Self Defense Applications of Qin Na
2009-06-R17
(Copyrighted 2009 by Don M. Tow)
Qin Na is the Chinese martial art of grappling as
applied to self defense.
It describes techniques that are used in close
contact with an opponent with the objective of immobilizing the opponent.
In this article we selected 10 basic self defense
applications of Qin Na.
In particular, we have selected the following
applications:
I.
Wrist Attack:
Breaking Wrist Hold
A.
Opposite Side Hold
B.
Same Side Hold
II.
“Police” Hold 1
III.
“Police” Hold 2
IV.
“Police” Hold 3
V.
Take Down 1
VI.
Take Down 2
VII.
Countering Grabbing by Twisting Neck
A.
Breaking Grab Around Waist
B.
Breaking Grab Around Leg
VIII.
Countering Leg Kick
A.
Pushing Leg Back
B.
Twisting Foot
IX.
Defending
Against Straight Knife Attack
X.
Defending Against Overhead Knife Strike
In the following, we will denote the two people in
the illustration by A (in black) and B (in white).
Person B uses Qin Na techniques to defend
against A’s hold or attack and immobilize A.
I.
Wrist Attack:
Breaking Wrist Hold
A.
Opposite Side Hold
B.
Same Side Hold
II.
“Police” Hold 1
1.
A tries to punch B with his left hand |
2.
B grabs A’s left wrist from the outside with his
left hand and puts his right hand just above A’s left elbow, and rotates A’s
left arm counter-clockwise
|
||
3.
B raises and puts A’s left hand on top of B’s
upper right arm, sort of locking A’s left arm |
4.
B puts both hands on A’s left shoulder pressing
down and slightly rotating it counter-clockwise, causing A to drop
to the floor |
|
III.
“Police”
Hold 2
IV.
“Police”
Hold 3
1.
A tries to punch B with his right fist |
|
2.
B steps to his left and deflects A’s right fist
with his right hand, and immediately turns 180º so B is now facing
the same direction as A |
|
3.
B uses his right hand to grab A’s right hand/fist and
bend A’s right hand back toward his body, and simultaneously slips
his left hand under A’s right hand and grab A’s right hand/fist.
This locks A’s right elbow just below B’s left shoulder |
|
4.
B uses his left hand or uses both hands
to squeeze A’s right
hand/fist, causing great pain on A’s right wrist |
V.
Take Down 1
1.
A tries to punch or swing at B with his right
hand |
|
2.
B blocks A’s punch/swing with his left hand from
the inside, and uses his left hand to grab A’s right hand and pull
it forward and then up above A’s head |
|
3.
B puts his right hand on back of A’s neck and
pushes A’s head down |
|
4.
Simultaneously B raises his right knee to strike
at A’s groin or chest or head |
|
VI.
Take Down 2
VII.
Countering
Grab by Twisting Neck
A:
Breaking Grab Around Waist
1. A lunges and grabs B’s body around the
waist with A’s head on B’s right (left) side |
|
2.
B puts both hands around A’s head with left
(right) hand on top and right (left) hand on bottom, and twists A’s
neck counter-clockwise (clockwise), causing great pain for A,
including possibly breaking A’s neck if the twisting force is strong
enough |
|
Warning:
One has to be very careful practicing this
technique, because serious injury can occur when twisting someone’s neck.
B:
Breaking Grab Around Leg
1.
A lunges and grabs one of B’s legs with A’s head
on B’s right (left) side |
|
2.
B puts both hands around A’s head with left
(right) hand on top and right (left) hand on bottom, and twists A’s
neck counter-clockwise (clockwise), causing great pain for A,
including possibly breaking A’s neck if the twisting force is strong
enough
|
|
Warning:
One has to be very careful practicing this
technique, because serious injury can occur when twisting someone’s neck.
VIII.
Countering Leg Kick
A:
Pushing Leg Back
1.
A tries to kick B with his right leg |
|
2.
B lowers both hands and then grabs and raises
A’s right leg |
|
3.
B continues to raise A’s right leg to chest high
and then pushes A’s right leg straight
back, causing A to fall backward |
|
|
B:
Twisting Foot
1. A tries to kick B with right leg |
|
2.
B lowers both hands and then grabs and raises
A’s right leg, and also pulls A’s right leg slightly back |
|
3.
B puts one hand near top of A’s right toes
and puts the other hand on the bottom of B’s right heel, and then
rotate A’s right foot clockwise, causing A to lose his balance |
|
|
|
IX. Defending Against Straight Knife Attack
1.
A tries to stab B with a knife in his right hand |
|
2.
B uses his left hand to hold and deflect A’s
right arm to B’s right |
See previous photo |
3.
Almost simultaneously B uses his right hand to
grab A’s right hand and push it up to B’s left and also rotate it
counter-clockwise |
|
4.
This should cause great pain in A’s right wrist and
probably also cause A to drop knife |
|
X. Defending
Against Overhead Knife Strike
1.
With knife in his right hand, A tries to hit B
on the head or upper body with an overhead knife strike |
2.
B pulls A's right hand
slightly back toward B, and then up and around in a
counter-clockwise direction. |
|
|
3.
Simultaneously B brings his right leg forward
and then sweeps A’s right leg back toward B, and then uses both
hands to turn A’s body counter-clockwise |
|
4.
This should cause A to fall backward.
Note: In Step #2,
B could also step forward with his right foot if his left foot is
already far in front |
|
I would like to thank Henry Hom for taking the photos and Eric Tow for being my demonstration partner. I also want to thank Master Wang Feng-Ming for teaching me the Qin Na techniques, but any inaccuracies are mine..
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