When you guys talk about 'grappling' or chin-na are you also including, trapping, seizing, pinning, jamming, etc?
The super styles that I believe gave birth to Okinowan Tote and later styles like Uechi were indeed Chinese but did not emphasize locking and throwing. Surprise neither did Tote.. Not to say these systems had NO locking or throwing, they did and do, but the emphasis was on 'trapping,' seizing, jamming, balance stealing, energy issuing to facilitate instant control that is used in
conjunction with striking often vital areas. The reasoning and point of this emphasis was, and is, conservation of motion, time and energy while maintaining maximum destruction. When looking at any movement or concept in these styles I believe this criteria must be used to evaluate and validate, at least for true combat application.
Keep in mind that these areas, even excluding complex locks and throws, is a huge area of study that addresses multiple ranges, contact sensitivity and continuous countering, changing and adapting with the energy and resistance of the partner or opponent. Indeed there is no real art of striking in these systems without taking into consideration, feeling contact and destruction of the opponent's structure and energy from within the clash.
It was once posted that it is nearly impossible to 'control' the limb of a trained fighter. This is true and also false depending on how one defines control. Does the move or technique require control for 1 second? For 10 seconds? Or for a tenth of a second? The point in the focus on 'control with striking,' or trapping, seizing was to minimize time for recovery by the opponent and instead create INSTANT DESTRUCTION with structure elimination and balance removal – done case closed ASAP.
The whole point in training the inside and trapping etc, is to feel that one tiny error and in that same instant unleash utter destruction. Movements that require extra time or extra movement or movements were avoided because it becomes geometrically more difficult and even unrealistic to the point of impossible to maintain control of a skilled fighter for prolonged length of time – read multiple preliminary movements that are absent the utter destruction component. Each tenth of a second and/or each additional movement you add will sharply reduce the percentage of success and again that's why the super styles made their focus efficiency above all else.
Indeed the longer the time needed for completion, which means time to devastation, the greater are the chances that the opponent will convert, change or otherwise escape the 'control stage' and then you may never get to the finish, or final act of devastation. Not to mention multiple attackers, in that case lengthening the time to devastation in the least becomes all the more intolerable. The whole point in not getting involved with complex chin-na, throwing , etc, is to minimize that 'time to devastation,' which in these styles should happen in the blink of an eye.
Just my advice for combat training for what it’s worth. Do use KISS for true combat concept training and be wary of multiple movement BS that is best saved for cousin Vinny when he gets drunk and ornery at the family reunion..
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
)
, I love it , some fellow in Banff put me onto it and gave me a copy . 
). It's pretty damn cool.
