“Shou Bo is like Shuai Chiao, but you’re allowed to hit people,” explained Dai Guobing, Dean of the Wushu Institute at Shanghai University of Sport. He said a Shou Bo Master named Yuan Zumou would give a special seminar that weekend and, because I was a wrestling major, he wanted me to attend.
by Antonio Graceffo, PhD
Photos Courtesy of Antonio Graceffo
Later, I asked a professor about shou bo, and he said, “It’s like san da, but you’re wearing a jacket.”
Shou bo literally means “hand fight.” The definition, combined with the two descriptions, evoked images of the hockey brawls I knew so well. Further investigation revealed that in shou bo, you’re not allowed to pull the jacket over the guy’s head and hit him with your knee, but it still sounded like a great martial art. I found out that Yuan graduated from the Wushu Institute in 1963.