8-19-2001
Back long ago when pressure point striking was a big question for many people on the internet, many conducted their own research and reported their findings. I never went into striking the meridians.
However I did frequently discuss this with my friend, student and Doctor Paul Harper, This was our discussion from one of those discussions.
The testing reported by Tim Ahearn seems to produce varied results. On those occasions when I’ve struck my students there, the results were great pain in the chest.
I took a few minutes from Tai Chi practice today to discuss the varied results with Dr. Harper (Md, FACS). Unfortunately (for me of course) his practice interfered, as is often the case and he left to aid somebody.
Hope I don’t do too bad a job describing what he told me.
If the nerve struck isn’t the primary focus of the pain and it comes from the strike traveling inside the body there are several issues to consider. The Li 14 area isn’t fixed as to what’s underneath it. During inhalation the Lung is pulled down by the diaphragm, where during exhalation the diaphragm pushes the lung up and the liver (on the left side facing you) rises into that area. Thus, depending on when the strike takes place during the recipient’s breathing cycle, as well as the peculiarities of their individual anatomy the same underlying structure may not be feeing the force vectors. This also assumes the intercostals nerve (if I’m remembering correctly) are being struck exactly the same in each instance. Variance on the strike could also be a factor in differing results.
I believe this underscores some of the different issues which need to be considered to fully understand the process taking place during the strike. I do not mean to say that pain is not produced during each of these conditions, simply that they are circumstances to consider.
When I originally got a quick response from Dr. Harper. He mentioned several conditions which could cause a weakened aorta, which could also cause other response than simply pain in a sufficiently strong strike. Those instances are very rare in the US, but he was using them to illustrate several of many possible conditions that you cannot diagnose while looking at an individual. Personally he began to go into much greater medical detail on conditions than my mind is capable of comprehending and I had to stop him.
Certainly catastrophic results are not a common or frequent occurrence during strikes to this area. But medically that does not preclude they could occur. Similarly a strike at the exact instance an individual was at the top of the T wave (1/50,000 of a second) which could stop the heart does not seem likely, but then somebody does pay $1.00 and win millions in the lottery, too. That this could happen is a thought to consider, even if most unlikely.
On day, while demonstrating to a brown belt, how I could simultaneously deliver strikes to the ribs and the side of their neck using a technique from Isshinryu’s Chinto kata, I lightly delivered those sliding strikes only to KO that individual and had to catch them from hitting the floor. It is not something I duplicated with other students using the same pressure, but Dr. Harper later considered that my strike crossed the carotid sinus most likely during that 1/50,000th of a second and that was possibly the cause. Part of his reasoning was the direction of my strike followed the same direction a surgeon would use to massage the carotid sinus to stop the heart during heart surgery (one of many possible methods).
Tactical Considerations
Leaving the study of what occurs during a Li 14 strike, behind, I’d like to consider what has to happen during confrontation to sell the point.
If you consider the attacker in a boxer type of stance, their arm placement seems to offer a natural blocking of the area from a primary strike.
Tai Chi - 2 Man - Da Lu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-U12x6zPNc
My Tai Chi response was using Lu (drawback) during a grab (though we used a punch for practice) to deflect and draw the opponent in, followed by the Press driven by a body shift. This created a pathway for my strike which I used.
Similarly an interior line of defense against a strike could use a cross strike to deflect that strike while simultaneously a 2nd strike underneath the opponent strike into the Li 14 area could certainly get their attention. And again an exterior line of defense using an outside parry and simultaneously launching a palm strike underneath their arm into the Li 14 area could work too.
In my opinion, the utilization of Li 14 requires you to disrupt their alignment to draw them forth and/or deflect their strike creating the opportunity to follow up there, too.
Well just thinking on Li 14 a bit,
Victor Smith
Bushi No Te Isshinryu
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