001: Monkey Footwork

The legend has it that Northern Mantis is made of mantis hands and monkey footwork. Monkey footwork. Monkey. I've seen a lot of mantis videos both on YouTube and on tapes that I've bought from various instructors including the Mantis Conference DVD set from mantisquarterly.com. I'm not sure I see the monkey-ness in the footwork.



Does Northern Mantis have a characteristic footwork style? When I watch videos, people usually plod along on their legs. Their hands are fast, but their legs are a sluggish afterthought. In monkey videos, the legs and body move rapidly, rushing over the ground, stepping lightly, and lashing out sharply and violently. Should the lower half of the body in Northern Mantis be as quick and deadly as the upper half?

Let's try it!