Reviews for Comprehensive Applications of Shaolin Chin NA

The average rating for Comprehensive Applications of Shaolin Chin NA based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-09-25 00:00:00 Michael Walls "Comprehensive Applications of Shaolin Chin Na: The Practical Defense of Chinese Seizing Arts For All Styles" by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming is literally an encyclopedia of Shaolin Chin Na techniques. It's over 400 pages and contains over 1,500 photographs and illustrations. Written by Dr. Yang, a Chin Na expert with more than thirty years experience in the Chinese martial arts, this text is a fantastic resource for anyone who practices joint locking, or Chin Na, arts. (Please note, that even though Chin Na is used in the title of the book, the romanization of Qin Na is used in the text.) The techniques are divided into categories, with different chapters for each. After the preliminary matter, which includes two Forewords and a Preface by the author, these are the main chapters: 1. General Concepts. 2. Qin Na Against Barehand Attacks. 3. Qin Na Against Blocking. 4. Qin Na Against Kicking. 5. Qin Na Against Knife Attacks. 6. Qin Na Against Grabbing. 7. Offensive Qin Na Techniques. 8. Conclusion. Appendix A. Names of Qin Na Techniques. Appendix B. Translation and Glossary of Chinese Terms. This isn't necessarily a book you will sit down and read cover to cover, unless like me you are reviewing the book, or if you just want to get an understanding of what all it contains. Once read through, you can then go back and use the books much like an encyclopedia to review certain techniques or concepts you wish to train in. If you are completely new to these kinds of techniques, it will be difficult to learn them all just from this book. That can be said with any book on the topic. Chin Na, or joint locking techniques, are difficult to learn from a book because of there dynamic nature and sometimes complex movements that would take way too many pictures to illustrate completely. (Obviously, some techniques are easier to show with pictures than others.) However, if you have a joint locking background, you will be able to pick up the techniques easier because you will be able to fill in the blanks. In that regard, you will most likely be able to learn some variations of things you may already know, I sure did. Also, if you are learning from a competent instructor, or have Dr. Yang's excellent DVDs on the topic, this book is a handy reference to help you remember what you have learned from the other medium or from an instructor. Many of the techniques found in this book are contained in Dr. Yang's DVDs and the combination of text and video make excellent resources. For me, this really is a reference with some excellent instruction and points on the techniques, rather than a do-it-yourself learn Chin Na from a book. (which I'm sure most instructors would agree, would be very difficult) Additionally, as an encyclopedia of techniques, you will find some more applicable in self-defense situations than others. I've even heard Dr. Yang say that for self-defense you only need to know a few techniques well, but as an instructor, he wants to pass on the entire art he's learned. I feel the same way. I teach the entire Hapkido curriculum as I learned it in Korea and elsewhere, even though some of the techniques are not ones I would choose in a real altercation, and I even let my students know that. Dr. Yang does the same thing. He is passing on all of his knowledge through his books and DVDs, and I greatly appreciate that. Overall, I think this is an outstanding addition to anyone's martial art library if they practice joint locking, regardless if it is Chinese Chin Na, Korean Hapkido, Japanese Aikido or Jujitsu, or any other style. A great resource!

Review # 2 was written on 2007-08-27 00:00:00 Tracey Orgeron The sickest martial arts book ever written. Detailed explanations of dangerous moves that displace an opponent's joints and tendons and feature misleadingly benign and poetic traditional names such as "Two Children Worship the Buddha" and "Old Man Carries the Fish on his Back". If you have some experience in martial arts such as Shaolin, Tai Chi or any grappling art this is a useful manual of self defense moves. Dr. Yang's books are excellent as well for their detailed photographs and the lines of force and movement drawn in so you can clearly see how to perform the move yourself.