Chin na, an aspect of the Chineses martial arts known in the west as Kung Fu, or Wushu, is known as the art of compassionate fighting, and was originally developed in order to allow the martial arts fighter to be more compassionate in the way that they treated their opponents.

Before this the main driving force behind the development of kung fu, and the main applications of it, were military. The purpose of martial arts techniques at this time were to hurt, main and kill your opponent. Increasingly however the knowledge of, and skill in, kung fu fighting was seeping out of he military and into other groups, such as Taoist and Buddhist monks. These people were not interesting in waging wars or killing people, but they did need a way to defend themselves against bandits and other criminals who may try to attack them. The monasteries were, after all, some of the richest organisations in China. The purpose of their kung fu practice, aside from the health an even the spiritual benefits which they wove into it, was the same as it is in most martial arts schools today - self defense.

So it was that they developed a new way of fighting which did not seek to kill and main, but rather to control an attacker and to offer an effective defense against attack. The method that thet developed uses joint locks and restraining techniques much more than strikes and weapons, and gives you a way to defeat an attacker without causing them serious harm. I todays China all police and military personell study Chin Na as part of their training.

Chin na techniques can be found today in all different styles and traditions of kung fu, but there are some which emphasise it more than others.

Eagle Claw Kung Fu is particularly well known for its use of joint locks and other Chin Na techniques. Eagle claw, one of the animal imitation styles which draws inspiration from the eagle, combines fast, explosive jumping movements with grabs and Chin Na techniques, and the '72 Joint Locks' are a part of the basic training in this style of kung fu.

If you are interested in learning more about Chin Na techniques and philosophy then I have listed some of the best DVD's available from Amazon below, but my top recommendation would be to donwload a copy of this Chin Na eBook, orignally published as a manual for use by the Police Academy of Zhejiang province in China, and more recently republished by the Shaolin Online Library, it is a great combination of traditional teachings put across in a way that is still relevant for modern martial arts and self defense.