This post explores Sanda (aka Sanshou) — China’s high-impact combat sport that blends traditional kung fu, wrestling, and modern striking. Originally developed for military close combat, Sanda evolved into a regulated sport, one that now dominates Chinese martial arts competitions and produces powerful crossover athletes in MMA and kickboxing.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Sanda (散打), often also called Sanshou (散手) meaning “free hand,” is China’s modern combat sport and military striking system. Born from centuries of martial tradition and reshaped in the 20th century, it blends the explosive striking of Chinese martial arts with wrestling-style takedowns into a single, functional package. Its roots lie in China’s long history of martial contests on the leitai (raised fighting platform), but its modern form was forged through People’s Liberation Army (PLA) experiments in the 1950s–70s. The goal was simple: create a scientifically tested, battle-ready method for training soldiers that could later be adapted for sport.
Sanda is a martial art that employs all manner of striking as well as grappling, throws, locks and trips.
Today, Sanda exists in two parallel worlds: the combat-honed version taught within the military, and the sport version contested on platforms and under rulesets worldwide. While the sport thrives in international competition, its military side remains a reminder that Sanda was built first and foremost for combat, not spectacle.
🏛️ Historical Roots
From Leitai to Modern Rings
Before Sanda emerged as a regulated sport, Chinese martial artists tested their skills through Leitai duels. These raised, ropeless platforms appeared as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) but gained their greatest prominence during the Ming and Qing dynasties, when challenge matches became a defining part of martial culture. Fighters from different schools — kung fu stylists, wrestlers, even soldiers — battled under minimal rules, winning by knockout, submission, or throwing an opponent off the stage. Leitai contests weren’t just about honour; they were used to settle disputes, recruit soldiers, and establish reputations. This raw, high-stakes format laid the cultural foundation for Sanda’s blend of striking and throws.
Traditional Chinese martial arts duel, held on a ‘Lei-Tai’ raised platform.
🔑 Leitai Characteristics
- Raised platform — no ropes, no safety rails.
- Fighters used strikes, throws, and sometimes weapons.
- No weight classes or time limits.
- Victory by KO, surrender, or ring-out.
- Legacy survives in modern Sanda competitions held on leitai.
🪖 The Birth of Modern Sanshou – 1950s PLA Development
After the Communist takeover in 1949, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sought a practical fighting system for its troops. Traditional martial arts were valued culturally but criticised as too ritualised for modern combat. To meet military needs, the PLA developed Sanshou ‘free hand’ in the 1950s: a streamlined close-combat system combining Shuai Jiao (Chinese wrestling), traditional striking arts, and insights from boxing and judo.
By the 1960s–70s, Sanshou was codified in PLA manuals and refined through field testing. Its focus was on striking, takedowns, and rapid neutralisation, not ritual. This became the military root of modern Sanda.
Sanda began in the mid-20th century as a military combat system, developed by the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) using elements of Kung Fu, Sambo, Judo, and Boxing to create a practical, close-quarters method known as Sanshou (“free hand”).
🧠 Core Features of Military Sanshou
- Designed for quick, decisive neutralisation.
- Strikes, kicks, and throws trained under stress.
- Adapted for soldiers, police, and special forces.
- Documented in PLA training manuals (1963, 1972).
Note:
Originally the term ‘Sanshou’ (free-hand) was used rather than Sanda. In recent years there has been a push by the governing bodies to officially adopt the term ‘Sanda’ (free-fighting) which is more familiar in China. In China where the sport originates, Sanda is the term more commonly used while Sanshou is more familiar in North America. However, both terms are interchangeable.
China is home to many traditional martial arts including the hybrid fighting art of Sanda/Sanshou.
🥊 From Battlefield to Sport – 1980s–1990s
As China reopened in the late 1970s, martial arts were rebranded under the umbrella of Wushu — with two branches:
- Taolu: performance-based forms.
- Sanda: the live, full-contact combat component.
To make Sanshou safe for public practice, the state introduced rules, protective gear, and scoring systems, transforming it into Sanda (散打, “free fighting”). Leitai platforms were modernised, referees were added, and clear regulations shaped competition into a sport that balanced combat realism with safety.
📅 Key Developments
- 1982: First experimental Sanda competitions.
- 1989: Added to Chinese National Wushu Championships.
- 1990s: International promotion through the IWUF.
Today, Sanda exists in two main faces:
- Junshi Sanda (military/functional combat).
- Yundong Sanda (sport, global competition).
