What is San Soo?
Kung Fu San Soo is a dynamic “explosive” fighting art! So dynamic that a person considerably smaller than a larger person can easily seize, gain control and potentially inflict serious damage to a larger person. It is the ideal solution for women wanting to learn how to protect themselves from rape or any other kind of assault. Kung Fu San Soo does not rely on muscle strength. Rather, an individual learns how to use their complete and total body weight to offset their attacker’s balance.
When anyone properly lowers their center of gravity, the use of their body weight becomes their power, making size less relevant. Executing techniques from a lower center of gravity will have a staggering impact on the attacker.
Kung Fu San Soo is a five-family system representing the different fighting aspects of the art.
Tsoi Ga– the family of punches and kicks
Li Ga – the family of leverages and throws
Hoi Ga – the family of pressure points
Fut Ga– the representative of mind over body.
Hung Ga – the family of power
With the combination of the five families, San Soo is recognized throughout the martial arts world as one of the most devastating and effective fighting systems today. When these five families are combined together we have the art of Tsoi-Li -Ho-Fut-Hung.
Based on these five families the student learns to use a combination of punches, kicks, blocks, leverages, throws and sweeps directed to vital points of the human body. Any technique that the student learns does not follow a set pattern. Any of these techniques can change in an instant to fit any situation. By training mind and body to work in synchronous unison, the student learns to control his or her breathing, develop their concentration and then use what is referred to in the art of Kung Fu San Soo as “total body movement”, enabling the execution of any technique with the full weight and power of their body.
We also strive to teach our students about human anatomy. The student learns how the organs, organic systems, nerves and skeletal frame are situated in the human body. This makes learning the various strike points easier. As the student becomes more proficient in identifying the many targets on the body, it gives them innumerable choices. It also gives the student the ability and option to end a potentially volatile situation with fewer moves and reduced effort. As the student learns this knowledge they can at their discretion elect not to seriously injure an attacker. They can diffuse the altercation without causing serious or permanent damage. The student may merely decide to embarrass the aggressor and simply walk away.
GRANDMASTER JIMMY H. WOO
HISTORY OF KUNG-FU SAN SOO
San Soo refers to the “action” of the ancient Chinese art of “Tsoi-Li-Ho-Fut-Hung. This legendary and devastating system was brought to the United States through Chin Siu Dek from Pon Hong, Guangdong Province in Southern China. Chin Siu Dek changed his name to Jimmy H. Woo upon arriving in the United States in 1935.
San Soo is not a sport, but a fighting art which dates back to the early 1700’s in the Chin family in Southern China. The history of the art of San Soo in the Chin family started with Jimmy’s Great, Great, Great Grandfather who was the Monk, Leong Kick in the Kwan-Yin Monastery. It was then passed on to his Great, Great Grandfather Chin Moon Don. It was then passed on to his Great Grandfather Chin Siu Don, and then to his great Uncle Chin Siu Hung. Chin Siu Dek (Jimmy H. Woo) came into possession of the monastery training texts comprised of two books which are approximately 500 years old at the death of Chin Siu Hung when the Japanese invaded China. Chin Siu Dek was and will be the only Grandmaster in the art of Kung Fu San Soo.
