苏家拳的传奇历史可以追溯到明朝正德年间（大约公元1506年），由一位杰出的武术家舒裁缝在河南创造。他的弟子苏金财和苏金祥将这门拳法带到了四川，并经过长时间的刻苦训练和不断改进， eventually establishing the distinctive style of Su Jiaquan. By the end of the Qing dynasty, a renowned martial artist named Peng Xiaoxin, also known as Peng Shui Lao Liu, learned and mastered Su Jiaquan in his home region of Rongchang and went on to pass it down to several generations.

Peng Xiaoxin was recognized as the 23rd generation successor of Su Jiaquan. He transmitted this valuable knowledge to Chen Zizhang, Peng Youqi (who maintained the family tradition), Cheng Bucun, Yang Chengzhi, and others. These individuals then passed on their understanding to various successors in subsequent generations.

The main characteristics of Su Jiaquan include maintaining proper stance with balance between softness and hardness; clear distinction between punches and palms; emphasizing open-handed movements while minimizing footwork; employing close-range combat techniques that involve grappling and clinching; utilizing a variety of body movements that can be described as "floating" or "sinking"; using flat hands for striking rather than relying solely on punching techniques; employing uppercuts with palm strikes instead of regular palm slaps.

Furthermore, practitioners focus on mastering six different body stances ("six bodies") combined with six leg techniques ("six feet"), often resulting in unexpected moves such as "legs disappearing." Additionally, they employ quick stepping patterns called "urging steps."

In terms of technique itself, emphasis is placed on executing continuous sequences followed by rapid-fire attacks. The combination of punches and elbows creates an efficient fighting style characterized by speediness without losing power or control.