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Kung Fu/Questions Answered by Expert Joe McSorley
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Mantis Stance | 1/29/2012 |
| Q: I was just wondering how the toes point in the mantis stance. I have tried the stance with both ... A: I can only speak for Kwong Sai Jook Lum mantis here because there are several different mantis ... | |
| Chow Gar Mantis | 1/17/2012 |
| Q: We corresponded a while back regarding Chow Gar Mantis. Your response was very, very honest and ... A: Class may have been in 3.5 hours but I got this at 8 PM EST so it was for naught anyway. I know how ... | |
| Cross training/JKD | 4/16/2011 |
| Q: I was just wondering what you think of the idea of studying southern mantis as a core art, then ... A: Sorry for the delay in writing, I’ve been working a tremendous amount of time lately. I don’t know ... | |
| Cross training/JKD | 4/11/2011 |
| Q: I was just wondering what you think of the idea of studying southern mantis as a core art, then ... A: I am a strong advocate of knowing about and learning other styles but I have one huge caveat – you ... | |
| Starting Kung Fu | 4/5/2011 |
| Q: I am very interested to learn Kung Fu both for the sport and self defense. Right now I am really ... A: I understand the difficulty and expense of trying to find a real kung fu school. In many ... | |
| southern mantis (iron body) | 1/19/2011 |
| Q: I'm a late starter at 40 but I'm eager to begin training in a martial art. I've narrowed my choices ... A: Sorry for the delay in answering. Your thoughts on Kali mirror mine as far as the weapons training ... | |
| southern mantis (iron body) | 1/18/2011 |
| Q: I'm a late starter at 40 but I'm eager to begin training in a martial art. I've narrowed my choices ... A: I could write a book on this topic but I’ll try to keep it brief here. Your friends are mostly right ... | |
| Strength for Pak Mei | 12/29/2010 |
| Q: I have questions regarding strength. I have read a post where you mention about lightning and ... A: I don’t know if you read the recent post that was just added for Muhammad but I address this ... | |
| Martial arts training | 12/23/2010 |
| Q: Hey, I'm Muhammad,15,a freshman in high school, and am looking to get into martial arts. I've read ... A: I am glad you are doing the training you are doing. One thing you must understand is the difference ... | |
| best fighting style for me | 4/17/2010 |
| Q: sir, i know there are 100 of fighting techniques in world but i really want to know which one is ... A: I will give you the most honest answer I can and unfortunately it is not what you want to hear. ... | |
| School in Philadelphia | 2/1/2010 |
| Q: I was wondering if you have a school location in the Philadelphia area, and if so, if can have some ... A: For information on my teaching you can go to meetup.com and search "jook lum, broomall" and my site ... | |
| i want to learn kung fu | 10/27/2009 |
| Q: I live in New Delhi, India and am very much interested in learning Kung Fu since my childhood. I ... A: I do not personally know of anyone teaching in New Delhi but there are different paths you can take. ... | |
| Can you help me? | 10/25/2009 |
| Q: Ok, I am a 13 year old boy. I have been trying to figure out what style would work for me the best. ... A: There is no such thing as the perfect style and there is no one style that includes everything you ... | |
| self training | 9/11/2009 |
| Q: Can you efficiently train yourself in Kung Fu? I have been taught by a sensei in Aikido and got ... A: Well, there are a lot of people who make a living selling courses on DVD and on the internet that ... | |
| Bending | 9/5/2009 |
| Q: How can i learn air bending A: I assume you are asking about the thing that is done in Avatar and other anime because this does not ... | |
| kung fu teacher training etc. | 8/18/2009 |
| Q: i've done more investigation then the average person and i have come to the conclusion that none of ... A: You’re asking a person that almost 40 years ago went door to door in Philadelphia Chinatown looking ... | |
| Is Chi real ?? | 8/13/2009 |
| Q: I just want to ask if there really is an internal power in us called chi that if controlled ... A: It’s according to how you define that internal power called chi/qi on what you would be ... | |
| SPM and grappling | 6/28/2009 |
| Q: I've read your answers here at AE and I've very impressed by your direct and thorough answers. I'm ... A: This is a question that has many dimensions to it and deals with more issues than just what SPM ... | |
| praying mantis chicago | 6/9/2009 |
