THE PHYSICAL, ENERGY AND MIND LEVELS OF CHIN-NA
A high-level chin-na master can apply chin-na at the physical, energy or mind level
Question
Could you please elaborate on the various levels of Chin-na, e.g. the physical, energy and mind levels? How and when can we use these and the benefits from training Chin-na in our everyday lives?
Finally, how long would a typical Shaolin Wahnam student need to train this art until he or she can confidently and safely use Chin-na in sparring with practitioners from other martial arts? How about in sparring with other Shaolin Wahnam students?
Steffen
Answer
Most people think of only one level of chin-na, though it usually consists of two levels, namely physical and energy, just as they think of only one level of dim mark, but it actually consists of the physical level and the energy level.
In other words, when people talk about chin-na and dim mark, they refer to only chin-na and dim mark in general, without differentiating into the physical, energy and mind levels.. When chin-ma masters and dim mark masters apply chin-na or dim mark, they just apply chin-na and dim mark, without differentiating the three levels.
When untrained people apply chin-na and dim mark techniques on opponents, presuming that their techniques are correct, they do so at the physical level. The damage is minimal. When chin-na experts and dim mark experts apply chin-na and dim mark techniques on opponents, because of their training, they do so at the physical and the energy levels, although they do not consciously think of these two levels. The damage is substantial.
I discovered the three levels of chin-na and dim mark accidentally. As I applied chin-na techniques on some people, I used my mind, and it worked! (As this answer will be in public, I shall not go into details.) I also tried the mind level with dim mark, and it worked too.
The mind level greatly increases the effects of chin-na and dim mark. I believed masters in the past also employed the mind level, but they might not be aware of it. The three levels – physical, energy and mind – will be taught at the Chin-Na Course in China.
When we apply chin-na techniques, we do not normally think of the three levels. There are three categories of attack in chin-na, namely separating tendons, wronging joints and gripping energy points. For the first two categories of attack, which are separating tendons and wronging joints, for practitioners trained in tiger claw, eagle claw or dragon claw, severe damage can be caused even at the physical level. The energy level and the mind level will add to the damage.
The most frequently used category of attack in chin-na is the third, which is gripping energy points. The nature of the attack is such that it involves the energy level even if practitioners are not trained in internal arts and use only the physical level. It is because the practitioners physically grip energy points, which will cause energy blockage. It is the blockage of energy flow that results in the disability of opponents to continue fighting.
Nevertheless, if practitioners are trained in internal arts, and apply the energy level and the mind level, the damage is much increased. On the other hand, they can also regulate the amount of force, energy flow and mind power to minimize the injury on their opponents.
How and when a chin-na practitioner applies his chin-na techniques on opponents involve skills, and not just knowledge, although knowledge will enhance the skills as well as shorten the time to acquire them. In other words, even if some people have the knowledge of how and when to apply chin-na techniques at the physical, energy and mind levels, they will be unable to do so if they do not have the necessary skills. These skills will be taught at the coming Chin-Na Course.
For most other people, the benefit of training chin-na is compassionate fighting, which will also make them compassionate in daily life. For those who attend the coming Chin-Na Course, because they will learn the skills associated with the energy level and the mind level, they will have better results in whatever they do. This is indeed fantastic.
If a typical Shaolin Wahnam student attending the Chin-Na Course trains everyday for three months, he will be able to use chin-na in sparring confidently, safely and effectively against opponents of his level. Other people may not like to hear this, but three months for our typical Shaolin Wahnam students are like three years for other students.
It is because we are incredibly cost-effective. Our students attending the Chin-Na Course are taught the necessary techniques, skills and philosophy in just a few days, whereas other students may take years to scavenger them.
For example, our students will be taught to trick opponents to make certain moves so that they can apply their selected chin-na sequence on them. If their opponents escape the chin-na techniques the first time, which is unlikely, they will apply the same chin-na techniques on their opponents the second time before their opponents know what is happening. If the opponents escape again, the same techniques will be applied the third time.
From my own sparring and fighting experience, the first times using chin-na techniques were successful. The second times and the third times were for preparation; they were not needed in actual sparring or fighting.
Even other Shaolin Wahnam students of similar kungfu levels who have not attended the Chin-Na Course, may not escape the chin-na techniques in sparring, especially if these techniques are applied a second time or a third time. It is not just the chin-na techniques but also the tactics and the strategies.
Those who attend the chin-na course should be proficient in applying chin-na techniques after a year of daily practice
The questions and answers are reproduced from the thread 10 Questions on the Shaolin chin-Na in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
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