Training Introduction

The Choy Lee Fut system is built with the combination of single person, multiple person, weapon, and training apparatus sets/forms. Each of his teachers have many traditional sets/forms that were passed onto him and from his experience, he also deveoped many training and fighting sets/forms. These sets/forms total 184 sets/forms, in which 48 are single-person fist forms and about 20 are wooden dummy techniques. However, Chan Heung 陳享, the founder, recorded in his discoveries and knowledge onto paper for his closed-door students to follow was over 250 sets/forms and techniques.

Choy Lee Fut Jong - wood dummy training apparatus
The top arms of the jong spins to simulate when you block an oppenents right arm, his left arm will strike back.
The second arm is spring loaded to simulate the force you need to pull and hold the oppenents arms down before striking the head. The middle arms and lower leg is fixed in place to simulate arms in the mid section and cat stance.

Hand Forms

The initial sets/forms in training Choy Lee Fut are Ng Lun Ma 五輪馬 (Five Wheel Stance Form ) and Ng Lun Chui 五輪搥 (Five Wheel Striking Form). These two sets/forms were created for students to begin their training of their basic foundation of stances, movement, and hand techniques. These two sets/forms must be mastered before moving on to the next level of training. Refer to this site for a list of Choy Lee Fut sets/forms http://plumblossom.net/ChoyLiFut/formslist.html.

Weapon forms

Since Choy Lee Fut is built with the combination of Northern and Southern Martial arts, it carries a wide variety of weapons in its arsenal. Orginally, there are 40 weapons in the Choy Lee Fut system, however, over time, schools started adding different weapons into the system. Refer to this site for a list of Choy Lee Fut weapon sets/forms http://www.plumblossom.net/ChoyLiFut/CLFweapons.html.

In Chan Heung's 陳享 generation, he created a weapon exclusive to Choy Lee Fut called the Nine-Dragon Trident 九龍大叉. This weapon was designed to shred any part of the opponent with which it might come into contact. With the many hooks and blades it has, the trident can also be used to seize an opponent's weapon by hooking and then twisting it.

The Founder

Chan Heung 陳享 "The Founder"

Chan Heung 陳享 was born in King Mui 京梅, a village in the San Woi 新會 district of Jiangmen, Guangdong province of China on August 23, 1806 (July 10,1806 lunar calendar).

At age of seven, he started learning Southern Shaolin style Fut Gar 佛家 from his uncle Chan Yuen-Wu 陳遠護, who had trained under Du Zhang Monk 独杖禅师 at the Shaolin temple.

At age fifteen, his uncle brought him to his senior classmate, Lee Yau-San 李友山 who had trained under Zhi Shan Monk 至善禅师 to learn Southern Shaolin style Lee Gar 李家. Zhi Shan Monk 至善禅师 was known as one of the legendary Five Elders who surivived the destruction of the Shaolin temple during the late Qing Dynasty.

After 4 years of training under the intructions of Lee Yau-San 李友山, because of his impressive abilities, he was suggested to seek and train a Northern Shaolin style Choy Gar 蔡家under the instructions of Choy Fook 蔡褔, the "Monk with the Wounded Head" 爛頭和尙 who trained under five instructors - Jue Yuan Monk 觉远上人, Yi Guan Monk 一贯禅师, Li Sou 李叟, Bai Yu Feng 白玉峰, and Cai Jiu Yi 蔡九仪. He found Choy Fook 蔡褔 on Lau Fu mountain 羅浮山 where he had to beg Choy Fook 蔡褔 days after days to teach him Choy Gar 蔡家 since Choy Fook 蔡褔 had retired from teaching martial arts. Choy Fook 蔡褔 ended up training him both Buddhism and Choy Gar 蔡家 for 9 years.

At age twenty eight, 1834, he returned to his home village and started to revise and refine all that he had learned. He was given advice in a form of a poem known as a double couplet by Choy Fook 蔡褔.

龍虎風雲會, The dragon and tiger met as the wind and the cloud.

徒兒好自爲, My disciple, you must take good care of your future.

重光少林術, To revive the arts of Shaolin,

世代毋相遺. Don't let the future generations forget about this teaching.

By 1836, Choy Lee Fut Martial art was formally established.

In 1848, he sent out the 18 disciples to start and promote Choy Lee Fut martial arts schools. The 18 disciples were named the eighteen Lohan 十八羅漢 to honor the Bodhidharma who was the predecessor of Shaolin martial arts and taught the methods of the original Eighteen Lohan hands to the Shaolin monks.

Chan Heung 陳享 passed away at age sixty-nine on August 20, 1875. His legacy was passed on to his two sons, Chan On-Pak 陳安伯 (younger son) and Chan Koon-Pak 陳官伯 (elder son). The elder son was nicknamed "Yut Cheung Ng Mui Fa" 一槍五梅花 or "Five Blossoms with One Lance" due his specialty and advance control of the spear. And they continued spreading Chan Heung 陳享, their father, legacy throughout China and the rest of the World.

The Founder's day

Choy Lee Fut annual Ancestral 祖師誕 “The Founder’s Day” celebration

Each year, Choy Lee Fut practitioners will have an annual celebration where all the Choy Lee Fut clubs and guests within the district will gather together at a restaurant to pay respect to the founder and ancestors 祖師 of Choy Lee Fut martial arts system. This is the biggest event of the year for the Choy Lee Fut practitioners.

Choy Lee Fut annual Ancestral “The Founder’s Day” celebration 17^th Anniversary in Vancouver August 7th 2011

During this event, each club will bring one or two lions to represent their own club. These lions will all meet together in front of the founder and ancestors to pay respect to them and perform the lion dance 舞獅 for the grand opening of the celebration. There will be lettuce 菜 for each lion to welcome and spread the fortune 财 to all the practitioners and guests.

Choy Lee Fut annual Ancestral “The Founder’s Day” celebration 17^th Anniversary in Vancouver August 7th 2011
18 lions performed for the grand opening of the celebration

Furthermore, each club will put forward a few of their students to demonstrate an outstanding performance of Choy Lee Fut martial arts. The demonstrations range from single person hand forms to group weapon fighting forms.

This event happens all over the world wherever there is Choy Lee Fut present. This event is to thank and be grateful of the traditional Chinese martial art culture that our ancestors had passed onto us and for us to carry it onto the future generations.