Sanda is the sporting side of san shou, where strict rules apply regarding the techniques that may be used. It is also called Chinese kickboxing. San shou is a form of Chinese self-defense art and martial arts. It consists of free fighting and contains various parts of styles within wushu .
Origin of Sanda
San shou was developed by the Chinese army in the 1960s on behalf of the Chinese government. This follows on from their experiences during the Korean War. Various traditional styles were studied and a choice was made, combined with modern insights. It can therefore be seen as a modern form of wushu, in which an attempt has been made to combine the essence of various traditional styles. As an unarmed self-defense art, san shou is complete, as it includes throws, clamping techniques, choking techniques, kicks, blows, punches, and so on.
<34>Rules of SandaSanda is a full contact competition sport. Sanda is practiced in tournaments. Certain techniques that are part of the art of self-defense, such as elbow strikes, strangulations and arm locks, are not permitted, with the exception of X-treme sanda. Furthermore, it is possible to win by forcing the opponent out of the ring, which would of course be an unimportant criterion in self-defense. Originally, the ring or mat should be a platform of eight by eight meters and sixty cm high. This represents a mountain or the roof of a building. Allowed techniques are punches, kicks and throws. You can also win by KO or on points.
Sanda is practiced with head and chest protection , shin guards , mouth guard and boxing gloves . There is also 'X-treme' sanda, this is without chest, head and shin protectors. Knee and elbow techniques are often allowed here.
