Introduction: Walking Tall Martian Arts is self-defense classes the come to you. Teaching a variety of classes including privates, special needs, women’s self defense, and anti-bullying. We teach out students how to properly defend themselves from any situation that they might find themselves in. The background of the self-defense that is taught is from Kung Fu San Soo. Kung Fu San Soo is designed for battle and is purely a fighting art. This is important to understand because there are no tournaments due to the devastation that it can cause. Being strictly a fighting art everything that we teach is intended to immobilize and stop an attacker. San Soo uses a wide variety of different techniques including punches, kicks, throws, pressure points, and leverages. Each technique is intended to defuse a situation or if the situation is more of a threat, severely damage the attacker. We teach our students how to handle themselves on the streets and prepare them for the real world.
About Me:
In 1998 instructor Joseph Kaufmann started training in Kung Fu San Soo at the age of 12 years old under Master Lawrence Rouse. Over the years he has not only trained at a constant rate, but also has been teaching a wide demographic of students. For 8 years Joseph was running classes at his Masters school in Van Nuys, the San Soo Center for Self-Defense. When the school moved to the Maria Del Ray area Joseph started instructing at the new location Play Vista Martial Arts, teaching children and adult classes.
Working with children between the ages 5-12, teenagers 13-17, and adults 18-60+ Joseph has very extensive knowledge how to work efficiently with each student. Not only does Joseph work with typical adults and children, he also has done extensive work with special needs and disabled. The wide range of students Joseph has worked with provides a unique perspective of working with all kinds of students.
More recently Joseph has also been teaching self-defense at The Help Group’s after school program, where he designed his classes based on each and every students needs. In addition Joseph has taught women’s self-defense classes at the Conejo Valley Adult School, and currently works in the women’s self-defense classes at Playa Vista Martial Arts.
What is Kung Fu San Soo:
Kung Fu San Soo is a dynamic “explosive” fighting art! So dynamic that a person considerably smaller than a larger person can easily seize, gain control and potentially inflict serious damage to a larger person. It is the ideal solution for women wanting to learn how to protect themselves from rape or any other kind of assault. Kung Fu San Soo does not rely on muscle strength. Rather, an individual learns how to use their complete and total body weight to offset their attacker’s balance. When anyone properly lowers their center of gravity, the use of their body weight becomes their power, making size less relevant. Executing techniques from a lower center of gravity will have a staggering impact on the attacker.
San Soo is not a sport, but a fighting art which dates back to the early 1700’s in the Chin family in Southern China. The history of the art of San Soo in the Chin family started with Jimmy’s Great, Great, Great Grandfather who was the Monk, Leong Kick in the Kwan-Yin Monastery. It was then passed on to his Great, Great Grandfather Chin Moon Don. It was then passed on to his Great Grandfather Chin Siu Don, and then to his great Uncle Chin Siu Hung. Chin Siu Dek (Jimmy H. Woo) came into possession of the monastery training texts comprised of two books which are approximately 500 years old at the death of Chin Siu Hung when the Japanese invaded China. Chin Siu Dek was and will be the only Grandmaster in the art of Kung Fu San Soo.
I have a true passion for martial arts as well as teaching. Building my students confidence and skills is great to see. Martial arts is not just physical but it also takes a great deal of focus and discipline. This is something I work with my students because this greatly helps when it comes to learning self-defense. I take great joy working hands on with my students and helping them with everything that they need.
