One of the questions I occasionally get from a prospective student is, "Is the style pure"?
I smile to myself, and then, although I know the answer, ask them what are they referring to as "pure"?
The last caller that asked this replied, "You know, pure, as in the exact same way it was studied in China, and can trace its roots back a long way".
My response, "By that definition, no it is not, but then by that same definition I don't believe there is a single art you will find that is".
"Well, I'm from so-and-so, and we had several schools in the area that taught pure styles. Its near impossible to find any pure styles in the southern U.S."
"Oh, I see. What styles did you learn there?"
"Well, I did Choy-li-fut for about a year, and a five animal style for awhile, but we also had a Wing Chun school nearby".
"Well then you were fortunate to have so many schools to choose from, however, I would argue that there is no such thing as a pure style".
silence....
"Are you familiar with the history of Choy Li Fut"?
"Well, no, but...."
A transcript of the dialogue followed along the lines of my explaining to him that all arts evolve and change to some degree. Even his shining example of purity, Choy Li Fut, was created by a man who combined the teachings of his three different teachers to create a new system, hence the name.
We adapt.
So to clarify, I do not teach a pure system. In fact, its pretty far from it. Our system originated in China, picked up influences from Korea, and eventually Japan when the inheritor went there for medical care. It also has influences from the styles of Wing Chun and Hung Chuen. It has further gained influence from my studies in Chang Chuen (long fist) and other Shaolin styles. In addition, I try to apply modern training ideas like strength training and conditioning into our studies to compensate for the differences in lifestyles of past generations of students to present day. For example, generations ago, students led fairly tough lives. They farmed, worked machinary, and basically scratched out a living. Nowadays, we watch several hours of TV per week, work in offices, and eat high sugar/high fat foods. We have to train differently in order to make an ancient art work for the modern times.
Pure is a very relative term. Instead, focus on the quality of training and the quality of your instructor, wherever you may go to learn. A fancy pedigree and a pretty studio can't guarantee you either. Go in, ask questions, do some trial lessons, and observe how the instructor interacts with the students.