Tai chi chin na will help you include martial art grappling skills in your tai chi training. This book provides a solid and practical approach to learning specific techniques that flow from each movement, the proper hand forms to use when striking or pressing cavities, and the locations for targeting cavities on the body.--

150 fast and effective joint locks and cavity strikes. Includes fundamental training.

In this book, Zhao Da Yuan, the chief martial arts instructor at the China People's Police Officer Academy in Beijing, China, combines the secrets of both the internal and external schools of Chinese martial arts to bring the reader an in-depth study and analysis of the art of chin na. Chin na specializes in the striking and seizing of vital points, grasping of tendons and blood vessels, and the locking of joints. Every major martial art in China utilizes the techniques of chin na and thus it is said that "chin na represents the essence of Chinese martial arts." This book is a must for all those interested in the essence of Chinese martial arts and those who wish to learn and incorporate joint locking and throwing techniques into their existing systems.

First published in 1936, this work represents primary source material of ancient combat techniques designed in a time of occupation and war, when the threat of lethal hand-to-hand combat was an ever-present reality for soldiers, those involved in law enforcement, and very often for the ordinary citizen. This is the seminal work in the field, written by the form’s founders, Liu Jinsheng and Zhao Jiang, as a training manual for the Police Academy of Zheijiang province. The intent of this translation is to provide authentic historical documentation for martial arts techniques that have been modified for use today in both competition and self-defense. Submission grappling is a technique in which fighters use locks, chokes, and breaking techniques to defeat their challengers in no-holds-barred matches. Chi Na Fa remains the most comprehensive explanation available of these Chinese grappling techniques, from which derive many current techniques. Renowned author and Brazillian jiu jitsu champion Tim Cartmell presents the book in a clear, compelling new translation.

Tai chi ball qigong training is an important component of proper tai chi chuan practice. For martial artists, tai chi ball qigong training can strengthen the torso, condition the muscles, and increase physical power by using the mind to lead the qi. It can be a major training tool to enhance pushing hands ability. For general exercise, tai chi ball qigong training helps those who might overly focus on 'core body exercises' to strengthen their hips, knees, and ankles. You will improve movement of the spine, increase energy through various breathing techniques, and learn to move many joints properly at different angles. This book includes History of tai chi ball Theory of tai chi ball qigong Tai chi ball warm-ups Tai chi ball fundamentals Tai chi ball breathing Tai chi ball exercises Tai chi ball partner exercises Tai chi ball advanced practice In all my years of teaching, I believe that Tai Chi Ball Qigong is one of the most powerful exercises I have ever seen to rebuild the entire body's health.--Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming

Ellis Amdur's writing on martial arts has been groundbreaking. In Dueling with O-sensei, he challenged practitioners that the moral dimension of martial arts is expressed in acts of integrity, not spiritual platitudes and the deification of fantasized warrior-sages. In Old School, he applied both academic rigor and keen observation towards some of the classical martial arts of Japan, leavening his writing with vivid descriptions of many of the actual practitioners of these wonderful traditions. His first edition of Hidden in Plain Sight was a discussion of esoteric training methods once common, but now all but lost within Japanese martial arts. These methodologies encompassed mental imagery, breath-work, and a variety of physical techniques, offering the potential to develop skills and power sometimes viewed as nearly superhuman. Usually believed to be the provenance of Chinese martial arts, Amdur asserted that elements of such training still remain within a few martial traditions: literally, 'hidden in plain sight.' Two-thirds larger, this second edition is so much more. Amdur digs deep into the past, showing the complexity of human strength, its adaptation to varying lifestyles, and the nature of physical culture pursued for martial ends. Amdur goes into detail concerning varieties of esoteric power training within martial arts, culminating in a specific methodology known as 'six connections' or 'internal strength.' With this discussion as a baseline, he then discusses the transfer of esoteric power training from China to various Japanese jujutsu systems as well as Japanese swordsman-ship emanating from the Kurama traditions. Finally, he delves into the innovative martial tradition of Daito-ryu and its most important offshoot, aikido, showing how the mercurial, complicated figures of Takeda Sokaku and Morihei Ueshiba were less the embodiment of something new, than a re-imagining of their past.

Chin-na is one of the most convenient of the martial arts to study. It requires no great amount of practice space and no special or protective clothing or devices. It does, however, require a reliable practice partner. Training by oneself produces no true progress, only a false sense of confidence. Two or more practice partners is even more advantageous. The greater the variety of the partners, the more experience the student will gain and the quicker and more completely the techniques will be mastered.