From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Chin Na (Wade-Giles: ch'in na) or Qinna (擒拿) (pinyin: qín ná) is a Mandarin Chinese term describing joint-manipulation techniques for self defense. While Qinna is trained by practically every Chinese martial art to some degree, some styles are famous for their specialization in the techniques, such as Eagle Claw (Yīng Zhǎo) (鷹爪) or Praying Mantis (Táng Láng). Indeed, most martial arts worldwide include training in joint manipulation techniques along the lines of Qinna, such as the Japanese martial arts of Jujutsu and Aikido, for example.
"Qin" means to seize or trap, "Na" means to lock or break, and while those actions are very often executed in that order (trap then lock), the two actions can also be performed distinctly in training and self defense. Which is to say, a trap isn't always followed by a lock or break, and a lock or break isn't necessarily set up by a trap.
