CLF Insider - Lee Koon Hung Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu

Welcome to the first issue of our School's online magazine...

Time permitting we will try and keep this going... The examples given are only a few of the many variations and are used to give a basic understanding of the topic.

We hope that not only our students will benefit from the information here, but also international students and those who are just interested in our style. Please bookmark this page and check back for updates. Please feel free to send comments and suggestions to our email at: leekoonhungkungfu@hotmail.com

Choy Lay Fut's Basic Stances & Applications

by Joe Keit

Peformers:

Alex Brzobohaty, Daniel Jespersen, Aaron Lee & Nicholas Lee

to see "Gay Boon Ma Bo Yut" - Basic Stance Form 1

click below

GAY BOON MA BO YUT

NEW!!!

BASIC 1 (fist form)

This article is based on a short form used at our school to introduce 4 stances used in our style Choy Lay Fut. The form is called "Gay Boon Ma Bo Yut" in Cantonese, in English we call it Basic Stance Form 1. This is the 1st form taught to our students and is taken from the original form "Li Ma" which is a complete stance form.

Why Stances?

To someone who is not familiar with Martial Arts Training, stances may be something new and hard to understand, but stances are the foundation of our art. Stances help understand power generation, train the overall strength and stamina of the legs, create a better connection between the upper and lower body and help train the waist for more efficient movement. The patterns that stances follow in forms give us a variety of footwork and options to help us in fighting. Advancing, retreating, side stepping, rising, sinking & circle stepping are some of the more popular steps in Choy Lay Fut.

Lets Discuss the 4 stances found in "Gay Boon Ma Bo Yut" - Basic Stance Form 1

	"Dew Ma" - Cat Stance The front leg should be empty with the majority of weight on the rear leg. The front leg can be used to kick without telegraphing your movement to your opponent.
Below are a few examples of how being empty in the front leg "Dew Ma" - Cat Stance can be applied.

When an opponent attempts to sweep	The front leg can be easily moved without loss of balance

Emptying the foot on an opponent while engaged	When the opponent shoots in	The leg can be moved quickly without the supporting leg being moved.

	"Lao Ma" - Twist Stance This stance is mainly used for transition. It also can be used to quickly release the rear leg or arm. The knee should be pressed against the outside of the other leg.
An application using the "Lao Ma" - Twist Stance, to get around the opponent.

Ready Position	Right hand blocks (Chuan Lahn), Right foot steps to the left twist step to get around opponent.	Left foot steps behind while left hand grabs into headlock.

Use hip to disrupt balance and choke

	"Say Ping Ma" - Square Horse Stance The foundation of all stances, this is great for developing legs. The stances strength is on the sides. Also uses sinking power which helps in avoiding being thrown. The knees should be over the feet, the toes pointing foward and back of the kness at a 90 degree angle. There should be 4 straight levels: 1. eyes, 2. shoulders, 3. waist, 4. knees
Here are a few basic examples of the strength and use of the "Say Ping Ma" - Horse Stance.

The strength of the Horse Stance is on the sides.	The Horse can also be used to sink or root and deliver strikes to the mid-section of the body.

	"Gong Ma" - Bow Stance Great for using the rear hand for power. The front leg catches the weight and power thrown by the back leg. The front knee should bend so you can only see the tip of the toes. The front toes should be angled in to protect the knee and the back foot should also be angled in to increase flexibility in the hip.
Here are some examples of the "Gong Ma" - Bow Stance in use

The bow stance is very strong from the front side	without a proper stance, the power and reach of the arm are not efficient.	Proper stance for more power, reach and protection from over extension.

Lee Koon Hung Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu Association
7748 NW 44th St. (Lincoln Park West)
Sunrise, Florida U.S.A. 33351
954-730-3688
leekoonhungkungfu@hotmail.com