SEVEN STAR PRAYING MANTIS kung fu was founded in the 17th century by Wong Long, a Shaolin student. Master Long developed a new system based on his observations of the praying mantis. He copied the insect's quick grasping and ripping claw movements, then classified them into attack and defense patterns. Noting that the mantis has weak legs, Wong Long built the system's footwork on the agility of the monkey, then completed his new system by importing the best techniques from other styles of his day.