Sanshou transcends the boundaries among various styles of martial arts and incorporates the quintessence of different systems to allow for the integration of highly practical, comprehensive, and versatile fighting techniques. Sanshou features synthesized basic elements of close and long range barehanded combat, including primarily punching, kicking and throwing. Although these elements may have been covered individually in other combat sports such as boxing, taekwondo, kickboxing, Muay Tai, judo, wrestling, etc., sanshou uniquely synthesizes all these elements in terms of combination techniques and application of one in defense of the other. A good example is foot catch followed by a throw in response to a kick, a scenario does not occur in most other combat sports. Sanshou covers all fighting ranges and stresses that every technique is excelled in terms of speed, power, and accuracy. Sanshou is literally every way to use your mind, hands, feet and body to respond to whatever an opponent may try on you, and to defeat your opponent.

Modern sanshou draws from the immense wealth of heritage in wushu (Chinese martial arts), but is by no means limited to wushu. All viable skills and knowledge from other recognized disciplines of martial arts have been, and will continue to be incorporated into the sanshou system.