The whole idea in a fight is to come out the winner. For that to happen, the other guy has to lose, pure and simple. And the best way to insure that he loses is to never give him a chance to win in the first place. Whenever possible, strike first, and hit a target that will take your opponent out of the fight, such as the eyes, throat, or groin. This may not seem very sporting, but real fighting isn’t a sport, and there are no second place winners.

We have been given the ultimate in hand¬-to-hand combat fighting technique and method – Kung Fu San Soo. The power generated by proper shoulder turn is incredible. Combined with a punching combination that sets your opponent up for each subsequent and devastating blow, aimed at weak points on the body, makes this system a powerful weapon for the practictioner. But, it must be joined with a commitment on your part to inflict that pain and damage to your opponent. Without that commitment, the system is weakened. And when it is weakened by lack of commitment, it becomes a watered down version of a true fighting art. It short, it starts to become more of a sport.

And, sports don’t survive on the street.

When you being nearing the top of a particular peak, and there are many, you have most likely achieved the skills or nearly achieved the skills that this level has to offer. It is at this time that some students experience a strange phenomemon. I call this level a “plateau”.

Symptoms of a plateau are self-doubt, a sudden lack of confidence and a general loss of interest. It is as though you begin to feel that you aren’t learning anything. Some students begin feeling like they are no good and feel like they will never get any better. Others may even have nightmares of moving in slow motion during a combat situation, or throwing punches that won’t hit or hurt theoir opponent. If you have experienced any of these things you probably were, or are on a plateau.

Plateaus can be quite frustrating and persistent. They have shattered many a dream of becoming an accomplished black belt. They are a major cause of failure.

Overcoming a plateau is actually quite easy. One simply needs to be aware of their existence, to acknowledge its existence, and most of all you must continue to study. Your plateau won’t last long. Soon you find yourself on another journey, climbing a new peak, with your confidence and excitement returning. Eventually, the plateaus will disappear forever, usually around black belt level.

If you ever find yourself doubting your abilities or experience a sudden loss of confidence or think you just aren’t learning anything of value, you are probably on a plateau. Just remember that the plateau you are on now is on a much higher level of learning than the previous one. You are better now than you were before. Don’t let a plateau get the better of you. Don’t let on get in the way of your dream of black belt excellence. Plateaus are your test. Peaks are your rewards. Keep faith in yourself and in your abilities. Keep on training and learning. You will be a black belt very soon.

Many people do not know this but Jimmy Woo and Frank Woolsey established a working business partnership back in the early 60’s. Jimmy ran the established studio in El Monte, Ca. and Frank opened a new studio in Downey, Ca. The training that Jimmy Woo sanctioned and Frank Woolsey taught in the Downey school was how I began my training. I was there for six years before I transferred to Jimmy’s school in El Monte.

Training in the Woolsey school was not haphazard. Lessons were not just randomly handed out. There were lesson plans laid out by Jimmy Woo and taught by Frank Woolsey. The lessons were taught in categories. Each lesson in each category had a name and number assigned to it. The names of the categories are Ah-Soo, Fut-Ga, Choy-Li-Ho, Top-ga and Numpi. Learning one of these lessons gave you the skills and coordination you needed to learn another lesson further down the line.

Life in the old Woolsey school was rough to say the least. Pain was an everyday experience and injury was always just another punch away. Discipline was never a problem. If you didn’t have any, you would be beaten until you either got some or quit. I was there for one reason and one reason only; I wanted to learn how to fight like the devil himself, and I wasn’t going to let a little pain stop me.

AH-SOO
Each new student, including myself started on number one Ah-Soo. Ah-Soo, roughly translated means “fighting hands”. These lessons coordinate the hands, builds power and begins the “focus of the Chi”. Simply put, Ah-Soo gives a man a great ability to punch with single action or multiple combinations of punches. Powerful blocks and stances are also secured. After practicing these lessons for between six months to a year, a student will become very powerful and can accurately and decisively hit an aggressive moving target. Your hands are now coordinated and it’s time to begin Fut-Ga training.

FUT-GA
Fut-Ga, roughly translated means “the way of the monk”. The function of these lessons was to effectively coordinate your hands to work with your feet. Fut-Ga, unlike the defensive Ah-Soo lessons, are offensive and require you to approach your opponent from any one of eight different angles. Completion of the Fut-Ga lessons will have doubled your effective power and the body extremities are now coordinated enough to work as a single unit. Launching multiple attacks, utilizing punches and kicks at the same time, is now not only possible but very feasible.

