Is Sanshou Considered Kung-Fu

[Xue Sheng]

Finding a good kung-fu teacher is difficult, even (and maybe especially) in China. Most of the best kung-fu practitioners live outside of the PRC. And too many folks mistakenly assume that in order to be "the real deal", a teacher has to be Chinese.

OK I know this post was a while ago, but I forgot to add something.

I do know 2 very good CMA teachers:
(1) CMC Taiji, Bagua and Xingyi
(2) Wing Chun

That are Americans, however their teachers were Chinese.

That is what I tend to see if there is a good CMA school in the US headed by an American Sifu, his or her teachers came form or were in China.

Must unfortunately, way to often, I go buy a school with a big sign on the front that says KUNG FU and in reality it is a Karate school, and not even a good karate school to be honest.

Also I do not believe that just because it is a Chinese Sifu or a Sifu that has a good lineage that it is necessarily a good CMA school.

But I must admit I have seen some very talented CMA martial artists that came out of Northern China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

 

[barnaby]

The gloves certainly limit what can be done in the way of throws, but hip-toss and upper-body control using the arm are popular throws in the ring. In amateur San Shou I believe the rules prohibit repetative punches, and close range punches to harm the neck, for example, as they are more interested in a good full contact fight for points than they are in seeing knock-outs and injuries. San Da includes elbows and knees. According to a text by Yang, (Ming), San Shou literally translates to "random hands." I think there are forms to go along with the San Shou training, which I guess would qualify it as an art.

Another interesting rule in the competition is the number of points one gets for pushing the opponent out of the ring. I'm told this is because in the old days the ring was very high up, without netting -- injury would be inevitable in such instances.

 

[profesormental]

Greetings!!

This is the thing...

Since there are so many styles, matches had to have several rules... and the rules adopted after the cultural revolution in China to test and compare each other, yet similar to a sporting event (like boxing) was San Da (San Shou).

that way practitioners from a myriad of styles could fight each otehr on santioned bouts... and keeping with the no killing of Chinese by Chinese philosophy... also, it's less lethal than application of many techniques from the arts...


INteresting to note how much the rules and optimizing yourself to them really makes your performance similar to that of others practicing for the same bouts... as is happening in MMA and JKD/Wing Chun circles...

their performance is really similar on high levels!

Sincerely,

Juan M. Mercado

 

[Xue Sheng]

and keeping with the no killing of Chinese by Chinese philosophy...

Thank You

Considering a lot of Chinese Police, at least in Beijing, participate in these matches, and many of them demonstrate there ability by putting their heads, feet, fists, elbows, knees, etc. though rocks, I can understand this need for rules.

The gloves certainly limit what can be done in the way of throws, but hip-toss and upper-body control using the arm are popular throws in the ring. In amateur San Shou I believe the rules prohibit repetative punches, and close range punches to harm the neck, for example, as they are more interested in a good full contact fight for points than they are in seeing knock-outs and injuries. San Da includes elbows and knees. According to a text by Yang, (Ming), San Shou literally translates to "random hands." I think there are forms to go along with the San Shou training, which I guess would qualify it as an art.

Another interesting rule in the competition is the number of points one gets for pushing the opponent out of the ring. I'm told this is because in the old days the ring was very high up, without netting -- injury would be inevitable in such instances.

There is also a non-sport Sanda in China, that can be rather devastating, that comes from Military and Police. I had a chance to start training this and I never got to forms, I did get to beat up on a lot of trees (kicks and punches) and do a lot of pull-ups. If I get myself into better shape the training will continue, but for now it has stopped.