Choy Gar is a Chinese martial art deriving its name from Choy Gau Lee (Choy Tsing Hung) and is one of the five main family styles of Kung Fu in Southern China. The style emphasizes swift footwork and rapid strikes.

Early history- Shaolin Legacy

According to legend, the monks of the Shaolin Monastery not only developed philosophies and meditations, but they also studied the art of combat.

Choy Gar- The formation

In the 17th century the Manchurians took control of China under the Qing dynasty.
The majority of the Chinese people, being Han-Chinese, felt that their country had been invaded and it was a time of rebellion.
Especially the Shaolin temples in northern China are said to have been a place where many rebels gathered to train and mobilize, and the Manchurians knew this.
They began attacking the temples and many monks fled to southern China to seek refuge.
Many came to the Fujian , sec section about Fukien(Fujian)province and one of these was a monk known as Gee Sum Sim See(Gee Sim Sim See).
Gee Sum Sim See had many students but of all his students five stood out and are famous in southern China.
Two of them were Choy Gau Yih 蔡九仪（一说蔡展光） and Hung Hei Guan who founded Choy Gar and Hung Gar

Hung Gar

Hung Ga 洪家, Hung Kuen 洪拳, or Hung Ga Kuen 洪家拳 is a southern Chinese martial art associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung, who was a master of Hung Ga....

 and the other three founded Mok Gar

Mok Gar

Mok Gar is one of the five major family styles of Southern Chinese martial arts. It was developed by a Shaolin monk named Monk Mo Ta Shi as an inheritance of the Southern Shaolin Fist in Guangdong province in China....

, Li gar(Choi Lei Fut has part of its origins in that style) and Lau Gar.
Of these five styles only the Hung Gar was able to expand considerably due to its close bond with the revolutions in the south of China against the manchú dynasty of the Ching in which its creator Hung Hei Gung or Hong Xi Kuan participated. The other four styles didn't have the same luck and nowadays it is very difficult to find them in their original state, such as is the case of the style Lau Gar which forms have been included in the Hung style; of the Lei style which techniques have been included in the Choy Lee Fat and of the very Choy style which techniques, forms and philosophy have passed to form part of styles like the Chow Ka, Jow Ka, Choy Lei Fat and Wing Chung.
At the moment the Choy is very rare , it is wrapped in a mystery of and secret halo, and although it is mentioned in almost all the stories of the Kung Fú of the South of China only a few have can be considered masters of its forms and techniques.

The Style

Choy gar is a self-defense style that practices low stances and swift footwork like that of the rat. The body and arms are meant to resemble the quick attacking movements of the snake.
Unlike the northern shaolin styles which have wider, more open techniques, Choy Gar's short and swift movements are better suited for the crowded alleys and streets of densely populated southern China. The low stance and power in the techniques will in time develop an inner strength within the practitioner. This is the basic foundation for creating effective movements, abilities and actions of the body. Only through this one can truly understand the wide range of Kung Fu techniques and its distinctive character.

Training

One begins by building up physique in a good way. Stamina, strength and flexibility workout is combined with stretching and basic techniques. Training is performed in a low stance (Chapma) to increase the leg strength. In the Choy style, strong legs are a necessity for performing the techniques in a correct manner. Lower body strength is the foundation of Choy.
The basic techniques (punches, kicks and blocks) are put together into different form combinations. One learns the forms in two versions, to the sides and to the front and are required to execute it against the Sifu at a certain pace and without any stalls.

All the various techniques of Choy Gar can be found in the following forms:

Choy Gar Forms
"The first dance"
4 Combinations
Choy Wi Poo (The essence of Choy Gar can be found in this form)
Chi Poo (A form greatly influenced by Hung Gar)
Suilan
Sikwa
Swine Dance
Staff Form
Sword Form
Ta Shon (The longest and most complete form, takes more than 15 min to perform)

Choy Gar kungfu is based on short and rhythmic techniques which minimizes the area the opponent can attack which in turn becomes an effective self defense (this is very individual and relies upon each and every student's way of building up lower body strength).

additional notes

Choy Gar/Caijia Quan 蔡家拳, Choy Family Fist (aka Rat Kung Fu), is a Chinese martial art that was created by Choy Gau Yee蔡九儀 .

Having origins in the Southern Shaolin Temple it would be later combined with a variety of Snake Kung Fu to include lower stances and swifter footwork. Choy Gau Yee added more kicks to his style, thereby differentiating some of its longer range techniques from those of its Snake Kung Fu origins.