Questions about Choy Lay Fut

[shadowronin5]

Hi. I'm thinking about taking Choy Lay Fut, but I have some questions I would like to have answered before I join a school. I just wont to make sure its right for me.

Is it an external style or an internal style? What is the sash ranking system like? How long are the sashes? How do you wrap or tie them? What is the highest sash rank? How long does it take to get that sash? Does Choy Lay Fut focus more on punching or kicking? What kinds of weapons are used? What is the average tuition per month? How does Choy Lay Fut handle in tournaments and real life situations? What are the requirements for advancement? Is it easier to train in boxers or briefs?

I know no two schools are the same and that two students from the same school will have the same opinions. I think the answers you guys can give me will help me figure out what to ask when I decide to join. Thanks a lot.

[Sho]

Is it an external style or an internal style?

Both elements are equally inherent, but generally CLF has a reputation of being an external system.

What is the sash ranking system like?

It depends. You might or might not have belts in your school. Our sash colours are quite similar to the ones used in karate and judo.

How long are the sashes?

Want me to measure? Heh. Well, they're pretty long. You can wrap a sash approximately thrice around your body (which also depends).

How do you wrap or tie them?

Wrap it twice around your waist and tie it neatly.

What is the highest sash rank?

Black sash is the highest sash according to our ranking system.

How long does it take to get that sash?

Years. You'll have plenty of time to contemplate on it when you start.

Does Choy Lay Fut focus more on punching or kicking?

It focuses on realistic applications combining both punching and kicking techniques. But you'll see more hand techniques in forms, apparently.

What kinds of weapons are used?

Both northern and southern weapons. All 18 traditional Chinese weapons are used.

What is the average tuition per month?

Depends (again). But I'd say approximately the same amount that you'd expect from any other CMA school.

How does Choy Lay Fut handle in tournaments and real life situations?

You'll have to evaluate it yourself.

What are the requirements for advancement?

If you're talking about sash advancement, then it's mainly forms.

Is it easier to train in boxers or briefs?

Which ever suits you best.

[Sho]

And my personal advice to you would be to go for it. I'm sure you'll be fond of it - every bit of it.

[monk weed]

I think that clf has something for everyone. It is a fairly complete system. Don't get too hung up on "sash or belt" levels. What you put into training is directly proportional to what you get out of it. Some schools focus only on forms and then there are schools that concentrate on fighting. I think a good school will offer a good balance of both. Just out of curiosity what clf school are you considering in CT. ?

[shadowronin5]

The Tat Wong Academy in Middletown.

[cha kuen]

Choy Lay Fut is an external style regardless of what anyone says. At the high high high level of martial arts external arts are internal and internal arts are external.

Since none of us are even remotely close to there, don't even worry about that part. As for the sash system, that varies from school to school, not the style.

Choy Lay fut is primiarly a long range fighting style with many hooks, uppercuts and such. THey also use the waist a lot to generate power and have a few basic kicks such as the front kick, side kick, crescent kicks and stuff. Very high impact style and you'll get one hell of a workout doing the sets. They have some trapping but it more in and out rather than trapping, counter for counter like wing chun or mantis. (since it's a long range style)

[extrajoseph]

Originally posted by cha kuen
Choy Lay fut is primiarly a long range fighting style with many hooks, uppercuts and such. THey also use the waist a lot to generate power and have a few basic kicks such as the front kick, side kick, crescent kicks and stuff. Very high impact style and you'll get one hell of a workout doing the sets. They have some trapping but it more in and out rather than trapping, counter for counter like wing chun or mantis. (since it's a long range style)

CLF is well known for its long range techniques but we also have a lot of close range fighting techniques as well. They were having a discussion on this in www.clfma.com forum only recently, I have cut and pasted the following for your interest:

"I think that the choy lee fut should evolve more, in the grappling field we should take something of other stiles as jiu-jitsu, this wouldnt suppose to betray our origins, but to improve our future. Regards from the land of the castles in Spain"

“Well you need to seek out a better teacher because my teacher taught us grappling, throws, takedowns, joint locks and how to fight with these and even the form that teaches parts of this( Sup Baart loi oi lim sau??). Choy Lee fut has these techniques for close range fighting. Maybe someday you will learn these. We trained these 12 years ago in European seminars with my Sifu. I will write something about this in the coming month so you will understand there is little need to look outside the style for such techniques. I teach these techniques to my collegues that work many nightclub security jobs. Start your self with Kow Tarn leg throws with a partner. Yeurng kil chow kirk larp kil darn lar. Train the three internal gates of the choy lee fut Bay keut and you will be able to throw and lock up your opponent. Laarp kil bo jung. Train your elbows to cover the three gates and your waist to throw.”

[Ben Gash]

Cha Kuen, have you like ever done CLF? The more I train in it the more I marvel at just how internal it is. The techniques are devastating at close range, and the trapping is just as sophisticated as Wing Chun. Indeed, when I do Chi Sao with Wing Chun guys they're shocked. Choy Li Fut guys very rarely go in and out. We just go in. If that doesn't work then we go in a bit more, then a bit more, then a bit more. If that still doesn't work we'll throw you.

[monk weed]

I think I'm inbetween ben gash and cha kuen. Very true that clf is a very aggressive style that moves forward, alot of intercepting and bridging. However clf also has techniques for retreating although you must stay aggressive..i.e constantly throwing punches while retreating. I'm not sure what cha kuen means by in and out for trapping. Clf does have a lot of soft redirecting and circular movements that could be thought of as internal. But what ever you make of clf one thing is very clear, that clf is aggressive and fast moving.

[Ben Gash]

Internal doesn't mean slow
Xingyi isn't slow, Bagua is seldom slow, Baji isn't slow and Pigua isn't slow. However they are all internal. Internal is about how you use your body. It's about uniting the 6 harmonies to generate power. Bajiquan is probably one of the most aggressive systems in existence, but it's definitely internal.

[Ben Gash]

Choy Li fut makes huge use of silk reeling and a healthy amount of fa jing.

[Fu-Pow]

Choy Lay Fut has internal components but I would not confuse it with "level" of "internalness" that an art like Taiji has.

[monk weed]

Sorry I must have missed something.
who said that internal ment slow. Was some post deleted.

[Ben Gash]

The flow of the last line of your previous post suggests that, although you didn't mean it. Fu Pow, as someone who does both I'd have to disagree really.
Interestingly I was chatting with a longfist practitioner friend from Taipei and I asked him if he was doing anything internal and he said "yeah, longfist"

[extrajoseph]

Originally posted by Fu-Pow
Choy Lay Fut has internal components but I would not confuse it with "level" of "internalness" that an art like Taiji has.

Fu-Pow,

How do you gauge the "level" of "internalness" between CLF and Taiji?