As in all good zen stories, the only understanding that matters is your own.
(Robert
Allen)
Pre-emptive
If you can avoid being held, do so. There is no advantage in being
restrained. Do not cooperate.
There are two kinds of pre-emptive work in our grappling syllabus:
Early
Late
(i) Early
If you can employ 'interrupting jing' and catch the attacker during an early
stage of their attack, then there may be no grappling at all.
The attack is treated like a punch, and dealt with in the same way. We call this
'countering'.
(ii) Late
A last minute evasion takes far more nerve and skill. You must let the attacker
commit.
You must wait until the last possible moment before responding.
This makes it very difficult for the attacker to change their mind.
We call this 'yielding/chin na'.
Catching the attacker before they can successfully apply their grapple means
that you do not have to contend with their strength.
You use timing and yielding to take the
initiative.
Lengthy encounters
A lot of time can be wasted wrestling. Both parties may become tired and
clumsy.
Our school advocates an immediate response to a grapple.
Do not mess around. Do not 'play their game' or do it their way. Get out of the
situation quickly.
Caught up?
If 'caught up', distraction is best. It divides the attention and
will create an opening for you to exploit.
This is part of 'see the left, see the right' from the 13 postures.
Ultimately, you can strike/seize/press almost anywhere and cause pain.
Different angles offer different targets but the entire body is alarmingly
vulnerable to pain.
Tensing-up the muscles only serves to lock the joints and brings the nerves
closer to the surface.
Applause
Having escaped/evaded the attacker, do not stand there waiting for
applause.
Incapacitate the assailant efficiently and leave.
Messing about will only increase the likelihood of further confrontation.
Do only what is necessary and depart without fanfare.
Speed
Abrupt, jerky, fast movement alerts the nervous system and tenses your
muscles.
Seek to be smooth, soft, calm and comfortable.
Do not rush or dither.
Take decisive action, but work at easy,
normal-seeming movement.
A hurried person has no control, no composure.
Use your sensitivity. Be cunning. 4 ounces of pressure, root, yielding and calm
are essential.
Avoid aggression at all costs.
Chin na
Grappling can be countered using
chin
na, but chin na is a skill in its own right.
Beginners do not really use chin na.
They are only introduced to the topic and use it in a general way.
Intermediate-level
students learn how to 'misplace the bones'. This is far more detailed and
specific than anything covered in the beginners syllabus.
Misplacing the bones enables greater incapacitation of the attacker's body. It
causes pain and limits mobility.
The time-commitment is also reduced. Throws become easier and the potential
damage is far greater.
Experienced students explore other chin na topics:
Cavity press
Dividing the muscle
Sealing the breath
These are considerably more intricate than the
preceding skills and add another layer of
sophistication to the grappling.
The ability to express
jing is also very useful when grappling.
Students refine their jing skills throughout the curriculum but only really
fully comprehend jing during the experienced syllabus.
Page created 8 July 1998