Single Leg Lift Guitar

Shaolin Kungfu is famous for its “Seventy Two Chin-Na Techniques”. “Chin-na” literally means “hold-grip”. It refers to a special way of fighting where by holding and gripping opponents in some specialized ways, you disable them from further action but without hurting them unnecessarily.

Chin-na is a compassionate way of fighting. Instead of injuring opponents seriously, like breaking their bones or damaging their internal organs, so that they cannot continue fighting, you put them out of action temporarily. They can seek medical help later on -- not from conventional doctors as they would not know the nature of injury involved, but from kungfu masters or chi kung healers – to restore their health and normal functioning.

Chin-na” is often mistaken to be the same as holds and locks. They are quite different. When you release your holds or locks, your opponent can continue to fight, but not in “chin na”.

Traditionally, injuries from “chin-na” are classified into three main categories:

1. ”fun khern” or separating tendons (including meridians)
2. ”chor jit” or wronging joints
3. ”na yuit” or gripping vital points

Some masters, however, refer to five categories, adding the following two:

1. ”chit mak” or blocking meridian
2. ”pai hei” or stopping energy

In the traditional classification, “blocking meridian” and “stopping energy” can be caused by separating tendons (including meridians) or gripping vital points.

Due to its long history, they are different versions of the Shaolin Seventy Two Chin-Na Techniques. The ones I practice are as follows. The names are in Cantonese pronunciation, followed by their English translation.

Golden Cockerel Locks Throat

1. tan fu chuit toong -- Single Tiger Emerges from Cave
2. hak fu sai jow -- Black Tiger Cleanses Claws
3. tai ma kwei choe -- Lead Horse Back to Stable
4. kam loong thow lea -- Golden Dragon Shoots Tongue
5. lo han fok fu -- Lohan Tames Tiger
6. wan sau yin jow -- Circling Hands Eagle Claws
7. tok kheuk thai kham -- Single Leggedly Lift Guitar
8. mei lui kow sar -- Beautiful Girl Turns Shuttle
9. sap tze khow sau -- Cross-roads Hand Locks
10. pak hou man chi -- White Ape Grips Branch
11. tai kung tiew yu -- Grand Old Man Catches Fish

12. kwan pheng pou yein -- Kwan Pheng Carries Insignia
13. ngo fu pang lan -- Hungry Tiger Leans against Fence
14. phat fu mei sei -- Pull a Tiger's Tail
15. chow chong fu mei -- Running with a Hidden Tiger's Tail
16. thien pheng sau fatt -- Hand Technique of a Balance
17. lou yin kham seai -- Old Eagle Catches Snake
18. lo han khaik ku -- Lohan Strikes Drum
19. kam kong fok fu -- Immortal Tames Tiger
20. lan kong chit pa -- Block the Big Boss
21. yap hoi kham kow -- Enter Sea to Catch Monster
22. siew ping tham san -- Small Soldier Carries Umbrella
23. sin yein tham chai -- Immortal Carries Sticks
24. see ku tham san -- Nun Carries Umbrella

Tang Soldier Keeps Guest

25. chor seong thok cheong -- Sitting Double Lifting Palms
26. seong loong fok kow -- Double Dragons Subdue Monster
27. yok lui choi fa -- Jade Girl Plucks Flower
28. yein foong whet lou -- Bending Willow in the Wind
29. chin see sau fatt -- Cocoon Hand Technique
30. fan chin see sau -- Counter against Cocoon Hand
31. fok teai choi fa -- Squarting to Pluck Flower
32. kok kow kap pan -- Immortal Plays Clappers
33. kam tong lei fatt -- Golden Boy Worship Buddha
34. fok teai ow lin -- Squarting to Bend Lotus
35. kam kai sor hou -- Golden Cockeral Locks Throat
36. yin jow kham loong -- Eagle Claw Catches Dragon

37. seong loong pou chui -- Double Dragons Carry Pearl
38. ku shue fan kein -- Rotten Tree Exposes Roots
39. kam sin thiew lou -- Golden Thread Hangs Gould
40. fok teai sor hou -- Squarting to Lock Throat
41. kam see phan mei -- Golden Bird Grips Eye-Brow
42. ngo yin pok shek -- Hungry Eagle Charges at Prey
43. lou chang mo mai -- Old Monk Grinds Rice
44. ling hou chak kor -- Spiritual Monkey Plucks Fruit
45. seong kung pou yuit -- Double Bows Carry Moon
46. seong loong hei shui -- Double Dragons Play with Water
47. tou seet ngo mei -- Reverse showing of Bull's Tail
48. khay loong choi kein -- Riding a Dragon to Pull Tendons

Cross-Road Hand Lock

49. yi fu hong loong -- Two Tigers Subdue Dragon
50. mang fu fok teai -- Fierce Tiger Crouches on Ground
51. ngo fu thui chow -- Hungry Tiger Retreat from Den
52. siew kwai thuit heur -- Little Devil Removes Shoes
53. pak yun sheong shue -- White Ape Ascends Tree
54. pak hou kham chi -- White Monkey Catches Boar
55. hou tze thou thow -- Monkey Steals Plum
56. yip tai thou thow -- Stealing Plums Under Leaves
57. sin yein chak kair -- Immortal Plucks Tomatoes
58. hoi teai lau yuit -- Bail Moon from Sea Bed
59. san choong kham fu -- Catch Tiger in Mountain
60. yip teai choi lin -- Under Leaf Pluck Lotus

61. khan sun fu jow -- Near Body Tiger Claw
62. yi ku na cham -- Second Auntie Grips Crab
63. pak fu hein jow -- White Tiger Present Claws
64. mang fu sai jow -- Fierce Tigers Cleanses Claws
65. hak fu tong moon -- Black Tiger Guards Door
66.cheong khun tai ma -- General Leads Horse
67. lo han pou fatt -- Lohan Embraces Buddha
68. tong ping lau hak -- Tang Soldier Keeps Guest
69. fok fu thean foong -- Tame Tiger Listen to Winds
70. mang fu foo yu -- Fierce Tiger Crouching at Clif
71. mang fu ha san -- Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain
72. ngo fu kham yeong -- Fierce Tiger Catches Goat

During an Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course, Grandmaster Wong gave an impromptu demonstration of some of the Shaolin chin-na techniques. The following video clips capture this demonstration.

Please note that you can download the video clips onto your own computer and view them at your leisure. Place your computer pointer at the picture or one of the links, and right click. Choose “Save Target As”. Select the directory or sub-directory where you wish to keep the video clip. Click “Save”.

Lohan Tames Tiger

The size of the video clip is 658 kb.
Click here to download