Chow-Gar style is from Southern China. It was instituted by Chow Lung, who learned hung-gar, one of the five quintessential southern systems originating in the Shao-lin temple, from his uncle who added the pa-kua staff maneuvers to his nephew's training prior to passing away. The Choy style was taught to him by Choy-Kau. Subsequently, after a three-year residence at the temples he exposed his own school in Canton. in 1915 Gen. Lee-Fook-Lam appointed Chow-Lung an instructor in the Chinese army.

Chow Gar is a short range fighting process from the Southern Shaolin, and is a form of Southern Praying Mantis, which is one of a number of Chinese martial arts. It is an frightening style with emphasis on close range fighting. These attainments are developed by utilizing a range of training techniques a.k.a chongs and gungs, which have been advanced over several centuries.

The Basic Movements of Chow Gar

There are also 20 basic movements consisting of one or 3 moves, these are known as San Sau. they are;

* Bow Chong (cover hand, meaning to wrap up)

* Gau Choi (hammer fist to come down)

* Cye Sau (deflect)

* Doa Sau (spring hand)

* Narp Sau (hook hand)

* Got sau (cut back hand)

* Saw Sau (lock hand)

* Chum Chung sau (sinking elbow hand)

* Yong Sau (upward reach hand)

* Chuen sau (Transmit hand)

* Larp sau (snatch hand)

* Mut sau (sweep hand)

* Kum la Ja Jook (seize and hold hand)

* Kwor sau (circle over hand)

* Yui Sau (Shake off hand)

* Pai Kui (slicing hand)

* Cheet Jeung (cutting palm)

* Lau Sau (Leaking hand)

* Dun Chung (back elbow)

* Ngai Chung (Forward elbow)

There are 16 more.

Chow Gar forms

There are a lot of different forms in the Chow Gar system, these are a handful of the one most ordinarily taught:

* Sarm Bo Jin (3 step arrow)

* Gau Si Mun sau (9 seeking hands)

* Mo Ying Sau Chor Kui (crack the bridge)

* Bo Sim Sau (searching insect hand)

* Gen Tung Gen Sau Lin Wa say (fright power hand)

* Poon loong keok (flying dragon leg)

* Yau Loong Sau (swimming dragon hands)

* say Mun Sau (four gates hand)

* Bic Saan (lifting mountain)

The founder of the Chow Gar Praying Mantis martial art was Chow Ah Naam. He had spent many years in the Shaolin Monastery (Sil Lum Jee) harnessing the bodies hidden powers, through the Shaolin secret training drills. These special skills and methods were bestowed upon individuals that showed tremendous martial skill and intuition, and Chow Ah Naam was one of those rare individuals. Because of his incredible skill, the hall of Shaolin was given to him to teach this elite art.

The short-range power that he had harnessed easily overcame the other Shaolin arts, and the name praying mantis was given to the system, after seeing a praying mantis fight off a blackbird with sudden movements, which was reminiscent of Chow Ah Naam's shock-like power.

Chow Gar training can be done in any city in the world and I call you to visit out martial arts directory of Chow Gar to find a school near you!