Full Contact (Lei Tai) Fighting

You need to be at least 13 years of age to begin training in full contact fighting.   For those aged 13 -18, you will need to have written permission from a parent or guardian.

Click here to see some of our fighters

The Academy primarily trains its full contact fighters in Kuoshu - Lei Tai full contact fighting. However, fighters may also test their skills in San Shou, Sanda, Bando, Kickboxing, American and International arenas.

  The Lèi tái is a raised fighting platform, without railings, where often fatal weapons and bare-knuckle Chinese martial arts tournaments were once held. The lei tai first appeared in its present form in China during the Song Dynasty. However, ancient variations of it can be traced back to at least the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.E.). Officially sanctioned matches were presided over by a referee on the platform and judges on the sides. Fighters lost the match when they surrendered, were incapacitated, were thrown or otherwise forced from the stage. The winner would remain on the stage (as its "owner") unless ousted by a stronger opponent, and if there were no more challengers, he became the champion. Private duels on the stage had no rules and were sometimes fought to the death. In 1928, the Chinese government banned private duels and martial arts became an organized sport. Today, the lei tai is used in Sanshou and Kuoshu competitions throughout the world.

The absence of a railing or ropes makes the lei tai a unique fighting arena. There is no opportunity to trap an opponent in the turnbuckle, so the fighting strategy shifts away from power boxing to more evasive "circling" maneuvers. Sudden charges are not possible because a quick redirection will send a charging opponent flying off the stage. The platform is some distance off the floor, so fighters must deal with an added psychological factor when they approach the edge

Sanshou (Chinese: 散手; pinyin: sanshou; literally "free hand") or Sanda (Chinese: 散打; pinyin: sanda; literally "free fighting") is a Chinese hand to hand combat, self defense system, and combat sport. Not seen as a style itself, but is rather considered as just one of the two components (taolu and sanshou) of Chinese martial arts (Kung fu) training and is often taught alongside with taolu (forms/ kata) training. It may simply be seen as the practice of martial applications in a realistic environment or simply free fighting. However at the same time the modern standard taolu curriculum was created by the Chinese government. They created and formalized a standard curriculum for sanshou as well. This curriculum was developed by experimenting with the Chinese military experiences in close range and hand to hand combat with reference to traditional Chinese martial arts. Chinese martial arts masters that were still in China (prior to the abolishment of traditional martial arts during the Cultural Revolution) gathered to contribute the creation of the standard curriculum. This general sanshou curriculum varied in its different forms, as the Chinese government developed a watered down version for civilians for self defense and as a sport. However in traditional wushu circles the practice of sanshou may vary and is practiced in relation to their taolu. Later the official name reverted back to Sanda. The term Sanda has a longer history and is more commonly used.

Kickboxing (キックボクシング^?) refers to the sport of combining technique and style of boxing with kicking. Kickboxing is a standing sport and does not allow continuation of the fight once a combatant has reached the ground.

Kickboxing is often practiced for self defense, general fitness, or as a full contact sport. In the full-contact sport the male boxers are bare-chested wearing shorts and protective gear including: mouth-guard, hand-wraps, 10-oz. boxing gloves, groin-guard, shin-pads, kick-boots, and optional protective helmet (usually for those under 16). The female boxers will wear a tank top and chest protection (optional) in addition to the male clothing/protective gear. In European kickboxing, where kicks to the thigh are allowed using special low-kick rules, use of boxing shorts instead of long trousers is possible.

In addition, amateur rules often allow less experienced competitors to use light or semi-contact rules, where the intention is to score points by executing successful strikes past the opponent's guard, and use of force is regulated. The equipment for semi-contact is similar to full-contact matches, usually with addition of head gear. Competitors usually dress in a t-shirt for semi-contact matches, to separate them from the bare-chested full-contact participants.

Kickboxing is often confused with Muay Thai, also known as Thai Boxing. The two sports are similar; however, in Thai Boxing, kicks below the belt are allowed, as are strikes with knees and elbows.

There are many arts labeled kickboxing including Japanese kickboxing, American kickboxing, Indian boxing, Burmese kickboxing, as well as French kickboxing. The term kickboxing is disputed and has become more associated with the Japanese and American variants. Many of the other styles do not consider themselves to be 'kickboxing', although the public often uses the term generically to refer to all these martial arts.

The term kickboxing (キックボクシング) was created by the Japanese boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi for a variant of Muay Thai and Karate that he created in the 1950s.The term was later used by the American variant. When used by the practitioners of those two styles, it usually refers to those styles specifically.

The above text comes from www.wikipedia.com.  The online encyclopedia

The above text comes from on line wikipedia.free encyclopedia

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Last modified: 02/22/10