I first wrote this
article for Fighters Magazine back in
the early 90’s before the MMA and UFC revolution that changed many people’s
perception of Martial arts forever.
A former student of mine recently gave me a
copy of the magazine which I had incidental lost somewhere over the years.
I read it again and
slightly re-wrote it from a grammatical point of view, but the content stayed
the same as my belief all these years on is still the same on this subject.
Many Martial Arts techniques have been shrouded in mystery
for centuries. When the arts first hit the Western world, tales emerged of
super-human feats that these Martial Arts masters could perform, some greatly
exaggerated, others that could not be proven.
I think one of the
all-time ‘grey’ areas are the use of pressure points or dim mak, as the Chinese refer to it. That deadly secret death touch
that can drop your opponent instantly is an elusive technique that many still, currently,
seek to discover.
Were the ancient
masters privy to some magical formula that we, in modern times, are not clever
enough to find?
Or is it just a load of sensationalised hype to sell the
Martial Arts? All smoke and mirrors with a sprinkle of the power of suggestion
thrown in for good measure.
In recent years, many videos and books have appeared on
pressure point fighting or Kyusho Jutsu/Dim Mak. Also, some very well-known
European and American Martial artists have flooded the seminar market on this
subject, allegedly dropping students like flies with their mystical one touch
knockout!
In this article, I am going to give my humble opinion on the
subject based on my 40 plus years of experience in the Martial Arts field.
I am a 7th
Dan Instructor in Ju Jutsu, but also have an open and receptive mind to all
arts and have practised or sampled most.
I have also fought at
a prominent level in the cage and on the mats, as well as having some
real-world experience of violence.
My findings have been
obtained from experience and not based on theory or talk. It’s all been hands
on practice.
Firstly, the use of pressure points has been around in the
art of Japanese Ju Jutsu since its origins. If you view a video, read a book or
participate in Ju Jutsu, somewhere along the line, you will be exposed to
Kyusho Jutsu or pressure point atemi-waza.
It may have been a
hidden secret in Karate-do Katas for centuries but not so in Ju Jutsu! In
Europe, you can trace books back to before the 1900s that show these points, so
somebody previously had to be passing on the knowledge!
The Mystic in the subject increases when a lot of the points
are referred to particularly in Chinese Martial arts by their
acupuncture/acupressure names.
Striking stomach 9 meridian sounds so much more exciting than
striking the carotid artery on the neck or pressing the Governor Vess. 1 26 is
much more impressive than the base of the nose/upper lip (philtrum)!
This type of Martial Arts/oriental terminology always arouses
the interest and gets the would-be ninjas flocking to the training halls!
Also, the claims of knockout by striking on the arms and legs
raise great curiosity and disbelief. This, I have never seen happen and I have
struck and been struck on pressure points on the limbs. Although some of them
can be highly painful and crippling, to some extent, I have not experienced a
complete knockout (i.e. unconsciousness).
I have seen a few people, however, drop like a stone and lose
their desire to continue fighting with limb strikes, but usually the perpetrator
is armed with a baseball bat or the Muay Thai equivalent, the shin round kick!
Now, there may be individuals in the world that can perform
these incredible feats, but they have got to be in the smallest minority and
the exception to the rule, and I am still sceptical.
My theory is that there is no mystic to pressure point
striking. I suspect any doctor or medical student could tell you the weakest
and most vulnerable points on the human body without any Martial Arts training.
I have profound respect for a lot of Martial arts
methods/training, as I have initially come from traditional background and
trained under many great Japanese masters, but again, I think that too much can
be read into the methods. All things Asian are not always correct. Just as
today that all things Brazilian aren’t gospel either.
If you ask me about knockout points on the human body, I will
tell you that I can think of five.
I call these Manstoppers.
They will work when you land a good, focused, powerful and
accurate strike, not touch pressure.
The points are: Chin/jaw,
temple, base of skull, throat/neck.
That’s it. That’s all
of them. Remember, we are talking bare-handed strikes. I realise that a knife
stab to the heart, a hammer to the skull or a shotgun blast in the face can do
the trick, but this is all based on empty hand atemi, no weapons.
The jaw/chin when hit with a solid punch, palm heel or elbow
will cause severe brain shaking inside the cranium, hence the knockout.