CHOY-LI-HO
Choy-Li-Ho (the three families of San Soo), utilizes single action punches and kicks but is very strong in leverage, pressure points, joint locks, throws, flips, hyper extension of nerves, muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as many varieties of bone breaking, including arms, legs, back and neck. Power is not a concern here as leverage in paramount in this training. When you put the Choy-Li-Ho training together with the Ah-Soo and the Fut-Ga training you are now beginning to build a complete fighter. However, there are still some important elements missing.

TOP-GA (Dap-Ga)
Even though you have learned three categories of lessons, each on their own extremely outstanding and effective, you still need something to bring them all together. Learning to throw a punch and a kick or set a leverage is useless to a student of any Art unless he is taught how to use it in a combat situation.

This is where Top-Ga comes in. Top-Ga combines all the skills and movements you have previously learned and puts them all into one. These lessons are spectacular to watch when executed correctly by a professional. They are incredible and beautiful. They are powerful and fancy, but they come right to the point. They will hurt you really bad. Words can’t describe these lessons. They must be seen and felt to fully understand their worth.

NUMPI (continuos circular attacking methods)
What can I say? Numpi is why you are studying the Art. Don’t leave home without it. Numpi lessons are the finest hand to hand combat lessons ever devised by man. Don’t let anyone or any article, book or journal tell you any different. These lessons add the elements you need to make you a great fighter. Numpi offers phenomenal powerful punching combinations that are second to none on the street or in the studio. Numpi cuts in at angles, uses your opponents power against himself, utilizes economy of motion and makes whatever aggressive movement your opponent tries to use against you incorrect. Against Numpi, it doesn’t matter what your opponent does, it is wrong. Numpi is taught to be both offensive and defensive, but best of all, Numpi will work for you.

Have you ever had the feeling that someone was staring at you? When you turn to look around, you find yourself looking straight into another person’s eye. I think we have all experienced this phenomenon. This in not a coincidence. What are the odds of this randomly happening? The power of some person’s eye has guided your eyes directly to theirs.

Let me tell you a story. I had recently transferred to Jimmy Woo’s San Soo school in El Monte from the Kung-Fu San Soo school in Downey and was finding it particularly hard to fit in. Since the teacher in the Downey school was considered basically a traitor, not only to Grandmaster, but to the Art itself, I wasn’t looked on with much favor. I was working out with a friend of mine one Saturday, and I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I was going to show the rest of the guys just what I could do. When I thought Grandmaster wasn’t looking I cut loose with my best punching combinations. Little did I know at the time, but Grandmaster saw everything that went on in his studio. That’s when the feeling came over me. Someone was staring at me. When I looked over, sure enough, it was he. Grandmaster, with one swift wave of his hand, told me to report to him immediately. What to follow was almost undescribable. When I got to where he was standing, I looked into his face. This was not the face I was used to seeing. His face had turned from the gentle teacher I had known to that of a dragon. His cheeks were budging out and his whole face seemed to swell. I had never seen him so upset. When I looked into his eyes, I felt a force so strong, so Animal like, it literally forced my chin to my chest. I couldn’t believe it. Not wanting to appear weak in the presence of my Master, I looked up again, and again my head was forced to look downward. The power in his eyes was so strong, so powerful, I couldn’t even look at him. All he said to me was, “don’t you ever show off in my studio like that again.” That’s all he had to say. He knew it, and I knew it. He had overcome me with just his eyes. Later that night, reflecting on what had just happened to me, I thought to myself, how could you ever hope to throw a punch at a person like that? A person you can’t even look at. The answer is self evident. You can’t.

The power in your eyes is one of your greatest assets, if it is real. If it is not, it will give you away every time. You can use this power to overcome an opponent, just like I was overcome. You can tell an opponent with your eyes, “I am not the person you want to fight with.” It has worked for me one several occasions. If you train youself in the Art of San Soo, it will work for you also. Late one night, I pulled into the parking lot where a retail store was located. As I exited from my car, I immediately noticed a man walking straight towards me. I could tell this was not going to be a pleasant situation just from the way this guy looked. He was a large, somewhat dirty man. He had a face that looked like he would just as soon cut my throat as talk to me. He walked right up and the first thing out of his mouth was “Hey man, give me some money.” I wasn’t overly excited about forking out some of my hard earned cash, so I told him “I never give any money to strangers.” I could see this guy was down on his luck, maybe even homeless. I didn’t like his attitude, but I didn’t particularly want to put him in the hospital either. He took another step forward and said to me “I said, give me some money.” Since he had now entered my power zone, I automatically went into combat mode. As we starred at each other, he immediately realized he was talking to the wrong person, at the wrong place, at the wrong time. It was the power in my eyes. He backed off murmuring to himself about something, but I knew I had won the fight, even though no punches were ever thrown.

