Immortal Fitness Martial Arts specializes in a form of Chinese Boxing known as Mantis Boxing. A Mantis Boxer often closes in on a threat with successive low kicks mixed with off-beat hand strikes to disrupt the opponent's ability to comprehend the attack. Each technique, whether successful or failed, naturally dissolves into relentless contingency techniques ultimately finishing with a brutal joint-lock or throw to eliminate the hostile capacity of the attacker.

The Twelve Word Formula is the summation of the various aspects of fighting from striking, throwing, joint locking, and strategy. The paradigm is encapsulated in three four-word sections which creates a verbal rhythm and rhyme for simple memorization and dissemination. The twelve keywords are:

	1. Gou: to cancel/to delineate/hook/ 2. Lou: Grab to gather/to collect 3. Zhai: to pick(flowers/fruit)/to pluck/ 4. Gua: Hang/ Suspend
	5. Diao: artful/wicked(hand shaped as a hook) 6. Jin: advance/enter/to come in/ 7. Beng: collapse/fall into ruins/ 8. Da: to hit/to strike/to attack/
	9. Zhan: to stick/paste 10. Nian: cling/sticky 11. Tie: to keep close to/to fit snugly 12. Kao: lean on/near/by/against

The twelve principles may be utilized independently,simultaneously, or sequentially in their physical technique. The first three (Gou Lou Zhai) are often found in sequential order, whereas the lead hand hooks the opponent's lead wrist while the rear hand grabs at the opponents lead elbow, followed by an abrupt pluck (as if yanking the opponent's arm out of its shoulder socket).

The first sequence (Gou Lou Zhai Gua) are physical tactics, while the second sequence (Diao Jin Beng Da) describe bridging methods. Lastly, (Zhan Nian Tie Kao) contain the elements to finish the fight by crowding the enemy and utilizing the body weight to gain leverage on a joint manipulation or throwing technique.