The temple area is the bony tip of the sphenoid bone and is
quite thin. A strike here with a heavy punch or elbow can again jar the brain
and damage important underlying arteries and nerves, causing a KO.
The base of the skull
houses the cerebellum and medulla, as well as the brain stem and spinal nerves.
The medulla/brain stem controls breathing, blood pressure and heart beat. Heavy
striking to this area, as with the other, not only carries knockout capability,
but also lethal results.
Throat/neck, we all know how vulnerable these areas are, as
they house our breathing and blood flow needs to the brain in the shape of the
windpipe, carotid artery and jugular vein.
A knife hand blow, arc
hand, fore knuckle or choke and strangle can cause unconsciousness or worse.
These are the only reliable knockout points on the body for
serious combat
No- where else?
Well a hard, accurate blow to the solar plexus can empty the
lungs of air and paralyse the diaphragm, making it difficult for the person to
get oxygen into the body. It can
incapacitate but not knockout.
What about attacking the groin or eyes or slapping the ears?
Yes, they are highly
vulnerable and can be fight stoppers, but rarely can you knock out someone
through these points. Remember, this is what we are concerning ourselves with
at present.
I previously mentioned that these points were the only
reliable ones in serious combat and this takes important understanding.
Most of the pressure point striking or touching when
demonstrated is done with a stationary and compliant partner.
In this instance, with a certain working knowledge, you can
easily find and work many of the vital spots and get a reaction. Remember, it
is easier to apply any technique when the opponent is either expectant or has
had the power of suggestion imposed on them.
Plus, if they are
stationary, it is easier to find these small and hard to hit targets. It is a
much different story if your opponent is psyched up, adrenaline filled and
ready to fight you.
He will be a moving,
elusive and highly aggressive adversary. He will certainly not be allowing you
the time to pinpoint some of the targets that are usually promoted as being
effective by some experts.
Also, bearing in mind that some of the pressure points are
meant to be no bigger than a one penny piece or smaller, it will take a hell of
a lot of accuracy to find them in a ‘live pressure’ situation.
Another point worth bearing in mind is that some of these
manipulating points are usually shown on the torso or arms of a person wearing
no bodily clothing. This is fine to learn where the points are situated, but
then, if you work on reality, most of these areas will be covered by heavy
shirts, jackets, coats etc, nine. The clothing will nullify their
effectiveness, if not stop it altogether.
All these things must be considered if we are looking at
practical application of atemi touch pressure points.
Through practical experiment and experience, I am going to
list the controlling or manipulating Kyusho Jutsu points that I have found to
be accessible and workable under combat conditions. Remember though, it still
takes considerable training and understanding of the human anatomy to make them
work effectively.
I learnt these points all from my jujutsu instructors as a
matter of course and didn’t have to undergo any specialise training or live
like a hermit in the Tibetan mountains for 5 years.
Out of the 370 or so acupuncture/acupressure points recorded
on the body, I will list 16 that I feel are workable, not counting the
previously mentioned areas.
1. Philtrum (base of
nose/upper lip)
Highly sensitive point for striking with palm heel or knifehand or pushing up
or in with edge of hand or palm heel. Can also be effectively attacked from
rear with bony thumb side of forearm in a face bar. Excruciatingly painful!
2. Mastoid Process
(cavity behind ear lobe)
Best attacked with a
gouging middle knuckle, screwing into this area can gain a release from a close
quarter grapple.
3. Hypoglossal
Nerve/Facial Artery
Poking or gouging
under the jawline into the soft underside can cause sharp pain and you can
manipulate the head from there.
4. Zyomatic/Trigeminal
Nerve
These points are
best located under the cheekbones. Gouging with a knuckle or clamping the
points between fingers and thumb and squeezing causes severe pain and
discomfort.
5. Temples
Located on the side
of the head roughly one and a half inches from the eyes. As mentioned earlier,
striking can be fatal to this point. Knuckle gouging can instantly break up a
close quarter grapple.
6. Suprasternal or
Jugular Notch
Indentation at the base
of the windpipe. A finger poke or spear or a thumb gouge activates a gag reflex
here, causing opponent to cough and splutter gasping for breath. Can also be a
lethal point but requires pinpoint accuracy.
7. Subclavial Artery
Situated down below
collarbone. I have found this point works best on people with prominent
collarbones. Gouge fingers in and down behind the bone. It causes a sickening
sensation and the person drops to their knees to get away from the pain.
