Mantis fist kung fu school

Mantis fist kung fu school Mantis Fist Kung Fu teaches traditional Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis—real training built on power, precision and conditioning. No fluff. Just Kung Fu.

Classes in Crawley and online for adults 21+. https://mantisfistkungfu.co.uk/home Trained under Master Paul Whitrod the leading authority on Chow Gar and live in student of the late Grandmaster Ip Sui of Chow Gar southern Praying mantis kung fu. for over 20 years training under the guidance of Master Paul Whitrod and continuing my training.

🥋 **OLD SKOOL CHOW GAR — 11 OF 14** # # # IRON DRAGON CLAWS — YOUR FINGERS ARE WEAPONS TOOMost people who start Kung Fu ...
15/09/2026

🥋 **OLD SKOOL CHOW GAR — 11 OF 14**

# # # IRON DRAGON CLAWS — YOUR FINGERS ARE WEAPONS TOO

Most people who start Kung Fu think about punches, kicks and techniques.

But in Chow Gar, we also ask:

**What condition are the tools delivering those techniques actually in?**

This is where **Iron Dragon Claw Jar training** comes in.

It looks simple.

Grab the jar.
Lift it.
Carry it.
Control it.
Put it down.

Then do it again. 😅

But as the weight progressively increases, something starts happening.

Your fingers get stronger.
Your grip gets stronger.
Your wrists get stronger.
Your forearms get stronger.

And eventually the whole hand begins to work as **one connected tool.**

This matters in Chow Gar because the hands aren't only used for punching.

We **grab, pull, seize, control, tear, strike and manipulate at close range.**

So finger and grip strength isn't something we train just to show how strong we are.

**It has a fighting purpose.**

And like all Old Skool conditioning, you don't start with the heaviest jars in the room.

You earn your way there.

Small jar.
Correct grip.
Correct structure.
Correct breathing.
More repetitions.
Then gradually more weight.

Week after week.

Month after month.

Year after year.

That's the bit people don't always want to hear. 😂

There is no secret exercise that gives you powerful hands overnight.

**THE SECRET IS DOING THE SIMPLE EXERCISE FOR LONG ENOUGH THAT IT CHANGES YOU.**

That's traditional Kung Fu.

Not collecting techniques.

**Developing the body capable of using them.**

🐉 **IRON DRAGON CLAWS**

Train the fingers.
Strengthen the grip.
Condition the wrists.
Build the forearms.

**Eventually, the training becomes part of you.**

🥋 **11 OF 14 — OLD SKOOL CHOW GAR**

Tomorrow: **12 OF 14 — THE PHOENIX EYE FIST 👊**

🥋 **OLD SKOOL CHOW GAR — 10 OF 14** # # # IRON FOREARMS — CONDITIONING THE ARMS FOR CONTACTOne of the biggest difference...
14/09/2026

🥋 **OLD SKOOL CHOW GAR — 10 OF 14**

# # # IRON FOREARMS — CONDITIONING THE ARMS FOR CONTACT

One of the biggest differences between **traditional Old Skool Kung Fu and modern martial arts training** is what happens when you actually make contact.

In Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis, **your forearms are part of your weapons system.**

We don't just use our hands to strike.

The forearms **bridge, block, jam, crash, control and create openings.**

And that means they need conditioning.

This isn't about smashing your arms against something as hard as possible and hoping they toughen up. That's stupidity, not conditioning. 😂

It's **progressive training.**

Start lightly.
Get the position right.
Relax the shoulder.
Connect the elbow to the body.
Apply controlled pressure.
Then gradually build over time.

The important word is **GRADUALLY.**

Because we're not trying to destroy the arms.

**We're trying to develop them.**

Over months and years, the body adapts. Structure improves. Contact becomes familiar. Your confidence changes because you're no longer frightened of your arms meeting someone else's.

And that's incredibly important in close-quarter fighting.

You can't spend your entire training life avoiding contact and then expect your body to suddenly understand it when somebody puts their hands on you.

**The training has to prepare the body for the job.**

No machines.
No fancy equipment.
No shortcuts.

Just you, the training and consistency.

That's Old Skool Kung Fu.

👊 **IRON FOREARMS TODAY. STRONGER TOMORROW.**

🥋 **10 OF 14 — OLD SKOOL CHOW GAR**

Tomorrow: **11 OF 14 — IRON DRAGON CLAWS 🐉**

🥋 **OLD SKOOL CHOW GAR — 9 OF 14** # # # THE SANDBAG — BEFORE YOU HIT PEOPLE, LEARN HOW TO HIT SOMETHINGYou can practise...
13/09/2026

🥋 **OLD SKOOL CHOW GAR — 9 OF 14**

# # # THE SANDBAG — BEFORE YOU HIT PEOPLE, LEARN HOW TO HIT SOMETHING

You can practise punches in the air all day.

