What is ‘Young Mantis”?
This special group in the Chinese Kung Fu Academy can be joined by all children between the ages of 7 and 12 years. In ‘Young Mantis’ they can enjoy the benefits of a course that Grand Master Henry Sue has especially designed to help children develop not only their body, but also their character. Experienced instructors, trained in child safety, teach the traditional Tong Long style of Kung Fu, and pay particular attention to the
improvement of self-confidence, self-awareness, self-discipline, self control and self defence. Children and adults train separately, and training fees are reduced.
Some of the Physical benefits are:
- Improvement of reflexes and coordination;
- Increases in strength, stamina and energy;
- Increased flexibility; and
- Greater overall fitness through cardiovascular workouts.
Some of the mental benefits are:
- Improvement of ability to concentrate;
- Increased self-discipline;
- Decrease of anxiety through greater self-confidence;
- Stress reduction through relaxation techniques; and
- ‘Peace of mind’ through greater awareness of ‘inner self’.
The ‘Peace of Mind’, that comes from knowing that you are able to protect yourself, will not only help your child when he/she is confronted with ‘bullies’, but will also have a dramatic effect on the development of self confidence and discipline. Improvements in concentration may lead to better study results, and the reduction of stress guarantees a better lifestyle overall.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is not just being physically assaulted. Some of the most damaging bullying is verbal/emotional harassment. For the well being of any child, a balanced self-identity & self-esteem are crucial. Why are some children bullies and others victims? How can children stop attracting people that pick on them? If they do get picked on, what can they do to prevent being physically and emotionally hurt? These and other important
issues will be addressed in this course.
Diffusing The Situation
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A child confronted with a ‘Bullying Attack’, can take many steps to diffuse the situation. In ‘Praying Mantis’ the students are taught how to use trickery, reasoning, and de-escalation methods, to cope with these, sometimes potentially dangerous, occurrences. Being proficient at these skills is the best form of self-defence. The added training in ‘fighting skills’ and general physical conditioning, will give a child all the tools and confidence it needs to overcome these tricky confrontations.
How to Stop the ‘Bully’?
Through ‘role playing’, games, and the practice of martial art ‘fighting’ techniques, the children attending these classes gain an incredible sense of empowerment. The increase in self-esteem and confidence that results from this, will allow them to cope and deal with aggression at school, in the neighbourhood, or anywhere else. The change in personality and ‘physical appearance’ will make them a less attractive prey for bullies.
Young Mantis
Every child should learn martial arts, any martial art – karate, judo, aikido, Chinese kung fu. If they do, they will respect themselves, their parents, and others. They will respect life, everything. You don’t learn that discipline, that self-respect, you could be just another wild kid on the streets, a bully.’ – Jackie Chan, 2010.
Our Young Mantis classes teach children from the age of 7 to 15 years the art of Southern Tong Long Kung Fu. The classes also include traditional Shaolin Kung Fu basics and drills. The format of the class is generally as follows :
1. Joint warm ups.
We want to strengthen and mobilise all the joints of the body. In Chinese philosophy, it is our joints that are prone to injury and deterioration with age because of their location close to the body surface. Therefore, we always warm them up before advancing to more active exercises.
2. Basic stretches, strength exercises, and technique drills.
We continue warming the body by streching the muscles of the arms, torso, and legs. Next comes basic strength building exercises such as various push ups, abdominal crunches, horse stance, single leg stances, push leg, push arm, and hand conditioning routines. The technique drills start to build heart and lung capacity and strength. Here the students are pushed harder and quicker through different drills. These include foot work, kicking, various circuit routines, and hitting hand pads.
3. Forms.
Each of our adult grades has been divided into 3 levels to make it achieveable for the children. This also means they can make easy transitions into the adult classes when they come of age. ( They start at the beginning again as their physical and mental development is then assessed through the grades at their new understanding ). Each grade teaches the student how to develop and generate a particular type of energy for their techniques. See our Tong Long Grades page for more information on this.
4. Single Hand Techniques.
These are the individual techniques taken from the student’s form. They learn to step and perform the technique equally with the left and right hands / feet. They will also hit hand pads to discover how it feels to use the technique with all their power.
5. Jongs.
These are not part of the student’s learning until White Level 2 ( the 3rd grade into the system ). Jongs are two person combinations of movements that teach the student how to apply their Single Hand Techniques in a “fighting” situation. These combinations are choreographed and monitored, so no unnecessary hitting or power is allowed. Bullying or intimidating other students is not tolerated! Control and accuracy is required to be allowed to grade and to move onto the next level of skill.
6. Games.
We will often utilise fun games to enhance camaraderie, hand eye co-ordination, fitness, etc. These include relays, ball games, reflex games,
7. Warm downs.
Classes finish with some gentle stretching and breathing exercises.
Who are Young Mantis Classes for?
We set the age limits at 7 to 15 years but each child is assessed by Sifu on their own merits. If your child is 5 and can keep focused and not disturb the other students, then they may be accepted into our training. If your child is 12 and disrupts the class then they will be asked not to return to training.
We only want students who are committed to their training. We are not a babysitting service. Our Tong Long Kung Fu system is not as easy as some other available martial arts, so please explore all avenues before committing to us. Sifu gladly invites anyone to come and have a try, but he will let you know if our system is not suitable for your child. We are passionate about our art and will give all serious students 100% attention to take them as far as they want to go in their training.
Gradings.
For a student to grade they are required to receive approval from their parents, their school teacher/s, and then from Sifu. This procedure was implemented so the students realise they need to perform and behave well not only in the Kung Fu classes, but also at home and at school. Grading dates are set throughout the year, but if a student is ready before this, a grading will be held. To be eligible for a grading students must be able to remember all of the required material, and to perform it with accuracy.
Young Mantis Training Guidelines.
Our school comes from a long tradition of etiquette and respect. We not only teach the physical side of Kung Fu, but also the mental and moral side of the art. Below are some of the basic guidelines required of our Young Mantis students.
- I WILL NOT RUN around and shout in the school hall.
- I WILL NOT TALK while training.
- I WILL TRY MY HARDEST at training.
- I WILL LISTEN to my Instructors.
- I WILL CONDUCT myself in a respectful manner.
- I WILL NOT TEACH other students.
- I WILL RETURN training equipment to its place.
If any students are caught using what they learn from training for the wrong reason they will be expelled from our school.
