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| San sau | ||
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2-person
combat set
Students must learn the san sau 2-person set.
It features simple street-style attacks
intended to strike vulnerable targets.
The set teaches the student how to evade and counter skilfully, whilst offering
tantalising bait and limiting the attacker's options.
Multiple skills
It teaches strategy and timing, positioning and framework.
Peng, stickiness and jing must
also be employed.
Form
A student of the san sau needs to be adept at Long Yang form
(section 1).
Many of the form movements feature in this 2
person set.
If a student has neglected to practice form, they will struggle to learn
this set.
In all the martial arts the critical foundation that must be cultivated by the student is mindfulness.
(Ron Sieh)
Initial stages of learning
San sau is taught through 4 stages initially:
Sequence
Peng
Combat concerns
Stage 1
The 'sequence' is just the pattern of movements: the framework.
It must be performed quite well but is still very crude.
Stage 2
The next stage involves slowing the sequence down in order to
emphasise structure and
peng.
Structure
The framework must be accurate and
strong.
Without the necessary angle and positioning, much of the
power is lost and the student will tend
towards tension in order to compensate.
It is important to test the posture (with a
partner) to ensure structural stability and
softness.
The aim is to be pliable like bamboo rather than brittle and rigid.
Adhere to the standard tai chi
guidelines.
Peng
Without peng, the san sau will not work.
You need inherent peng in every movement
and manifest peng when counter-attacking.
Predictability
The simple 'evade and attack' methodology of the san sau makes it
quite easy for a student to address peng from the onset.
There are no unpredictable attacks.
Correct countering will ensure ample
opportunity to test peng.
If your peng is present you will immediately
destabilise the attacker using the neutralising arm, and increase their
instability with a counter-strike.
The absence of peng will be evident through blocking
and crumpling, and the use of unnecessary force.
Pace
Initially the set must be practiced very slowly.
Do not speed it up until you can perform the set without
thinking or planning
in advance.
Slowness encourages control.
Panic
Premature application against full-power strikes will only cause the
defender to panic.
It will also promote unwanted postural tension.
Accuracy
Train slowly, carefully and thoroughly.
There is no need to deliberately increase the pace.
The set will get faster as you become more confident and your timing
improves.
Stage 3
Jing is concerned with the effect of your
applications on the opponent.
Unless you affect the attacker in the required manner, the set will fail to
work.
Every counter-attack must be executed properly.
Think about:
Stickiness
Use of centre
Precise alignment
Small circle movement
Angles of attack and defence
4 ounces
If you exceed 4 ounces of pressure at any time, something is wrong.
It may be that you are forcing an
outcome.
It may be that the attacker is not being realistic.
Gaps & deficiencies
The san sau was designed with the recognition that every
counter potentially leaves you vulnerable.
By countering skilfully, you can limit what
the attacker can do.
Having committed and failed to make contact, the attacker must select the
next target.
They will typically
choose
the target that offers the greatest reward for
the least amount of risk.
The san sau is designed to cultivate an
awareness of these targets
and uses them as bait to lure the
attacker.
Stage 4
The final learning stage is about using the set in actual combat.
Subtle changes and corrections enhance
the set, making it much more versatile and functional in combat.
Decisive
If you can defend correctly, then each counter will
finish-off the attacker.
You should also have compromised their structure and balance to an extent
that forces the attacker to withdraw fully in order to re-attack.
Your aim is to be thorough and convincing against a full-power assault.
Commitment
Both the attacker and the defender must attack
whole-heartedly.
The aim of the set is to gain practical combat
knowledge and experience.
If the attack is weak it trains nothing.
Playing the attacker is a skill and it must be cultivated earnestly in
class. Failure to attack well also means that you will fail to counter-attack
well.
Convincing
If the defence is weak, your counters will not work.
Use intention rather than tension.
Make your responses accurate, effective and sincere.
Footwork
The footwork uses in the san sau is pretty straightforward.
The skill lies in performing it very accurately.
Poor coordination leads to bad positioning, and the set simply will not work
in practice.
Your steps need to be nimble and smooth.
Whole-body movement
You must avoid disconnected movement at
all costs.
Coordinate your body so that all parts are working together.
Do not force a limb or push a stationary opponent.
Feel where the power is coming from and
move your body accordingly.
Correct application works in accord with the incoming force, so no force is
necessary.
If you cannot find harmony with the attack, focus
on the most basic partnered drills and re-train timing and sensitivity.
Solo
Practicing solo is a must.
Use a door frame for positioning.
A mirror may also be used but is less useful.
Quality matters
Aim for accuracy of posture and positioning.
Make sure that every single movement is structurally correct. What is your target?
Can you reach the target?
How are you generating power?
Train slowly and thoroughly to avoid making mistakes.
Mirror the set
Solo and partnered practice must be mirrored.
Further learning stages
The student later applies this drill against a
knife attacker.
They uncover power generation methods, hidden strikes and chin na throughout
the set.
An instructor dismantles san sau to see how
it works.
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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