8. Carotid Artery
Classic knockout point
on the beck. More accurately, it is the carotid sinus that you attack. The
sinus monitors blood pressure in the head. If struck with a knife of squeezed
in a stranglehold, the sinus incorrectly sends a signal to the brain telling it
that blood pressure is too high. The brain then sends a signal to the heart and
the heart slows the blood flow. Result = unconsciousness. You have cleverly
fooled the body’s safety switches. Some ‘experts’ in the field say that to open
up this point, you must first touch two other points on the wrist. I leave that
open to debate. I have KO’d two people in training (accidentally) by just
striking the carotid sinus on its own with moderate fore. Please beware. Do not
strike this area in fun; it is very dangerous.
9. Brachial Artery
Located on inside of
upper arm, roughly situated where the seam of a jacket would run. Pressing on
this point, you will feel a pulse beat. Gouging with a knuckle can cause pain
enough to gain a release from a lapel grab. Punching this point with knuckles
can send a ‘pins and needles’ feeling right down to the finger tips and in some
cases, paralyse the arm for some while.
10. Radial Nerve
Best found on the
mound of the muscle on top of the forearm. Again, if you are grabbed by the
lapel or wrist tightly, this area will be taut. A hard knife hand blow to the
target can gain a release and a numbing of the arm with inability to open and
close the fingers.
11. Tricep Tendon
Sometimes referred
to as ‘Golgi’s point.’ This is a favourite attack point of the late great Ju
Jutsu master, Wally Jay. The actual spot is just where the triceps head on the
back of the upper arm disappears into the elbow joint. If you strike here or
knuckle gouge/rub when the arm is straight, it causes extreme discomfort and
controlling effects. Overlooked but highly effective point.
12. Femoral
Artery/Nerve
Located high on the
inner thigh by inguinal fold (crease of upper thigh and groin). Spear finger
attack and gouges will have an instant effect. Can break up ground grappling
positions and from standing can buckle the leg. Must penetrate deeply for
maximum effect.
13. Peroneal/Femoral
Nerve
Favourite spot for
the Muay Thai shin roundhouse kick. Outer edge of thigh, midway between hip and
knee. You may remember this spot from old school dead leg of ‘Charley horse’. A
hard shin kick or an elbow whilst kneeling can collapse opponent’s leg and take
the fight right out of them.
14. Inner Thigh
(Femoral/Cutaneous Nerve)
Open to the same
attack as above with related results.
15. Sciatic Nerve
Right in the centre
of the bicep’s femoris muscle on back of thigh. Best attacked with a heel stomp
when opponent is face down on the ground. Will paralyse leg for some time.
16. Tibial Nerve
Centre of calf
muscle. Open to the same attack with equivalent results as number 15.
So, there you have it. The pressure points I feel will work
in ‘pressure’ situations. Remember though, there is no 100% guarantee.
Some people, you can
touch on these points and they will writhe immediately in shock and agony; others
may only feel minor discomfort. But it is horses for courses. If it gives you
an opening for one of the ‘Manstoppers points’, then it has served its purpose.
Pressure points must not be your main arsenal of weapons, nor
must they be relied on to the point of forgetting other techniques. Also, currently
with the selling of stronger alcoholic drinks and unfortunately the use of
pills, tablets and various other forms of drugs, your attacker may be immune to
these points!
In closing, I just want to recap on the fact that we are
dealing with barehand techniques alone. Some of these points and others can
have a more dramatic effect if struck or jabbed with weapons like batons or
Yawaras. Also, areas like the elbow joints and knee joints can be smashed and dislocated
with blows and kicks, but I don’t class these as pressure points. They can be
termed as ‘structural damage’. I have just isolated the ‘pain points’ of the
body for discussion.
I am sure that some of you out there may disagree with the
things I have said, but that is your privilege. You are entitled to your
opinion as I am mine. But remember, I have based my knowledge on a lot of
pressure training scenarios and real-world experience. This is a far cry from
the dojo teaching scenarios with a willing and compliant partner.
Finally if you are a true believer in the pressure point
knockout theory, why haven’t we seen these skills in the Octagon?
I don’t feel there is any magic to this subject, just
knowledge of anatomy and physiology and the weaknesses of the human body, plus
‘know-how’ on how and where to attack THE points!
