Pressure point karate?

[FushinRyu]

My shihan said that there was a style of karate that was based on all pressure points. it sounded interesting to me but i didn't know the name. on the downside though, he told me that most of the students showed no self control and had a bit of nasty personalities. and that the leader of the style is kind of arrogant proving it with the statement that "if your not focused on pressure points, than it's not karate." i just wanted to see if anyone knew the name of it so i could see it in action.

[bushido_man96]

Probably something by the George Dillman camp. I'm suspect when it comes to this subject, but you might look him up, if you are interested.

[The BB of C]

Kyoshujutsu

[isshinryu5toforever]

There are you two answers. Don't be surprised if you get a lot of flack over the pressure point thing. If you're really interested in the principles and such behind it, study Chinese medicine. However, most of the older generation of Karate-ka will tell you, it doesn't matter if I hit a pressure point, if I hit them hard enough, they won't get back up.

[JusticeZero]

The flak is probably because a lot of the demonstrations of those skills appear to have adopted a lot of aspects that share the flaws and properties of hypnosis and suggestion, rather than physiological skill. There might be something to it, but a lot of the things I hear trip my hokey-meter; lots of things that are described in ways which sound non-falsifiable that annoy my scientific background to say the least. I don't know how much is the real deal and how much is the iffy stuff.

[KarateGeorge]

There are definitely pressure points that are legit, without getting all hokey-pokey. But like JusticeZero said, there's a lot out there that I'm not convinced of regarding pressure points as well. There are some really good ones along the arms, shoulders and face/head that are easily accessible and if you know where they are you can easily test them on yourself to see what kind of effect they would have if you actually used them on someone.

The biggest problem I see with pressure points are that in a real-life situation, they can be hard to successfully use. Pressure points are very small targets and even the angle of the strike can make a huge difference. Others are best applied with pressure rather than striking them, making it difficult to pull off unless you're in a grappling situation. In an altercation, everything is in constant flux and people are moving around so much that its hard to make successful, effective contact with a pressure point, but if you can pull it off, it can make a difference.

[Dark Planet]

Pressure points only seem hokey until yours are hit.

Though, there is an interesting condition where some people's pressure points do not result in debilitation as it ought. This offers some room for the theory of Chinese medicine and the affect of circadian and seasonal pressure points.

EDIT: Sorry, and there is also Dim Mak in addition to Kyoshujutsu.

[JusticeZero]

..there is an interesting condition where some people's pressure points do not result in debilitation as it ought... This offers some room for the theory of Chinese medicine and the affect of circadian and seasonal pressure points..

To me, it just looks like a non-falsifiability dodge.. the incapacitations generally appear to me to function much like the KO's from faith healers, all of which that I am familiar with have all the characteristics of a hypnosis stage act.

Any theory has to have a major clause in it that reads "If we try to do X, and we find that Y happens/doesn't happen, then it is strong evidence that we are wrong and need to go back to the drawing board." Trotting out 'medical conditions' that some people (generally not students) just ignore a technique is actually quite damning in that regard, rather than being added evidence; that comes off to most people like using the fact that a window shows a blue sky as evidence that the sky is yellow would. In short, statements like that, to most people who go on to conclude and pass on a judgement of hokiness, mark the places where the rubber leaves the road.

[Dark Planet]

Just as an example. There is a pressure point that you will find on the inside of one's elbow at the crease on the tendon, if you follow the radius up the arm. It hurts. A master friend of mine is clearly not in the pain or at least not debilitated to the degree I am. Why? I have no idea, it just happens to be the case. I see others also give to shock and pain and can only imagine that they feel at least what I do- but not this guy. I don't know why.

[bushido_man96]

Think of those pressure points, and how they affect you, and then imagine if you were in a fight for your life, and one was grabbed and worked; would it be enough to cause you to stop fighting, and be effective enough to end the confrontation?