Reflections on the Current State of Praying Mantis Kung Fu

Reflection on the Current State of Praying Mantis Kung Fu

The tradition of Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu stands at a crossroads, facing challenges and opportunities unlike those confronted by past masters. For them, the art was a lifeline—shaped by the demands of survival, the discipline of rigorous apprenticeship, and the responsibilities of moral leadership. Today, increased commercialization, global exposure, and digital access have carried the art into new cultures and communities, offering many the chance to benefit from its time-tested practices and wisdom. Yet the same forces that have broadened its reach now threaten the depth, coherence, and integrity that previous generations fought tirelessly to preserve.

These forces have quietly reshaped how the art is learned, taught, and understood. Rigorous, methodical training is too often distilled into marketable fragments, packaged for quick consumption. The art’s combative, health, and philosophical dimensions are frequently presented in isolation or skimmed over, severing the interconnectedness that once made them an indivisible whole. Under commercial pressure, standards have weakened, and the purpose of training has shifted from functional substance to visual spectacle. Social media’s grip on attention spans has only amplified this already existing trend.

These distortions appear in several recognizable patterns. In some cases, schools romanticize the tradition but limit themselves to stylized choreography and superficial ritual, neglecting the essential functional combat training that once defined its core. In others, the pendulum swings in the opposite direction: schools focus narrowly on fighting methods and sport competition while discarding the health and moral cultivation that provide depth and transformation. A third tendency blends unrelated martial traditions in the name of comprehensiveness, but in doing so, erodes the internal logic that gives the art its unity.  Finally, some schools operate on a transactional model, where advancement is bought rather than earned—selling forms, commodifying Baishi ceremonies, and offering rapid rank without the skill, responsibility, or sincerity essential to authentic transmission. If left unchecked, these paths will further erode the tradition and hollow its living spirit.

The task before us then is not merely to remember this unity from the past but to actively embody and build it in our training halls, teaching methods, and daily practice. To meet these challenges with precision rather than sentiment, we must first be clear about what, exactly, we seek to preserve. This is the purpose of Reflections on Tradition—to return to meaning-making in the martial tradition of Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu by stripping away illusion and reawakening to the essence that past masters fought to preserve. That clarity begins with understanding what tradition truly means—both in a general sense and within the specific context of classical Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Without this clarity, we risk mistaking the preservation of surface features for the safeguarding of essence.

This article is a short excerpt from our full flagship report, Reflections on Tradition and Return to Meaning in Martial Tradition. Download link here.

 

 

About The Author

Nathan A. Wright
Nathan is the Managing Director and Chief Instructor at Northern Sage Kung Fu Academy, and Chief Representative of Luo Guang Yu Seven Star Praying Mantis in Canada and China. With over 25 years of experience living in China, he is deeply committed to passing on traditional martial arts in its most sincere form. As part of his passion Nathan regularly writes on related topics of self-defense, combat, health, philosophy, ethics, personal cultivation, and leadership. Email Nathan if you have questions on this article, or if you have interest in learning more about studying traditional Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

 

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