On Iron Mantis
Simply put, Iron Mantis is a martial art. It was developed and codified by Master Jeff Hughes over a life-long journey of training and teaching and study which has taken him all over the world. Master Hughes is very passionate about traditional martial arts, but also is not ignorant of the stigma associated with them i.e. they are ineffective. I’m not interested in discussing what style is the best, or whose Master has the best “secrets”. That is a discussion which is had ad nauseum daily online and is waste of time and quite frankly dumb.. Iron Mantis is a solution to ending this often deserved thorn in the eye of traditional martial arts.
You might say that Iron Mantis is a ‘“mixed martial art” and you wouldn’t be wrong. Iron Mantis IS a mixture or combination of styles but it isn’t MMA as most people know of. MMA is a sport, Iron Mantis is a traditional martial ART. You might wonder ‘How can it be traditional if it’s only a few years old? The answer is that Iron Mantis was built out of tradition. Specifically, the traditions of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Hawaiian Kempo , and Chinese Shaolin 7 star praying mantis Kung Fu. It’s important to address that BJJ, and Hawaiian Kempo are also in the terms of traditional martial arts quite young. BJJ was developed from traditional Japanese JuJitsu, and Hawaiian Kempo was developed by Master John Hackleman out of another traditional style. Master Hughes often says that “We stand on the shoulders of giants”, meaning we must recognize and pay homage to those which came before us and whom without sharing there knowledge with the next generation would be lost and whose teachings continue to live on, in us and through us. That is tradition. We do bow to our teachers out of respect. Training in the martial arts is hard, and those have learned long enough to be teaching you deserve your respect for their years of experience. Your teachers deserve your silence for what they speak could’ve saved their lives and could one day save yours. Studying martial arts is a serious endeavor and a martial artist should have a serious mind. That is tradition. Your teachers deserve your loyalty because upon taking you as a student they have already given you theirs. That is tradition.
Iron Mantis is a complete martial art for today’s times. Self-defense and going home to your family is paramount. Master Hughes’ approach to martial arts has been rooted in street survival ever since he stood up to his first bully as a young lad. He has developed a step by step system which teaches the student through training in a progressive skills based curriculum consisting of striking, grappling, trapping hands, footwork, takedowns, submissions, and traditional as well as modern weapons. Speaking of weapons, Iron Mantis training will make you a weapon. Not only through the wealth of technical knowledge contained in Master Hughes’ curriculum will your mind be ready for violence, your body will be as well. Through traditional MIGONG (iron body) training your body will become able to handle trauma better as well as delivering powerful more damaging strikes to your opponent. Through repetition of drills and exercises, your neuromuscular system will function better and your reflexes will improve. Traditional stance training along with modern wrestling will make you very difficult to get to the ground. The BJJ in Iron Mantis will make you dangerous on the ground if need be as well.
Master Hughes is a Sifu of Northern Shaolin 7 star praying mantis Kung Fu under Grandmaster Raymond Fogg. GM Fogg was a student of the late Grandmaster Chiu Leun and also a student of Grandmaster Chung Ho Yin. The praying mantis in Iron Mantis comes from the Chiu Family Clan, and GM Chiu’s senior students. Master Hughes took his years of experience in 7 Star, and earned a blackbelt in Hawaiian Kempo from John Hackelman the systems creator. He also holds a blackbelt in Kore BJJ under Luigi Mondelli, and Master Hughes is also the President of the Texas Kore BJJ Assoc.
