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Kung Fu San Soo (功夫散手) is a Chinese-American
martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...
. It is based on techniques from all over China, both Northern and Southern Chinese martial arts systems.


Etymology

The specific or proper name of this art is Tsoi Li Ho Fut Hung (蔡李何佛雄) and/or 5 Family Fist (五家拳). The name "Kung Fu San Soo" itself was chosen by the style’s creator, Jimmy H. Woo, to simplify the pronunciation and meaning for American students, rather than using the complete names of the 5 families. San Soo (散手) can mean both "unbounded hand" or "free hand". It bears a similar name with Chinese martial art Sanda (also called Sanshou), which is a different style from San Soo.


History

Kung Fu San Soo has heritage to the martial arts devised by the monks of the Kwan Yin Temple. These techniques were developed by the monks to defend themselves from the bandits while on pilgrimage. The style began truly forming itself from the 5 Family Fist (五家拳), commonly practiced in the
Taishan __NOTOC__ Taishan may refer to: *Mount Tai Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the ''Jade Emperor Peak ...
region of the Guangdong province. In China, many centuries ago, there were three original families that contributed information from their systems in order to create this art. They built a
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
and developed a combined defense system. These families are Tsoi, Li, and Ho. Fut was the philosophical or religious base and originally made reference to
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
. The Hung family was added later in order to increase power, physical conditioning and dynamics. Style founder Jimmy Woo had learned the techniques, that he would use to create San Soo, from his great-uncle, Chin Sue-Hung. Jimmy Woo, who learnt the style and illegally emigrated to United States in 1937, would establish his first San Soo school in 1962, at
Chinatown, Los Angeles Chinatown is a neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles, California, that became a commercial center for Chinese and other Asian businesses in Central Los Angeles in 1938. The area includes restaurants, shops, and art galleries, but also has a resi ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.


Foundation and techniques

Kung Fu San Soo originated for use in military combat and uses techniques designed to swiftly disable an attacker. Due to the fact, San Soo is a practical martial art for self-defense and the techniques are intended for real fight scenarios, there are no competitions or tournaments for San Soo Kung Fu. While San Soo was not created or taught as a
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
sport, practitioners commonly incorporate forms of limited
sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. It can encompass a range of activities and techniques such as punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, wrestling or submission work dependent on style. Although the precise form varies, ...
. Kung Fu San Soo has no patterns (
kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts ...
, taolu etc.), making it adaptable style. Its been founded on the knowledge of physics, with there being an emphasis on leverage, power and speed. When fighting, the practitioner is to assume the mentality that they must either incapacitate the opponent within three strikes or to end the fight in less than 10 seconds. Kung Fu San Soo does not attempt to emulate the motions of animals with elaborate forms. His words were, "We fight like men, not animals." The basic premise of San Soo is there are no rules in a fight, so the style is techniques oriented to remove a threat as quickly as possible through seizing the initiative and keeping the opponent off balance. Like many martial arts, San Soo can be used by smaller or weaker persons against larger or stronger assailants by utilizing technique and knowledge of reaction to make up for a lack of strength. Techniques in San Soo are made up of
Chin Na Qin Na () is the set of joint lock techniques used in the Chinese martial arts to control or lock an opponent's joints or muscles/tendons so they cannot move, thus neutralizing the opponent's fighting ability. ''Qin Na Shu'' ( meaning "techniq ...
leverages,
throwing Throwing is a physical action that consists of mechanically accelerating a projectile and then releasing it into a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a distant target. ''Throwing'' typically refers to hand-throwing by a ...
,
choking Choking, also known as foreign body airway obstruction (FBAO), is a phenomenon that occurs when breathing is impeded by a blockage inside of the respiratory tract. An obstruction that prevents oxygen from entering the lungs results in oxygen de ...
, joint-locking,
strangling Strangling or strangulation is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain by restricting the flow of oxygen through the trachea. Fatal strangulation typically occur ...
, strikes, and quick takedowns. Targets include the eyes, nose, throat, base of the skull, neck, liver, spleen, kidneys, testicles, and knees, and for this reason, most San Soo practitioners do not engage in full contact competition/sport fighting. Techniques are commonly practiced in unrehearsed 'freestyle workout' sessions with carefully controlled contact. San Soo practitioners claim this method of training builds an automatic and flexible response in much the same way we learn language a few words at a time until we have full and versatile vocabularies. Training methods, historic interpretations, and modifications exist from school to school among the modern descendants of San Soo. San Soo also incorporates training with the use of many traditional Chinese weapons. These include the staff (5', 7' and 9'),
broadsword The basket-hilted sword is a sword type of the early modern era characterised by a basket-shaped guard that protects the hand. The basket hilt is a development of the quillons added to swords' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages. This varie ...
,
hooking In computer programming, the term hooking covers a range of techniques used to alter or augment the behaviour of an operating system, of applications, or of other software components by intercepting function calls or messages or events passed ...
or ripping swords, ''baat cham do'' ( butterfly swords),
three-section staff The three-section staff, three-part staff, triple staff, originally sanjiegun () or sansetsukon (), three-section whip, originally sanjiebian (), is a Chinese flail weapon that consists of three wooden or metal staves connected by metal rings o ...
, ''
taijijian ''Taijijian'' ( zh, t=太極劍, s=太极剑, p=tàijíjiàn, l= ''taiji'' sword) is a straight two-edged sword used in the training of the Chinese martial art tai chi. The straight sword, sometimes with a tassel and sometimes not, is used for u ...
'' (tai chi sword), knife, spear, kwon do, chas and chain. The
baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conducti ...
, although not a traditional Chinese weapon, was a weapon that Jimmy Woo specialized in and incorporated into the art.


