“Don’t go looking for trouble; trouble look for you!” Jimmy H. Woo
In his book, “On Combat,” the author, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman postulates that there are three kinds of people in this world when confronted with issues of safety. He classifies them as the sheep, the wolf and the sheep dog.
He explains sheep travel in groups and are oblivious to their environment which makes them opportune victims for the wolf who preys on these unsuspecting sheep. On the other hand, the ever vigilant sheep dog is tasked with protecting themselves and the flock from the wolf.
Although I agree with Mr. Grossman, personally I would include one additional category of people. The “Ostrich!”
This person like an ostrich hides their head in the sand by falsely believing if they ignore danger then danger does not exist.
Herded with the unsuspecting sheep, the ostrich ignores the circling wolves. They even, at times, place themselves in positions of vulnerability by ignoring obvious danger as they chant a mantra of, “I’m different, bad things happen to other people but nothing is going to happen to me!”
The wolves love that chant because it gives them the availability of a non-ending supply of victims.
In other words, try as they might, a person can hope to ignore danger but the simple fact is: for many people it is not a question of “If it will happen,” but more appropriately, “When will it happen?”
In fact, statistics show throughout the United States violent attacks on the innocent occur on an all too frequent basis.
Understanding that, please don’t mistakenly think that the police will always be there to save you at the exact moment a wolf strikes.
Law enforcement provides a dedicated service to the community. Brave men and women are prepared to lay down their lives, if necessary, to ensure the safety of the sheep. However, they cannot be everywhere at once and many times they arrive at the scene of a crime after the fact.
It is what transpires before their assistance is even called that can dictate your survival and the safety of your family.
Yet, without training, how can an average person protect themselves?
As I once told a mother, “If your children were attacked, you’d fight like a tiger to protect them. But without knowledge of how to fight, you’d literally be a tiger fighting without claws and teeth.”
The purpose of training in the art of Kung Fu San Soo is to be prepared for the enviable, have the tools needed and the confidence to use them to protect yourself and those you love.
My instructor, Jimmy Woo was the man who brought his family’s art to the United States. Around 1960 he opened a school in El Monte, California and called his art Kung Fu San Soo. In doing so for the first time in it's history he began teaching San Soo to non-Chinese and non-family members. Jimmy died in 1991. Blessed to have learned directly from Jimmy it is my goal to train others in the same exact manner that he trained us. In doing so, San Soo is a common-sense art, designed for street situations. Unlike what is seen on television and movies, if used properly, the conflict should end in seconds by using a minimum of effort for a maximum result.
If a person learns this art correctly, it is designed so that one day, when the wolf attacks, the wolf will find a “sheep dog” waiting.
