What we teach

PAt Wutan Canada we practice a number of different styles of Kung Fu. However, we concentrate on Praying Mantis Boxing, Baji and Bagua because of the speed, power and balance they generate.raying Mantis Boxing, or Tang Lang Chuan in the Mandarin, is a martial art that originates in Shandong Province, in north-eastern China. It is considered a ‘Northern’ style of Kung Fu, and shares many techniques in common with Northern Long-fist. As a complete art it has a full complement of techniques that include punches, kicks, sweeps, trips, throws, and joint locking. Requiring great athleticism, Praying Mantis Boxing is a fast moving, dynamic art that uses the entire body as a weapon. It is well-known for its lightning fast machine-gun attacks, devastating opponents with a multi-directional flurry of blows. Aggressive in nature, this sophisticated system emphasizes advancing and controlling an opponent, while at the same time avoiding attacks through the use of complex stepping and angling techniques.

Phunsak Thiennviboon, senior student of Sifu Jason Tsou, performed a Northern Mantis form (Li pi) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9qKqO3dTQo

Bājíquán is a Chinese martial art that features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow strikes. It originated in HebeiProvince in Northern China, but is also well known in other places today, especially Taiwan. Its full name is kai men baji quan which means “open-gate eight-extremities fist”. Baji fist is known to open the opponent’s arms forcibly and mount attacks at high, mid, and low levels of the body. It is most useful in close combat, as it focuses on elbow, knee, shoulder and hip strikes. When blocking an attack or nearing an opponent, baji quan techniques emphasize striking major points of vulnerability, namely the thorax (trunk of the body), legs and neck.

Sifu Jason Tsou demonstrates Baji (DaBaji) at the Joy of Kungfu event, June 14, 2009 (Rosemead, CA). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPqh8Srkdd4&feature=youtu.be

The bagua are eight trigrams used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight interrelated concepts. Each consists of three lines, each line either “broken” or “unbroken,” representing yin or yang, respectively. Due to their tripartite structure, they are often referred to as “trigrams” in English.

The trigrams are related to taiji philosophy, taijiquan and the wu xing, or “five elements.” The relationships between the trigrams are represented in two arrangements, the Primordial, “Earlier Heaven”or “Fuxi” bagua, and the Manifested, “Later Heaven,” or “King Wen” bagua. The trigrams have correspondences in astronomy, astrology, geography, geomancy, anatomy, the family, and elsewhere.

Bagua Forest Palm demonstrated by Sifu Jason Tsou
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwQ0-JMXePc

Kickboxing is a generic term that can be applied across a large number of styles and flavours of the sport. American Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Savate, Sanda/Sanshou, etc… are all examples of Kickboxing styles. At Wutan Canada we focus on Chinese Sanda/Sanshou.

What is Sanshou?
“Sanda or Sanshou or an “unsanctioned fight” is a Chinese self-defense system and combat sport. Sanshou is a martial art which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon the study and practices of traditional Kung fu and modern combat fighting techniques; it combines full-contact kickboxing, which include close range and rapid successive punches and kicks, with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps, kick catches, and in some competitions, even elbow and knee strikes.

Not seen as a style itself, rather it is considered as just one of the two components of Chinese martial arts training and is often taught alongside with taolu (forms) training. However, as part of the development of sport wushu by the Chinese government, a standard curriculum for sanshou was developed. It is to this standard curriculum that the term “Sanshou” is usually applied.”
wikipedia

Does Sanshou Work?
In today’s world of the internet there is a lot of interest in trying in finding out whether or not a martial art is really practical or not. Sanshou has produced a number of top fighters in the world in both kickboxing and MMA circles. Those fighters include Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le, Pat Berry, KJ Noons, etc… in the MMA world and fighters such as Marvin Perry, Muslim Salihov, Bao Li Gao, and Liu Hailong who has a record of 50 wins and 4 losses. Having beaten many top Muay Thai fighters Liu Hailong was nicknamed “the conqueror of Muay Thai.”

Sanshou is a style and like every style it is based around the practitioner. There is no best or worst path to take. However, for fighters looking to improve their striking and their takedowns Sanshou will be great training and certainly help elevate your Martial Arts to the next level.

Praying Mantis Kung Fu is a style of Chinese martial arts that originated in Shandong province, China. It was created by Wang Lang and named after the praying mantis insect, which inspired the style’s movements. The style is characterized by its speed, agility, and use of whip-like/circular motions to deflect direct attacks, which it follows up with precise attacks to the opponent’s vital spots 1.