⚔️ Two Faces of the Art – Military Sanda vs. Sport Sanda
While modern audiences mostly encounter Sanda in a ring or on a raised platform, its roots are far more unforgiving. The art exists in two parallel forms: one refined for competition, the other forged for war. Understanding the split between Junshi Sanda and Yundong Sanda reveals how adaptable — and deadly — this system can be.
🔥 Junshi Sanda (Military Sanda) – Close-Quarters Combat
Originally developed for the People’s Liberation Army, Junshi Sanda (军事散打) is the pure combat version of the art — not meant for sport or scoring points, but for neutralising threats in violent, unpredictable environments. It’s still taught within the Chinese Special Forces, military police, and other elite units, often under high-stress conditions that mimic real-world combat.
🔪 Military Sanda Includes:
- Striking: fists, knees, elbows, open-hand slaps, and headbutts.
- Takedowns & Throws: adapted from Shuai Jiao and military grappling.
- Joint Destruction: locks, breaks, and hyperextension techniques.
- Weapons Tactics: disarms, ambush defence, environmental adaptation.
- Combat Stress Training: scenarios with adrenaline, disorientation, and fatigue.
Junshi Sanda was built first and foremost for combat, not spectacle. It sits in the same lineage as modern military combatives like MCMAP, Krav Maga, and Systema, proving its relevance well beyond China.
🥋 Yundong Sanda (Sport Sanda) – The Regulated Combat Sport
With the rise of national fitness campaigns and public martial arts competitions in the 1980s, a sanitised civilian version of Sanda was developed: Yundong Sanda, meaning “Sport Sanda.” This version retained the core striking and throwing skills, but removed the more dangerous techniques to make it suitable for public practice, youth development, and global competition.
🧤 Sport Sanda Rules & Features:
- Legal Techniques: punches, kicks, knees to the body, and clean throws.
- Illegal Techniques: elbows to the head, joint locks, submissions, and prolonged clinching.
- No Ground Fighting: bouts are stopped and restarted if fighters go to the ground.
- Structure: 3 rounds of 2 minutes, with scoring based on clean strikes, throwdowns, and ring control.
- Venue: amateurs fight on leitai platforms, pros in boxing rings.
Though limited compared to its military ancestor, Yundong Sanda is still one of the most complete stand-up arts in modern combat sport, especially for those who want to master striking and takedown integration.
🧠 Key Concepts and Techniques – The Sanda Toolbox
Modern Sanda is built on a simple formula: strike, throw, dominate. Unlike pure striking arts like Muay Thai or kickboxing, it trains fighters to flow between punches, kicks, and sudden takedowns — sometimes ending a round by hurling an opponent straight off the platform. A boxer may slip a punch, and a wrestler may shoot for a leg, but a Sanda fighter learns to chain those instincts together in the same heartbeat. That seamless transition — defence snapping into attack — is the soul of the system.
Click on links below for more.
🥊 Striking
Sanda striking borrows the mechanics of Western boxing while retaining influences from traditional CMA. The result is a versatile toolkit:
- Punches: jabs, crosses, hooks, overhands — plus the trademark spinning backfist.
- Kicks: side kicks and spinning back kicks are signatures — faster and harder to catch than Thai-style round kicks.
- Knees: to the body in amateur bouts, head permitted under pro rules.
(Note: elbows are banned in sport, but trained in military contexts.)
🤼♂️ Takedowns – The Throw is King
What makes Sanda unique is its obsession with throws. Borrowed from Shuai Jiao and wrestling, these takedowns reward timing and control:
- Kick-catching throws (a Sanda trademark).
- Hip and shoulder throws.
- Trips, sweeps, and explosive lift-and-dump takedowns.
In competition, a clean throw scores high; on the leitai, it can finish the fight in one move. The deeper purpose: a Sanda fighter never has to choose between striking or grappling — they are trained to flow into whichever wins the exchange.
✋ Chin Na (Joint Locks)
Rare in sport but alive in military/law enforcement training, Chin Na adds control and joint destruction to the Sanda arsenal — from wrist locks to standing armlocks. In combat scenarios, these pair with weapon disarms and rapid neutralisation tactics.
🛡️ Defence & Training Philosophy
Sanda fighters are trained to stay mobile, evasive, and opportunistic:
- Footwork and angle-cutting for ring control.
- Slips, parries, and counters to set up throws
- Push-pull pressure, especially on the leitai, to unbalance opponents.
Training avoids rigid forms, instead focusing on live drills, pad work, sparring, and conditioning — producing fighters who can fluidly shift between striking and grappling under pressure.