But the first time you actually hit something, you discover very quickly whether your **hand, wrist, structure and power** are working together.

That's why sandbag training has always been an important part of Old Skool Kung Fu.

And there's a big misunderstanding about conditioning...

**The idea isn't to destroy your hands. It's to develop them.**

We start progressively and build up.

The palm.
The knife hand.
The hammer fist.
The back fist.
The fingers.
The elbows.

Each weapon has to learn how to make contact correctly.

The sandbag gives you something fresh air can't:

**FEEDBACK.**

Hit badly and you'll know about it.

Your wrist bends.
Your structure collapses.
Your power disappears.

Hit correctly and you begin to feel the whole body connecting into the strike.

Feet → legs → waist → body → shoulder → arm → **impact.**

That's when hitting stops being just an arm movement.

It becomes **whole-body power.**

Over time we're developing more than tougher hands.

We're developing **accuracy, structure, relaxation, control, commitment and confidence in making contact.**

And here's the important part...

**We don't start by smashing the bag as hard as possible.**

That's not conditioning. That's stupidity. 😂

You gradually increase the impact as your body adapts.

**WE START SOFT.
WE BUILD UP.
WE DON'T BREAK — WE BUILD.**

That's Old Skool conditioning.

No magic.

No shortcuts.

Just intelligent, progressive training carried out consistently.

🥋 **9 OF 14 — THE SANDBAG**

Tomorrow: **GRINDING ARM — building the forearms for close-quarter contact.**

🥋 **OLD SKOOL KUNG FU — 8 OF 14** # # # YOUR HANDS WEREN’T BORN WEAPONSPeople often focus on learning more techniques.An...
12/09/2026

🥋 **OLD SKOOL KUNG FU — 8 OF 14**

# # # YOUR HANDS WEREN’T BORN WEAPONS

People often focus on learning more techniques.

Another punch. Another block. Another combination.

But there’s a question that doesn’t get asked enough:

**Is your body actually capable of delivering those techniques?**

In Old Skool Chow Gar, conditioning is part of the Kung Fu.

We progressively train the **hands, fingers, wrists, forearms, elbows, shoulders and body** because these are the tools we're asking to do the work.

Think about a tradesman.

He can know exactly how to use a hammer...

**but without the hammer, the knowledge isn't much use.**

Kung Fu is similar.

Your technique might be correct, but the body delivering it has to be developed.

That's why traditional Chow Gar includes things such as:

👊 Hand conditioning
🫳 Iron Palm
🐉 Iron Dragon Claw Jars
💪 Forearm conditioning
🫁 Hard Chi Gung
⚡ Short-power training
🧠 Mental conditioning

But there's an important point:

**Conditioning isn't about smashing yourself to pieces.**

It's progressive.

You start at the level your body can handle and gradually adapt over time.

Months become years.

The hands change.
The wrists strengthen.
The forearms develop.
The body becomes more resilient.
And perhaps most importantly, **your confidence in your own body changes.**

That's something you can't buy.

You have to train it.

**TECHNIQUES ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE TOOL THAT DELIVERS THEM.**

Train the body.
Harden the hands.
Sharpen the mind.

**That's Old Skool.**

🥋 **8 OF 14 — OLD SKOOL CHOW GAR**

Tomorrow we're getting practical:

# # # **THE SANDBAG**

**Before you hit people, learn how to hit something.**

# # # 🥋 OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 7 OF 7**SO WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT?**Over the last seven posts I've talked about something ...
11/09/2026

# # # 🥋 OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 7 OF 7

**SO WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT?**

Over the last seven posts I've talked about something I feel strongly about.

**The difference between learning Kung Fu… and simply looking like you're learning Kung Fu.**

There is nothing wrong with belts, trophies or competitions if that's what you're looking for.

But **that's not what we do.**

At Mantis Fist Kung Fu School, there are **no belts to chase and no grades handed out just because you've been here long enough.**

The reward is what happens to **YOU**.

Your hands become stronger.

Your body develops structure.

Your reactions improve.

You learn to generate short-range power.

You learn sensitivity, timing and intent.

You experience contact and pressure.

You learn applications rather than simply collecting techniques.

And slowly, through repetition and hard work, you begin developing something that can't be bought...

**SKILL.**

That's Old Skool Kung Fu.

It isn't always comfortable.

It isn't instant.

And I'm not going to tell you that you'll become a Kung Fu master in six months. 😂

**You earn what you get.**

So after these seven posts, there's really only one question left:

# # # Which path appeals to you?

If you want belts, trophies and quick rewards, we're probably not the right school for you.

But if you're looking at the **Old Skool door** thinking...

*"That's more like what I thought Kung Fu was supposed to be..."*

Then I've created something specifically for you.