Kung-Fu San Soo, an ancient Chinese art of self defense, has been shrouded in “veil of secrecy” for more than 4000 years, making it one of the oldest, yet least known and least understood martial arts in the world today. In fact, it is probably one of the world’s best protected secrets. There’s a sort of unwritten “code of silence” that still surrounds the art, meaning that many of its practitioners simply believe the art should remain reasonably anonymous and as far from the public eye as possible. I, however, do not share this believe. I did not make this unpopular decision lightly and i believe it is now time to share this art with the rest of the world.
San Soo Connection

Grandmaster Jimmy H. Woo introduced the art of kung fu san soo to the United States approxamitely 30 years ago, and has since promoted only about 50 first generation American masters. I am the 33rd in the line of succession.

Kung-fu san soo cannot be literally translated into English because it is a concept, not a definable art. Generally speaking, san soo is practiced by a man who is articulate with his hands in a combat situation and can perform a variety of movements with them. In short it is the immediate neutralization of an oppenent at the instant he makes any aggressive movements towards you whatsoever. Kung-fu san soo is offensive in nature and possess both “internal” and “external” qualities. Since the study of just one of these qualities would be insufficient, most of the san soo schools teach both.
Kung Fu san soo is based on highly scientific principles of physics and leverage dealing with predictable responses and reactions of the human body. The techniques can be instantly changed to suit any situation and do not follow a set pattern.

The origin of this art is obscure and no one actually knows for sure the exact details of just how this scientific information was obtained. It it believed by many, however, that hundreds of thousands of Chinese prisoners of war and imprisoned slaves were tortured and put to death to obtain this information. The results of this so-called experimentation resulted in not only the basis for the san soo art but also for its counterpart, the art of Chinese acupuncture. San soo deals with the destruction of the human body; acupuncture with the healing of the human body. A true yin and yang relationship.

The Chinese discovered that whenever a target on the human body was struck, a predictable reaction would take place. This reaction would then expose various other targets that could also be struck, and their reactions would expose even more targets. The Chinese also discovered that not only would those reactions expose targerts, but in most cases they would also put the target in the most vunerable situation.

Acupuncturist Dr. Bruce Canning, a licensed doctor of Oriental medicine practicing in Westwood, Calif., states, “The kidney is the root of life. The heart is important to the flowering of the human spirit. There is an internal pathway that runs from the kidney up through the inside of the body and tranports chi into the heart. If you injure the root, the flower withers. If you cut off the root, the flower dies.” So it is with kung fu san soo. If you punch a man in the kidney, not only would it injure the organ, it will also expose the heart to attack and could cause an effect of interruption of the flow of chi to the heart. A second example works on an entirely different principle. If you were to hit a man under his nose, it would break his nose and knock his head straight back to expose his throat. Also, his throat would be stretched out to its fullest extent. This would make the throat extremely vulnerable to serious injury. These are just two examples of how the external puching combinations of kung fu san soo work. There are literally thousands more. It is no surprise why these techniques are said to be so effective and dangerous, and why so many people want them to remain a secret.

Let me clear up a great misconception about the monks and the invention of the kungu-fu art. Even though the monks of old were not the actual inventors of kung-fu san soo, they did play a significant role on its behalf. In the confines of their monasteries, the monks organized and perfected the art, making it among the finest combat arts in the world today. They found both the best ways to learn and teach the art. They were also the first to record its secrets. Realizing that a novice of the art could not fight on the same level as that of a master, the art was organized into four major fighting levels. These four levels of effectiveness, on their own, develop enough skill and coordination to help a student progress to the next level.
The first level is defense and offers only a basic understanding of real self-defense tactics. At this level, when an oppenent actually throws a punch, you block and then counterattack. Even though this type of self-defense will work, it is not considered to be overly effective in a real combat situation.

The second or intermediate level of effectiveness can be very effective in a street situation. In this instance, students are taught to block an attacker’s punch and to counterattack all in one motion. In other words, you are actually hitting your opponent at the same time you are actually blocking his punch. If you simultaneously block and punch, you not only are inflicting immediate injury, you are also rendering him incapable of throwing that follow-up blow.

