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ABOUT SAN SHOU
San Shou is a martial art which was originally developed
by the Chinese military based upon intense study of various traditional
methods and combined with modern advanced in sports medicine and
training methodology. San Shou is practiced as a combat sport,
meaning that training is conducted with safety equipment and competitions
are conducted under rules restricting certain tactics and techniques
designed for the safety of the participants. However, San Shou
is also a compete martial art that teaches striking, kicking, leg
kicks, kick catches, sweeps, takedowns and throws. The current
sport of San Shou does not include elbow and knee strikes but most
San Shou gyms teach these techniques as well.
The San Shou philosophy is that participation in combat sports
is the best road not only to health, fitness and well being but
to practical self-defense skills as well. To better understand
what this means, the student should know something about the history
of San Shou, how and why it was created.
In 1924, the Guomindang (Chinese Nationalist Party) established the Whampoa
Military Academy in Guangdong (Canton) province, Southern China in order to
train the party's leadership and create a modern military force. Having formed
a strategic alliance with the Soviet Union in January 1923, the academy utilized
Soviet methods of establishing party discipline, political indoctrination and
training of military personnel. As Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, leader of the Guomindang
said in 1923 "Since we wish to learn their (the Soviet Union's) methods,
I have asked (Soviet advisor) Mr. (Michael) Borodin to be director of training
of our Party." More Soviet advisors arrived in China in 1924, particularly
to assist in military training. Of course, the military training is what is
of significance to San Shou.
During the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), Russian forces had
experienced heavy losses in close quarters combat with the Japanese.
As a result of these losses, several movements sprung up in Russia
concerned with developing better methods of training the military
for close quarters combat (CQC). These movements were later unified
and the project made official under the leadership of the Communist
Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) upon their assumption of power
in 1917. The result of this project is what is today known as Sambo.
While Sambo was designed to prepare Soviet military and national
security forces for real CQC including the use of and defense against
bladed weapons and firearms, its creators also felt that a sport
form which could be safely practiced on a regular basis was an
essential part of the program. Why was a sporting adaptation considered
essential to the training?
The ability to use your methods in a real situation is dependent
upon a number of factors. First, one must have the tools, offensive
and defensive, to get the job done. This is the importance of offering
a complete training program under the guidance of a skilled coach.
However, the rest of the variables are less obvious but no less
important.
Does one have the ability to use these techniques upon an opponent
who is knowledgeable of the techniques, resisting them and also
attempting to launch their own attack? This requires not only perfecting
the technique but developing your sense of space and range, the
ability to see openings, reaction time and personal strategy. Include
into this equation the possibility that the opponent may be using
techniques and strategies different than your own.
Furthermore, does one have both the physical and mental condition
to engage in a struggle such as this? Does one have the strength,
endurance, flexibility? The determination? Will they fall apart
under the stress and adrenaline rush, freeze and forget everything
they have learned? It has certainly happened in the past to many
practitioners. Remember, if you have not been hit or thrown full
power (slamming into the ground) you don' know how you will react
to conditions such as these.
A boxer has been punched so many times that he no longer freezes
when a blow connects. A wrestler or Judo fighter has been thrown
to the ground many times and is accustomed to it. These three individuals
are also used to exchange, working with an opponent who is both
defending and attacking. They are also used to performing under
high stress conditions, with large audiences and for extended periods
of time. They benefit from experience gained by competition, i.e.
sporting adaptations of what were once strictly combat/self-defense
methods. Thus, combat sports allow the student to develop the "attributes" of
a warrior, including the appropriate mental attitude, "ruthlessness".
Under the tutelage of Soviet advisors, the Chinese endeavored
to create a similar method of training their military forces in
CQC. In the case of the Chinese, who lacked an industrial base
and access to most modern warfare technology, this program seemed
perhaps even more important than in the Russian case. The Whampoa
military instructors studied the existing Chinese martial arts
traditions and created San Shou. The military San Shou curriculum,
designed to prepare military personnel for CQC, addressed what
the Chinese had long considered the four basic martial arts skills; " Da" (Striking) use of fist, open hand, elbow, fingers, head
"Ti" (Kicking) kicking,
sweeping, kneeing, stomping
"Shuai" (Throw) wrestling,
throwing, takedowns
"Na" (Seizing) joint locks
and chokes, i.e. submissions
In establishing a sport version of
San Shou, which could be practiced in relative safety on the
frequent basis necessary for the development of the basic skills
and attributes, the decision was made to use a kickboxing like
format. Whether you are verbally harassed, a strike or kick is
thrown, you are grabbed or threatened with a weapon, most self-defense
situations are initiated while you are standing. Furthermore,
being on the ground for any length of time is not advisable both
because you are more vulnerable to attack and because the surface
itself may present numerous dangers. For these reasons, you should
always concentrate on remaining standing and the primary course
of study in San Shou addresses the essential elements of a standing
fight.
Sport San Shou utilizes striking, kicking and wrestling but not "submission" ("Na")
and/or ground grappling. Originally, elbows and knees were utilized in inter-military
San Shou competition but they have been removed from the international sport
version which was established in 1991 with the first world championships.
In 1997, the first attempts were made both in China and in the United States
to establish professional San Shou matches conducted in a manner similar to
other kickboxing styles such as Muay Thai. Matches are conducted without the
protective gear (without headgear, shin guards and the chest protector) and
are held in a boxing ring. The Chinese often refer to professional San Shou
as "San Da" an older term which was originally used to describe
full contact fighting. Professional San Shou/San Da has grown incredibly over
the last three years and professional San Shou fighters have recently fought
successfully in the K-1 kickboxing promotion and in the Japan Shootboxing
Association (JSA). (From
Sanshou.org) |
