[1] The specific or proper name of this art is Tsoi Li Ho Fut Hung (蔡李何佛雄) and/or 5 Family Fist (五家拳).
Jimmy Woo, who learnt the style and illegally emigrated to United States in 1937, would establish his first San Soo school in 1962, at Chinatown, Los Angeles, California.
The basic premise of San Soo is there are no rules in a fight, so the style is techniques oriented[11] to remove a threat as quickly as possible through seizing the initiative and keeping the opponent off balance.
Like many martial arts, San Soo can be used by smaller or weaker persons against larger or stronger assailants by utilizing technique and knowledge of reaction to make up for a lack of strength.
[12] Techniques in San Soo are made up of Chin Na leverages, throwing, choking, joint-locking, strangling, strikes, and quick takedowns.
[13] Targets include the eyes, nose, throat, base of the skull, neck, liver, spleen, kidneys, testicles, and knees, and for this reason, most San Soo practitioners do not engage in full contact competition/sport fighting.
San Soo practitioners claim this method of training builds an automatic and flexible response in much the same way we learn language a few words at a time until we have full and versatile vocabularies.
[14][15][a] Kung Fu San Soo tradition holds that Chin Siu Dek lived and grew up just across the river from this school in the village of Sanba.
Ben Brandt is the incorporator of the International Kung Fu San Soo Association, established on September 15, 1983 in Monterey Park, CA.