Praying Mantis Kung Fu [2006]

---

---

Customer reviews

review by: armaitus date: 2007-11-15 rating:
A Great Guide
I couldn't disagree more with the previous negative review.

As a beginner to the 7 Star Praying Mantis technique I found this video (in DVD format) very helpful.

Master Michael Lee, along with a team made up from instructors within his own school, demonstrates the basic stances, blocks and blows that a beginner to the technique needs to learn.

As well as demonstrating these basics, Master Michael Lee emphasises and re-emphasises key essentials that many beginners neglect. This repetition serves to remind the viewer how important these factors are.

Once the basics have been covered, Master Lee goes onto demonstrate basic application of these basics and finally he gives a step by step guide to learning the "14 Secret Hands" form that beginners may be taught in some schools. The form is shown in full and then broken down, blow by blow. Each step is explained fully and application of each step demonstrated against an opponent.

The recording concludes with a brief introduction to the weapon styles that may be learned by more advanced students.

Overall I have found this recording incredibly useful in my study of the basics of the 7 Star Praying Mantis technique.

---

review by: blue-mantis date: 2005-08-20 rating:
1 Out of 7 Stars Praying Mantis Gung Fu
I bought this video from Amazon as I have an interest in Praying Mantis Gung Fu, especially Seven Star Praying Mantis. I have done several different styles of martial arts, Wing Chun Gung Fu, Jeet Kune Do, Judo, Tae Kwon do to name a few, but I've always wanted to try this style.

I read the other reviews and thought, what the hey, I'll check it out, looks interesting. Boy was I in for a disappointment.

I found Master Michael Lee to be very condescending, often repeating himself, not that what he was saying was making any sense anyway! I found it very frustrating listening to his not-quite-yorkshire accent, especially when it just repeated over and over again about the angle of blocking and NOTHING ELSE!! His favourite catchphrase is "Again let me emphasise..(about the angle of block)" which he generously spews out at every opportune moment. Even for a so-called master he hesitates to complete techniques fluidly. He also looks where he is aiming for next before he does it, a habit that you MUST NOT get into with martial arts.

In his video he suggested using an umbrella to fend people off with the same movements of a kendo stick. Not sure if he's tried it - maybe he should try it before telling people to defend themselves in the street with it!!

The video is very slow, looks extremely cheap and not much to it. Even their demonstrations come across as being fairly pathetic. The camera is shaking all the time, as if its a home video, or hung up on a string. Commentary is really weak and I mean WEAK! Master Michael Lee tells you nothing you couldnt already guess, after a while you get the point and it just seems like he's got nothing to say.

He looks uncomfortable and ridgid on film, sometimes hesitant. The whole experience is quite painful - especially when you've paid for it!!! The overall quality of the actual video filming is awful, sound is aged and fuzzy, the picture is pretty bad as well. Quite often the cameraman's shadow is situated slap-bang in the middle of the screen. The cheesy, rubbish scenes on top of a hill look so sad! They have really bad transition effects that make it look 15 years old, not 4!! It seems they've tried their best to be the worst.

Well I do have some good things to say, its short, so the pain doesnt last forever, and some of the very rehearsed scenes show ok techniques, but very basic.

I GAVE THIS VIDEO 1 STAR FOR THE POUND THAT ITS NOT EVEN WORTH
I was even quite pleased when it got chewed up in my videoplayer, despite the fact I paid this atrocity!

---

review by: date: 2004-02-09 rating:
Excellent - easy to follow and understand.
This video is simply exellent. It shows clearly different blocks and attacks used in this style of Praying Mantis. It also teaches you the form the 14 secret hands, step by step, and then goes through the applications.

Unlike a lot of videos, this one is not padded out with rubbish. I would recomment this to anyone with a martial arts interest. For people who are after self defence training, some prievious martial arts knoweldge would be helpful to know what is realistic etc.

Exellent video!

The 5 Starts are for easy to follow step by step instruction, attention to detail, and the easy way the video is presented.

---

review by: date: 2003-08-24 rating:
great for a beginner
Best self teaching kung fu vid I've ever seen! Simple and no nonsense but once you master the moves it looks just the biz! I would recommend you are a practitioner of some sort of martial art so that you can recognise the strengths and weaknesses of the form you learn in this vid though... Buy it!


review by: date: 2002-10-02 rating:
PRAYING MANTIS KUNG FU
I bought this video expecting a informative training guide to Kung Fu, something I could learn from home.
I am thrilled with my purchase, this video is more than i expected.
A complete guide, excellent camera work, fantastic quality.
I advise anyone thinking about making a purchase to buy this video.
Brilliant!

---

Similar categories

Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Action & Adventure . Martial Arts
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Sports . All Sports
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Sports . Wrestling & Martial-Arts . Martial Arts
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . VHS
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 2000 and later
Video . Video . Categories . Action & Adventure . Martial Arts
Video . Video . Categories . Sports . All Sports
Video . Video . Categories . Sports . Wrestling & Martial-Arts . Martial Arts
Video . Video . Refinements . Condition (condition-type)

---