Sanda

Sanda (散打) also known as Chinese boxing or Chinese kickboxing, is the official Chinese(link is external) full contact combat sport(link is external). Sanda is a fighting system which was originally developed by the Chinese military(link is external) based upon the study and practices of traditional kung fu(link is external) and modern combat fighting techniques; it combines full-contact kickboxing(link is external), which includes close range and rapid successive punches(link is external) and kicks(link is external), with wrestling(link is external), takedowns(link is external), throws(link is external), sweeps(link is external), kick catches, and in some competitions, even elbow(link is external) and knee strikes(link is external).

As part of the development of sport wushu(link is external) by the Chinese government(link is external), a standard curriculum for Sanda was developed. It is to this standard curriculum that the term Wushu Sanda is usually applied. Sanda may also involve techniques from any other fighting style depending on the teacher's mode of instruction

Sanda is the sparring segment of Wushu, which many people do not know of. It is similar to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in many ways and is gaining popularity among the younger crowd.