Chi Na

Chin Na means simply “to seize and control.” Chin na is very difficult to get out of when a master has a good hold.

When used as a surprise it is very fast and deceptive, kind of like playing pool against someone who knows how to line up their shots properly. You know they are up to something but at any one turn the game is ended in a moment.

To get an idea of what chin na looks like, it is the painful holds on the movies you see where someone has the finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder, neck, leg, or foot locking and twisting.

Chin na can also be cavity striking to the pressure points which are more advanced. Two really good examples that will give you an idea are Jet Li’s “Fist of Legend” where he fights in the school at the beginning of the movie and Tony Jaa’s “The Protector” where he fights all those guys at the end of the movie. I don’t watch a lot of TV - by the way because I find it pointless, but I’ll watch a good movie while working on the computer or exercising (30 minutes of jump roping is a long time) as long as it is a clean movie. They do serve as good visuals however. For proper chin na one must twist, bend and press at the same time for maximum control and show no mercy.

Kenpo Kung Fu chin na training consists of many various methods. Chin na is used throughout those core techniques I talked about on the “basics, techniques, and forms” page as a start to control and release or a finish to combinations.

In our Chinese Kenpo there are around 200 chin na special training techniques during your chin na special training while being a purple belt working for your blue belt. These techniques are short and sweet and are versatile in just about any training.

Chin na training also consists of conditioning the hands for strength in controlling your opponent. This training consists of sand striking, finger grips, hand squeezes, fingertip push ups, wrist push ups, fist push ups, and much more to improve hand strength. Reminder in chin na is that when going downward their head or shoulder must touch the ground, when going upward they must be on their tip toes to break their balance, and circular chin na is to redirect the energy to another area.

DO NOT ATTEMPT ANY OF THE DESCRIBED METHODS WITHOUT A TRAINED SPECIALIST. Training has to be carefully done under supervision to prevent injury. We do not send our students to school or work injured, that is unethical. Escape training in chin na is also vital to escape those holds for defense purposes. Freestyle chin na is essential to allow the student the freedom of self practice and experiment what has been learned to make it their own. For more on chin na training click on the links below.

Sealing the Breath and Sealing the Vein |  Cavity Press   

Misplacing the Bone  |   Dividing the Muscle

*THESE METHODS ARE TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THE TRAINING IS LIKE AND A REFERENCE FOR STUDENTS AND NOT TO ACT AS A TRAINING TOOL.

Click on the below methods for more information about their ways of self-defense.

Chin na |  Tai Chi | Ground Fighting |  Multiple Man Fighting | Takedowns  

Also see: Five Animals | Weapons

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