Chin Na

Chin na or Qinna (擒拿) is the set of joint lock techniques used in the Chinese martial arts to control or lock an opponent's joints or muscles/tendons so he cannot move, thus neutralizing the opponent's fighting ability. Chin na su (Chinese: 術; pinyin: shù meaning technique) literally translates as technique of catching and locking in Chinese. Some schools simply use the word na to describe the techniques. Chin Na features both standing and ground based grappling techniques.

Some Chinese martial arts instructors focus more on their Chin Na techniques than others. This is one of the many reasons why the Chin Na of one school may differ from that of another. All martial arts contain Chin Na techniques in some degree. The southern Chinese martial arts have more developed Chin Na techniques than northern Chinese martial systems. The southern martial arts have much more prevalent reliance on hand techniques which causes the practitioner to be in closer range to their opponent. There are over 700 Chin Na traditional techniques found in all martial arts. In the Non-Temple White Crane style there are 150-200 Chin Na techniques alone. Along with Fujian White Crane, styles such as Northern Eagle Claw (Ying Jow Pai) and Tiger Claw (Fu Jow Pai) have Chin Na as their martial focus and tend to rely on these advanced techniques.