🪖 Military/Police Additions
In service contexts, Sanda expands into CQB and survival training:
- Weapon disarms, riot control, and ambush drills.
- Stress conditioning under fatigue and chaos.
Sanda has a range of punches available drawing from traditional Chinese Martial arts and Western Boxing.
Examples of Sanda kicks.
Examples of Sanda throws and leg catches.
Sanda grappling, locks and trips draw heavily from traditional Chinese Martial arts of Shuai Jiao (Left) and Chin Na (Right).
💡 Training Mindset:
Sanda doesn’t just build fighters — it builds resilience.
Progressing through the ranks instils:
- Quick decision-making under fire.
- Tenacity in close-quarters combat.
- Tactical adaptation to different opponents.
- Confidence rooted in functional skill, not tradition.
🧍♂️ Sanda for Self-Defence – Function Over Fancy
Sanda offers something many traditional martial arts no longer can: live-tested, practical techniques for real-world violence. Its methods aren’t buried in ritual — they’re forged in sparring, sweat, and contact. Unlike forms-based Kung Fu styles, Sanda trains under resistance, giving students a real sense of what it takes to survive when fists fly.
Sanda teaches more than just technique — it teaches composure. Whether you’re squared up on the street or cornered in a stairwell, it gives you tools that work under pressure.
Sparring is a big part of Sanda training to prepare a fighter for real combat.
💥 Why It Works in the Real World:
- Sparring and resistance drills build timing, reactions, and confidence.
- Simple, efficient techniques rooted in direct application.
- No katas or pre-arranged patterns — everything is trained live.
- Footwork and distance management reduce the chance of being overwhelmed.
- Includes both striking and takedowns — a rare combo in traditional systems.
🧠 Self-Defence Scenarios Covered:
- Long Range – Front kicks and side kicks to manage distance and keep threats at bay.
- Mid Range – Fast punches and counters trained for accuracy and speed.
- Clinch Range – Throws, trips, and tie-ups to destabilise or escape.
- Ground Control – Basic positioning and disengagement tactics to avoid being pinned or stomped.
Sanda can help improve your ‘standup’ fighting skills (striking, punching, kicking etc)
🔄 Tactical Benefits:
- Neutralising size advantages using angles, timing, and leverage.
- Using throws in confined spaces (walls, corners, stairwells).
- Transitioning between striking and grappling without hesitation.
- Ending fights fast through takedown impact or sudden off-balancing.
Sanda can also assist with grappling skills, takedowns and clinches.
Sanda teaches you to use your whole body as a weapon — fists, feet, hips, balance, and timing. And more importantly, it trains your mind to stay calm under pressure and fight with purpose, not panic.
Note: It should be noted that outside Military Sanda, Sanda’s ground fighting skills are not as finely tuned as BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) or even MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Some Sanda fighters choose to cross-train in these ground fighting elements to give them a greater range of skills. This applies in particular to Sanda-background MMA fighters who would be at a disadvantage on the floor against a BJJ user.
Outside of China
Perhaps the biggest downside of Sanda training is that it is not as popular outside of China. Granted Sanda schools are becoming more popular internationally, and many good schools can be found in the US and Europe. However, arguably it may be difficult to find a school with the same quality of classes as you might find in China.
📏 Modern Competition Rules (Sport Sanda)
Rules and regulations
Sanda is the free-fighting (sparring) component of modern Wushu — a sport system developed in China in the 20th century. Wushu tournaments usually have two main parts: Taolu, where competitors perform traditional martial arts forms, and Sanda, which focuses on live, full-contact combat. While Taolu showcases tradition, Sanda tests real-time combat effectiveness.
Sanda matches are fast-paced, full-contact contests that blend striking and throwing on a raised platform known as the leitai. Designed to showcase real combat skills in a safe, regulated environment, modern Sanda competition balances spectacle with structure. Here’s how it works:
👊 Fight Format:
- 3 rounds, each 2 minutes, with 1-minute rest between.
- Fight can be won by points, knockout, or technical stoppage.
- Points awarded for:
- Strikes landed
- Effective throws.
- Pushing opponent off the platform.
‘Lei Tai’ style platforms used in Modern Sanda.
🧤 Gear:
- Amateurs wear:
- Headgear.
- Gloves.
- Chest protector.
- Groin guard.
- Pros fight in boxing rings with minimal protection (gloves and groin guard only).
❌ Illegal Techniques:
- Elbows to head (in amateur).
- Eye gouges, throat strikes, spine attacks.
- Submissions (joint locks/chokes).
- Excessive clinching (>2–5 seconds depending on event).
