Mantis Boxing: Kung Fu at Phoenix Combat Sports

Mantis Boxing (Tanglang Quan) is a classical Chinese martial system founded in Shandong at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. Its founding is traditionally attributed to an anti-Qing rebel, Wang Lang, who in popular folklore is said to have created the system after observing a mantis attacking and killing a cicada.
Tanglang became the system of choice for bandits, security companies and private militia in Shandong over the next three centuries and has continued to evolve via constant conflict and technical exchange with neighbouring styles.
Mantis Boxing is a comprehensive system, having absorbed the techniques and principles of the major northern Chinese schools of boxing. Its consolidation of diverse methods recorded in ancient manuscripts, Tanglang can be considered one of the earliest verified examples of a true mixed martial art. Although labelled as an ‘imitative’ boxing style, the art emphasises the spirit and ferocity of the mantis rather than superficial mimicry of the insect's movements.