Kung Fu
Kung Fu generally refers to any of the thousands of styles of Chinese martial arts. The term Kung Fu (功夫) literally means any skill that takes ongoing hard work and dedication to master.
The most influential tradition in Kung Fu has been the Shaolin tradition. At the multiple Shaolin temples, Kung Fu was systemised and became legendary. Choy Lee Fut’s lineage descends from Shaolin.
The Shaolin tradition can be further subdivided into Northern Shaolin and Southern Shaolin. Northern Shaolin is famous for extensive kicks, jumps and mobile footwork. Southern Shaolin on the other hand is famous for powerful hand techniques and low, solid stances. Because our founder Chan Heung had teachers from both the Northern and Southern traditions, Choy Lee Fut is fortunate enough to have both aspects, which adds to its versatility.
The Choy Lee Fut syllabus is divided into the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary levels.
- The Primary level works on building a strong horse stance, developing muscle, ligament and tendon strength, learning to generate the power from the waist and learning long-range hand techniques and kicks.
- The Secondary level improves mobility in the footwork and adds a more complex and adaptable range of hand and kicking techniques, as well as throwing and grappling.
- The Tertiary level contains the most advanced forms and techniques, with the opportunity for the student to specialise to take advantage of their strengths and body type. This is also where the use of soft power and short range techniques is trained.
Among these three levels, the Choy Lee Fut system contains:
- Over 40 solo fist forms
- Over 10 multi-person fist forms
- Over 90 solo weapon forms
- Over 33 multi-person weapon forms
- Over 18 Shaolin wooden dummy forms for hand techniques and weaponry
- Extensive techniques concepts and theories for fighting, grappling and takedowns, designed to teach practical skills for self-defence or tournament fighting
