My current life in China, San Soo, martial arts training

**Resonance10** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 11:05am

I want to share the truth about China and the state of Martial arts within this country.

Cool. Have you been looking for any particular styles and what is SanSoo? An alternative spelling for SanShou?

**Fatal Rose** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 11:06am

edit: double post sorry

By the way San Soo is this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Soo
http://www.kungfusansoo.com/KungFuSanSoo/Welcome.html
http://sansoo.com/

**Resonance10** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 11:47am

Originally Posted by Fatal Rose

edit: double post sorry

By the way San Soo is this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Soo
http://www.kungfusansoo.com/KungFuSanSoo/Welcome.html
http://sansoo.com/

So San Soo is kinda an abbreviated Choy Li Fut? I'm surprised you take Shotokan rather than Sanda, the Sanda must really suck. Is there a big difference in the way they train Shotokan in China?

**Ming Loyalist** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 12:15pm

we have had many threads on san soo, and most of them have been very negative. i am also interested in why you chose to train shotokan rather than sanda, or shuai jiao for instance.

**Resonance10** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 12:25pm

Originally Posted by Ming Loyalist

we have had many threads on san soo, and most of them have been very negative. i am also interested in why you chose to train shotokan rather than sanda, or shuai jiao for instance.

I'll have a look at those, was underwhelmed by the links given and the videos therein..not trying to be funny but kinda undermines op's opinion on MA in China.

OP..do you still practice Kajukenbo? How did you like the MMA training up against the TMA?

**Permalost** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 12:27pm

I've been under the impression that they don't have san soo in China, oddly enough. Is that true?

**Fatal Rose** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 12:42pm

Originally Posted by Resonance10

So San Soo is kinda an abbreviated Choy Li Fut? I'm surprised you take Shotokan rather than Sanda, the Sanda must really suck. Is there a big difference in the way they train Shotokan in China?

My teachers lineage is JKA, so no difference at all. I've read somewhere that Jimmy Woo trained in Cai Li Fo while living in China and also learned martial arts from his uncle. When he moved to America he changed the name of what he learned in China to Kung fu san soo.

My Sanda teacher only knew how to box well and from a fitness/weight loss perspective.
I told him about my Kajukenbo background and that i was also training in Shotokan at the time. I told him I'll do whatever techniques and movements he wants but I asked respectfully and politely before signing up if I can maintain my Shotokan fighting stance and general way of doing things. Similar to how Lyoto Machida cross trains with other schools/styles but still does everything through his Shotokan. He agreed. The first day he kept correcting my stance and hand positioning. It annoyed me but I decided to stay because I know Sanda is a very effective combat proven fighting art. I also wanted to learn how to use my TMA training against kick boxing by sparring with him. He never sparred with me even though i asked him a thousand times. His boxing technique was good but not great, his footwork instruction was decent but not detailed enough, his fitness training was great though, however his kicking instruction was severely lacking. He only taught me kicks twice. He showed me some of his kicks, his roundhouse was fast and strong, his side kick was ok, and his back kicks/spin kicks were awful.

After I did the kicks he taught me and after he asked me to show him more kicks he stopped teaching me kicks. He focused entirely on boxing. My boxing is average but I just train it to learn how to defend against it. I tried my best to be respectful and not make him lose face. I did whatever he told me to do. He complained to me often about my constantly reverting to my Shotokan stance and strikes. A lot of stuff happened that's not worth getting into but overall I was not impressed with his teaching and decided not to continue. He also never taught me any throws at all.

Sadly I did manage to find a good Sanda teacher that is currently a pro fighter for the Hebei team. Sadly he only teaches during my work hours and he's only available 4 times a week if even that.

**Fatal Rose** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 12:56pm

Originally Posted by Ming Loyalist

we have had many threads on san soo, and most of them have been very negative. i am also interested in why you chose to train shotokan rather than sanda, or shuai jiao for instance.

I am a huge Lyoto Machida fan and have always wanted to train in an Okinawan karate style.

I can't find any Shuai Jiao teachers.

Originally Posted by Resonance10

I'll have a look at those, was underwhelmed by the links given and the videos therein..not trying to be funny but kinda undermines op's opinion on MA in China.

OP..do you still practice Kajukenbo? How did you like the MMA training up against the TMA?

I have some Kajukenbo instructional videos on my Macbook, but thats it. No one here to teach me. Zero Kajukenbo in China.
MMA training 99% of the time for me is far superior to TMA training. I'm only speaking from my own personal experiences though. TMA instructors don't have enough real sparring or high quality conditioning. I love TMA but the only reason I ever got anything out of it because I cross trained and spared with my friend who trained at the shark tank for all those years.

Originally Posted by Permalost

I've been under the impression that they don't have san soo in China, oddly enough. Is that true?

So far it's true. No one has ever herd of it. Also when I show my girlfriend (she's Chinese) and my other Chinese friends the "original" Chinese name/characters for San Soo they say it's strange and it makes no sense.

**doofaloofa** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 1:19pm

Originally Posted by Ming Loyalist

we have had many threads on san soo, and most of them have been very negative. i am also interested in why you chose to train shotokan rather than sanda, or shuai jiao for instance.

Hit the kfss tag to get the whole list AFAIK

**Resonance10** · Posted On: 1/29/2013 2:52pm

So far it's true. No one has ever herd of it. Also when I show my girlfriend (she's Chinese) and my other Chinese friends the "original" Chinese name/characters for San Soo they say it's strange and it makes no sense.

What do you make of this?

MMA training 99% of the time for me is far superior to TMA training.

Fair enough.

My teachers lineage is JKA, so no difference at all

I read on one of the San Soo links that you posted that J.Woo didn't teach 'animal' forms which is why I said 'abbreviated'.

My Sanda teacher only knew how to box well and from a fitness/weight loss perspective

Unlucky that you can't get to that good instructor.