What is Shuai Jiao? A look at ancient Chinese Wrestling

What country is Shuai Jiao famous in?

When thinking about traditional Chinese martial arts, most people naturally think of Kung Fu. This is because Kung Fu successfully made it through the years and arrived in the twentieth century. From there, it became massively popular in the western world due to gaining media exposure, particularly in the 80s. However, China actually has a far more broad and diverse history of martial arts than you may first believe and Kung Fu isn’t just about striking.

For instance, Shuai Jiao is a Chinese martial art that dates back to over 5000 years ago. With this said, it is literally ancient and proves that it wasn’t just the Greeks who trained grappling. Yes, that’s correct – Shuai Jiao is China’s answer to grappling. Because of this, it is often referred to as ‘Chinese wrestling’. The sad part of its history is that these days it’s relatively obscure outside of China, as it didn’t translate anywhere near as much as the striking aspects of Kung Fu did. Fear not though, it has enjoyed somewhat of a revival in modern times.

Whilst these days Shuai Jiao is still practiced, the reality is that it will probably never go mainstream and by most people’s standards is fairly obscure. Nonetheless, it’s got an interesting history and proves that Chinese traditional martial arts weren’t just based on striking. Here is a breakdown of Shuai Jiao and what it is.

So, what is Shuai Jiao then?

In physical terms, Shuai Jiao is grappling based and uses a jacket that is similar to the gi used in Judo. However, there are a few key differences. Firstly, the Shuai Jiao jacket has short sleeves. This means you can’t grab the opponent’s sleeves or elbow crease which is a popular technique in Judo. You may not think much of this difference, but whilst grappling it makes a big difference. Primarily, it brings the action closer together and makes for more Greco wrestling-type situations. You can still grip parts of the collar and material, but generally most of the upper body clinches involve collar ties and fighting for hooks.

The second part of the uniform is less concrete. Basically, some practitioners will wear trousers similar to Judo, and others will wear shorts, similar to those found in Sambo. If competing, it really depends on the rules of each individual competition where lower body clothing is concerned. Again, this changes the dynamic of how each match is fought and offers different strategies depending on the specific outfit being used.

Regarding the action and ruleset, Shuai Jiao is probably closest to Sambo in terms of rules and style. However, it obviously gets compared to Judo as well. Basically, unlike Judo in particular – there is no real groundwork in Shuai Jiao. It is mostly devoted to takedowns and prioritizes stand-up. In some cases, you may get 5 seconds to work a submission if you do go to the ground with one locked in.

However, this isn’t always within the rules and some matches only allow for standing submissions. Due to this, you’re more likely to see standing armlocks in Shai Jiao when compared to Judo or Sambo as they aren’t really done from the ground. The lack of groundwork is an important feature of the art, as it means those who train it are specialists at standing without paying too much attention to how to operate on the ground.

Secondly, another key addition to Shuai Jiao is how points are scored. Firstly, the priority is to take the opponent down whilst standing over them. Again, this differs significantly when looking at Judo. Next on the hierarchy is securing a takedown where you fall with them, yet still end up in a top position.

Lastly, Shuai Jiao really dislikes takedowns where you also end up on the ground. This is one critique of Judo where people secure an Ippon whilst putting themselves in a bad position. Whilst this may win a Judo match and is a technicality, it is frowned upon in Shuai Jiao which is big on realistic, advantageous positions. Because of this, you may even get points deducted if you secure a takedown yet touch your hands on the floor in doing so. Basically, the idea is to floor the opponent without entering the ground yourself.

Another distinct aspect of the art is the use of leg grabs. Again, this is something that is illegal in Judo and changes the way matches are fought. However, leg grabbing is still legal in Sambo. As a result, this is where Shuai Jiao blends more into wrestling. Double leg takedowns are legal which obviously isn’t seen in Judo. Once more, this is a clear example of how a ruleset helps shape martial arts, even if they have many similarities in a general sense.

Finally, another nuance of Shuai Jiao is the way break falls are taught. In Judo and others, you are taught to fall on your back and splay your arms out. However, in Shuai Jiao it is different, here you almost curl up into a ball before hitting the ground. This is due to training originating on a hard floor which changed the way in which break falls were thought about. Thousands of years later, and they are still taught in their own, distinct style.

Are strikes legal in Shuai Jiao?

Whilst Shuai Jiao is still a legit form of martial arts, its rules have toned down the violence since its beginnings. Back then, striking was allowed as were joint dislocations. In short, it would have kind of looked a bit closer to MMA or combat Karate at one point. However, the Qing dynasty eventually banned strikes and dislocations. As the art was primarily based around the military at this point, it wasn’t seen as a good idea to injure your training partners.

For instance, it’s one thing to threaten an armlock, but it’s a different thing to ram it on and break someone’s elbow. Similarly, it’s one thing to get tripped onto the floor, but to get punched in the head adds a whole other level of violence. Whilst strikes still remained a key part of Kung Fu, they were not used in Shuai Jiao anymore. Instead, those practicing the art would stick completely to grappling.

Is Shuai Jiao legit?

These days, there’s sadly an element of distrust against certain traditional martial arts which have been watered down and infiltrated by charlatans. However, this is happily not the case with Shuai Jiao. Perhaps it’s due to remaining relatively unknown in the west, but Shuai Jiao is arguably one of the most legitimate martial arts out there. In fact, the only complaint about it is that it’s so small that outside of China, Shuai Jiao gyms can be very hard to come by.

One way of explaining the art is that it’s kind of like Judo without less of the modern rules. One critique of Judo is that the ruleset harmed its effectiveness which saw leg grips and double collar grips banned. However, Shuai Jiao has fewer restrictions. Another benefit of Shuai Jiao is that it is incredibly fast-paced. Whilst Judo is quicker than the likes of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for action, Shuai Jiao is arguably even more so.

The idea is to put the opponent to the floor as many times as possible. Due to the point scoring system, this can lead to a number of explosive trips and takedowns which constantly pushes the action. For those wondering, be in no doubt that this is a tough martial art and isn’t for the faint-hearted. For further proof, you can look up the Shuai Jiao Champion Lavell Marshall. As a westerner, he helped grow the art in recent times and shone a light on its effectiveness. There is a saying, ‘good grappling is good grappling’ and this certainly applies here.

Some Thoughts on grappling culture

There is an outside chance that Shuai Jiao one day rises in popularity. However, for now stand-up grappling is dominated by US wrestling, Judo, and Sambo. Although Shuai Jiao has its own set of rules and is unique, you do have to question whether people would leave established martial arts to train it – even if it was more freely available. Generally, people take many years to change their thinking habits and behaviors when looking at new ideas.

Is Shuai Jiao effective?

Nonetheless, to answer the original question, Shuai Jiao can be summed up as a cross between US wrestling and Sambo with greater respect for standing whilst groundwork is less focused upon. Combining the traditional jacket with a less restrictive ruleset has made Shuai Jiao become a very effective art in its own right which also proves the rich history of Chinese martial arts.

Check out this book for more information on Shuai Jiao.