San Soo
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San Soo is a form of Chinese martial arts.
San Soo has its origins in the very basics of Chinese life two thousands years ago. These fighting tactics were begun in the Kwan-Yin (goddess of mercy) monastery in the village of Pon Hong, Guangdong Province of Southern China. It is said that the monks developed this form of martial arts to protect themselves from bandits and outlaws as they returned with supplies and donations from the nearby villages. Combinations of kicks, punches, strikes and leverages are based on scientific principles of physics. It follows no set pattern, and is easy to adapt to any given situation.
Grandmaster Jimmy Woo (Chin Siu Dek) is credited with bring the art to America in the 1930's, finally opening his own studio to teach formally in 1962.
San Soo is not a tournament sport, as it was developed purely as self-defense against the threat of injury or death. Typical moves during fights could include blows to the throat, upward blows to the nose, or biting.
San Soo can be used effectively by smaller, weaker persons against large assailants, as its tactics do not rely on brute force; hence, its usefulness to women in rape prevention and self-defense.
A basic premise of San Soo is that there are "no rules in a fight" and hence it is an extremely brutal form of hand-to-hand killing.
The swiftness of the neutralizing of an opponent is another important aspect of San Soo, with some practitioners aiming to kill within ten seconds, using merely three blows.
See also
- S.C.A.R.S. and S.A.F.T.A.; American combatives based on San soo
- Chinese martial arts
- Kung fu (term)