Scissor cut - a lost technique that once made Chinese martial arts community tremble

The match between Cung Le and his Chinese opponent Na Shun was not only a proud milestone for the Vietnamese-American boxer, but also allowed fans to witness one of the lost martial arts techniques - the scissors technique.

Cung Le is famous for his powerful kicks - Photo: XN

Cung Le's famous kick

In 1999, Cung Le caused a stir in the martial arts world when he defeated Chinese opponent Na Shun in a match in Honolulu (USA). The match took place at the San Shou Kickboxing arena.

Not only did Cung Le dominate the match, he also created a stunning image with his finishing move. A flying kick, his legs cut through like scissors, sending Na Shun flying to the floor amidst loud cheers.

Unlike the familiar roundhouse kicks, low kicks or straight kicks in Muay Thai or kickboxing, the scissor kick or scissor takedown belongs to the rare technical treasure of sanda - a Chinese martial art that combines kicks and grappling.

Cung Le, with a background in sanshou (the sport fighting version of sanda), had mastered this technique for many years before bringing it to the international stage.

In that famous move, he launched himself at his opponent with one leg hooked up to his upper body, the other leg sweeping down below his hips. The force and accuracy left his opponent no time to react. Immediately after the swing, Cung Le rushed in with a series of punches, forcing the referee to stop the match.

The moment Cung Le knocked down Na Shun - Photo: SCREENSHOT

That moment was not only a victory for Cung Le, but also a rare testament to the effectiveness of a technique that has almost been lost in the modern arena.

The scissor kick originated from traditional systems such as Chinese kung fu, some ancient Japanese forms (specifically judo and jiu-jitsu with the kani basami kick), and was later developed in modern Sanshou.

Lost secret

However, this move requires extremely high technical requirements - the fighter must be able to jump strongly, control the center of gravity and combine both legs at the right time to create a "pulling" force that makes the opponent lose balance.

Although it once helped many fighters like Cung Le make their mark, the scissor kick has almost disappeared from professional rings today.

One of the main reasons is the extreme danger - not only to the person being hit, but also to the person doing the hitting.

In modern grappling or jiu-jitsu, a similar technique known as kani basami has been banned in many prestigious tournaments such as the IBJJF due to the serious injuries it can cause, including broken fibulas, torn knee ligaments, and even spinal damage.

In a famous 2011 incident, wrestler Takashi Sugiura completely broke his leg after taking a similar blow from his opponent, causing the martial arts community to begin questioning the safety of this technique.

Even for the user, scissors are risky. A poorly timed or uncontrolled snap in mid-air can put a fighter in a disadvantageous position, lead to a backlock, or even injure himself.

In the modern MMA arena, where pragmatism and risk management are the priority, it is rare for fighters to take this risk. Fighters like Cung Le, who dare to bring the technique to the ring, are the rare exceptions in history.

This stone technique is almost lost - Photo: PN

The effectiveness of the scissor kick, when executed correctly, is undeniable. According to kinematic analysis, this is a move that can knock an opponent down instantly, with almost no effective defense once it is in the "scissor" range.

However, the difficulty of execution and the risk of injury make it a double-edged sword. Therefore, while kicks such as low kick, roundhouse or front kick are increasingly improved and commonly used in MMA and kickboxing, scissor kick is gradually being put into the group of "dangerous but not recommended" techniques.

Historically, the scissor kick has appeared in many East Asian martial arts, but it was not until the modern martial arts exchange period in the late 20th century that it appeared on international stages.

People like Cung Le have taken this technique beyond the limits of performance, proving that it is powerful enough to defeat strong opponents in real combat.

However, times have changed, competition rules have tightened, and trainers have tended to focus on techniques with higher success rates - all of which have made this technique obsolete in the modern arena.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/don-cat-keo-tuyet-ky-that-truyen-tung-khien-lang-vo-trung-quoc-run-so-20250715103210698.htm