San Soo fighting tactics were begun in the Kwan-Yin (goddess of mercy) monastery in the village of Pon Hong, Guangdong Province of Southern China. The monks are said to have developed this form of martial arts to protect themselves from bandits and outlaws[citation needed] as they returned with supplies and donations from the nearby villages as well as to maintain their physical fitness..
Jimmy Woo (Chin Siu Dek) is credited with bringing 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, a basic premise of San Soo is there are "no rules in a fight" and it incorporates techniques that aim to remove a threat as quickly and effectively as possible. Typical moves include blows to the throat, upward blows to the nose, or kicking to the groin, all of which are commonly banned from sports styles.
San Soo can be used effectively by smaller, weaker persons against large assailants, as it does not rely on brute force.[citation needed] The swiftness of neutralizing an opponent is another aspect of this paradigm, with some practitioners aiming to end a fight within ten seconds, using merely three blows.[citation needed]However, most San Soo lessons have 7-10 movements or strikes.
San Soo Kung Fu is also known as "Human Style" Kung Fu as opposed to one of the animal styles.
About Jimmy Woo:
Chin Siu Dek was born in China in 1914. The art of Kung Fu San Soo (also known as "Tsoi-Li-Ho-Fut-Hung")had been a closely-guarded secret of his family for several generations. He travelled to the United States in 1935, where he assumed the American name "Jimmy Woo". He lived and worked in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles in produce and as a bodyguard.
Jimmy opened his first martial arts school in El Monte, California in 1962. He became a "Grandmaster" ("Lau Sifu") in January, 1984.
He was married to Bernice Woo.
Jimmy died in 1991. His grandson, James P. King, is head of the International Kung Fu San Soo Association (IKFSSA).
No comments:
Post a Comment