🥋 **THE FIRST CHAMBER — 3-HOUR INTRO SEMINAR**

Three hours where you don't just watch Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis.

**You experience it.**

The warm-ups.
The footwork.
The applications.
The pads.
The power.
The conditioning.
The two-man work.
The Hard Chi Gung.

No previous experience required.

But don't rush into it.

**Read the information. Watch my videos. Learn about the system. Decide whether this kind of training is genuinely for you.**

Because I'm not looking for everybody.

**I'm looking for the people who see that Old Skool door… and want to find out what's on the other side.**

🥋 **Mantis Fist Kung Fu School — Crawley**

**THE FIRST CHAMBER IS WHERE THE JOURNEY BEGINS.**

# # # 🥋 OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 6 OF 7**FORMS AREN’T A DANCE**One of the biggest misunderstandings about traditional Kung...
10/09/2026

# # # 🥋 OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 6 OF 7

**FORMS AREN’T A DANCE**

One of the biggest misunderstandings about traditional Kung Fu is forms.

People see somebody performing a form and think:

**“It’s just a sequence of movements.”**

Not in Old Skool Chow Gar.

A form is where **San Sau fighting movements are linked together into combinations** and trained repeatedly until the principles start becoming part of you.

Every hand position should have a reason.

Every angle should have a purpose.

Every change of direction should mean something.

When trained properly, forms develop:

👊 **Precision** — putting the weapon exactly where it needs to go.
⚡ **Fast hands** — movements become smoother and quicker through repetition.
💥 **Power** — learning to connect the body behind the strike.
🥋 **Body lines & structure** — correct alignment, balance and root.
🔥 **Stamina** — maintaining quality as the body becomes tired.
🧠 **Mental attitude** — concentration, discipline and intent.
👁️ **Visualisation** — you're not waving your hands around; you're seeing the application and the opponent.
🤸 **Dynamic flexibility** — the body is being opened, strengthened and trained through movement.

But there is one crucial part...

**YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THE APPLICATION.**

We don't just teach the form and say, *“Learn that.”*

We take movements back out of the form and train them with another person.

You feel the distance.

You feel the pressure.

You learn the timing.

You discover what the movement was actually designed to do.

Then when you perform the form again, **it has meaning.**

You're no longer remembering choreography.

**You're rehearsing fighting principles.**

That's the Old Skool difference.

**A FORM WITHOUT APPLICATION IS JUST EXERCISE.
A FORM WITH APPLICATION BECOMES KUNG FU.**

🥋 **OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 6 OF 7**

Tomorrow: **7 OF 7 — What Old Skool Kung Fu is really trying to build.**

# # # 🥋 OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 5 OF 7**YOUR BODY IS PART OF THE KUNG FU**There’s something people often misunderstand ab...
09/09/2026

# # # 🥋 OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 5 OF 7

**YOUR BODY IS PART OF THE KUNG FU**

There’s something people often misunderstand about traditional Kung Fu.

**You don’t just learn techniques. You have to build the body capable of performing them.**

You can learn where to put your hands.
You can memorise a form.
You can copy a movement.

But can your body actually **deliver it?**

Old Skool Chow Gar training develops the physical attributes behind the technique.

We train **Grinding Arm** to develop the forearms, structure and forward pressure.

We use **Iron Dragon Claw Jars** to develop the fingers, grip, wrists and forearms.

We practise **Iron Palm and sandbag conditioning** to progressively condition the hands for contact.

We use **Hard Chi Gung** to develop breathing, structure, tension, relaxation and mental control.

We practise **short-power training** because in close quarters you don't always have room for a big wind-up.

And then there's the less glamorous stuff...

Push-ups. Conditioning. Repetition. Holding positions. Hitting bags. Doing it again when you're tired.

None of it looks particularly clever on Facebook. 😂

**That's exactly the point.**

The goal isn't to *look* like you know Kung Fu.

The goal is to gradually change what your body is capable of doing.

Stronger hands.
Stronger forearms.
Better structure.
Better balance.
More power.
More resilience.
A calmer mind when things become uncomfortable.

This isn't achieved in a weekend seminar.

And it certainly isn't handed to you with a new coloured belt.

It comes from **turning up and doing the work.**

🥋 **REAL KUNG FU BUILDS YOU — NOT YOUR EGO.**

**OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 5 OF 7**

Next: **6 OF 7 — Why forms aren't just a dance.**

# # # OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 4 OF 7**CONTACT — SOMEBODY HAS TO PUT THEIR HANDS ON YOU**You can practise techniques in th...
08/09/2026

# # # OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 4 OF 7

**CONTACT — SOMEBODY HAS TO PUT THEIR HANDS ON YOU**

You can practise techniques in the air for years.

You can look sharp doing forms.

