International Chow Gar Praying Mantis Association - icgpma

🥋 Conditioning in Chow Gar

A short clip from yesterday's class with Sifu Paul Whitrod and Sifu Erten, demonstrating some of the traditional conditioning exercises used in Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

Conditioning is an important part of developing the body for the demands of the art, building:

⚡ Bridge strength
💪 Body conditioning
🦴 Structural resilience
🥋 Stance and stability
⚡ Power and connection

But conditioning isn't simply about becoming tougher. Done correctly, it supports the development of the structure, sensitivity and power needed throughout the wider Chow Gar system.

This is also part of the wider knowledge we're working to preserve and share through Mantis Wellbeing creating accessible learning around traditional movement, conditioning, Hei Gung, breathing, wellbeing and the deeper principles behind the practice.

More lessons and content with Sifu Paul are being created and added.

🐉 Train the body. Develop the skill. Preserve the knowledge.

🙏 Respect the lineage.
🥋 Train sincerely.
🐉 Preserve the art.

Conditioning MartialArtsTraining TraditionalMartialArts PaulWhitrod MantisWellbeing KungFuTraining

🥋 More than movement. More than breathing.

In this clip, Sifu Paul Whitrod teaches Hei Gung (Qi Gong)—an essential part of Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

Hei Gung develops far more than physical strength. It trains the connection between:

🫁 Breath
⚡ Internal
🏯 Structure
🦴 Body mechanics
🧠 Focus and intent

These traditional exercises have been passed down through generations and form the foundation for power, health, longevity and the deeper principles of the system.

At the ICGPMA, we're committed to preserving and sharing these teachings for future generations.

That's why we're excited to continue expanding this educational content through Mantis Wellbeing, where Sifu Paul is creating in-depth lessons covering Hei Gung, traditional training methods, body mechanics, history, philosophy and much more.

🎁 Don't forget! The ICGPMA community has an exclusive launch offer on annual membership.

🙏 Respect the lineage.
🥋 Train sincerely.
🐉 Preserve the art.

🥋 Preserving Chow Gar. Sharing Knowledge. Building for the Future.

The mission of the International Chow Gar Praying Mantis Association (ICGPMA) has always been to preserve, document and pass on the authentic teachings of Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

For decades, Sifu Paul Whitrod has dedicated his life to learning, researching, documenting and teaching the system as passed to him by Grandmaster Ip Shui. Through books, articles, seminars, videos and thousands of hours of teaching, he has worked tirelessly to ensure that the art is preserved for future generations.

As the ICGPMA continues to grow, we're always looking for new ways to make authentic Chow Gar knowledge more accessible while remaining true to our lineage and traditions.

We're therefore pleased to be working alongside "Mantis Wellbeing", where Sifu Paul will be a regular contributor, creating a growing library of structured educational content.

Lessons will include:

🥋 Traditional Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu
⚡ Geng (Shock Power)
🫁 Hei Gung & Breathing Methods
🏃 Body Mechanics & Movement
🧘 Qigong & Wellbeing
📚 Traditional Training Methods
🎙️Educational Resources

This complements everything the ICGPMA is already doing through podcasts, social posts, videos, classes, educational content and giving students another way to continue their learning wherever they are in the world.

🎁 An Exclusive Offer for the ICGPMA Community

We're delighted to have arranged an exclusive launch offer for our members and followers.

Annual Membership – Just £59.99 for your first year.

That's less than £5 per month for access to a growing library of lessons, guided training, educational content and future releases.

https://mantiswellbeing.com/

Most importantly, we'd love your input.

What would you like Sifu Paul to teach next?

🥋 Forms
👊 San Sau
⚔️ Applications
🗡️ Weapons
🫁 Hei Gung
📚 History
💪 Conditioning
☯️ Philosophy

Leave your suggestions below. They will help shape future lessons and educational content.

Together we can continue preserving, documenting and passing on authentic Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu for generations to come.

🙏 Respect the lineage.
🥋 Train sincerely.
🐉 Preserve the art.

🥋 Who's training this weekend? 👊

In this short clip, Sifu Paul Whitrod shares another insight from weekend training, passing on the knowledge and principles that have been preserved through generations.

Every session is an opportunity to improve:

⚡ Refine your technique
⚡ Strengthen your body
⚡ Develop your Geng (shock power)
⚡ Deepen your understanding

Remember, progress isn't made by what you know, it's made by what you practise.

So... who's training this weekend? 🐉🥋

Let us know in the comments where you're training from!

🙏 Respect the lineage.
🥋 Train sincerely.
🐉 Preserve the art.

🥋 Traditional Training with Sifu Paul Whitrod

In this weekend training clip, Sifu Paul Whitrod teaches one of the training sequences within the Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis system.

This section of one of the forks brings together a number of fundamental San Sau techniques, helping students understand how individual movements connect and flow naturally in application.

Every movement develops the core principles of authentic Chow Gar, using the waist (Yu Geng), stance (Ma Geng), breathing, structure and coordinated body mechanics to generate efficient power at close range.

This is how traditional Kung Fu has always been passed on: through patient instruction, repetition, correction and understanding the purpose behind every movement.

A reminder that the fundamentals are never "basic", they are the foundation upon which the entire system is built.

🙏 Respect the lineage.
🥋 Train sincerely.
🐉 Preserve the art.

🥋 A rare moment from 1999.

This clip was filmed during Grandmaster Ip Shui's visit to London. At the time, Sifu Ip Chee Keung was teaching classes in London alongside his father, sharing the authentic teachings of Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu with students in the UK.

Here, at 89 years of age, Grandmaster Ip Shui demonstrates Gum Gong (Golden Bell / Steel Jacket)—one of the traditional conditioning methods of the Chow Gar system.

Gum Gong is developed through years of dedicated training and forms part of the system's Hei Gung (internal training). It aims to strengthen and condition the body, improve structure, breathing, and resilience, enabling the practitioner to absorb and withstand impact more effectively.

Footage such as this is an important part of preserving the history and traditions of Chow Gar, allowing future generations to learn directly from those who carried the system forward.

🙏 Respect the lineage
🥋 Train sincerely
🐉 Preserve the art

🥋 More Than Just Stepping...

At first glance, this looks like a simple stepping drill.

In reality, it is one of the foundational training methods in Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu.

In this clip, Sifu Paul Whitrod explains that the stepping is far deeper than it appears. It is a Hei Gung exercise that develops the body mechanics, structure, and intent that underpin much of the system. Full video is on youtube, check it out!

The drill trains:

⚡ Yu Geng (Waist Power) – generating power from the body's centre.
⚡ Ma Geng (Stance Power) – building a stable, rooted, yet mobile base.
⚡ Hei Gung – coordinating breath, body, and intention.
⚡ Whole-body connection – linking the feet, legs, waist, ribs, elbows and more into one unified movement.

Every step has a purpose.

It teaches you how to move with balance, issue power, protect your structure and develop the body mechanics required for authentic Chow Gar.

As with many traditional training methods, its value isn't always obvious to the observer but years of consistent practice reveal its depth.

The foundations are where great kung fu is built.

🙏 Respect the lineage
🥋 Train sincerely
🐉 Preserve the art