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Members of Bermuda's Sanshou Association are hastily packing their bags, and their punches, in preparation for the Pam-Am chmapionships in Toronto this weekend.

The fledgling Association was only formed last October, which makes it somewhat surprising that they will already be, in the words of vice president of the association Reuben Bean, "competing against the best of the best." But Bean, along with president Garon Wilkinson, believe the team is more than capable of bringing down the competition, with Bean saying, "we have been preparing with diligence and excitation and have a feeling that we are going to do well."

Wilkinson, whose training is originally in Kung Fu, explains the virtues of training in a martial arts discipline such as Kung Fu prior to studying Sanshou, "Because we have a background in martial arts our technique is much cleaner. We seem to have a greater ability to inflict pain."

This is quite a contrast to many Sanshou competitors who have backgrounds in wrestling.

However, this can also be advantageous as the goal is to throw your opponent twice from the lei tai (raised platform), which is inevitably easier for the big muscley wrestling guys.

Alternatively, you can win by knocking them out, which is where 'team Bermuda' hopes to make use of their striking ability, in a kind of David and Goliath scenario.

As it may be becoming obvious, this is not a sport for the faint-hearted.

Sanshou, known also as Chinese free-style fighting, is a full contact sport with a kind of 'anything goes' philosophy.

Wilkinson reiterates this point, "As long as there are no elbows or strikes to the groin, it's pretty much a free-for-all."

Then, if that doesn't put you off, there's the grueling training schedule. The team trains five days a week, which usually involves various types of running and boxing exercises, endurance training, as well as and sprinting and interval training.

On top of that, Mr. Wilkinson also manages to squeeze in a yoga session once a week which he claims helps to give him the clear head required for such a strict schedule.

"We all have full-time jobs so we train mornings, and evenings" Mr. Wilkinson explained, "Many do find it a bit much. "This was made apparent after the Association's numbers dropped from 20 individuals during a training camp a few months ago, to only five.

"Only these five stuck with it because it's so demanding, because of the seriousness of the sport. We put in a lot of miles. It takes a certain kind of individual to commit." Bean commented.

But, nothing seems to faze the five competitors who are left, who say the feeling amongst the team at the moment is one of "Exuberance, confidence, and calmness mixed with anticipation."

Wilkinson emphasized the importance of Bermuda's success in this event and said: "It will almost certainly put Bermuda 'on the map' if we do well", as well as increasing their chances to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2008 in Beijing.

When asked if Bermuda had any disadvantages being such a small island, Bean replied, "The only disadvantage Bermuda has is we have to fund ourselves. We are funded by the Bermuda Sanshou Association and by various other sponsors. Also, we have to train harder to make up for the fact that we don't have teams from neighbouring states to practice against."[[In-content Ad]]

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