| Q: I read one of your answers to a question from a person in Chicago. It was regarding some ... A: Although the fellow who wrote me and I corresponded several times off of AE he never came out and ... | |
| Southern Mantis kung fu. | 4/2/2009 |
| Q: I'm desperately looking for a Southern Mantis school in Toronto, Canada as I'm due to move there ... A: Unfortunately there are few Southern Mantis instructors anywhere in the world and there are ... | |
| jook lum vs.wing chun | 2/12/2009 |
| Q: Sir,I had the privilege of experiencing some time with Louie back in the early 80's.I have wanted to ... A: You didn't tell me where you are writing from so I don't know if there are Jook Lum teachers near ... | |
| traditional kung fu instructors | 12/5/2008 |
| Q: I don't know if I have understood correctly, but I believe that you are from the Philadelphia area. ... A: It's according to the style you want to learn. Cheung's Hun Gar in Chinatown is about as traditional ... | |
| south mantis teachers | 10/30/2008 |
| Q: Mcsorley, i hope I'm not stepping too far, i don't want to sound ungrateful to the system or the ... A: I still can't email you from yahoo because the return address does not go to you. If you send me ... | |
| south mantis teachers | 10/17/2008 |
| Q: Mcsorley, i hope I'm not stepping too far, i don't want to sound ungrateful to the system or the ... A: I have been unable to contact you through the email address on your letter. So I will answer here ... | |
| Taoism | 10/2/2008 |
| Q: I am writing a paper for school which involves interviewing an expert on the topic of Taoism. If you ... A: Here's your questions: 1.) What makes somebody a Taoist? In other words, how would you definitively ... | |
| Kung Fu Teachers In Philadelphia | 8/27/2008 |
| Q: I have a 4 year old daughter and I am considering sending her to learn Kung Fu, I do not want to ... A: I don't really know what it means for a four year old to get into good shape. If she's eating right ... | |
| Kung Fu Teachers In Philadelphia | 8/24/2008 |
| Q: I have a 4 year old daughter and I am considering sending her to learn Kung Fu, I do not want to ... A: There is a lot to this question other than just finding a school. I have a 16 year old son who used ... | |
| Would like to find a sensei | 8/4/2008 |
| Q: and I humble myself to your advice. I feel a calling to learn Kung Fu. I will be moving to Dallas, ... A: I do not know any teachers there personally so I can't recommend anyone. I will tell you that as ... | |
| Can you help? | 7/10/2008 |
| Q: I really want to learn how to fight in this fighting style and was wondering if you had any books or ... A: Because this is a question I get often I have a prepared answer for it: This is a question I get ... | |
| Can you help? | 7/10/2008 |
| Q: I desperately want to learn fighting based off a praying mantis and I don't know where to go. I know ... A: Are you sure there are no teachers near you? Where do you live? I have a prepared answer dealing ... | |
| which Kung-Fu uses less leg work? Which style to choose? | 7/8/2008 |
| Q: I am a working IT professional, aged 23. Since my childhood I wanted to learn Kung-Fu but never got ... A: This is a question I have answered many times on this forum and the answer is always the same. You ... | |
| learn kung fu | 6/11/2008 |
| Q: I have a question. I want to know if you have any good links on how to learn shaolin kung fu online ... A: I’ve been asked this question many times before on this forum, from the frozen north to the high ... | |
| want to learn, cant find a master... | 4/18/2008 |
| Q: is it possible to learn kung fu over the internet? I have a great interest in the area and would ... A: This is a question I get asked often and I am sorry to say there is not a happy answer here. As ... | |
| Learn Kung Fu | 3/3/2008 |
| Q: i am hoping to learn kung fu but there isn't any dojo's anywhere near me and i don't have the money ... A: You're in a really difficult situation. It's like asking to learn how to swim but there's no water ... | |
| Chin na gripping stones | 2/10/2008 |
| Q: Joe...I'm 0-2 on this question. I hope that you can offer an opinion. We teach traditional Okinawan ... A: If I used those stones I would use them like I was ringing a bell in a circular motion. The other ... | |
| Marital arts in situations | 1/30/2008 |
| Q: Recently I was Thinking about martial arts and there aspects in a variety of situations, one of ... A: What should be emphasized in any martial training is practicality. I find it odd that people today ... | |
| the finger | 11/3/2007 |
| Q: i often see mantis practitioners have their fingers stick out like a mantis. does it really make a ... A: The phoenix eye fist ( one knuckel strike) and finger strikes are a integral part of Southern Mantis ... | |
