San Shou

[Tom Yum]

As I understand it, San shou (free fighting) is a combat sport developed by kung fu practitioners. It looks like a mix of international style kickboxing (boxing, kicking, kicks to the leg) and shuajiao (free style wresting).

An example of a sanshou championship
YouTube - 2003 San Shou World Championship Highlights


Points are scored by landing kicks, punches, knees and takedowns. Fights can be won by points, TKO or KO.

I have practiced San Shou. The big difference between it and muaythai are the takedowns - sanshou guys prefer to throw or sweep from a clinch, rather than infight with knees or elbows. Getting taken down takes the wind out of you! If you have a boxing, muaythai or wrestling background it would be helpful - but not necessary.

I think its a good element for kung fu practitioners to toughen up, work in a real time environment and compete with modern combat athletes in addition to their forms, self-defense, healing arts etc.

What do you guys think?

[mellow]

Looks like it could be alot of fun

[pmosiun]

Sanshou is awesome.

[jubaji]

San Shou is a lot of fun.

[kingoftheforest]

As I understand it, San shou (free fighting) is a combat sport developed by kung fu practitioners. It looks like a mix of international style kickboxing (kicks to the leg) and shuajiao (free style wresting).

An example of a sanshou championship
YouTube - 2003 San Shou World Championship Highlights


Points are scored by landing kicks, punches, knees and takedowns. Fights can be won by points, TKO or KO.

I have practiced San Shou. The big difference between it and muaythai are the takedowns. Getting taken down takes the wind out of you! If you have a boxing, muaythai or wrestling background it would be helpful - but not necessary.

I think its a good element for kung fu practitioners to toughen up, work in a real time environment and compete with modern combat athletes in addition to their forms, self-defense, healing arts etc.

What do you guys think?

Nice find.

[Laura]

Wow...that would be unpleasant to be body slammed like that. It's almost like someone picking up you and throwing you out the window like a rag doll.

[Tant01]

"unpleasant" is a nice way to put it...

Wow...that would be unpleasant to be body slammed like that. ....

Ya think?

[Hardball]

What do you guys think?

It's Cueng Le's Art.

[Hardball]

Wow...that would be unpleasant to be body slammed like that. It's almost like someone picking up you and throwing you out the window like a rag doll.

It happens on the street.

[jubaji]

It happens on the street.

It's fun no matter where it happens!

[Tom Yum]

The higher and harder the takedown, the more impressive - sort of follows the same rules and scoring as Freestyle wrestling. Getting taken down high and hard takes the wind out of you, especially if you land on a weak spot of the body or if you land head first....also, just like wrestling - you can get taken down with someone driving into your solar plexus - there goes your wind and your will to fight.

As I understand it, shuaijiao (Chinese wrestling) was influenced by the mongolians
YouTube - Tuvinian wrestling

The fighters separate after the takedown, just like in the San Shou matches.

San Shou is also heavily influenced by muaythai - huge boxing component and use of the thai round kick, push kick. However, they use the side kick, hook kick and spinning kicks and spinning backfists from generic gong fu styles - some of the knockouts in the vid were from hook kicks and spinning kicks alike.

Hopefully, someone on here with more expertise in shuai jiao or gong-fu can contribute more on the subject.

[Hardball]

It's fun no matter where it happens!

Yea, if you know how to fall. LOL A lot of martial artist don't know how to fall properly.

[TTEscrima]

Yea, if you know how to fall. LOL A lot of martial artist don't know how to fall properly.

Traditional Japanese type breakfalls will not save you from SC throws, they require a completely different way of breakfalling.

[Hardball]

Traditional Japanese type breakfalls will not save you from SC throws, they require a completely different way of breakfalling.

That may be true, but at least you would have a chance. Getting thrown a lot and doing breakfalls toughens up your body.

[jubaji]

. Getting taken down high and hard takes the wind out of you.

It can also take the fight out of someone not used to it.