Sanda / Sanshou
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Sanda, or Sanshou, is one of the real combat disciplines of Chinese Wushu. Sanda has been developed in a similar way as the modern Wushu Forms, studying, analizing and refining all the best techniques from many different styles in order to preserve the martial values and heritage. All Sanda techniques can be found within the vast Wulin, or martial forest.
The techniques employed in Sanda are based upon punches, kicks, grappling and locks.
As for all martial arts dedicated exclusively to fighting, the learning timeframe is reasonable, and in about 3 years a practitioner is ready to participate to the full-contact tournaments.
Normal training is based upon a sequence of aerobic warm-up, stretching, basic techniques and combinations (jab, direct, hook, front kick, side kick, etc.), shadow boxing, 2 person drills, free sparring, plus heavy bag, abdominals, push-ups and so on.
Fighting Rules
In a tournament the targets can be
- thighs
- body (back excluded)
- head (back excluded)
It is forbidden to hit knees, groin and throat; a throwing attempt must be successful within 3 seconds (otherwise the referee stops you) and it is forbidden to hit the head with more than 2 consecutive techniques of the same kind (that is, if you land 2 punches on your opponent's head you have to do something different, like a low kick, before starting to punch again).
Safety Gear
For tournaments the athlets have to wear safety gear:
- 8-10 oz gloves, depending on the weight (above/over 70 Kg)
- groin cup
- mouthpiece
- helmet
- shin pads
- body armour
The equipment restricts the number of grappling and throwing techniques to those which can be applied with the gloves, which means basically locking the legs, arms or neck and then applying leg sweeps or hip throws, in a way similar to the various goshi waza of Judo.
Tournaments
Regular tournaments and championships are organised by the various Sanda organisations all around the world.
In a tournament you fight for 2 rounds of 2 minutes each, plus a 3rd round in case the first 2 score even. You win if you KO your opponent; otherwise the referee checks the score, where you get 1 point for a fist, 2 points for a kick and from 1 to 3 points for a takedown, depending on the technique used (i.e. if you push your opponent down with force you get 1 point, succeeding in a nice headlock and hip throw making him fly over your back is worth 3 points).
Platform
A real match should take place on top of a raised platform (about half a meter); if your opponent falls from the platform, you win. However, it is not uncommon to have Sanda matches on a normal tatami square or in a ring.
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