He applied what Wingchun practitioners call a chin na lock, a joint manipulation that made it mechanically impossible for Ko to maintain her grip or move the blade. The pain receptors in her wrist fired immediately. Her hand opened reflexively and the katana clattered to the wooden floor. Bruce immediately released the lock, stepped back, and bowed respectfully. The entire match had lasted 2 minutes and 45 seconds, 15 seconds under the agreed time limit. Master Yamamoto stood frozen, his hand halfway raised to signal the end of the match, trying to process what he had just witnessed.
The students erupted in confused chatter, some shocked, some excited, all trying to understand how an unarmed fighter had disarmed a legitimate swordmaster without getting cut once. Ko remained on the floor for a long moment, staring at her empty hand and the katana lying 2 feet away. Bruce walked to where the sword lay, picked it up carefully with both hands as one should handle a katana, and carried it back to Ko, who had risen to a sitting position.