The third and forth levels of kung-fu are advanced, and they completely eliminate the necessity of blocking. The third level simply avoids the opponent’s punch either through ducking or by moving out of the way and simultaneously striking the opponent. This is using your opponent’s power against himself. You literally let your opponent run right into your punch. This level utilizes attacking your opponent at angels and helps a person of smaller stature neutralize someone of much greater size and strength. The rule of thumb on attacking at angles is that if your opponent is deemed to be bigger and more powerful, it is not a good idea to attack from a frontal or head-on position. Why not let your attacker charge and commit himself, before veering to one side or another and attacking him at an angle from your new power zone.

The fourth and final level of effectiveness is among the most sophisticated forms of unarmed combat known to man. Its principle is simple: You attack your opponent at the very instant he initiates his attack. It sounds easier than it actually is, however. To hit your opponent while he is in the process of hitting you requires great skill and ability. First you must train to recognize exactly when your opponent is going to begin to throw his punch. Good fighters won’t tell you when the punch is coming, but many will telegraph their moves through body language. For example, if a man has a gun pointed at your chest, he will probably do three things before he pulls the trigger. First, he must decide to actually pull the trigger. Then he will anticipate the recoil of the weapon by squeezing down on the gun, shown by a tightening of the fist. Third, in anticipation of the bang or loud noise, he will probably squint his eyes. This is what I call the “point of no return.”

If he exhibits these signals, he will pull the trigger. In this case, you must react decisively and with great speed and accuracy or you will be shot. A lot of fighters will also give themselves away as they approach this “point of no return.” It is one of the goals of the fourth level to recognize this point, and to attack at that very instant. It is important to note here that masters of kung-fu san soo can throw punches without triggering the defense mechanisms of their opponents; therefore it is difficult to know just when they will initiate their punches. The most obvious signal of intent, of course, is when your opponent cocks his fist. Other signals include: turning the head to one side, scratching the nose with the thumb and forefinger, or rubbing the chest just before attacking.

The study of kung-fu san soo teaches us that whenever you find yourself in a combat situation, you put your life on the line. You never know what your opponent will do if he happens to knock you off your feet. The premise makes the psychology of this art easy to understand. You must never give your opponents a chance. We do not assume a fighting stance, nor do we warn our opponents before we strike. You do not let a man get man up. Period. You finish him because it is necessary and he has forced you to do so. We do not fight because we have been promoted to do so, only because it has become necessary. Winning is all that matters. If you lose, you may lose more than just the fight.

It has been said that kung-fu san soo has no beauty. Even though the techniques, when practiced under controlled studio circumstances, are beautiful to watch, there is nothing pleasing about kicking a man in the groin, poking your fingers into his eyes, or stomping on his throat.

Let us all remember that kung-fu san soo was created for one purpose and for one purpose only: combat. And we do not fight unless we have to. Each situation requires a set of individual responses. You do not kill a man who has stepped on your shoes, nor do you merely stun a man who is trying to kill you. You must use equal but adequate restraint. If a man tries to kick you in the groin, he should be kicked in the groin. If a man tried to break your arm, he should have his arm broken. We owe it to ourselves and others to defend ourselves with kung-fu. Maybe next time the other guy will think twice before making the same mistake.

“San Soo” means hand-to-hand combat.

Several years ago, a local cable television channel had as their guest speaker Jimmy H. Woo. After a short demonstration by a few of Woo’s students, the camera focused on Woo and his interviewers. After his introduction, and a short personal history, the interviewer asked Jimmy what did San Soo mean – his response was simple and crisp. Woo said, “San Soo means hand to hand combat.”

Well then, why is Kung Fu San Soo considered to be a combat art, as opposed to a sport technique? The answer is multi-fold:

• The first consideration is that it is usable by a smaller person to successfully fight against a larger, more powerful person?
• Secondly, does it provide some degree of protection from an opponent’s aggressive attack while allowing you to strike him?
• Thirdly, can the system of fighting be used anywhere, at any time, and under any condition?
• Fourth, does it have weapons applications?
• And finally, can the fighting style be used effectively against multiple opponents?

The answer has to be “yes” to all five of the previous questions before the system in question can be considered a true combat art, and not a sport.

A sport such as boxing or wrestling requires that both opponents be of compatible size, strength, and skill level. In boxing, the taller man with the longer reach is at an advantage over a person of smaller height. In wrestling, a man of greater strength and body weight has the advantage. There is of course exceptions to every rule, but here we are speaking in generalities.

