To
be completely honest, none of the variety of arts to which I studied, or was
exposed to ever trained with vital point
charts as a focus of training. The closest I was taught by my original instructors was if you
had to strike a body from any angle or position, target the centerline as there were more places there that you could
impart more impact into an attacker.
So
not in my Isshinryu studies, or in the wide variety of karate arts I
experienced did I hear a word about vital point striking.
When
I gained some exposure to Northern Eagle Claw I discovered the only chart they
used just showed their own version of vital points. Later I experienced a bit
of their extensive two person forms and began to understand why. They covered
so many ways to utilize their clawing not from charts, but by actual practice
of them during their study.
One
of the earliest book I had was a Christmas gift from my wife when she gave me a
copy of Funakoshi Ginchin’s “Karate Do Koyan” and it contained charts and an explanation
of the vital points. Then as the years passed I found more and more versions.
But
of course that was just book larnin’ not actual experience.
O
I got the point those vital points had less body protection available to stop a
blow from injury.
And
I had experiences so many of them, As a
beginner with my Isshinryu body hardening and kumite with more advanced
students than I, I felt what those blows could do when delivered correctly.
Then on the journey I have been placed in a carotid choke when not expected and
remember coming too laying on the floor.
I
have struck people on the tip of their
jaw,and other places with light power and put them down in the process. I have
even been on the receiving end of a strike not on the charts and when I was on
the receiving end learned that I could fly.
The
manner in which I learned Aikido technique explained to me that is was the
apprehension or actualization of pain from the lock that made the individual
move into the takedown/projection resulting from the aikido lock.
So
when in the mid 1980s the magazines touted the pressure point strikes could be
effective I began to wonder if that was so. I could see how an extremely
skilled technician could do so, but wondered about the underlying theory.
Never
sought out the training, That was about the time George Dillman started making
noise about all of that. I did attend one clinic he held in New Hampshire, but
he just talked and did not show anything when I was there.
Later
when his books came out, it began more thought on the issue. So I took one of his explanations of the
Cycles involved and charted them out, all of them… then worked out for myself
he could claim any of the cycles was the answer for each point as sooner or
later all the points would be covered. From my point of view just words,
nothing especially practical for me.
I
am not saying that is wrong, just that I was not going to focus my art on all
of that. A personal choice.
Along
the way of my own study, partially from my analysis of kata technique
potential, partially from my ongoing work on t’ai chi as wll as other studies
at times not intending to I found slight technique application would put my
students down quckly.
On
time I was showing an application potential to a brown belt and when doing so
ko’s the student so that I had to grab them falling toward the ground. That was
not my intention. Later trying the same movement against different students I
did not have that result. At the time it was most a mystery to me, I had
acquired Earl Montague’s texts on Dim Mak so I thought to write him, He did
answer but did not provide a useful answer.
Another
time I was working a very slight t’ai chi movement against a student, who was
also one of my black belts. I nearly caved his chest in, then I repeated that
movement with him again only softer and slower to obtain the same result.
Eventually I worked out what occurred. It was not vital points that caused
this, rather other force enhancers my t’ai chi study had developed.
Another
time after t’ai chi class, I arrived at a different way to use Chinto kata’s
opening movement. Again using another of my black belt students and going slow
immediately placed him on the ground. And repeating it again softer and slower
got the same result my student went down. Eventually working it out realized a
different force enhances was in play, one I had not considered.
Or
there was the time when facing an attack I simply responded by moving in and exactly
doing the kata, that alone nailed the student. Another different set of force
enhancers at play.
None
of them strictly involved vital points of pressure points.
I
began to realize a whole lot of different things were in play.
Then
I began to do some research into the idea of striking pressure points.
I
selected a point I had been hit at and one I had left an effect on my opponent
at a tournament. Liver 14. I definitely
felt the strike but did not go down. One time at a tournament my opponent and I exchanged techniques. He
went high with a back fist to my face, I delivered a body blow to this
location. I was not very tournament smart, he got the point and the fight, but
afterwards in the locker-room he complained how painful that strike was to him.
So
I decided to start there.
Pressure Point Liver 14 - Location LV-14 is located on
the mamillary line, 2 ribs below the nipple, in the 6th
intercostal space. This point is 6 cun above the navel & 3.5 cun
lateral to GV-14, near the medial end of the 6th intercostal space .
I
began my research by using George Dillman’s book:
“Liver 14 lays directly under the nipple in
the Intercoastal space that is the most depressed. This point must be struck
down and into the body at a 45 degree angle (Be careful how much and use your
first 2 knuckles) preferably cross-body.
First try straight in and then try the above method. Once you get the
results (I have worked this on hundreds around the world and only ran into a
handful that did not feel it go internal..so work it until you get it), let’s
ask what is medically happening.”
This
came from the Dillman book (when I moved to Arizona this was among the hundreds
of books I discarded and no longer know which book that was as I had 3 or 4 of
those books, Now all of them discarded.
Of course it was pushing self practice to develop results. I already
knew it hurt so it didn’t tell me much I already knew.
Next
I turned to Earl Montague’s “Encyclopedia of Dim
Mak”.
Direction
of strike Can be struck in or from outer to inner (as
laterally, across the body),
Damage: This point is used greatly in martial arts because
it is so deadly and relatively easy to get at. Ko will occur when this point is
struck, mainly because the recipient is dead! A strike to Liver 14 will cause mental problems, as well
as heart problems (like stopping it!). It can cause the lungs to collapse. It will
cause liver to stop functioning. Even a light strike here will do damage. When
the strike to this point is a slice across the body from outside to inside, it
will cause great emotional problems and energy damage, as it stops the qi for a
moment. Blindness can occur instantly or at some later time. Hence, this is one
of the ‘delayed
death touch points”.
Set up point: Neigwan or LU 5, but both together is even better.
Antidote: There is no antidote for this point, although you
could see an acupuncturist if it was a
lateral strike, you could massage the point in the opposite direction of the
strike.
Applications: He attacks
with a straight left. You use a tajiquan method of “life hands’ to trap and damage
the elbow. Slamming his Neigwan point with your left palm while under your right
palm attacks Si 8, Your right heel has also struck to St 36 on his left leg
(fig 191I, Your right palm pushes his left arm over to your left as the palm
heel of your left hand strikes to Liv 24, and your fingers attack to St 9. (fig
192)
Boy
quite a difference between the Dillman explanation and the Montague
explanation. I don’t profess to be an expert. I did not train in either method.
But
clearly I see there is a difference between how to use this strike.
And
going back to my own experience when struck there I did not die, but perhaps
the psychological implications from such a strike are just delayed, perhaps to
a time after my actual death.
I
never wanted to inflict damage on my students to learn such ‘secrets’ First
because I don’t desire to hurt them and 2. I have no desire to actually do such
to them.
But
I was not in a quandary, I just set such aside for me. My own studies suggested
so many force enhancers to improve my strikes, the use of fractals of a
technique as techniques themselves along with many other things to keep myself
occupied.
For
myself the connect the dots was not a concern after this.
Then
a few years later I found a superior answer from the teachings of Sherman Harrill and his senior student John Kerker. The answer was they showed what decades of makiwara and
subsidiary training allowed them to literally strike anyplace on the body to
put someone down.
I
personally considered that the superior answer.
Although
I found many other answers using different force enhances too.
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