Wushu - Sanda

Introduction

Wushu-Sanda, also known as Sanshou is a form of Chinese martial art practiced as a full-contact sport and resembles kickboxing. It is an unarmed combat sport which uses the kicking, punching, wrestling, throwing and defensive techniques. The sport was originally developed by the Chinese military and is based on the traditional Kung Fu and modern combat sports techniques.

The first World Championships of Wushu (both sanshou and taolu) took place in 1991 in Beijing, China and the first Sanshou World Cup was held in 2002 in Shanghai and is now organized in alternate years to the World Wushu Championships. 

Events

• Men's event
• Women's event

Equipment

Groin protector

Groin protectors are worn by most of the athletes for protection against injuries.

Wushu - Sanda - Chest Protector

These are used to protect the front of the torso against hard blows. 

Gum shield

A mouth guard is used to reduce the risk of damage from a kick to the face.

Head protector

Athletes wear head guards to prevent any head injuries because in this sport, blows to the head are allowed.

Wushu - Sanda - Gloves

Gloves are made of an outer layer of leather, stitched with nylon thread, and padded with high-density polyurethane.

Wushu - Sanda - Clothing

Athletes wear sleeveless vests and shorts that allow freedom of movement.

Techniques

Back sweep kick

In this technique, athletes rotate on their front foot so their back faces the opponent. Their back leg sweeps up to their opponent making contact at chest height with the back of the leg. Unless the opponents anticipate this attack, they will be knocked off balance.

Flying Scissor-kick

In this technique, one athlete jumps at his/her opponent, wraps his/her legs on either side of the opponent’s waist and knocks him/her to the ground.  

Scoring area

The valid scoring areas are the head, the torso and the thighs and the areas which are prohibited for attacking are the back of the head, the neck and the crotch.

Officials

Assistant Head Judge

He/she assist the head judge with his/her work and can perform other officials’ tasks when required.

Head Judge

He/she can overrule the platform and sideline judges. He/she announces the result of each round.

Platform Referees

Responsible for supervising the fight. They give directions to athletes during the bout, make judgements, inspect the protective gears, ensure safety in the bout and announce results of each bout.

Recorder

Responsible for keeping a note of all points and penalties awarded. Determines the winner of each round based on the decisions of the sideline judges.

Sideline Judges

There may be three to five sideline judges. Their job is to signal if one of the athletes crosses the boundary line.

Timekeeper

Records the time elapsed during the rounds, times each round and bangs a gong to announce the end of a round.