The History of Old San Soo

Unlike other web sites dedicated to Kung Fu San Soo, we will not be spending a great deal of time on the life history and lineage of Jimmy H. Woo. Not because of any ill will towards Jimmy, just the opposite, we at Old San Soo all respect Woo, and appreciate what he brought to us, it is the fact that there are more than enough web sites out there currently that provide this information (one in particular, www.tlhkungfu.com, has done an excellent job of presentation and research on the subject). Instead, we will concentrate on the shorter history of the preservation of the Old San Soo, and how it has been handed done to us currently.

One of the most infamous names in the lineage of Kung Fu San Soo, is Frank Woolsey. Frank was, and is, a very controversial figure. Many things can be said about Frank Woolsey, and many of them are not complimentary. However, the fact remains that Woolsey is the most important single person in the preservation of old San Soo. Woolsey, more than anyone else is responsible for saving, documenting, and sharing this knowledge with us. And, yes, that includes Jimmy Woo himself.

Frank Woolsey began training in Kung Fu San Soo at the age of thirteen. Frank was one of the very first non-Asian students that Jimmy Woo taught, and by all accounts, became one of best that Woo ever taught. By the time Frank was in high school, he had earned his black belt. Jimmy sat down with Frank and created a teaching method that Frank would use in his own school he had planned to open. In this systematic method of training, the students would learn a series of lesson groups that would allow them to build upon a solid foundation of knowledge and skill that would grow as they trained. With this focus, the following lesson groups emerged. Ah Soo (a name that Frank assigned them), for beginning skill levels, Fut Ga, for move advanced footwork, and attack, then Toy Li Ho, for leverage, and finally Nam Pi, very advanced lessons that required well developed timing and balance.
Woolsey opened his first studio in Downey in about 1963 or 1964. Frank was in his mid-twenties at the time. An interesting tidbit to note, is that Woolsey proudly printed on his business card that he was a member of the Jimmy H. Woo Association. It was shortly after this time that Frank and Jimmy had a serious falling out, and Frank was no longer part of the association.
Meanwhile, Woo was facing a serious problem himself. A former student was suing him in court. It seems that another student injured the former student in class. In those days, very rough workouts were the norm, but this one was even more so, and the former student held Jimmy responsible in court for his injuries. The former student lost the court case against Woo, but the cost of the defense was in the ten of thousands of dollars. It was after this experience, that Woo decided to change the teaching methods and workout system. He needed to insure that another such situation would not happen again. Hence, the decision was made by Woo to begin training more slowly, and in the direction of the Choy Li Ho Fut Hung system, and away from the older San Soo style.

Woolsey continued to teach and train in the older style that he was originally taught by Jimmy Woo. A style that involves large windmills movements and powerful strikes. A system that he taught his key students, these included such men as Dave Sword, Steve Howell, Ted Sias, Al Rubin, Chuck Curtin, Ron Van Browning, Dennis Kirby, Bill Hulsey, Rick Graham, and Bruce Nettles, to name a few.

From these students were handed down the same skills and knowledge that Woolsey had originally learned from Jimmy Woo. And, from their lineage, we offer the same knowledge base and skills to you, our readers.