EKF Kickboxing - CHICAGO, IL

What is Sanshou Kickboxing?

Literally translated, "San" means free, "Shou" means hand. Put together, "Sanshou" represents "free fighting". Sanshou is also commonly known as Sanda.

Sanshou is a complete martial art that teaches striking, kicking, leg catches, sweeps, takedowns and throws. It was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon intense study of various traditional methods and combined with modern advances in sports medicine and training methodology.

Sanshou is practiced as a full-contact combat sport, and the rules are designed to simulate actual combat. Training is conducted with safety equipment, and competitions are conducted under rules restricting certain tactics and techniques designed for the safety of the participants.

Striking

Sanshou puts equal emphasis on both punching and kicking. Punches are similar to western-style boxing in that Sanshou also uses the jab, the cross, the hook, and the upper cut. However, unlike boxing, Sanshou allows striking with various parts of the fist, which allows for many other different techniques such as the hammer fist and the back fist. Kicking is similar to Muay Thai and American-style kickboxing in that they all use roundhouse kicks and leg kicks. However, Sanshou has a far higher emphasis on side kicks, axe kicks, and spinning kicks.

Takedowns

In the sport of Sanshou, putting your opponent on the ground has a high point value. Thus, techniques such as leg catches, foot sweeps, throws, and uproots are extremely important maneuvers.

Sparring

Learning the techniques and practicing them on focus mitts and heavy bags is a fun and fantastic workout. However, those who want to be able to apply the techniques in a realistic combat situation should incorporate sparring into their training regimen.
While it is important to learn the skills as single techniques and combinations of techniques, eventually it is beneficial to practice these maneuvers as close to full speed as possible against a resisting opponent in a dynamic situation.

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