The Northern Praying Mantis style is one of the most popular styles of Praying Mantis Kung Fu. It emphasizes wrist/arm techniques, knee and elbow strikes, and complex footwork borrowed from Monkey Kung Fu1. The core of the Mantis system is made up of the following forms: Beng Bu, Luan Jie, Fen Shen Ba Zhou, Zhai Yao and Fan Che1.The core of the Mantis system is made up of the following forms: Beng Bu, Luan Jie, Fen Shen Ba Zhou, Zhai Yao, and Fan Che1. The style emphasizes wrist/arm techniques, knee and elbow strikes, and complex footwork borrowed from Monkey Kung Fu1.

Bajiquan is a Chinese martial art that features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow and shoulder strikes. It was created by Wu Zhong, a member of the Hui minority from the Wu family clan of the Mengcun region in Cangzhou, Hebei 1. Bajiquan is now popular in northern China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and other countries 1.

The style is known for its simplicity, directness, and explosive power. It draws influence from various martial arts, including Tongbei, Xingyi, and Tai Chi2. Bajiquan is characterized by its whip-like/circular motions to deflect direct attacks, followed by precise attacks to the opponent’s vital spots1.

Sanda (also known as Sanshou, Chinese boxing, or Chinese kickboxing) is the official Chinese kickboxing full-contact combat sport 1. It is a fighting system that combines boxing and full-contact kickboxing with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps, kick catches, and in some competitions, even elbow and knee strikes 1. Sanda was originally developed by the Chinese military based on traditional kung fu and modern combat fighting techniques 1. The style emphasizes close-range and rapid successive punches and kicks, along with whip-like/circular motions to deflect direct attacks. It also focuses on precise attacks to the opponent’s vital spots 1.

Sanda’s competitive history is rooted in barehanded elevated arena or Lei Tai fights in which no rules were observed1. It was commonly held between soldiers to test and practice barehanded martial skills, ability, and techniques. Rules were later developed, and the use of protective gloves was adopted1. Sanda’s curriculum was developed with reference to traditional Chinese martial arts1. The general Wushu Sanda curriculum practiced in modern wushu schools is composed of different traditional martial arts fighting styles from China and Western Boxing, but mainly based on scientific efficiency1.

Taijiquan (also known as Tai Chi Chuan) is a Chinese martial art that originated in Wenxian County, Henan Province, China, during the mid-seventeenth century 1. It is a traditional physical practice characterized by relaxed, circular movements that work in concert with breath regulation and the cultivation of a righteous and neutral mind 1. Taijiquan’s basic movements center upon wubu (five steps) and bafa (eight techniques) with a series of routines, exercises, and tuishou (hand-pushing skills performed with a counterpart)1. The style emphasizes close-range and rapid successive punches and kicks, along with whip-like/circular motions to deflect direct attacks. It also focuses on precise attacks to the opponent’s vital spots 1.

Taijiquan has developed into several schools (or styles) named after a clan or a master’s personal name. The element is passed down through clan-based transmission or the master-apprentice model. The latter relationship is established through the traditional ceremony of baishi1. Taijiquan has also been incorporated into the formal education system1.

Shuai Jiao (Chinese: 摔跤 or 摔角; pinyin: Shuāijiāo; Wade–Giles: Shuai-chiao) is the term pertaining to the ancient jacket wrestling wushu style of Beijing, Tianjin, and Baoding of Hebei Province in the North China Plain 1. It was codified by Shan Pu Ying (善撲营 The Battalion of Excellency in Catching) of the Nei Wu Fu (内務府, Internal Administration Unit of Imperial Household Department)1. The art was introduced to Southern China in the Republican era after 1911 1.

Shuai Jiao is also the general Mandarin Chinese term for any form of wrestling, both inside and outside China 1. As a generic name, it may be used to cover various styles of wrestling practiced in China in the form of a martial arts system or a sport 1.

The earliest Chinese term for wrestling, “jǐao dǐ” ( 角抵, horn butting ), refers to an ancient style of military Kung-Fu in which soldiers wore horned headgear with which they attempted to butt, throw, and defeat their enemies 1. Jiao di has been described as an originating source of wrestling and latter forms of martial arts in China 1. “Jiao li” (角力) was first referenced in the Classic of Rites during the Zhou dynasty. Jiao li supplemented throwing techniques with strikes, blocks, joint locks, and attacks on pressure points 1.