崩步 Avalanche

崩步的中心思想在第一段，要求使用身體的動能高速的像山崩一樣輾壓對方以瓦解他的防綫。對方速退的話就跟隨他上步，如影如隨，不讓對方有喘氣的空檔。所以這叫做“崩步”，身法步法要活要快要猛，勁度乍看像瘋子一樣。這是梅花螳螂勁度的特色。

凡是套路都有它的中心思想。練習時要根據這個思想去練，招式是不重要的。所以套路不需要多亦不需要長，學習太多太複雜的套路反會妨礙領悟套路的核心内容。像崩步，如果它太長，它又要求你使用爆發力高速的運動，那你就不會有足夠的體力以這勁度去完成整套動作；不管你體力多好，你的爆發力與高强度狀態下的集中力在一分鐘内必然會用盡。如果你不使用爆發力，那就是違背套路的原意了。不管你花多少時間練習，時間總是有限的。要演練招式應用的話，二人碰手會比套路有效得多。

The central idea of the Avalanche is its first route. The form demands you to move with high momentum and it to crush your opponent to bulldoze over their defence. If they move back, you follow fast like a shadow, and do not give them any moment of rest. That’s why it is called the “Avalanche”. Your body movement and footwork have to fast and smooth and fierce. At a glance, you would appear to be a mad man, and that’s one characteristic of the Plum Blossom Mantis.

Every form has its central idea. You need to follow that idea when you practice, and the techniques recorded in a form are not that important at all. Therefore, you do not need to learn many forms and the forms do not need to be long. Learning too many complex and complicated form only prevents you from getting the core concepts.

Take the Avalanche for instance, if it was too long, and it demanded you to use explosive power in high speed through out, you would not have enough energy to finish the form as it was demanded. It does not matter how fit you are; your explosiveness and mental capacity for concentration would be spent within a minute under such intense demand. If you did not use explosive power, then you would not be following the idea of the form. Just remember, time is always limited no matter how much time you put it for practice. That is why you have to use time efficiently. To learn how to use certain techniques, it is always better and more efficient to learn them by sparring.