Welcome to Martial Skill, I'm Sean. Today, we are going to be talking about the High-Low Fighting Theory from the 7 Stars Praying Mantis System. So in our style of 7 Stars Praying Mantis Kung Fu, we have 32 principles, and 32 theories or fighting theories.
One of those theories and one of the more important ones is Low-High or High-Low Theory, and I am going to bring Carlos out to help you demonstrate this theory. The theories are just that, they are very general. So they are not specific to a technique or a particular movement in a form. They can be applied in many different ways. This one is very simple in the way that it sounds, but it actually has a wide application, and it's very useful.
So I'm going to show a few different ways to apply this theory. So the first thing is to explain what it's basically all about. You might have derived it somewhat just from the name. So High-Low or Low-High is about not attacking obviously. It's attacking, if you seek to attack high, you must first attack low.
Likewise, if you wish to attack low, you must first attack high. So that's pretty basic, right? It's not telegraphing -- what I want to do. So for example, this is probably something like a funny stance, if I probably want to attack him in the groin, I might want to get one, two as opposed to just going two, I have a little bit better chance.
Now what's key with that type of an attack and again this theory is not at all tied into this particular technique that I am using right now, it can be many different things. I could have equally gone through, one-two, or whatever I might do, or I could go for example one-two. That's reversing in to Low-High.
What's key about this is to truly making this an attempt to attack. It's not to think. So if you were to knock for somebody and walk, and then make him sleeping or something, I probably should strike up high. So I need to be as a fighter aware enough to continue on with that attack.
However, if I notice that he is going to block it, which I notice right about there, in that moment, what I saw at first place which was to attack most from bigger down. So here I am using the over stand on this, doesn't really matter what I use.
The other thing is if you do it left or right, it doesn't mean you have to do High-Low and Low-High, this works on all attributes. So for example, and we have seen this before if you've watched the video on how to do a couple strokes, if I want to attack him on the right, I might want to first go one to drop his attention to this side as I go to it. Notice how I can also attack the standard way, stand down in meantime, I might just go like this. That's something that's going to be consistent throughout Praying Mantis Kung Fu.
The other, chain stuff, which is a number of chain techniques that actually gives us an example of this. Again, it's not the only way to do it, but it is something that really illustrates this theory in practice, and it's called High-Low Mantis Chain Style. So for example where this goes in plain, you can go real close together. So the first one, do this slowly and go to outside which we've seen before which is hook, grab, punch.
The next one is going to be bump. So I'm going to grab, bump. Right about now, I have got an opening Down-Low which is what I see. So this chain style is to start high, and to draw the attack high in two different attacks in this case, and then the next one is going to be to drive this down low.
So I can do this in a number of ways, but probably the way I'm going to do this, is I am going to take this hand out away as I come through, and attack the center, right there.
So I am opening something Down-Low. I could do that Down-Low too. I am going to do it something like one-two, break, three, something like that as you make up, but it works the same way.
So that's something to practice. So I'm going to draw this, and come a little closer, again reinforcing this particular chain style. Again, going to outside, bring it out and force punch, down hook.
So here is the chain style just by itself, so you can practice this independently as well as with the partner later once you have it down. So you can start this from medium fighting stance. Don't worry about stances here, this isn't about footwork. The reason to be as it's everything, as important to footwork.
So the first technique is going to be hook, grab, punch, as I am taking Mantis stuff. So it goes one, the punch is one in the step, again it goes, one. Next is grab bump with another Mantis step, two, closing the gap further.
The next one is simply withdrawing your hand, collecting the hand. You can also use another block here like you can collect your hand with the Mantis hook, drop, and then driving this time like. So informal, and like this, you'll see this stuff comes about.
This doesn't matter of course in first, straight first. The reason I'm getting low here is because I'm driving this. So the idea is to drive that last punch Down-Low which is what we are seeking. So again, a little bit faster now; go one, two, three. And the last one, one, two, three. Master the theory, practice it, and then there are your own ways to implement it.
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