when it comes to choy lee fut and wing chun, people only see the obvious differences between the 2 systems. of course, clf “LOOKS” like a long range system, and may seem ineffective to wing chuns infighting, but to the intiated, and with the proper guidance from a sifu who is worth his weight in salt, would show you the finer points of clf.
clf is only long range if thats all you see. but when i went to kansas city and exchanged hands with some wc students i showed them that clf is not what it appears to be. but that is as far as i will go on that because i feel that fighting strategies should be discussed amongst people of the same style so not to give up our secrets. and that goes for any style.
if we knew all of each others secrets, then why would we practice one particular style? look into clf and everything from infighting, grappling, and ground fighting to devestating hand techniques is all there. you just have to use your knowledge, ability, and creativity to make clf work against any system.
Interesting thread. On the topic of sensitivity, I think CLF definitely develops this. Chuin is not only a great block, but a great clear as well…as well as a downward Kum (it can act in a similar fashion as lop sao).
True our main goal is to hit the body (at any range), but we have both hard and soft ways of clearing limb that’s in the way of the gate we wanna hit. Through drill practice, a CLF guy can develop quite a bit of sensitivity. So if I attack with a Gwa to an in-fighter, I know how he’s gonna block it, because there’s only a finite amount of ways to block it- so, I’ve developed that sensitivity of what to do right after that.
Incidentally, the full technique of Chuin La is a block and a clear (a grab pull downward). So our curriculum does incorporate sensitivity training in a unique way.
I think what the real challenge is, is who can get inside. Whoever manages this, whether WC or CLF is gonna dominate. Once you get inside, it seems like it’s over- just plow forward be it chain punches or continuous CLF elements.
An interesting thought to ponder is how would a WC guy handle multiple CLF opponents, or how would a CLF guy handle multiple WC opponents.
Several wing chun people have told me that they would close the gap and then do the usual wing chun stuff. They said that in close distance CLF has the disadvantage since they can’t use the sweeping motions.
Coming from a Bak Hsing background, we are very linear as well. The fight doesn’t start until we meet, so the best way to get the party started is to step up and in.
We want to be in close. That’s the only way to get what we want.
I can only speak from my experience and Bak Hsing background..we move fast, relentless, and cover much ground.
I recall fighting in tournaments and other stylists would comment on our mobility. We had one fellow who operated his own gung fu school of a different style come to us to learn as he was amazed at our foot work and command of hands.
We have few sets, concentrate on the ground up and practise a lot of mobility drills and training. One of the hardest things to do is practise traditionally and then train traditionally. One of the rare finds in any kwoon is a teacher who knows how to incorporate the traditional (concepts & training) into the fight. That is why so many throw out the traditional as antiquated and useless, but why train one way, yet fight another? This is why our fighting mirrors our sets.
sc guy- Ip man wasnt changinga principle- he was applying it in the advice that he reportedly gave. Wing chun is a double handed system. With the right amount of chi sao timing experience- sometimes you need and can use both hands to control the person throwing a powerful blow like some clf swings.