It's not uncommon for Kendo students to also practice Kenjutsu, for example.
Below is an article that appeared at the Hung Sing Martial Arts Association on how traditional Choy Lay Fut practice and Mixed Martial Arts can go together. The full post may be read here.
Choy Lay Fut Complete Combat Efficiency: The Value of Combat Sports For the Traditional Chinese Martial Artist
Given the popularity of modern combat
sports events like the UFC and the history of combat sports like the lei tei ,
it seems strange to have to make the argument for the value of combat sport
training in today’s martial arts community.
However it is still very common to see posts in online communities
dedicated to traditional martial arts attempting to make the argument that combat
sport fighting is not real fighting. The primary purpose for training
the martial arts is as a method of self protection using physical force to
counter an immediate threat of violence. Such force can be either armed or
unarmed. In either case, the chances of success depend on a large number of
parameters as situations where one is forced to use their skills are largely
unpredictable. Choy Lay Fut was a system originally employed as a method of
fighting for militias and fighting troops during a turbulent period of
Chinese’s history. The original purpose of the system has led some opponents of
sport combat training to believe that the system is not intended for sport and
such practice is deluding the practical nature of the system. While many practitioners
can often be resistant to new ideas, modern sports combat training can offer a
wealth of benefits to the traditional martial artist.
A combat sport is a competitive contact sport that
usually involves one-on-one combat. Typically in a combat sport a combatant
wins by scoring more points than the opponent or by disabling the opponent
within an established set of rules.
Combatants usually fight one-on-one. Different combat sport formats involve different
skill sets and rules. In Ancient China, combat sport appeared in the
form of Leitai, a no-holds-barred combat sport that utilized the full spectrum
of Chinese martial arts, striking, wrestling and weapons. Lei tai in its
present form appeared during the Song dynasty when it was used for striking and
Shuai Jiao exhibition matches and private duels. An ancestor of the lei tai was
used during the Qin dynasty to hold wrestling competitions between imperial
soldiers. The winner would be chosen to act as a bodyguard to the emperor or a
martial arts instructor for the Imperial Military.
A tradition in the Chinese
martial arts was for a practitioner whom wanted to establish themselves as a
martial arts instructor in a new location, to initiate an open challenge on top
of the leitei to established martial art practitioners in the area. A fighter
lost the match and his credibility if he fell, was forced off or was knocked to
the floor of the stage. The winner of the match remained on the leitei unless
he was forced off himself. If there were no more challengers, he became the
champion and or established the dominance of his system of combat in that area.
In order to become a champion, a fighter
had to defeat countless opponents. For instance, Lama Pai Grandmaster Wong
Yan-Lam set up his own lei tai platform in front of Hai Tung Monastery in Guangdong
after having worked as a famous bodyguard in Northern China. For 18 days, he
fought over 150 other martial artists and was never defeated Shortly afterwards,
he was elected as the leader of the Ten Tigers of Canton, who were the top ten
martial arts practitioners in Guangdong.
The irony of the Traditional martial arts versus combat
sports debate is that combat sport fighting has always been a vital
component of martial arts. Many who practice the traditional martial arts view
the practice of combat sports as antagonistic towards their practice. To
understand the issue it’s helpful to re-evaluate our terminology. What is a “traditional martial art”? The term
in itself, while conjuring images of Shaolin monks in robes wielding ancient weaponry,
doesn’t really mean anything in the context of this debate. Combat sports have
existed in China since antiquity, and current combat sports are undeniably
linked to traditional martial art and exist as a continuation of those methods.
Training for combat sports can help the traditional martial arts practitioner reorganize
their training and make it more efficient by focusing in a specific direction.
A Traditional Chinese Martial Art Refocused
The Choy Lay Fut system was created in 1836, by founder
Chan Heung in Guangzhou, a southern province of China. Seeking out the most
information he could find on the Chinese martial arts led Chan Heung to seek
the tutelage of 3 different teachers during his life time. Like many
contemporary mixed martial artists, he sought to consolidate the 3 different
methods of his teachers into one method utilizing the strengths of each.
Because of this, Choy Lay Fut is a well rounded method combining powerful
striking methods with grabs/holds, kicking and solid yet nimble footwork.
Choy Lay Fut is often thought to be a vast and
complex system of martial arts by both the casual observer and even many
students of the system. This line of thinking can be attributed to a large
quantity of empty hand and weapons forms practiced by the various schools
teaching the system. The number of forms practiced by an individual Choy Lay
Fut practitioner can range from only a few to well over forty. If you take into
account all the variations and unique forms created by and taught by the
different lineages of the system the number of empty hand and weapons forms can
easily number in the hundreds. If you include the different apparatus training
sets and partner drills, the sheer volume of the system can become such that
even a diligent practitioner can seem overwhelmed and unsure of how to properly
identify those things that should be priorities in training for combat efficiency.
The key to making effective use of this vast library of material is through an
understanding and proper focus on the systems core concepts.
The Choy Lay Fut method is centered
on its key combative concepts such as the 10 elements, asterisk footwork, gate
theory etc. These concepts give a practitioner the tools to deal with various
vectors of force leading to a better understanding of fighting in general and
as such making it easier for the practitioner to fight against an aggressor
regardless of that aggressor’s background and training in other systems. Approaching
the system as a conceptual method will allow the Choy Lay Fut practitioner to
cut through the vast quantity of material and understand how to effectively
apply the system in combat. The conceptual method of training a martial art can
be compared to learning a new language. Learning only forms and techniques with
no understanding of the concepts behind them is similar to attempting to
communicate in a foreign language using a phrase book. You may be able to ask
specific questions like “where is the bathroom” but you will not be able to
express your own ideas and converse fluently. The conceptual method of learning
a martial art is similar to learning a foreign language in its entirety. You
begin with the core concepts which can be compared to an alphabet then you move
on to combining concepts together which is like forming words.
Finally you can
put together combinations and apply these concepts where they are needed and,
in essence, converse freely with your opponent.
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