wikipedia states that Southern Mantis is unrelated to Northern Mantis.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.