Premium lessonThe basic techniques

Gun Fa, the signature technique

The rolling technique of the Shanghai school: the hardest technique to learn and the one that gives the most return.

18 min
Lesson 10 of 31
Course: Tuina

How it starts

Gun Fa (滚法, "rolling technique") is the technique that defines the Shanghai school and the most recognizable image of tuina. It gets a lesson of its own for two reasons: it delivers the most results, and it is, by a wide margin, the hardest to learn.

The rest of the lesson opens with Tuina.

In this lesson you will learn

  • Break the Gun Fa cycle down into its four phases.
  • Generate the movement from the wrist rather than the shoulder.
  • Keep the contact point in place without lifting off or slipping.
  • Train the technique with a progression that doesn't harm anyone.

What is inside

  1. 1The cycle
  2. 2How it's done
  3. 3How to train it
  4. 4How to apply it in a session

One of the 31 lessons in

TuinaChinese Therapeutic Massage

“The hand reaches where the needle can't.”

5 modules
31 lessons
10 hours
Specialty

The manual therapy of Chinese medicine, taught the way a school teaches it: first posture and economy of the hand, then the fifteen basic techniques one by one with their timing and rhythm, then joint mobilization with its safety limits, and finally protocols by region and pediatric Tuina, a discipline of its own.

By the end of the course, you will know how to

  • Perform the fifteen basic techniques with correct posture and rhythm.
  • Build a complete session with opening, work, mobilization, and closing.
  • Treat the cervical, thoracolumbar, and limb regions with sound judgment.
  • Apply pediatric Tuina with its specific points and techniques.
  • Recognize the red flags that mean you must not touch and must refer.

What you will study

Module 1 · 5 lessons

The treating hand

Before the first manipulation: what Tuina is, how the body is positioned and which tissue you work on.

  • What Tuina is (and what it isn't)
  • Posture, support, and economy of effort
  • What you work on: Jing Jin, layers, and regions
  • Palpatory anatomy: the landmarks
  • Palpatory assessment and session plan

Module 2 · 7 lessons

The basic techniques

Fifteen manipulations, grouped by family. Each with its technique, rhythm, dose and indication.

  • Family 1 · Friction: Tui, Ca, and Mo
  • Family 2 · Pressure: An, Dian, and Ya
  • Family 3 · Kneading: Rou, Na, and Nie
  • Family 4 · Vibration and percussion
  • Gun Fa, the signature techniqueYou are here
  • Joint mobilization: Yao, Ban, and Ba Shen
  • Stretching and muscle energy

Module 3 · 3 lessons

The craft

Media, dosage, hygiene and session structure.

  • Media, heat, table, and hygiene
  • Dosage and session structure
  • Clinical record and practice management

Module 4 · 6 lessons

Protocols by region

What you see every day, region by region, with differential, sequence and referral criteria.

  • Neck and shoulder
  • Thoracic and lumbar region
  • Hip, knee, and leg
  • Elbow, wrist, and hand
  • Head and face
  • Abdomen

Module 5 · 10 lessons

Specialized Tuina

Pediatrics, internal conditions, sport and the complete safety framework.

  • Pediatric Tuina (Xiao Er Tui Na)
  • Tuina in pregnancy and postpartum
  • Geriatric Tuina
  • Tuina for internal conditions
  • Sports and postural Tuina
  • Self-Tuina and exercise for the patient
  • Safety, red flags, and accidents
  • Integrating Tuina, needle, and herb
  • Integrated clinical case
  • Final exam · Tuina

Requirements

Acupuncture I. Having seen the channels in Acupuncture II is recommended.

How it works

Specialties

Save with a bundle

Complete Training

All five courses, saving you €180, plus five years of Atlas Pro and the game included.

$6905 courses

You save $180 compared with buying the courses separately

5 years of Atlas Pro included

Valued at $395 free

Already have Atlas Pro? Nothing is overwritten: 5 years is added on top of whatever you have left.

Read “Gun Fa, the signature technique” today

This lesson and the rest of the course: 31 lessons, 10 hours, quizzes and exercises. You pay once and it is yours for life, with one year of Atlas Pro as a gift (if you already have it, it adds to the time you have left).

Tuina

One-time payment