# San Shou?



## mad_boxer (Jul 17, 2006)

Hey alla kung fu gym just opened near me and teaches San Shou i know this art teaches punching kicking and grappling so i am considering taking it but my reason for posting is to ask, what is the hand striking like in San Shou is it the same as boxing or more kung fu like? no offence to u kung fu guys out there but there hand strikes dont really do it for me infact the hands pretty much gotta be boxing for me to be interested.


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## Haze (Jul 17, 2006)

San Shou fighting that I have seen is more like kickboxing with takedowns, so punches are like boxing.


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## 7starmantis (Jul 17, 2006)

I'm not realy sure what differences you are refering to from "kung fu punching" to "boxing punching" but in San Shou they were kickboxing gloves, so all the striking is done from technique with those types of gloves on.

7sm


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## Odin (Jul 17, 2006)

7starmantis said:
			
		

> I'm not realy sure what differences you are refering to from "kung fu punching" to "boxing punching" but in San Shou they were kickboxing gloves, so all the striking is done from technique with those types of gloves on.
> 
> 7sm


 
theres quite a big difference from 'kung fu punching' and 'boxing punching'......just look at the way those who do,tkd karate or wing chung punch and then watch a boxer,the ideas are completely different....the 'kung fu punchers' seem less bothered about protecting their chin when they punch for starters! ( :


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## Kensai (Jul 17, 2006)

Odin said:
			
		

> theres quite a big difference from 'kung fu punching' and 'boxing punching'......just look at the way those who do,tkd karate or wing chung punch and then watch a boxer,the ideas are completely different....the 'kung fu punchers' seem less bothered about protecting their chin when they punch for starters! ( :



I guess because they aren't sports designed to "go rounds" with people. I'm in a club and someone starts, I'm not going to be weaving, and ducking looking to score points. I want one or two punchs to throat, jaw or nose then I'm off.  Trust me, my chin's tucked in, and my guard hand's up. Boxers KNOW they're going to get hit, as they're in a ring environment from anything from 5 seconds to 10+ 3 minute rounds, I don't train with that mentality.


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## Xue Sheng (Jul 17, 2006)

I am not sure of the differences in the punches but the brief time I trained the non-sports version part of the training was kicking and punching trees if that helps.


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## 7starmantis (Jul 18, 2006)

Odin said:
			
		

> theres quite a big difference from 'kung fu punching' and 'boxing punching'......just look at the way those who do,tkd karate or wing chung punch and then watch a boxer,the ideas are completely different....the 'kung fu punchers' seem less bothered about protecting their chin when they punch for starters! ( :



Thats just a gross misunderstanding of....now see, I'm not sure what you are meaning to say now. You said "kung fu punching" but now include TKD, Karate? I'm confused as to your point.

7sm


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## mad_boxer (Jul 19, 2006)

To be truthful im referring to ANY punching that isnt boxing I specifically said kung fu because the place where it is taught kung fu is also taught but yea TKD and karate are included. the thing is i find boxing is the best system for hand striking for me and anywhere i went would have to use boxing


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## 7starmantis (Jul 19, 2006)

Thats cool, and I'm glad you said "for me". If that is what works for you, thats awesome, stick with it. However, many very successful adn skilled fighters have found that MA systems give them the striking skills they need.

7sm


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## cfr (Jul 19, 2006)

I took San Shou for about 6 months several years ago. Where I took it they trained to:

1; Catch a punch one handed in the air.
2; Had the "I'm too deadly to spar" mentality.
3; Did slow motion, pull your punches type of sparring.

You'd be amazed out how I could beat the crap out of the air from that training, great stuff.


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## Xue Sheng (Jul 19, 2006)

cfr said:
			
		

> I took San Shou for about 6 months several years ago. Where I took it they trained to:
> 
> 1; Catch a punch one handed in the air.
> 2; Had the "I'm too deadly to spar" mentality.
> ...


 
What I trained was not the sports version of sanshou it was the police version and it was one on one with a Sifu from China and very traditional. There was no attitude or "I'm too deadly to spar" mentality nor was there any sparing at all in the beginning. It was just hard training. 

A lot of sit ups, push ups, chin ups and then toughening the parts of the body that you hit with... and you hit with just about everything. I did a lot of, as I said, punching and kicking trees. I did not get to working on elbows, knees, forehead, etc before I had to stop. 

After that would come more training on how to actually fight (sparing) and of course there would also have been take downs and ground fighting. But as I said it was the non-sport version so the training may be different.


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## 7starmantis (Jul 19, 2006)

There is a big difference between the "versions" also there is a difference between the intent of some school, just like any system.

7sm


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## cfr (Jul 24, 2006)

My apologies. I trained in San Soo, not San Shou.


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## Xue Sheng (Jul 24, 2006)

cfr said:
			
		

> My apologies. I trained in San Soo, not San Shou.


 
Oh sure NOW you tell me...after I just went out and beat up another tree.


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## cfr (Jul 24, 2006)

Hahaha... my bad.


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## L Canyon (Jul 27, 2006)

cfr said:
			
		

> My apologies. I trained in San Soo, not San Shou.



I've been taking San Soo for almost 2 years. The "sparring" is generally called a "free workout", which is allowed for yellow belts and up. It's basically working your moves on an opponent (from the lessons) in an improvised setting, starting with light impact, which gets progressively harder in contact as one learns and progresses. Tha blackbelts can go pretty hard where I go, and I've got a nice lump on my right eyebrow to show for my stupidity. It is not sparring like muay thai, for instance, but an environment where you can try new things and learn. I am critical of it sometimes, as I see students relying on moves that I find unrealistic. But the joint locks and throws are done with force as they should along with strikes/kicks/sweeps.. I like other styles too (took Aikido for a few years). 

There are good teachers and bad; I hope you can see the good ones sometime.

 Sorry to temporarily hijack the thread! Randy.


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## cfr (Jul 27, 2006)

I've heard others say good things about it as well. What I was talking about was just where I happened to train.


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## L Canyon (Jul 27, 2006)

There are some cool San Soo clips up on www.youtube.com, when I checked a few days ago.


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## Xue Sheng (Jul 27, 2006)

L Canyon said:
			
		

> There are some cool San Soo clips up on www.youtube.com, when I checked a few days ago.


 
Pretty cool and no trees where injured in the making of these videos


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## Xue Sheng (Aug 4, 2006)

Thanks to Mantis from his post 
http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37112

We have the following links 

These are good descriptions

Sanshou/Sanda
http://www.atlantamartialarts.com/styles/sanshou.htm

San Soo
http://www.atlantamartialarts.com/styles/sansoo.htm


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