Choy Li Fut Staff
Column by Grandmaster Doc-Fai Wong
INSIDE KUNG-FU MAGAZINE
January 2002 Issue
Choy Li Fut is one of the most popular kung-fu systems in the world.
A martial artist named Chan Heung, from Xin Hui, Guang-dong province,
created the style in 1836. He took northern footwork from Choy Fook, who
came from the Northern Shaolin Temple. Choy Li Fut's Strong fighting
fist techniques came from Li Yau San of the Southern Shaolin Temple.
Chan Heung's Buddhist open-hand fighting techniques were handed down
from his uncle, Chan Yuan Woo. He named the system Choy Li Fut to honor
his teachers.
Choy Li Fut staff and spear forms have both northern and southern
China's unique fighting techniques. When both hands grip the bottom end
of the long staff, the techniques are single-ended staff techniques. The
kung-fu fighter can concentrate on using the front end of the staff to
fight his opponent. If both hands hold the staff in the center, with
both thumbs facing each other, it is a double-ended staff technique. One
advantage of the double-ended technique is that it is much faster, since
Choy Li Fut stylists can use both ends of the staff as a weapon.
However, the length of the staff is shorter than the single-ended staff.
In Choy Li Fut there are ten sets of staff forms and four sets of the
spear forms. The staff forms are in three categories: single-ended,
double-ended and single and double-ended forms. Within single-ended
forms, there are five forms or sets: The great banner staff form (dai
hung kei guan) is based on the footwork moving in a large triangle
pattern like a Chinese lion dancing banner's shape.
The lifting and smashing staff form (chau sot guen) emphasizes two
powerful striking techniques: chau (lifting) and the sot (smashing). The
plum blossom lancing staff form (mui fa cheung guen) uses either a
single-ended staff or a spear for practice. Diving dragon staff form (chim
lung guen) is an advanced staff technique form that has many unique, yet
practical movements.
The five point plum blossom paqua staff form (ng dim mui fa bot gua guen)
is the basic Choy Li Fut staff form. This form contains the most
complete staff fighting techniques of all Choy Li Fut staff forms. For
that reason, it is referred to as the staff seeds of Choy Li Fut.
In the double-ended staff category, there are four sets. The flat crutch
staff form (bin gwai guen) contains the most practical staff fighting
techniques. There is a saying in Chinese martial arts, "If you don't
know the bin guai guen form, you don't know the Choy Li Fut system."
Coiling dragon staff form (poon lung guen) is a basic double-ended staff
form. It is easy for beginners to learn and good general training in the
Choy Li Fut system. The monkey king staff form (hang jieh guen) is also
an interesting double-ended staff form. It has acrobatic movements
similar to the famous Monkey King of Chinese opera. Another double-ended
staff form, twin dragons inhaling air (seung lung kup hei guen) is an
advanced double-ended staff form of Choy Li Fut. Most Choy Li Fut
schools don't even have this form in the teaching curriculum. Twin
dragons inhaling air has many pressure-point striking techniques.
The only set in the single-ended and double-ended staff form category
is the single-and double-ended staff form (seung gup darn guen). This
form is the most popular staff form in Choy Li Fut. In fact, plenty of
schools only teach this set. This set is important because it contains
techniques of the single and double ended staff:
In my next column I will describe the Choy Li Fut spear, its forms and
the important basic techniques that both spear and staff have in common.
Doc-Fai Wong writes a bi-monthly column for Inside Kung-Fu.
January 2002 ? Inside Kung-Fu