Where Southern Praying Mantis Meets Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & Judo | The Common Ground of Sensitivity
Where does Southern Praying Mantis meet Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo? I believe they meet in a beautiful place called sensitivity.
Through chi sao, Randori, and rolling, we find a common thread that connects these arts: the development of sensitivity through movement, contact, timing, and resistance.
Although these arts operate at different ranges, they share many fundamental principles. They are all combat-oriented systems that require highly developed skills of sensitivity and awareness.
* Southern Praying Mantis – Striking, close-range combat, bridging, and trapping.
* Judo – Standing grappling, balance, kuzushi, and throwing.
* Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – Ground grappling, positional control, and submissions.
Each art has its own paradigm, its own language, and its own skill sets. To truly explore them, we have to be willing to enter those paradigms and learn to work within them.
Paul Vunak once made a point that has always resonated with me: when you take your traditional martial art and place it into the paradigms established by boxing, Thai boxing, wrestling, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you begin to discover how your traditional art can function within those environments.
It’s not simply a matter of knowing techniques and expecting them to work. It’s about developing the sensitivity, timing, attributes, and understanding necessary to make your art function under different conditions.
This is where chi sao, Randori, and rolling become so valuable. They provide different ways to explore and express martial arts through interaction. They allow us to play, experiment, and develop our skills in a relatively safe and controlled environment, while also learning to deal with varying levels of resistance.
One of the great gifts of Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the opportunity to engage in regular intramural play against skilled, resisting partners. This kind of practice is incredibly valuable. It teaches you very quickly what works, what needs refinement, and just how much there is to learn.
I have studied Southern Praying Mantis for over 30 years. I am also a black belt in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I have a deep love and appreciation for both of those arts.
But in my heart, the longer I practicing Southern Praying Mantis, Even when I’m doing Judo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I am exploring my Mantis through those different paradigms. That is where my heart will always lie.
And that is what makes this journey so much fun.
It is also incredibly humbling. When you work with someone who has dedicated years to mastering wrestling, boxing, Judo, or Jiu-Jitsu, you quickly recognize the tremendous sensitivity and skill they have developed through their own practice.
My hope is that this video inspires someone who loves a traditional martial art to explore grappling, not as a separate discipline that takes them away from their art, but as a continuation of the art they already love and study.
Sometimes we simply need to change the range, change the paradigm, and allow ourselves to explore.
The arts may be different, but the sensitivity that connects them is universal.
Thank you for watching, and I hope this helps connect you to all the arts.
https://youtu.be/kRuwNTREqTA?si=srjNo9q2GwhUyc_R
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#SouthernPrayingMantis #BrazilianJiuJitsu #Judo #Qigong #MartialArts #Southmantis