🎓 Grading in Sanda
- Traditional Sanda has no formal belt or ranking system.
It is not structured like Karate or Taekwondo. Progress is measured through performance, sparring ability, and competition results, not coloured belts. - Some Western or commercial Sanda schools have adopted belt or sash systems to align with expectations from other martial arts students — but these systems are not standardised and vary widely between schools.
- In China, especially in military and sports academies, progression is based on competition level, fight records, and coach evaluations, not belts.
Sanda matches are fast and furious, with fighters having limited time to give it their all.
💣 Sanda on the Global Stage (1990s–Today)
As China opened up in the 1990s, Sanda stepped onto the world stage. What began as a domestic system tied to military and sports academies quickly found international traction through global tournaments, coaching exchanges, and the rise of hybrid fighters. Today, Sanda has become a global combat language — spoken fluently by champions from Brazil to Dagestan.
UFC champion Zhang Weili (left) and former Strikeforce MMA star Cung Le (right), two elite fighters with strong Sanda backgrounds
In the 1990s, China began exporting Sanda through:
Martial arts exchange programs and overseas coaching.
- National-level fighters competing in global events.
These efforts sparked international growth — especially where fighters merged Sanda with other systems like kickboxing, MMA, or national styles..
🌍 Where It Took Root
- Russia & Dagestan – Backed by strong state-sponsored combat sport programs, Sanda merged naturally with a deep wrestling culture, producing versatile fighters who transition well into MMA.
- Iran – National investment in martial arts, combined with a culture of wrestling and striking sports, created a powerhouse scene that dominates at World Wushu Championships.
- Vietnam & Egypt – Early adoption of Chinese coaching and exchange programs helped Sanda grow at the grassroots and competitive levels.
- Brazil – Already a hotbed for combat sports, Brazil embraced Sanda as part of its martial melting pot, blending it with Muay Thai and BJJ influences.
🧠 Notable Fighters:
- Cung Le – Undefeated in Sanda (17–0), Strikeforce MMA Champion, UFC veteran.
- Zhang Weili – First Chinese UFC Champion (Women’s Strawweight), Sanda background.
- Muslim Salikhov – Nicknamed “King of Kung Fu”, multiple-time Sanda World Champion and UFC fighter.
- Zabit Magomedsharipov, Pat Barry, Marvin Perry – All MMA fighters with Sanda influence in their striking and takedown games.
⚡ Why Not Global Domination?
For all its state backing, Sanda hasn’t yet produced a conveyor belt of UFC champions. Part of this comes down to infrastructure — while China has a vast domestic system, it often keeps fighters competing in Wushu-specific circuits instead of testing themselves early in international MMA. Cultural and political focus also plays a role: Sanda is framed as a national sport and military asset, not just a stepping-stone to global MMA. Meanwhile, countries like Russia, Brazil, and the US already had thriving ecosystems (wrestling, BJJ, boxing, Muay Thai) that integrated more naturally into MMA’s open rule set. The result? Brilliant individuals break through, but no tidal wave of dominance.
While Sanda continues to spread, finding high-level instruction outside of China can still be hit-or-miss, with many Western schools lacking the same depth of coaching or combat experience.
🏁 Final Thoughts
Sanda is a complete stand-up fighting system that fuses the explosiveness of kickboxing, the throwing fluidity of wrestling and Shuai Jiao, and the strategic, adaptable mindset of a battlefield-tested warrior.
Whether you’re chasing elite fitness, looking to compete, need a system for real-world self-defence, or want a launchpad into MMA, Sanda delivers. It’s fast. It’s brutal. It’s battle-ready. And it’s far more than just “Chinese kickboxing” — it’s a modern combat art with deep traditional roots and an eye on the future.
🥇 Pros and Cons of Training in Sanda
✅ Pros:
Combines striking and grappling into one functional system.
Focus on live sparring, not forms or theory.
Builds explosive power, agility, and reaction speed.
Covers all stand-up ranges: kicking, punching, clinch, and throws.
Excellent for self-defence — fast, direct, and mobile.
Versatile base for transitioning into MMA or hybrid systems.
❌ Cons:
✘ No ground fighting or submissions — requires cross-training for full MMA.
✘ Sport rules (no elbows, limited clinch) can limit realism.
✘ Some schools may focus too heavily on sport and neglect combatives.
✘ Training quality varies — not all gyms offer the full Sanda syllabus.
✘ Can be hard to find qualified instructors outside China.
If you have enjoyed this post please share or feel free to comment below 🙂
Related Posts
Our Other Posts
