This guy has something for him...

[Truestar]

whether it's a sly move or its legitimate. Thoughts?

[tallgeese]

I'm going with the bogus vote here. Sorry, I just don't but into the jedi mind trick kind of stuff.

I've been on the floor with guys who've done this sort of thing and there is something to the use of pressure points to maximiaze other combative movements, but on the whole I've been severly underwhelamed. I think it's all pretty hypothetical in a street-speed engagement anyway. Thinks just move too fast and too unpredicitably for such surgical percision regualarly.

Many of these things operate on a string of nerve attacks that work together to affect the limb or body. I've had strings of up to three demostrated to me and I keep thinking...Three, I'm lucky if I have that much precision with one during an exchange against a live opponant.

Still, there's somthing to the whole pressure point thing, but for the distance death thing - no way. I'll keep my skeptic hat on for this one.

[joesteph]

whether it's a sly move or its legitimate. Thoughts?

It's perfectly legitimate. The individuals who are his students, those who respect him, work with him regularly, and have fallen under his spell, believe that he can have this effect on them--one that I would not call natural, although he would say it's natural energy transference. The readings that were taken were genuine; if the individual thinks he's been hit by a ton of bricks and falls over, then his body is going to react to it.

Note that when he demonstrated on the newswoman, he said he didn't want to perform at a distance, as it would affect her heart; therefore, he tapped the side of her face at a pressure point. She said it as soon as he did it; it's on video. When he went to a Judo dojo, the judoka there said they felt nothing. His claim was that they were athletes and therefore their response--or lack of it--was a reflection of athletic training. What was not said was that none of them were his students, "mesmerized" by him.

There are those who may think things like this are cool, but I don't. I don't like this effect he has on his students.

Consider:

Does anyone in the forum believe in voodoo? I do. It's all psychological to me. If someone comes from a culture in which voodoo is believed in, it has a powerful influence on accepting that it works. If a man is told he has had a voodoo curse placed upon him, he will waste away right until death unless told that the curse has been lifted, prophecy-fulfillment (AKA "wish-fulfillment") alive and well.

[bushido_man96]

This has floated around before, and I don't buy into it. What I don't understand is why it wouldn't work on athletes.

[tori]

This has floated around before, and I don't buy into it. What I don't understand is why it wouldn't work on athletes.

So is he saying his students are not athletes? I agree there is something to pressure points, but this guy is full of himself. Think I will stick with my own training.

[joesteph]

I'm going with the bogus vote here. Sorry, I just don't but into the jedi mind trick kind of stuff.

This has floated around before, and I don't buy into it.

. . . this guy is full of himself.

Next you doubters will claim that a magician can't pull a rabbit out of his hat. I bet you think it's a trick!

[joesteph]

This video was found by a friend from another forum. The demo portion of his "power" is short, but the most "potent" scene is with an individual student. When he fights the challenger, his hands aren't defending; he's "projecting" his power. See what happens when battle-tested.

[tallgeese]

Yeah, that's priceless. And I don't think the mma dude is an outstanding specimen either.

That's what you get for buying your own press. There's probibly a lesson for us all here.

[Montana]

I'm going with the bogus vote here.

Still, there's somthing to the whole pressure point thing, but for the distance death thing - no way. I'll keep my skeptic hat on for this one.

Agreed. As soon as the video said "George Dillman"...well, enough said if you ask me.

There's a long, bad history between Dillman and the late head of my system (OSensei Soken Hohan) about where he got his "techniques".

I tried to do a link about this, but it triggered an automatic "No No" device on here, so I'd suggest doing a search for "George Dillman Hohan Soken" and see what you get.

[moriniuk]

I'm generally in agreement with others on here on this.

I think that there is something in it, but in the heat of battle there's next to no chance.

Maybe like hypnotism, some people are more susceptical to it than others.

I have, however, seen videos and have seen similar demonstrations of the leader of KDS Shotokai, Sensei Harada performing "non-contact" knockdowns on his own senior students.

Now I have absolutely massive respect for this man who was a student of Funakoshi himself and is a genuine living legend of karate. I have no reason to doubt his ability to perform these feats.