Sports also have rules. A set of codes and regulations that the opponents are bound to recognize and uphold. There is also a governing body of some kind to insure that the rules are held to, such as a referee. There are also restrictions on the number of opponents on each side. Both teams have an equal number of players. Of course in combat there are no rules.

Kung Fu is different than a sport because we are attacking the body’s central nervous system.

It doesn’t make any difference how large a practitioner of Kung Fu happens to be. Anyone can kick a man in the groin hard enough to cause pain. Anyone can hit a man in the throat, and render him incapable of fighting. One of the main differences between a sport and real combat fighting is that the opponent’s size is not a factor in your ability to defeat him.

Kung Fu is different than a sport because we are attacking the body’s central nervous system. Unlike a sport, Kung Fu is designed to create the greatest amount of damage to our opponent, in the shortest amount of time. We are taught how to move and how to generate tremendous power with a punch. I’ve broke my opponent’s bones on more than one occasion with a single roundhouse punch. It’s not unusual for a person skilled with Kung Fu to rupture someone’s organs with a properly delivered blow. This is one of the things that distinguish our fighting style from a sport. Our size doesn’t matter; we can still beat a bigger person.

Another difference often commented upon by new students, is that we follow up on a downed opponent. Yes, we kick a man when he’s down. And very well I might add! The harsh reality of fighting is that you don’t want an opponent getting back up from the ground. If he gets up, you have to fight him again, and this time his friends may join him, or he may pull out a weapon. In either case, the situation has just got a whole lot more intense. We are talking about survival in an inhospitable world. There are no referees to blow a whistle, or throw down flags. Either you walk away after a fight, or he does.

Sports like boxing or fencing allow for protection against the other guy’s strikes. Boxing brings up the arms, and tucks in the head in order to protect your body. Fencing for instance, requires that you stand with your side to you opponent, giving a smaller target, and exposing less targets at the same time. Fencing also keeps your body as far away from your advisories weapon as possible.

Kung Fu also protects us from the blows of an opponent. It may do so by the use of powerful blocks such as a up-windmill, or by ducking under a punch thrown by your attacker, or by deflecting a strike. Of course we can take our abilities up one level, and strike him as he’s drawing back his arm to try and hit us, but this is less protection than just good tactics.

It also brings us in close to our opponent’s body. Pressing close to him retards his movements and renders him powerless. We also move around an advisory, allowing us to strike from behind, and well out of his effective punching range.

Then there is the question of whether the fighting style can be used in any geographical location, and under unfriendly circumstances. In other words, can this be used anywhere, at any time, and under any conditions. Kung Fu can be used very effectively in crowded bar rooms, back alleys with scattered broken glass, street gutters, from inside of cars, at the dinner table, in gravel pits. It can be used in bright sunlight, and pitch-dark hallways. Weather has no effect on Kung Fu.

Take a moment to imagine what it must have been like during a war in ancient China. Broken ground, rocky hillsides, muddy terrain, snow, ice, in the middle of burning villages, all in all, some pretty rough environmental conditions to have to fight through.

“…in the real world of fighting; there are no rules.”

There is the added ability to fight with weapons. There are a few sports that use weapons, for instance fencing. But there are rules of engagement, in the real world of fighting; there are no rules. Every technique in Kung Fu can be performed with weapons, such as a knife or a club, in your hands. Use of weapons is integral within each movement of Kung Fu because these were originally used in the battlefields of China.

Also, one of the main advantages in Kung Fu is your ability to fight against multiple opponents. The facts of real street fights are that you will very rarely be in a situation where you only have to fight one other person. I myself have been in dozens of real fights, and only twice has it been against only one opponent. People don’t fight fair, and having more players on their team gives them an advantage. Kung Fu is designed to fight multiple opponents. We are taught to attack in Fut Ga, how to throw one opponent into another in Toy Li Ho, and how to block a punch and then drop our attacker in Ah Soo. Combined these skills allow us to effectively fight against a larger number of advisories.

The effectiveness of Kung Fu is remarkable. That’s because its ability does not lie in theory, or the production of an individual, but instead in thousands of years of practice and testing. Kung Fu has been put to the test in the most severe and fierce conditions possible, in open combat. Kung Fu has been used for over four thousand years in combat, against hundreds of thousands of people. Kung Fu is still around after all that time because it works in real fights, and works well.