| Kung Fu pre-requisites? | 10/11/2007 |
| Q: Now that I finally have the time, I'll be starting MA classes just as soon as I find the right ... A: When you speak of ‘ kung fu’ it’s a little off the track, the words kung fu (actually gung fu) mean ... | |
| kung fu | 9/25/2007 |
| Q: Do you teach SPM if so can i have some info about your classes. A: I teach a small informal group weekly. It's in the Philadelphia area and you can go to Meetup.com ... | |
| the karate kid....? | 9/12/2007 |
| Q: I'm 16 and interested in learning a martial art. There are a good deal of schools in my area ... A: Your friend saying something like he can ‘kick any boxer’s ass’ is exactly the type of macho ... | |
| Self-defense | 9/12/2007 |
| Q: Mcsorley Recently I was in a situation on the train where 5 people step, they were being load and ... A: First of all let me tell you that you are human and displayed standard rational human emotions in ... | |
| the karate kid....? | 9/11/2007 |
| Q: I'm 16 and interested in learning a martial art. There are a good deal of schools in my area ... A: I looked in the Chicago yellow pages last night and there's about 139 listings of martial arts ... | |
| the karate kid....? | 9/10/2007 |
| Q: I'm 16 and interested in learning a martial art. There are a good deal of schools in my area ... A: Tom Hi Tom, Let me clear up a few things first. Kung fu means ‘hard work’, in other words, ... | |
| kung fu | 8/30/2007 |
| Q: no disrespect joe, but arent mantis practitioners the ones that are always shown getting beat up in ... A: This is a pretty funny question. It does beg other questions like why does the roadrunner always ... | |
| defense against weapons | 8/4/2007 |
| Q: Any advice on dealing with a person with a gun or knife, you can't get away from. are there ... A: There is no simple way to overcome weapons when you have none. I’ve been to seminars over the years ... | |
| iron palm or fist kung-fu | 7/14/2007 |
| Q: i was wondering if a 12 year old could start iron palm/fist kung-fu? if so, then can you reccomend ... A: I have only known Iron Palm taught as a technique and not as a particular fighting style. Many ... | |
| the perfect age ? | 7/9/2007 |
| Q: I was wondering if at my 20 years old I could still be a black belt, And in miami florida where will ... A: I started kung fu at age 19 over 35 years ago. When I went looking for a school in Chinatown one of ... | |
| kung-fu | 6/8/2007 |
| Q: I want to learn kung-fu. I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and want to expand my horizons. I ... A: You might want to look in the directory in the back of Inside Kung fu for schools and check your ... | |
| experience | 4/9/2007 |
| Q: Joe! Some martial artist described his experience in this way: "The first enlightenment experience I ... A: I have no idea what he went through. What he calls the Zen void is not empty or nothing, as he ... | |
| School in Philly | 4/9/2007 |
| Q: Where can I learn southern mantis in Philadelphia (tried the phone number that is published for the ... A: You can go to Louie Jak Man's website here:http://www.louiejackman.com/ and locate him. You can ... | |
| multiple styles | 2/24/2007 |
| Q: it seems that most real fights you see on video and in the mma matches favor only few basic fighting ... A: I could write a book on this topic. It used to be that fights favored karate men because of the ... | |
| Follow up to: kung fu defense aganist other stylist | 12/26/2006 |
| Q: it was honest and thought provoking, you should really write articles concerning such topics to ... A: Like I said before it takes a certain amount of brutal self- honesty to grow in the arts, any art, ... | |
| kung fu defense aganist other stylist | 12/21/2006 |
| Q: Like many martial artist in training, I often wonder about how my kung fu skills would stack up ... A: In martial arts training I have often used the analogy of a swimmer training while standing next to ... | |
| S. Mantis in Virginia | 11/22/2006 |
| Q: I'm interested in taking S. Mantis cos it seems like a practical style. Problem is, I'm stuck in ... A: There's several branches of S. Mantis. In Jook Lum that I do there are many schools but only a few ... | |
| chu style or wing chun | 11/13/2006 |
| Q: I am intersted in learning a practical direct southern style of kung fu that I will help me (6'2 & ... A: You left the door wide open on asking the relative intelligence of the systems because you can have ... | |
| i want to know some information plz | 11/12/2006 |
