Pressure point karate?

[Dark Planet]

Yeah. Lol. I don't care what your size is. When you hit the point on the midneck at the carotid, you're going down. There's also enough on the forearm that are simply to identify and strike that will paralyze the hand, at least long enough to escape a grasp. One of my favorite is one police use in riot control. It's a nerve strike to a parasympathetic on the outside mid-line of the thigh. One strike and both knees go.

Do I believe I'm Xena Warrior Princess? No. Of course not. But there are still vital striking points on the body. And they really do hurt.

I stand by my original statement, you think they're hokey until yours are hit.

Peace to you.

[JusticeZero]

I know about striking to nerve clusters, and those are useful.. pain compliance I trust less.

Talk of gentle touch KO's, no-touch KO's, and things that look like they belong in a chinese action movie i'm more wary of. And a number of the "pressure point experts" tend to flash those around, which has poisoned the well.

[Rateh]

IMHO a pressure point is simply a place on the body that naturally has more nerve endings, so that when physical pressure (either in a strike, or just pressing) is applied, it hurts. Nothing more, nothing less.

Now, some people will be less sensitive than others, such that any particular pressure point will not cause as much or any pain, or needs more precision to be painful. This is the same way that two people might have the same medical condition (say gallstones) and one will feel immense pain, and the other will not even know that they have gallstones due to lack of pain. Each persons body is a little different. (This should be obvious, or we wouldn't be able to tell one person from another.)

I don't believe that pressure points have any sort of magical types of properties. Nor do I believe that they are a "fight stopper". Really, unless you've killed them, nothing can be called a "fight stopper" IMHO. I DO believe that pressure points can be another tool in my tool box. I have used them in classroom situations to create openings for myself in grappling. I don't see why, if the opportunity arose and it seemed like a good option, that I would not be able to similarly use a pressure point on the street to create an opening for myself. But, just like any other tool in my tool box, I know that if it isn't working....I'll try something else! Also, like any other tool, trying to use it in situations where it is NOT a good option, where other tools might be more effective, is likely to get you killed.

[bushido_man96]

I know about striking to nerve clusters, and those are useful.. pain compliance I trust less.

Talk of gentle touch KO's, no-touch KO's, and things that look like they belong in a chinese action movie i'm more wary of. And a number of the "pressure point experts" tend to flash those around, which has poisoned the well.

I agree with JZ here. There are some clusters that can be hit and can produce results. The carotid strike and the common peronial strike are two good ones. Other than those, I don't see a whole lot more that are useful on drunk/drugged up perpetrators that are dead set on hurting someone, or doing worse to them.

[Dark Planet]

To the "fight stopper" thought. I must disagree and assert that there are soem which are "fight stoppers," one of which is the middle of the neck on the carotid.

[KarateGeorge]

To the "fight stopper" thought. I must disagree and assert that there are soem which are "fight stoppers," one of which is the middle of the neck on the carotid.

Depending on the seriousness of the fight, a strike to the solar plexus can be a fight stopper too. I've been struck there before and it effectively floored me for a good minute or two (though it felt like an eternity! ). It's not a lasting effect, but having felt its effects, I believe that if its done properly, it might be enough to provide sufficient time to get away from an attacker.

[tallgeese]

I fall into the "no such thing" category when it comes to the "fight stopper" question.

Granted, the tools listed above can work well. They can also fail miserably depending on a list of tiny factors that can change in any give instant in a fight. That's before you even delve into the realms of the factors that revolve around your opponent (physiology, ect.) and yourself (training, mindset, ect.)

Better to never assume that a give tactic will stop a fight. You fight until it's done. There are plenty of documented cases of handgun rounds to vital areas being taken by people and those individuals still have it in them to finish the fight. If one trains that a single round never automatically stops a fight, then one should also train that a single strike, or other hand to hand tool, will work in the same way.

[KarateGeorge]

Agreed. Using my solar plexus example from above, I don't believe it necessarily will be a fight stopper, just that it can be a fight stopper. I view things like that as an option in my arsenal, if I am able to use it and it buys me the time I need to get away, deal with a different attacker, etc. I would take advantage of that opportunity.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Pressure points are something to be studied and known, but almost anyone you talk to will tell you, it doesn't matter what part of you I hit, if I hit you hard enough, you're going down. I think I've heard it several times from several different masters. Basically, rely on your technique, your power, and your timing to do the work.

[KarateGeorge]

Well put. I've studied pressure points to some extent, but I wouldn't rely on them. They're good to know should the opportunity present itself for me to take advantage of using them, but those opportunities aren't always easily attained.

Instead, for effectiveness of striking, I tend to fall more to the center-line theory espoused by Wing Chun.