Bung Bo Differences?!

[ilhe4e12345]

So i have been training in 7 Star Praying Mantis for a few years, and i know there are a bunch of people on here that train as well so this is to you. My sifu has been training me in 7 star and i have only been working on 1 Mantis Form at this point (Bung Bo) at this point as my Sifu teaches a little differently then other schools i have seen. He starts off and everyone learns the same basic movements, forms (Long Fist 1-3, 8 Stepping Form), blocks, punches, kicks, weapons until they hit black belt then they go off onto either 7 Star Praying Mantis or Eagle Claw or Long Fist. Anyways my question is this, my Sifu is trying something different with me starting me on the Mantis Forms rather then the typical Long Fist forms due to me being more interested in Mantis over the regular Long Fist style (he is more long fist based and you can tell by how he teachs) but i have only learned the first two roads of Bung Bo up to this point and its strange to me. Is it normal to see so amny differences in the form compared to other 7 Star Mantis Bung Bo's? I have searcheda round the internet and youtube and just watched videos of the form and while most of the form is the same for everyone, there are different parts within the form that are almost completely different then each other or even different then how i learned it myself.

Example: the first punch and block step that pulls back into the mantis hook is the same for everyone i have seen but the next part i see everything from people "jumping" or "springing" forward and then how i do it which is left foot into 7 Star Stance, left hand palm parry black to right shoulder then swing out (to knock enemy over seven star foot0 and then the left hand grabs and pulls under right as right hand punches out (mantis mother move). Im not questions my Sifu's teachings, as he has explained to me how it works and i have seen others do it in a similar way but it jsut seems strange to me taht there is no definative form. Am i wrong for questioning it? I havent had class yet this week, but im going to ask my sifuy when i see him this week i jsut thought i would throw this up on here as there are many of you out there that have been studying Mantis longer then I and can maybe shed some light or info on this for me. Thanks guys and girls :bangahead:

Happy Training

 

[clfsean]

First you take the number of mantis systems that use Bung Bo.

Then multiply that by the number of different teachers there are.

Then you have an approximate number versions of Bung Bo.

%-}

 

[ilhe4e12345]

First you take the number of mantis systems that use Bung Bo.

Then multiply that by the number of different teachers there are.

Then you have an approximate number versions of Bung Bo.

%-}

Well i figured that each teacher has their own way of teaching and i was fully aware of that, i was just wondering if its just common for it to differ in some many different people is all. No complaints or insults towards anybody that does it one way compared to mine or any other, i was just curious if this is a common thing. Dont mind me, my questions can seem pretty dumb to some of the more experienced MA students and teachers out there.

 

[clfsean]

Oh dude... no worries... I was being flip with a quite serious answer.

Yeah it is common. Try this... you are built like a fireplug & not terribly flexible. Your #1 student is built like a scarecrow & flexible as a piece of cooked linguine. How you move & do is your way. You modify things to fit your physical abilities & attribute. Your #1 will move initially like you to learn. But to make it his, will ultimately move like best fits his body.

Now changing run #1 moves 4,5 & 6 to something that's not even remotely close to anything else in any other line... that's different. But smaller thing or things that definitely are body oriented isn't such a big deal. But even in changing body mechanics can be a huge different between two schools.

 

[ilhe4e12345]

Oh dude... no worries... I was being flip with a quite serious answer.

Yeah it is common. Try this... you are built like a fireplug & not terribly flexible. Your #1 student is built like a scarecrow & flexible as a piece of cooked linguine. How you move & do is your way. You modify things to fit your physical abilities & attribute. Your #1 will move initially like you to learn. But to make it his, will ultimately move like best fits his body.

Now changing run #1 moves 4,5 & 6 to something that's not even remotely close to anything else in any other line... that's different. But smaller thing or things that definitely are body oriented isn't such a big deal. But even in changing body mechanics can be a huge different between two schools.

yea that makes a lot of sense. The different movements i have noticed from my Bung Bo are similar to what i have seen from others, replace a "jump" or "leap" with a tripping step and bow step forward and in the end the same thing. As for the physical difference, thats true and i forgot to think about it that way. As for doing the form differently based on physical abilites, i didnt even think to look at it like that....i keep forgetting, im no jet li lol

Thanks for the answer, it has helped a lot

 

[clfsean]

yea that makes a lot of sense. The different movements i have noticed from my Bung Bo are similar to what i have seen from others, replace a "jump" or "leap" with a tripping step and bow step forward and in the end the same thing. As for the physical difference, thats true and i forgot to think about it that way. As for doing the form differently based on physical abilites, i didnt even think to look at it like that....i keep forgetting, im no jet li lol

Thanks for the answer, it has helped a lot

You got it...