| Q: I am in 18 years old and want to play kung fu, i was seen that your good teacher i have thin body i ... A: I understand having a thin body. When I started 34 years ago I weighed 125lbs. I would strongly ... | |
| tiger~swallow | 11/7/2006 |
| Q: Where can I find good info on tiger~swallow? It is hard to find online, and according to my ... A: I do not know the art so I can't tell you much. I often recommend that people read "The Sword ... | |
| S. Mantis | 11/4/2006 |
| Q: The s. mantis looking zombie like is illustrated here ... A: That is part of the Jook Lum 3 step arrow form. It's missing most of the moves and the body motions ... | |
| S. Mantis | 11/2/2006 |
| Q: why are the movements stiff like a zombie in southern mantis? A: There are several different schools of Southern Mantis. Kwong Sai Jook Lum Tang Long Pai ( Kwong ... | |
| Philadelphia Kung Fu | 10/30/2006 |
| Q: I used to study a style that I was told was Hung Gar although it did not have the same forms or ... A: The only Hung Gar teachers I know of in Philly Chinatown are Sifu Lee Liu, who used to teach for Hip ... | |
| Strength Training/Jook Lum Politics | 10/8/2006 |
| Q: I have two questions. 1. I have heard from several kung fu practitioners that weight training will ... A: There is a lot of criticism of weight training and doing martial arts, Jook Lum in particular. When ... | |
| small knives in tang lang | 10/3/2006 |
| Q: Once a time I've seen a master to practice a small knives (not butterly and not deer horn) form. I ... A: I have not been able to find such forms in Kwong Sai Jook Lum Tang Lang Pai, the system of mantis I ... | |
| Wu De | 9/19/2006 |
| Q: Sir: I am looking for any recommendations you might have on books and or documents concerning Wu De ... A: I don’t know of any independent book written on Wu De. I agree with you that the fundamental ... | |
| Southern Praying Mantis | 8/30/2006 |
| Q: Does southern praying mantis rely a lot on sticky hand styles of catching punches and moving in on ... A: I wouldn’t say that SPM relies a lot on chi sao/sticky hands but it is an important technique in its ... | |
| desire to learn kung fu | 8/12/2006 |
| Q: i would like to study a style of kung fu and am aware that each style is quite distinct and suited ... A: I think the most important thing for you to consider when picking a school is the teacher. I ... | |
| I have question | 8/4/2006 |
| Q: ok, is the seven star mantis northern ?Hi, If you can tell me about Mantis Abilities I'll be glad.. ... A: In China styles can have northern and southern versions. There is northern seven stars and ... | |
| I have question please answer | 8/2/2006 |
| Q: I need to know Kung Fu very well... so, I checked Five Animal style (Leopard - Tiger - Crane - Snake ... A: I am not a Shaolin stylist so I cannot tell you what and how they would teach you. There are many ... | |
| I have question | 8/1/2006 |
| Q: If you can tell me about Mantis Abilities I'll be glad.. and if you can tell me a good city in the ... A: There are several styles of Mantis. The most well known is Northern Mantis. All Mantis is known ... | |
| Tell me please | 7/23/2006 |
| Q: OK I understand .. And i'm so flexible and strong. But I want to know the most dangerous kung fu ... A: Every style says it is the most dangereous style, so is someone fooled or lying. It is the man. ... | |
| Tell me please | 7/23/2006 |
| Q: I want to ask you what is the most dangerous Kung Fu style and why this style is the most dangerous ... A: Asking me this question is like asking,'what is the most dangerous knife in the world', it's not the ... | |
| kung fu | 5/29/2006 |
| Q: i am 26 and would like to learn an aggressive form of kung fu but have no ideas as to what diferent ... A: Some forms of kung fu are more aggressive than others but what is most important is the attitude of ... | |
| Jook Lum follow up | 5/22/2006 |
| Q: sorry for the resend of the first question. I actually studied with one of the early students from ... A: Norman Chin was a student of Chen Ho Don, Sifu Mark's training partner and a legitimate student of ... | |
| Jook Lum in Northern CA? | 5/22/2006 |
| Q: My first system of martial art was jook lum. I switched to loong ying because my teacher at the ... A: Norman Chin was a student of Chen Ho Don, Sifu Mark's training partner and a legitimate student of ... | |
| Jook Lum in Northern CA? | 5/19/2006 |
| Q: My first system of martial art was jook lum. I switched to loong ying because my teacher at the ... A: If you'd asked me this question in the early 90's I could give you a straightforward answer because ... | |
| acupuncture | 2/4/2006 |
