Woolsey Boys - Dennis "Bear" Kirby & Steve Howell et. al.

[bolio1981]

great clips sorry i missed it all but live in chicago praying mantis guy anyway any learning dvd's on this stuff saw info on old san soo new san soo, etc..any recomensations on whose dvds to order...no san soo here...

[machatz21]

One of the best video  a10+

[akbrawler]

colecash or steve lopez or a joke man your style makes me laugh! weak man very weak. These woolsey boys would walk through you! LOL everybody go watch some of steve lopez(colecash) vids and you will see what i mean. hahaha i have a granddaughter that has beter style and has more power.

[realkungfusansoo]

This is very practical kung fu in its application of fighting. It also demonstrates many of the fundamental principles of striking combinations (DAP'GA) and full body dynamics that were taught in the early years by Grandmaster Jimmy H. Woo. This is good stuff.

[SanSooKungFu]

This looks very close to what I've seen on Jimmy's tapes. As opposed to the "flash" techniques a lot of people post these days.

This is the real fighting shit.

I love it. Its' Awesome!

[americansansoo]

Hear, hear!!!

You've hit that nail on the head, comrade.!

[SanSooSifu]

Why is it that students of certain instructors do not understand the finer points of PROPER body mechanics? They run their foul mouths like little children, never truly understanding what they are commenting on. They are "arm punchers;" with slap-slappy, tap-tappy strikes that wouldn't bother a fly, let alone a grown man. When they demo, they look like children with ADHD & ADD who forgot to take their retalin in the morning. Go learn from Jerry Druckerman, Carl Lorenzen, Raul Ries, Jack Sera.

[colecash415]

No wonder you don't like us "flashy" guys, just seen your video & P U. lol.. & don't give me "real fighting shit" ? I grew up in La Habra..

BTW, I've demo'd for Jimmy as a boy when he would come to our graduations & i think he was rather pleased i could do more then just white belt & yellow belt lessons..

[SanSooSifu]

Robert Resann wrote: Ah Soo 45, Basic 45, Dap Ga 45 lessons are generally considered fare for "lowly" white and yellow belts. It is considered the basic (sometimes mildly boring) stuff; the stuff you need to do to get to the real "good stuff." (Come on, you know it is true.) But think about this... basically there are five punches that a boxer uses: the jab, the cross, the hook, the uppercut, and the overhand. Five primary punches!

[colecash415]

lol.. don't talk 2 me about boxing.. dude, you don't even know, been there done that.. grew up w/ & knew Julio Gonzales ( who finally ended up losing 2 Roy Jones)& some others.. but everyone in town knew who the main man was .I hate when people assume they're the only ones who know things, because you never know..

[SanSooSifu]

Robert Resann wrote: But would any of you maintain that boxing can be mastered relatively easily? Of course you wouldn't! You could easily study boxing for a lifetime, and learn something new everyday of your boxing life. If it were easy to master five stinking punches, we could all be professional boxers. The Ah Soo 45, Basic 45, Dap Ga 45 have much, much more than five punches. Elements of the "five families" are inherent in this meat and potatoes portion of Kung-Fu San Soo.

[SanSooSifu]

Robert Resann wrote: The complexity and simplicity of the Ah Soo 45, Basic 45, Dap Ga 45 (that Grand Master Jimmy H. Woo predominantly fought with) take more time to become a master of, than the few months you might spend learning them as a white and yellow belt (if you are fortunate enough to even be taught them at your studio).

[waycoolwhitey]

Thank you for posting this.This is a fact.. and the people that learn to go through the motions of the basic 45 for the sake of memory still do not get them right sometimes. Every block, strike, foot placement and shoulder rotation has a specific purpose that will come into play in later trainig.You cannot just go through the motions.

[SanSooSifu]

Robert Resann wrote: Instead, the normal sequence of learning is to "advance" after those first few months, to practicing lessons that predominantly do NOT feature striking at the core; with the new lessons focusing instead on elements such as: joint locks, throws, grappling, etc. Most everyone wants to do the "fun stuff," the "cool stuff." The stuff you do at demonstrations to impress the audience. The seemingly "magical stuff."

[colecash415]

those who can, do.. & those who can't make up reasons why they don't..

