China has a rich history of warriors, dynastic struggles, and martial arts. Shaolin monks, wing chun kung fu, combat styles inspired by animal movements, drunken boxing, chi force, pressure point attacks, chin na, Jet Li, men incorporating acrobatics into saber-swinging routines, and tai chi all come to mind.
Aside from ancient fighting forms and claims to fame through movies, do Chinese martial arts have anything else to offer? What about a modern ringsport? The style known as sanshou, also dubbed 'Chinese kickboxing', delivers just that.
Eclectic Origins
Like many contemporary martial arts disciplines, sanshou's techniques arise from multiple origins. There are four main inspirations for sanshou:
1. Red Army experiences with hand-to-hand combat (particularly border clashes with the former Soviet Union)
2. Traditional Chinese martial arts
3. Shuai jiao, a form of Chinese folk wrestling emphasizing footsweeps
4. Effective tactics dating from the days of lei tai matches*
Sanshou can be seen as an amorphous blend that puts realistic fighting ability as its top priority.
*A ritual in imperial China where martial arts instructors dueled each other on raised platforms to establish their credibility. Victory only required forcing one's opponent off the platform. However, desperate contestants sometimes managed to create death matches. As a result, the Chinese government banned lei tai tournaments in 1928.
How Does Sanshou Compare to Other Styles of Kickboxing?
The most distinctive feature of sanshou is its incorporation of throws, takedowns, and trips. An iconic sanshou maneuver is catching an opponent's kick and then kicking the opponent's other leg out from under him. Masters of American-style kickboxing, taekwondo, full-contact karate, muay thai kickboxing, savate, and countless other martial arts only employ punches and kicks.
Notable Practitioners and Success in Mixed Martial Arts
China's top sanshou athletes include names such as Liu Hailong and Bao Li Gao. Both have helped popularize sanshou by participating in kickboxing matches with professional warriors from Thailand. Bao Li Gao has recently appeared in China's top mixed martial arts promotion; Art of War. Hopefully he showcases his talents on the world stage sometime soon by joining a notable American company such as Bellator, Strikeforce, or even the UFC.
But to find the best competitor in sanshou history one has to look outside China. America's Cung Le retired from international competition with an undefeated record and took his combat sports career to the next level as a mixed martial artist. He went on to capture the Strikeforce middleweight championship.
Another sanshou ambassador in mixed martial arts is Patrick Barry, who won a silver medal at the 2003 World Wushu Championships. He competes in the UFC's heavyweight division and recently lost to Cheick Kongo by knockout. His hard-hitting and very physical fighting style, coupled with his sense of humor, make him a fan favorite.
Last but not least, the first and only UFC fighter from China is worth mentioning. Zhang Tiequan, an exponent of sanshou and Brazilian jiujitsu, won his UFC debut against Jason Reinhardt via guillotine choke and looks to have a promising future. Yet, it is worth noting that his opponent was over 40 years old and hadn't fought in over 2 years. Zhang will need to prove himself against stiffer opposition to prove his mettle.
History has proven that the most well-rounded mixed martial artists are often the most successful. At the end of the day, a seamless marriage between grappling and striking is always the path to stardom. Sanshou delivers that winning formula to the letter with its incorporation of basic judo and wrestling into traditional kickboxing. Since sanshou and mixed martial arts are so naturally compatible, it may only be a matter of time before a sanshou representative rises to UFC gold.
Sources
" Kung Fu - Sports, Blood Sports and the Mixed Martial Arts. " Ottawa Chinese Martial Arts. 13 Dec. 2003. Web. 09 July 2011.
Le, Cung, and Glen Cordoza. San Shou: The Complete Fighting System. Las Vegas, NV: Victory Belt, 2010. Print.
Yu, Al. "Tiequan Zhang To Be First Chinese UFC Fighter." MMAWeekly. 4 Jan. 2011. Web. 09 July 2011.
