The next big thing in Chinese martial arts may well be sanda, a combination of striking,kicking, throwing and seizing. Andrew Chin visits a class in Shanghai.
Over the past decade, there has been a revived interest in martial arts around theworld. Previously unknown regional styles like Brazilian jiu-jitsu and muay Thai are nowtaught in Shanghai, after being showcased in international mixed martial arts events.
The most recent event was the MMA Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), whichmade its debut in China on November 10 in Macau.
Mixed martial arts, as its name suggests, involves various international styles of martialarts, including Chinese kung fu.
The UFC also aims to popularize the Chinese sanda (sanshou) fighting style, whichcombines four basic skills: striking, kicking, throwing and seizing. It's sometimes calledkung fu kick boxing. It's both hand-to-hand self-defense and a combat sport.
In the Macau tournament, Vietnamese-American Cung Le, who knows sanda andother martial arts, won the headline match, knocking out former UFC middleweightchampion, American Rich Franklin.
Shanghai residents can beat others to the punch by taking sanda lessons before itbecomes the next big thing in MMA.
A major difference between sanda and MMA is that in sanda, when one fighter is onthe ground, the referee breaks up the match and points are awarded. In MMA, thefight continues and the man on the ground fights back and can be struck. Thus, tosucceed internationally in MMA, sanda fighters need to work on their ground game.
Sanda is the sports version of sanshou, a style of close combat fighting that wasdeveloped by the Chinese military during the 1920s at the Whampoa Military Academyin Guangdong Province after studying traditional wushu styles. A modern militaryversion is taught by the People's Liberation Army.
In the 1960s, the Chinese government developed rules for sanda. In 1985, sandacompetitions were part of the First International Wushu Championship in Xi'an, capitalcity of Shaanxi Province. The ninth edition of the event was held in October, drawingathletes from more than 60 countries and regions. Most Chinese fighters come from asanda-training base.
For local American MMA trainer Silas Maynard, learning sanda was essential for hisFighters Unite Shanghai team to stay relevant and in competition.
"We got into sanda out of necessity," Maynard says. "We kept going to these fights andsince the rules are different from muay Thai and kickboxing, it didn't go so well. So westarted getting into sanda heavily about a year ago and are getting more involved inthat scene."
Maynard leads sanda classes three times a week at his Fighters Unite Shanghai gym,also called Sai Rui Gym, on Fenglin Road in Xuhui District and he coaches students inbouts almost every week.
Cool sport
The team's youngest fighter, Hector Tournier from England, fought last year at the ageof 15 and is now in his second year of sanda training.
"It's a very cool sport and really helped with my balance and flexibility," Tournier says. "I'm pretty active and it helps get rid of some of that energy."
The classes are not restricted to fighters and many students take classes to get inshape.
"It increases core strength, reduces fat and improves your cardiovascular system,"Maynard explains.
His student Brice Romain lost 26 kilograms in six months of training and healthy eating.
"When you're training, everything is about respect and all the movements are socontrolled," Romain says. "It makes you want to be smarter than your opponent andmotivates you to have your body in good condition."
Women like Nadya Badmaeva, who came to Shanghai from Russia a month ago, istaking the class. She used to dance and do yoga, "and now I'm learning to fight, whichI like so far."
"A lot of girls are afraid that they'll look like a man taking these classes but it just toneswhat you have," Maynard says. "It takes some of the fat areas away and it gives you acut, fit body type."
Students can spar with each other during class, but it's not required. Student RichardBecker from France observes, "People have this view that fighting sports are reallyviolent but unless you're actually competitively fighting, it's really not. It's a great way tobuild self-confidence, stamina and general health. It builds up something you can beinterested in and do regularly."
Becker has been training in sanda for four years and won the under-18 sandachampionship in France. "Kung fu is quite popular and all 'wushu' schools teach sandathere," he says.
Since landing in Shanghai, the 21-year-old has been transitioning from sanda to MMA. "The floor game is the biggest difference," he says. "Also, sanda fighters like grabs andswipes a big more, which is quite different from MMA, which is more stand-up fighting."
UFC managing director american Mark Fischer is aware the differences. "Sanda is anexcellent martial art for striking but to be successful at MMA, sanda fighters need todevelop grappling skills and other aspects of the MMA ground game."
UFC plans to roll out a development program for Chinese fighters in coming yearsdesigned in part to teach MMA ground game skills.
Since it helped internationalize muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, UFC can do the samewith sanda, Fischer says, especially if more Chinese sanda fighters enter UFC.
Cung Le's recent entry into the UFC has already helped build awareness of sanda inthe West.
Tiequan Zhang from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is the only Chinesefighter currently on the UFC roster.
"If you can do sanda, then you can acclimatize yourself into MMA quickly," Zhang says. "I think more Chinese fighters will joining the UFC. If they are all sanda-based, peoplewill find out how good they are."
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