[SanSooSifu]

Robert Resann wrote: Because the stuff you consider basic for white and yellow belts seems unworthy of extended practice (as evidence by how much time the vast vast majority of students do NOT do it as a percentage of total practice time); you might find yourself wishing you had actually spent more time practicing to use what you most likely should use when the doo-doo hits the fan.

[colecash415]

i 've made out just fine when the "doo-doo" hits the fan.

[colecash415]

lol..did that guy hit his workout partner in the mouth while trying a simple white belt lesson? Those guys ever do anything other then windmill blocks?..

[americansansoo]

No he did not. The backhand to the throat is pulled by over half a foot, However, he did kick him in the mouth when he went down immediately afterward.

Many of the "Woolsey Boys" liked to fight for fun on the side... Yes they were a little crazy. Jimmy via Frank taught them well.

To your second question, the answer is yes. If you actually watched, you would know that.

[colecash415]

was reffering 2 the very first lesson they do..no backhand shown. Right punch across the face..blam!

Luv ur site, btw. Been in San Soo since i was a kid (2nd gen. myself). Oh.. and i only fight if I'm being paid.lol.j/k.

And you got me.. didn't watch whole thing, got bored. But now that i watched almost all of it ..it is mostly big windmill blocks.

[americansansoo]

I'm positive that the right punch also doesn't make contact... Watch the Bear's body react to the face stomp after he goes down. That's where he gets popped.

Back in those early days, the Num Pis (Nam Pais) ... whatever... were "evasive" ATTACKS, with windmills for covers/strikes... the defense was an offensive barrage...

[americansansoo]

Yes, most of the techniques in the videos utilize big windmills, but there are a few num pis among them... as well as a few hand and foot strikes to start the counter attack, without any windmill blocks utilized.

[colecash415]

a "few" being key word. lol. Seen old school guys who utilized more then just windmills & linear movement. But seriously i still notice some older guys in general try to make up 4 their lack of knowledge & coordination by going faster then they should.. not just "Woolsey Boys"..

Went 2 a studio a while back from Woolsey tree & some guy there was like "we do straight brawl style here.." & i thought to myself.. That's nice, but I learned all of San Soo.lol.. you feel me?

[NextGenKFSS08]

Nice!

[76jonathan]

Thanks for posting this. My dad trained with Dennis in Kalispell, MT. He came home bloody most lessons. We had a bar-b-q at echo lake.

[Crizkut]

Awesome! Excellent San Soo, thank you for sharing :)

[sansoosavage]

2:23 THAT is san soo at it's most effective!! Sweetr than sugar

[thrillseeker70]

Too cool, brutal workout, the little pat on the cheek at the end cracked me up, i just love to see the old school guys work out !!

[bnettles]

Nice clip. Very few people have access to this film. It was from Dennis Kirby's private collection, and if I remember correctly, it was filmed in Frank Woolsey's Downey studio. Frank had five studios at the time.

[americansansoo]

Yes, The Captain is extremely fortunate!!!!

[SanSooSifu]

Master Bruce Nettles I hope you and your family are doing well? I don't know if you're in a position to continue with the "Toy Li Ho" photograph lesson book with Master Bill Hulsey but I certainly hope so. There are some of us younger generations who truly want to pass on the entire art of Kung-Fu San Soo from Old San Soo to New San Soo. It would be helpful for future generations to have the "Toy Li Ho" photograph lesson book, they way that you and Master Bill Hulsey did the Ah Soo & Fut Ga.

[Arythmnmaker1]

Mr. Steven Howell was a former police officer. He became Director of Training for Mr. Woolsey's studios. As you can see in the video, his preference was the striking aspects of San Soo. Though very capable to incorporate the other three categories, it did not fit his personality. He told me he liked to use striking exclusively, and the others aspects only if necessary. He developed with Frank, the curriculum that I used on thursday evenings to green belts, and police officers,....groundfighting.

[Arythmnmaker1]

Thanks for your willingness to share this footage. Dennis was always prepared to give anyone as physical a workout they wanted. I remember him as a very disciplined and serious

student. That's the reason he was chosen to represent the Frank Woolsey kung-fu studios, as Manager/Head Instructor.

[sansoobackhammer]

SUHWEEET!!!

More please!

[timoxe]

Spectacular! Tsoi Li Ho * Fut Hung Ga