Southern Praying Mantis (Ã¥Â?—派螳螂) is a Chinese martial art native to the Hakka (客家) communities of Southern China. Despite having the name “Praying mantis”, this style is completely unrelated to the Northern Praying Mantis style.

In terms of history and techniques, the Southern Praying Mantis is more closely associated with fellow Hakka styles such as the Dragon (�形拳) or Bak Mei (白眉拳) and more distantly to the Fujian family of styles that includes Fujian White Crane (白鶴拳), Five Ancestors (�祖拳), and Wing Chun (詠春).

There are four main branches of Southern Praying Mantis being practised world wide. Southern Praying Mantis is a close range fighting system that places much emphasis on short power and has aspects of both internal and external techniques. In application, the emphasis is on hand and arm techniques and limited use of low kicks. Like other Southern Chinese martial arts, Southern Praying Mantis is characterised by a strong stance, powerful waist and fast, heavy forearms and quick hand movements. The essences of the style is captured in various poetry and mnemonic aids. 

Training include a variety of solo forms, pair practise, weapon practise. The name and type of form will vary between branches.

In the Australia version of Chow Gar Tong Long under direction of Henry Sue the form structure are as follows:

- Sarm Bo Gin
- Sarm Bo Yil Sou
- Sarm kung Bic Kuiel
- Sarm Bo Pai Tarn
- Tong Long Bow Sim Sou
- Tong Long Won Sou

Sarm Bo Gin is considered one of the most important forms of the southern mantis system. It is a hard chi gung form and is usually the first to be learnt. It strengthens the body, aiding its resistance to physical blows, and also develops power. The form should be done everyday, preferably early morning.

There are four main branches of Southern Praying Mantis:

- Chow Gar (周家; Chow family)
- Chu Gar (朱家; Chu family)
- Kwong Sai Jook Lum (江西竹林; Jiangxi Bamboo Forest)
- Iron Ox (�牛)

The association of the term "Praying Mantis" with the style is also controversial. Each branch of the style offers a different explanation:
The traditions of the Chow Gar and Kwong Sai Jook Lum branches each maintain that their respective founders Chow Ah-Nam and Som Dot created their styles after witnessing a praying mantis fight and defeat a bird. Such inspiration is a recurring motif in the Chinese martial arts and can be found in the legends of Northern Praying Mantis, both White Crane styles, T'ai Chi Ch'üan, and Wing Chun.
The traditions of the Chu family branch contend that the name "Southern Praying Mantis" was chosen to conceal from Qing forces its political affiliations by pretending that this esoteric style of Ming loyalists was in fact a regional variant of the popular and widespread Northern Praying Mantis style from Shandong.

The use of the term "Praying Mantis" seems appropriate when one considers the postures of well known practitioners of this style. The emphasis on the techniques of sticky hands, the use of the forearm with the elbows tucked into the chest, claw like fingers and quick explosive actions creates an image that are visually similar to a praying mantis preparing to strike its prey.  However, other martial artists argues that those techniques are more similar to the actions of the Five Ancestors style or the White Crane style then a praying mantis. 

Unlike the Northern Praying Mantis, which have a special hand technique that is directly attributed to a Praying Mantis strike, for example, the tángláng gÃ…Â?u, the Southern Praying Mantis do not have similar special techniques named after the mantis.