Eighteen Elders (十八叟拳)

十八叟拳 (Shíbā Sǒu Quán, "Eighteen Elders Boxing") is one of the historically-resonant foundational forms in the Seven Star Praying Mantis curriculum. The name links the form to the lineage tradition of "eighteen schools of northern boxing" — the 十八家 that the legendary Wang Lang is said to have synthesized into the original mantis system. The form gathers a representative technique from each tradition into a single 42-posture sequence, making it a kind of condensed historical curriculum in addition to a fighting form.

What it trains

The traditional teaching is that each posture cluster embodies a different grandfather's hand — a representative technique from one of the eighteen tributary lineages that fed into the original mantis art. In practice:

• Diverse vocabulary — Eighteen Elders deliberately covers more different techniques than Bung Bu or Cha Chui, which are tighter and more focused. Practitioners come out of Eighteen Elders with a broader technical toolbox.

• Lineage feel — the form's transitions and structures feel notably older than the rest of the curriculum; some teachers regard it as preserving older material in less-modernized form.

• Long form, deep work — at 42 postures it is among the longer foundational sets, and tends to be the form practitioners return to as their understanding deepens.

Place in the curriculum

Standard Seven Star sequence (Wong Hon Fan lineage):

1. Tantui (basic) → Bung Bu → Cha Chui → Eighteen Elders → 八肘 / 梅花 / 白猿 → advanced forms and the Picked Essentials (Zhai Yao)

Primary source

• Wong Hon Fan, 十八叟拳 (Hong Kong, 1944, expanded 1954) — the published manual. Held in the CUHK Wong Hon Fan Special Collection.

Open English translation

• Paul Brennan, "Eighteen Elders" (2018) — full bilingual translation: brennantranslation.wordpress.com. 42 postures with original Chinese + English.

See also

Praying Mantis (螳螂拳) — the style overview, including the 十八家 origin tradition

七星螳螂 Seven Star Mantis — branch context

崩步 Bung Bu

插捶 Cha Chui — the form just before this

八肘 Eight Elbows — typically the next form

Mantis Canon — the full Brennan index

Sources

[1] Wong Hon Fan, 十八叟拳 (Hong Kong, 1944/1954) — the original published manual.

[2] Paul Brennan (tr.), "Eighteen Elders" / 十八叟拳 (2018) — open-access English: brennantranslation.wordpress.com.