Modern Self-Defense: Insights from a Sanda Sparring Session
In the high-intensity world of combat sports, there are numerous methods to test and refine one’s skills, each with its own unique value. One such method is Sanda, a modern Chinese martial art, capturing the attention of the global martial arts community. The intricacies and insights of this approach are beautifully exemplified in a recent video hosted by renowned coach Jeff Chan on his MMAShredded YouTube channel, where he spars with MMA and Sanda coach, Ramsey Dewey. Sanda: A Nuanced Approach to Striking and Takedowns Contrary to popular belief, Sanda isn’t merely kickboxing with throws and takedowns. It transcends these elements, evolving as a combat sport oriented towards allowing practitioners from various martial art styles to compete. Designed as a multifaceted martial art system, Sanda training offers an excellent arena to work on punching, kicking, and a very specific style of throwing. In the video, Ramsey Dewey highlights the critical factor that differentiates Sanda’s throws from conventional takedowns seen in MMA and wrestling: the Scorer must remain on his feet. In the featured sparring session, standard double leg takedowns were tackled, with Dewey demonstrating why such a takedown won’t score under Sanda’s rules. The catch with Sanda is the requirement to perform throws wearing boxing gloves, disabling the use of fingers often relied upon in grappling martial arts. This can be quite challenging for newcomers to Sanda, but offers an attractive challenge for combat athletes seeking to broaden their skills and versatility. Key Insights from the Sanda Sparring Session The sparring session demonstrated the genuine necessity for continuous action in Sanda. No inactive clinching, no knees, no elbows, it was a fascinating amalgamation of rules aiming to create truly dynamic combat. The stalemate scenario, where neither athlete is able to secure a throw, resulted in the referee having to break, pushing both fighters to maintain constant movement and engagement. Impressive takedown defense was one of the highlights of the match, largely due to the unique throwing rules. It was mentioned, “you can’t fall… that makes it harder” indicating the strategic implications of this rule. A practitioner cannot simply execute a throw, they must ensure it is performed in such a way that keeps them on their feet — a meticulous balance of offensive and defensive posture is required. All in all, the sparring session between Jeff Chan and Ramsey Dewey paints an intriguing picture of Sanda’s depth and strategic richness. From the high scoring throws, no fall requirement, and the limitation of fingerless glove grappling, it’s clear that Sanda offers a dynamic fighting environment with a unique set of challenges, making it an excellent discipline for honing versatile, well-rounded self-defense skills. Whether you are an MMA athlete, wrestler, striker, or martial arts enthusiast, Sanda’s approach to modern self-defense is certainly worth considering.MMA Block
MMAShredded is a well-known YouTube channel dedicated to teaching Mixed Martial Arts. Its founder, Jeff Chan, is a professional MMA fighter with a vast wealth of knowledge to share. His channel offers invaluable training insights, technique breakdowns, and fight analyses to help aspiring fighters improve their skills.
Jeff Chan Block
What Jeff isn’t telling you about this video is that right before we filmed this, he already did like a million other sparring rounds with Sensei Seth, Icy Mike, and Rokas. The man is a phenomenal athlete with incredible control while sparring.
That last takedown was perfect!
I need a tutorial for that foot hook kick x)
Guys you have all my respect, Bravo to you two and also to Icy Mike resting in the background 😂🙏🤗💪💪💪💪💪💪💪💪👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I just love seeing Jeff putting the sauce on martial arts youtubers
Great work looked like a lot of fun!
If I want to become the best MMA fighter thatI can become, should I invest 100% of my time into MMA or should I train BJJ and wrestling separately, as well? I think training MMA only would be wiser.
5:58 so much to learn, in just this freezeframe alone. From the subtle left foot shift of Jeff, to the masterful nuanced fake straight into arm swing for the right kick. You guys are awesome
5:59
Was that the Hadouken Kick he taught once in his video 😅
Sydney!? What gym may I ask
Top !!
Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://youtu.be/fhsFRnOjZgk
This is exactly what I wanna see 💥✊💥
Both of y'all be fighting weird as a mug… which is awesome🕺 I gotta get up on this train
Really cool seein both of these guys display their respective skills
I noticed Ramsey tends to keep the head movement slight but very deliberate. Not really bouncing around until he needs to be. Also his throw defense is very solid. I think do to his size he can post up without the need to sprawl very low.
That donkey kick at 05:14 was awesome. Sanda has a very varied striking arsenal and you can see the traditional wushu influence in those unorthodox moves.
The Day I get these guys to use my Strike Buddy 🔥😶🌫️😁
That hook on the leg kick is really intresting gonna have to try that one
Very cool seeing you two go at it. Two skilled, elusive, creative fighters. Really a joy to watch, thank you!
I saw a sprawl in a kung fu book before MMA existed so many years ago.
sorry if this dumb, but is sanda basically MT without eblows, knees and the clinche?
Strike the apeoid mutations from you
lol icy mike in the back does not give a singular damn haha
Jeff can adapt to anything.
Where is the Sanda? And no, I dont think it is a superior style. but this is nothing like i experienced in China.
Actually, if you land on them as you do a take down, u get 1 point. You only get no points if you guys land and touch the ground together.
The amount of people disrespecting Ramsey in the comments mind blows me.
-The dude is in his 40s
-He's injured
-He's tired as fuck
-Still recovering from Covid
Who cares if he's out of shape, who cares if he's a mediocre fighter (he's not).
He is a proper fight coach, who has already earned the right for respect. He spent his young days fighting in a country where he wasn't welcomed, built a proper fight gym business, bagged himself an awesome wife and kids, and has a thriving youtube channel. The man has accomplished more than most will even if you gave them multiple lives. RESPECT the old timer.
Some of the comments remind me of toxic fans who roast actors for not being in peek shape twenty four seven, i swear to god. God forbid a retired fighter actually just enjoys life and enjoys a few extra cheese burgers.
Fascinating to watch. You and Ramsey are two of my favourite Martial Arts YouTubers. The differing styles being showcased here is a work of art!