Giving China's “other kung fu” a fighting chance

Chinese martial arts has a secret weapon hidden in plain sight. It is so mysterious that I have yet to meet a Chinese amateur who knows it is made in China. At the same time, paradoxically, it is also an “open secret” that is attracting international attention.

I began to think of it as “the other kung fu” – Sanda.

Unlike its superstar sibling “Tao Lu Kung Fu”, this martial art is not seen in martial arts movies, but is increasingly seen on international television broadcasts of real martial arts shows.

In fact, most English-language videos and articles about Sanda praise its prowess while lamenting its obscurity, with headlines like “Is Sanda the Most Underrated Martial Art?”, “The Great Chinese Fighting Style You've Never Heard Of,” and “What's the Difference Between Kung Fu and Sanda?”

Tao Lu and Sanda are the only two competitive categories recognised by the International Wushu Federation, the leading global body for Chinese martial arts, known in Chinese as wushu.

Although these fields share the same roots, they have branched out in very different directions.

My children, ages 12 and 8, have been studying both since they were 3, and I just finished my first year of Sanda. My week is filled with Muay Thai, Eskrima (a Filipino martial art that focuses on stick techniques) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes, but I make Sanda a priority, in part because it encourages it.

Towels today are virtually entirely aesthetic.

After the invention of gunpowder and the widespread use of firearms, Taor evolved into a visually spectacular folk art form featuring choreographed acrobatics and spectacular stunts, performed with or without weapons. During competitions, the routines are precisely rehearsed.

Most masters would agree that towels are useless in combat, but they sure look cool!

Sanda is literally about taking down your opponent. This applied martial art, also known as “Chinese kickboxing,” began in Imperial China as a deadly full-contact combat system. It was adopted and refined by the Kuomintang and Red Army in the early last century, and the People's Liberation Army still trains in it today. Featuring chokes, elbow strikes and joint locks, this deadly sub-genre is called Gunshi Sanshou, which translates to “military freestyle combat.”

After the deaths of several Western boxers, China restricted martial arts in the mid-20th century until 1979, shortly after it began its Reform and Opening-up policy.

In a video on the YouTube channel “Fight Commentary Breakdowns,” Qian Renbiao, heavyweight champion and head coach of China's first national Sanda team, recalled: “At that time, every time Chinese martial artists competed overseas, we were completely defeated. The question was, 'Why can't Chinese martial arts win? Why is it ineffective in combat?'”

In response, sports authorities held a national tournament in Beijing.

“All the famous kung fu masters were invited. Changquan, Tai Chi and Mianquan masters were all present at the competition. Everyone had an opinion,” recalled Qian, who also took part in the competition.

“After much research, I decided to combine Chinese and non-Chinese techniques, modern and ancient techniques. This is what became Yundong (Sport) Sanda.”

“I also added boxing. For kicks, I used kung fu, taekwondo, karate and even Muay Thai. Chinese martial arts has great takedown styles, so I codified 24 different takedowns and how to do them in under two seconds.”

As one commentator put it, Sanda is kung fu but also “a mix of good boxing, good taekwondo, sabate (French kickboxing), good wrestling and judo, and mixed it all together to create a system that's pretty good at everything but not very good at any one thing.” Indeed, most agree that its signature strike-to-throw takedown is unparalleled.

Mei Huizhi, a former martial artist and coach of Beijing's top team, recalled in a YouTube video that he and other experts systematically collected the most effective martial arts from different Chinese schools and combined them with international martial arts.

“Sanda is a product of traditional Chinese martial arts,” he explains.

By 1982, the rules and techniques of the game had been codified. Sport Sanda was born and the first invitational tournament was held in Beijing. Competitions and teams proliferated throughout the country and around the world.

Sanda has become a major sport in international competitions such as the Asian Games, and will be included for the first time as an event in the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. With the International Olympic Committee officially recognizing the IWUF, many people are hopeful that Sanda will become an Olympic event. Meanwhile, Sanda has also been drawing attention in the mixed martial arts world thanks to UFC champion Zhang Weili and others.

Spectators love the spectacular two-minute rounds, featuring frenzied fighting, violent takedowns and opponents being hurled off the laitai, a rope-free platform that has been held for centuries.

I love this sport so much that I would love to lace up the gloves, step into the amateur ring with my kids, and do our small part to spread this Chinese martial art a little bit around the world and into the future.

Hopefully, soon this kung fu will be appreciated as “another” kung fu rather than just “another” kung fu.

The author can be contacted at erik_nilsson@chinadaily.com.cn.