Notable practitioners


Jimmy H. Woo (founder of American Kung Fu San Soo)

Kung Fu San Soo was brought to
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
by Chin Siu Dek. Kung Fu San Soo tradition holds that Chin Siu Dek lived and grew up just across the river from this school in the village of Sanba. Chin learned Five Family Style / Tsoi Li Ho Fut Hung primarily from his Great-Uncle, Chan Siu Hung at the Hung Sing Goon school in
Taishan __NOTOC__ Taishan may refer to: *Mount Tai Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the ''Jade Emperor Peak ...
,
Guangdong Province ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
, China. The Hung Sing Goon school would end up being destroyed by
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
partisans during the Cultural Revolution. Chin would enter United States under the
Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a United States Code, United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law made exceptions for travelers an ...
, and leaving China on the eve of the Japanese Occupation, Chin Siu Dek took the name, "Jimmy Haw Woo" as a lifetime
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
. According to sources, he was born around 1910-14. Jimmy H. Woo died in Southern California on February 14, 1991.


Benjamin Brandt

Benjamin Brandt
was a first-generation master trained by Jimmy Woo at studios in
La Habra La Habra – archaic spelling of – is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California, United States. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. History Origin of name The name referred to the "Pass Through ...
, CA and Monterey Park, CA. Ben Brandt is the incorporator of th
International Kung Fu San Soo Association
established o
September 15, 1983
in Monterey Park, CA.


Kathy Long

Kathy Long is 5-time World Champion Kickboxer and holds an 8th degree black belt/sash in Kung Fu San Soo.


Gerald Okamura

Gerald Okamura Gerald Okamura (born 1940) is an American actor, martial artist, and stuntman, known for appearing in numerous action films. He has acted in both mainstream blockbusters like ''Big Trouble in Little China'' and B-movies such as ''Samurai Cop''. ...
is a Hollywood Actor and Stuntman


Ralph Johnson

Ralph Johnson is the drummer for
Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...


Daniele Bolelli

Daniele Bolelli is author of multiple books and creator of the History on Fire
podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
. He holds an 8th Degree Black Belt in Kung Fu San Soo


See also

*
Jeet Kune Do Jeet Kune Do (/ˌdʒiːt kuːn ˈdoʊ/; zh, c=截拳道, l=stop fist way' or 'way of the intercepting fist, j=zit6 kyun4 dou6; abbreviated JKD) is a hybrid martial art conceived and practiced by martial artist Bruce Lee. It was formed from ...
*
Choy Li Fut Choy Lee Fut is a Chinese martial art and Chinese martial arts, wushu style, founded in 1836 by Chan Heung (陳享). Choy Li Fut was named to honor the Buddhist monk Choy Fook (蔡褔, Cai Fu) who taught him Choi ga, Choy Gar, and Li Yau-san ...
*
Vovinam Vovinam (short for ''Võ Việt Nam'', meaning "Vietnamese Martial Arts"), officially known as Việt Võ Đạo (越武道, meaning "Vietnamese Way of Martial Arts") is a Vietnamese martial art founded in 1938 by Nguyễn Lộc. It is based o ...
*
Nanquan (martial art) Nanquan, or zh, c=南派, p=Nán pài, l=southern school) refers to a classification of Chinese martial arts that originated in Southern China. The southern styles of Chinese martial arts are characterized by emphasis on "short hitting" a ...
*
Kajukenbo Kajukenbo ( Japanese: カジュケンボ) is a hybrid martial art from Hawaii. It was developed in the late 1940s and founded in 1947 in the Palama Settlement on Oahu, Territory of Hawaii. Kajukenbo training incorporates a blend of striking, ...


Notes


References


External links


History, Lineage, and San Soo sections of Sonora San SooReeder's Kung Fu San Soo SchoolSudden Violence: The Art Of San Soo
Greg Jones {{Martial arts Chinese martial arts Hybrid martial arts North American martial arts Martial arts in the United States