18 Shares

The fundamental aspects to understand Chin Na’s effectiveness

After understanding what Chin Na techniques are (read Chin Na), let’s see their basic learning requirements.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

The fundamental premises

In relation to Chin Na, it is important to stress that they are:

Not the first step – If we want the Chin Na not to be reduced to a “trick to amaze friends”, we have to address their study only after an adequate minimal martial preparation (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)
Not a shortcut – Chin Na are not a substitute for other fighting techniques (kicks, punches, etc.) but rather a complement; striking, in most cases, is easier to apply and simplicity is a winning card in any combat scenario
Not easy to implement against high-level opponents – Especially in the most static contexts, most Chin Na are difficult to execute on skilled adversaries (they probably know their dynamics, their counterattacks, liberations, etc.); if we do not have the right spatial intelligence, precision, instant adaptation capability, speed, timing, deception ability (etc.) the attempt to use them is counterproductive
Not a universal solution – Not all Chin Na work with all people; if from one side the best techniques largely outweigh (for example) the tolerance of naturally flexible people, on the other side, we may find a limit of effectiveness facing highly conditioned practitioners (but in most cases we talk about a level near contortionism)
Functional when they are not expected – Chin Na works better when the opponent is not aware of what we want to do (eg. he / she does not have the time / space to react, he / she has been deceived, etc.); with similar physical shape and preparation, in 70% of the other cases, even a middle-level fighter may be able to withstand, react or get rid of them
…

A note by Master Kongling – Why are we trying to be so clear (almost to the point of discrediting this kind of method)? Because we must be aware both of the positive, both of the negative sides of what we learn (after all, if they weren’t useful, why would we bother teaching them?). I remember a (bad) Kung Fu “instructor” who used to fool his students, deceiving them that he could resist any Chin Na technique, in reality he simply had the advantage of: choosing which part of his body to give them, of being sure not to be subjected to distraction tactics, of knowing the technical background of those who challenged and above all to enjoy the advantages related to the respect of the people in front of him (slow-motion movements, no sudden actions, easy surrender, low power, etc., read 4 Tips to effectively apply any fighting technique). When instead it was a question of facing (even on a friendly level) people or techniques of which he was unaware, he always had a different excuse: every time (once the elbow that hurts, once the pinky, once the fear of not being able to control his reactions, etc.). Unfortunately, the world of martial arts is full of such people, they do not share knowledge, they are only in search of an audience to give vent to their personal frustrations (read Recognize a good / bad master: 5 characteristics).

What we need to correctly address the study of Chin Na

At the base of Chin Na are the following “compositional elements”:

Balance and rooting – The more our stance (or movement) is stable the more we can effectively apply our techniques; on the other hand, the more rooting (read Kung Fu rooting: the pyramid concept) we are able to subtract to the opponents (read also The 3 phases of a throw), the more opportunities we will have to completely control them
The ability to interact – The capability to adapt to / guide the adversary’s action in a coordinated, fast, natural, intense, safe and extremely precise way (eg. grasping, wrapping, compressing, twisting, pushing, pulling, aligning, etc., read also 6DKF’s interactions: from the strong blow to the light touch)
Space / time management – Even before the attacking intent, the position we occupy must always aim to keep us safe from the potential opponent’s reactions (counterattack, sudden release, etc.) throughout the application of the technique
Knowledge of the body and combat dynamics – The biomechanics of the levers and the human anatomy, through which always find the way to subdue the adversary (eg. through the use of a small force against a larger one or to force the limb we are focused on to have no other choices than accompany our action)
Trapping – The ability to dynamically block / trap the opposing action; If we are not able to stop / parry / divert / etc. an attack (or to impose our own initiative), Chin Na techniques are almost useless (read Trapping)
Practical experience – Active and passive but always connected to deep concentration and research of a global vision; only with constant training and experimentation we can reach the proper mastery of the principles behind the Chin Na (which, at the highest levels, flow into TCM, traditional Chinese medicine); once the theory is fully understood, it is a matter of storing it in our muscle memory (read The right way to develop muscle memory)
Muscle chain – If to all that we have said we add the ability to exploit the strength and inertia of our body in unison (read The Muscle Chain (for martial arts) [MINI-GUIDE]), we will be able to exponentially expand the effectiveness of these techniques
…

Chin Na work on tendons, muscles, bones, cavities (etc.) we will see how through various techniques (eg. My first Chin Na technique: finger grabbing) but first, we will expose the right exercises to bring our skills to the right level (starting from Chin Na: basic exercises).

In-depth video courses

Chin Na: Principles and Learning – A visual and deep explanation of all the fundamental aspects of Chin Na
Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – The practices that make the difference between effectiveness and theoretical knowledge
Hand grip strength conditioning – Without a good grip, a big part of Chin Na disappear
How to develop a good timing – Mastering the capability that allows exploiting the adversary’s errors
How to use feints in combat – A video course about the most tactical and difficult aspect of combat
Self-defense basics: how to – Our complete personal defense path (based on our S.A.F.E. method)
Combat flexibility: tendons transformation for martial arts – The highest level of flexibility of our Kung Fu

In-depth articles

Conditioning check for flexibility – How to better resist Chin Na techniques
The correct position of the bow / arrow (gong bu) – An important stance to execute the Chin Na

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

What is your opinion on Chin Na’s effectiveness?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

Twitter Facebook

How to master 6 Dragons Kung Fu?

Are you searching for:

Daily training exercises?
Synthetic theory and concepts?
A step by step path from white to black belt?
A path (clear, consequential and gradual) designed to build real martial skills?
A direct contact with Master Kongling?

Go to our Patreon page and choose a training plan: starting from the Practitioner level, you will gain access to all this and much more.

Inside each Premium Lesson, you will receive the same teaching (practices, tips, concepts, small secrets and corrections) reserved to the live students of Master Kongling.

Important - Once a certain number of registrations are reached, no other participants can be accepted. For more information write to: [email protected].