About Sifu Pete Scheers

Head teacher of the St. Louis Branch School of the Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu Academy

I began training the Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu system in Trenton, New Jersey, under Sifu Russell Chell, in March of 1992 as an Enter the Gate Student of Grandmaster Henry Yee.

I earned a master’s degree from Boston University in 1997 while working at a maximum security facility for the criminally insane.

We then moved to St. Louis, Missouri — my wife’s hometown — where I began teaching and promoting this style of kung fu.

As of 2022, I work as assistant superintendent for St. Louis Developmental Disabilities Treatment Center at the state hospital on Arsenal St.

I taught in my garage for two years before officially founding the St. Louis Branch in 1999 at 6132 Southwest Ave. We moved to our current location a little further down the street to 5828 Southwest Ave in 2001.

In 2001, I also became an Enter the Gate Student and in 2014 a Disciple of Grandmaster Henry Yee.

Over the years, many of my students have attended Grandmaster Yee’s annual Student Reunion and tested successfully in advancing their kung fu. We don’t compete in many tournaments, but my students often perform well in forms and sparring.

Teaching Philosophy

I believe students should enjoy training and have a personal reason to progress.

Every student learns in different ways and teachers don’t know everything. We’ll be open about each other’s limitations.

I’ve been teaching many years, all types of personalities and sizes. I look for individual ways to help students understand and apply the system at their pace.

The beauty of the Southern Praying Mantis system is that the principles are consistent whether hitting, grabbing, or throwing. These core techniques are time tested and practiced in other effective martial arts. But they require lots of repetition to master.

We have a saying, “Come to class to learn. Go home and practice.”