| Q: Joe I am have some knowledge of both qigong and traditional chinese medicine and would like to tie ... A: I asked the prominent Chinese doctor and acupuncturist Dr.Zufang Sheng your question and she did not ... | |
| Beginning Kung Fu | 1/10/2006 |
| Q: I'm a 46 year old male in excellent shape. I workout quite often...weights and cardio. I'm 5"9 180 ... A: When I started looking for a kung fu school 33 years ago in Chinatown I was told by the locals I was ... | |
| It is all very logical with a mystical twist | 10/29/2005 |
| Q: Reality is not what is seems. Non reality is not what it seems. Be true to yourself and your journey ... A: Reality is not what it seems and non reality is not what it seems. Yourself is not what it seems ... | |
| Newbie needs Help! | 10/5/2005 |
| Q: First off I would like to thank you for offering your time and expertise, its wonderful! My goal is ... A: I can try to give you help but only you can answer your questions here. First off I strongly ... | |
| I need help... | 4/27/2005 |
| Q: my name is Sam, I have a bit of a problem and I do hope you can offer some advice to me at least. I ... A: I am sorry to hear about your situation. I had a similar one when I was younger in grade school and ... | |
| kungfu.... | 3/28/2005 |
| Q: Fl where they teach chen style taich and wuzuquan. They are two different porgrams and I dont have ... A: After getting your letter I checked into wezuquan and you are right about finding a school ... | |
| Southern Praying Mantis | 1/9/2005 |
| Q: How many hand forms in Southern Praying mantis? A: There are several different styles that call themselves Southern Praying Mantis so I don't know if ... | |
| Best of the best of Praying Mantis Kung Fu | 11/26/2004 |
| Q: I'd be appreciative if you could recommend some good resources on Praying Mantis Kung Fu (books, ... A: Something I forgot on my response. Give my regards and respect to your SiHing for his open minded ... | |
| Kung fu weight gain | 11/23/2004 |
| Q: I am 18 year old. I have been doing Kung Fu since I was 12. I have competed several times. Due to a ... A: What is in shape for you is not what is in shape for everyone else. Movies and TV have us all ... | |
| teaching kung fu | 7/14/2004 |
| Q: My question is about teaching kung fu. How do you address bullying in your classes? Do you just ... A: First of all I only teach application and practical use. I find abstract teaching to be as useless ... | |
| SPM vs. NPM | 6/16/2004 |
| Q: Are there any similarities between southern praying mantis and the northern praying mantis styles ... A: I've heard the story that the name mantis was used to deceive outsiders but I have never seen any ... | |
| Things that your life and art have taught you | 4/13/2004 |
| Q: McSorley As you are an expert in the martial arts, I would be grateful to receive some of your ... A: First of all I cannot give you any of my ‘wisdom and knowledge', you must earn that yourself, it's ... | |
| Hi there, My name is Grant,... | 3/26/2004 |
| Q: My name is Grant, and I have a few questions about double-straightsword. At the moment, I live in ... A: I don't know if what you are referring to is what we call the twin knives. Jook Lum Mantis does ... | |
| Mantis kung fu | 3/15/2004 |
| Q: i do the chu gar family southern mantis kung fu i just wanted to know how similair pak mei style of ... A: I don't know if you realize how different chu gar is from Jook Lum Mantis, though both call ... | |
| differences between the styles[southern] | 3/4/2004 |
| Q: -------------------------Hello and thank you very much for your time,you have sum up exactly what I ... A: All of the southern styles have mainly hand motions. I relate to what you are asking because I am ... | |
| Authenticity of Shaolin and Kung Fu | 12/16/2002 |
| Q: I have been told by some of my Chinese Shifus (Sifus) that Shaolin and Kung Fu is often ... A: You ask a very good question. I highly recommend that you get a copy of "The Sword Polisher's ... | |
| Advice please!! | 11/2/2002 |
| Q: Im from england and very interested in taking up a form of kung fu.I have done wing chun for about 3 ... A: I need to know more. What style of Praying Mantis? They are all very different. Southern Mantis, ... | |
| kung fu | 5/26/2002 |
| Q: i have two questions. first, is there a shoalin wolf style. and second is there a kung fu school ... A: I have never heard of a wolf style in Shaolin and I did ask a Taiwanese Shaolin master that I know ... | |
Kung Fu
Answers by Expert:
Joe McSorley
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
33 year practioner and teacher of Chinese Southern Praying Manits Kung Fu.
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