San Cao
(International Wing Chun Martial Art - Indonesia)
San Cao is a non-sticky hand sparring practice technique invented by the late GM Kang Sin Sin to train a new Wing Chun Practitioner in developing the Wing Chun hands. Most of the times, a fight will not be started by hands touching between a fighter and another, but from a distance. So in order to develop the necessary skill to approach a fight, the late GM Kang Sin Sin trained his disciples with the sparring practice technique called San Cao, as the Chum Kiu (or Seeking the Bridge) will not be taught until the later stage of the Wing Chun training.
The San Cao technique is divided into several sections started by the basic of the Wing Chun punch (the centerline punch) and the hand slap (the Pak Sao) exchanges. From then on, after a student get used to with the basic of Wing Chun punch and slap, he/she can move forward with the later techniques as those techniques require a much further mind and body, left hand and right hand, hands and feet coordination for smoothly practicing and mastering the San Cao.
In doing the San Cao technique, a pair of Wing Chun Practitioners must face each other in the side front stance position. A pair of Wing Chun Practitioners will have to stand in a slightly over one full hand length distance in order to avoid any accidental hit in exchanging the San Cao technique. In some of the techniques, one of the practitioners must move his/her position toward the sparring partner to conduct certain techniques such as the neck pull, hair grab, knee blow, take down, etc.
The late GM Kang Sin Sin always said that a fight will definitely not be started from sticking the hands (Chi Sao position), but instead started with kicks, punches, and pushes (but off course sometimes also started with grabbing). And as the San Cao will help a Wing Chun Practitioner to train his/her hands and feet for speed and coordination, it will prepare a Wing Chun Practitioner to start the fight (if really necessary) or put a good defense by developing good reflex system before the feeling takes place in addition to the reflex once the fight has gone into much closer (sticky hands or legs).
The San Cao is the Uniqueness that separates the Wing Chun training method of the late GM Kang Sin Sin among other things taught by him.