Sanshou is not quite kung fu, and it's not quite MMA. It's a Chinese amalgamation that lies squarely in the middle, and it has a lot to offer competitive martial artists who value tradition.
When people talk about the mixed martial arts, countries like Brazil, Japan and the United States come to mind. China seems to be more closely associated with the traditional arts. The average enthusiast probably imagines remote villages, where old people do tai chi chuan in the morning and children learn their families’ esoteric styles of kung fu after nightfall. Welcome to the 21st century. The mainland Chinese martial arts community, while still stubborn in its stylistic chauvinism, has followed a relatively new training format for decades. Called sanshou or san da, (“free hands” or “free strikes”), it’s not bounded by one martial art. Lacking only the ground-grappling portion of vale tudo, it allows for full expression of nonlethal techniques.
(Photo by Sara Fogan)
Amateur sanshou fighters can generally kick or punch any part of their opponent’s body except the knees, spine, groin and throat. They can employ any throw or takedown that forces their opponent to land first or fall off the raised lei tai platform on which they compete. Historically, sharpened stakes surrounded the platforms, requiring fighters to develop their environmental awareness. In the modern era, however, cushions have replaced the spikes. Safety is further enhanced by the prohibition of knee and elbow strikes and the use of boxing-style gloves, headgear, and often foot and shin protection.
Professional fights, usually referred to as san da, allow participants to use more techniques, including knee and elbow strikes, and don’t require them to wear as much protective gear. Some spectators have described it as Thai boxing with the added bonus of throws and takedowns.
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With these new rules, martial arts authorities in mainland China sought to establish an open-minded venue for MMA-style competition. If the spinning kicks of northern Shaolin kung fu work well, use them. If the swirling punches of choy li fut can KO an opponent, keep them. If the high-amplitude throws and takedown counters of shuai chiao score big, study them. The breadth of allowed techniques makes it harder for the kickboxer to dominate. An experienced fighter with incredible ability in one area stands a better chance of winning — as does a proficient fighter with a well-rounded arsenal. American sanshou pioneer Jason Yee offers some historical insight into his style’s development: “Going beyond kicking and punching sports was a big goal for sanshou’s developers in China, especially because the traditional Chinese martial arts encompassed many more techniques. Primary skills from traditional styles were broken down into combat tactics: punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, pushing, joint locking, scratching, poking, gouging, etc. The main goal was to create an internationally viable sport, so its developers had to distinguish between combat sport and raw survival.” Some of the “old dragons” were less than thrilled when they noticed that traditional techniques were increasingly absent from the new form of competition. The majority of fights exhibited techniques that looked no different from Western boxing with Thai kicks, some taekwondo and a little judo. Instead of representing an amalgamation of each school’s best techniques, the rules appeared to be hastening the death of real combat kung fu.