You can know exactly where your hands and feet are *supposed* to go.

But there comes a point where **another human being has to put their hands on you.**

Because everything changes when there's contact.

Pressure changes your movement.
Resistance changes your timing.
Being grabbed changes your balance.
Getting hit changes your thinking.

This is why **two-man training is such an important part of Old Skool Chow Gar.**

We use San Sau, Chi Sau, fighting jongs, applications, pad work and controlled contact to gradually teach you how to deal with another person's energy.

Not because we're trying to hurt each other.

Quite the opposite.

**We're trying to remove the panic.**

You learn what pressure actually feels like.

You learn to keep your structure when somebody pushes into you.

You learn to feel where their force is going.

You learn when to move, when to hit, when to control and when to finish.

And importantly, you discover very quickly whether the technique you've been practising **actually works when the other person isn't cooperating.**

That's the difference between *knowing a movement* and **owning a skill**.

Chow Gar is a close-quarter fighting system.

So eventually...

**YOU HAVE TO TRAIN AT CLOSE QUARTERS.**

No fantasy.
No pretending.
No beating each other senseless either.

Just progressive, intelligent training that gets more demanding as your ability improves.

**CONTACT TEACHES.
PRESSURE REVEALS.
EXPERIENCE BUILDS.**

🥋 **OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 4 OF 7**

Next: **5 OF 7 — Why conditioning matters when you actually make contact.**

# # # OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 3 OF 7**TECHNIQUES vs ATTRIBUTES**Knowing 100 techniques doesn’t mean much if you **can’t m...
07/09/2026

# # # OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 3 OF 7

**TECHNIQUES vs ATTRIBUTES**

Knowing 100 techniques doesn’t mean much if you **can’t make one work when somebody puts their hands on you.**

That’s one of the biggest differences in the way I believe Kung Fu should be trained.

You can spend years collecting movements:

Another block.
Another punch.
Another combination.
Another form.

But what happens when there’s **pressure, resistance and contact?**

That’s where **attributes** matter.

In Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis we’re developing things underneath the techniques:

**Short power** — generating explosive force over very small distances.
**Structure & root** — staying strong and balanced while delivering power.
**Sensitivity** — feeling pressure and reacting rather than guessing.
**Timing** — knowing when to move, not simply knowing how.
**Conditioning** — developing the hands, arms and body for contact.
**Heavy arms** — relaxed weight, control and pressure at close range.
**Mental attitude** — staying calm, focused and committed when things become uncomfortable.

A technique is something you've been **shown**.

An attribute is something you've **developed**.

And there is a massive difference.

You can't pretend to have power.
You can't memorise sensitivity.
You can't buy conditioning.
And you can't award yourself timing with a coloured belt.

They have to be built through training.

That’s why Old Skool Kung Fu can look repetitive from the outside.

We're not always looking for **more things to learn**.

We're trying to make the things we already know **better, faster, stronger and usable.**

**ATTRIBUTES DON'T SHOW ON A BELT.
THEY SHOW WHEN IT COUNTS.**

🥋 **OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 3 OF 7**

# # YOU CAN’T BUY SKILL.There’s a reason I keep coming back to **Old Skool training**.Real martial arts shouldn’t be ab...
06/09/2026

# # YOU CAN’T BUY SKILL.

There’s a reason I keep coming back to **Old Skool training**.

Real martial arts shouldn’t be about how quickly you can collect belts, certificates or grades.

It should be about **what you can actually do.**

You turn up.
You train.
You struggle.
You make mistakes.
You get corrected.
You practise it again.
And slowly, you improve.

Nobody can buy that process for you.

In **Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis**, the training changes the person. Your movement improves. Your hands become conditioned. Your structure gets stronger. Your power develops. Your reactions sharpen. And, importantly, you learn whether you can make what you've been taught actually work.

That takes **time, repetition and effort**.

A belt around your waist doesn't make your hands stronger.

A certificate doesn't give you power.

And paying your monthly fee doesn't automatically make you a martial artist.

**Skill has to be earned.**

That's the difference I'm talking about when I say **Old Skool vs McDojo.**

It's not about attacking other martial arts or claiming one style is better than everything else.

It's about a principle I believe martial arts should never lose:

# # # **YOU CAN’T BUY SKILL. YOU HAVE TO EARN IT.**

🥋 **OLD SKOOL vs McDOJO — 2 OF 7**

**Mantis Fist Kung Fu School**
Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis
**Small classes. Traditional training. No shortcuts.**

Address

Unit 2 At The Yard, 195b, Threebridges Road
Crawley
RH101LG

Opening Hours

Monday 6pm - 10pm
Tuesday 6pm - 10pm
Wednesday 6pm - 10pm
Thursday 6pm - 10pm
Friday 6pm - 10pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

+447913377775

Website

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