About Us
A Deadly Game of Strategy.
We are a diverse group of individuals across a global platform dedicated to the transmission and promotion of traditional Seven Star Praying Mantis martial arts (Qixing Tanglang Quan). Lead by Kai Uwe Pel, we represent the proud family lineage of Master Luo Guang Yu, who made Seven Star Praying Mantis boxing famous in Shanghai Jingwu in 1919.
Seven Star Prying Mantis is an open hand combat system originating out of China’s Shandong province ~400 years ago, and is widely considered to be the apex of traditional Chinese martial art. Born out of the Shaolin tradition it is a fighting system, codified by a practical and diverse group of fighting techniques (kicking, striking, grappling, and throwing), governed by a holistic body of fighting strategy, tactics, principles, theories, and training methodology.
Our group is lead by the efforts of Kai Uwe Pel who has dedicated over 40 years of his life to the study, training and teaching of this incredibly rich system. Achieving a high level of mastery, Kai Uwe Pel resided in the China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore for more than 25 years. He also spent ten of those years living in Shanghai (2002 – 2013) teaching to both local and international communities alike.
School History.
Lineage.
The Northern Seven Star Praying System has a well documented history and lineage. We trace our roots back through Luo Guangyu and Fan Xu Dong. Our lineage can be found here.
The Jing Wu & Luo Guangyu.
The Northern Seven Star Praying Mantis system was spread globally and made famous by its inclusion in the well known Jing Wu school, which started in Shanghai, China. Master Luo Guangyu was invited to come and teach and became known as one of the 4 Pillars of the Jing Wu.
Our School.
Our school is built on the instruction of our school founder Kai Uwe Pel, one of the most highly regarded Northern Seven Star Praying Mantis practitioners in the world. Through Master Kai, the tradition of the system continues to be carried down to his students.
Instructors.
Our wider school globally has four key instructors that continue to propogate the Northern Seven Star Praying Mantis System globally as passed down by Master Kai. With Nathan Wright in Canada, Andy Best in Shanghai, China, Dennis Seet in Germany, and Cameron Hirst here in New Zealand.