The Secret Art of Pressure Point Fighting: Techniques to Disable Anyone in Seconds Using Minimal Force

PART 1:

OVERVIEW

Introduction

It would be dishonest of me to present this book as if the vital points, and how they can facilitate the defeat of an attacker in combat situations, were simple to understand, learn and apply. In my seminars, I remind participants that knowledge of kyusho jutsu (the art of vital points) is as useful in combat as applying poison to the tip of a spear.

In other words, you first need the spear, or basic combat skills.

There are many people who possess a catalog of facts concerning certain aspects of the vital points, such as the correct time of day to strike a particular meridian for best results, the correct angle in which the points should be struck, the correct sequence in which these points should be struck, and so on. We shall see later just how useful or effective these aspects are, but none will be of any use whatsoever if the defender has no basic defensive techniques. However, the encouraging thing is that, after many years of research and actual hands-on experience (both personally and by the hundreds of law-enforcement officials and special-groups personnel throughout the world who use these techniques daily), I can tell you that it is not necessary to become involved in the minutiae of the use of kyusho jutsu. Much is ephemeral and most is unnecessary.

The use of the vital points to subdue an assailant is very important indeed and makes a tremendous difference in the effectiveness of defensive techniques. However, it takes some knowledge and a lot of practice. In this book I hope to show you a number of defensive tactics that—enhanced by the correct application of only a few vital points—will, without a doubt, make your techniques more powerful and much more effective.

The Mythology

You’ve inevitably read about or seen on the big screen an old kung fu master who uses mysterious martial skills from an ancient age, often wrapped in a philosophic pseudo-Zen ethic, to defeat bigger and stronger assailants. Legends of the onetouch death technique abound—even Star Trek’s Mr. Spock’s Vulcan neck grip, which caused unconsciousness in an enemy, owes much to this mythic ability. Today we even have the nonsense of the no-touch KO, which I will address later.

In truth, it is possible to kill an opponent with one blow, but it has nothing at all to do with some ancient mysterious knowledge (at one time, all knowledge was mysterious). One of the first recorded examples of striking vulnerable areas of the human body to bring about the defeat of an opponent occurs in Nihongi, an ancient Japanese work written or compiled around A.D. 720 which details an incident that took place in 23 B.C.

In it is a story concerning a powerful man named Kuyehaya, from the village of Taima, who boasted of his great strength. Hearing of this, the emperor summoned Nomi no Sukune from Idzumo to challenge him and test his claims that no one could stand against him. In the match that followed, they were made to wrestle against one another, but as they stood opposite each other, they both began using kicking techniques. Nomi no Sukune first broke Kuyehaya’s ribs then kicked him in the loins and killed him. Although described as a wrestling match, this is perhaps the first recorded example of the use of atemi-waza (striking techniques, here more correctly ashiate , smashing with the foot or leg).

The human body is vulnerable to manipulation and attack in many ways, some demanding the application of great force, some requiring a lighter force. The effects on the body can be amplified by striking or manipulating certain areas rather than others. The determining factor is: What kind of effect do you want to produce?

Knockouts

First and foremost, the primary use of the vital points is not to cause unconsciousness but to facilitate all defensive techniques, which—in extreme circumstances—include those that render an attacker dizzy or unconscious. In any defensive situation, from the merely annoying right up to the defense of life itself, the vital points can improve the success of the defense. The cline of self-defense techniques is thus enhanced by the application of kyusho jutsu, the art of using the vital points.

Depending on the points used and the objective sought, a variety of effects can be produced. There are several degrees of what is known as a knockout:

• A transitory dizziness causing temporary physical lack of normal coordination.

• A longer period of dizziness and lack of coordination leading to the body’s inability to maintain an upright position.

• A complete loss of consciousness for either a long or short period.

There are, of course, also degrees within these broad outlines.

Some points are more suitable for striking, others for applying pressure. Some points are best used in conjunction with others, while some can be attacked directly. In law enforcement, I teach officers to use vital points in order to gain and retain control of an uncooperative subject without causing more than minimal physical harm. With anti-terrorist and Special Forces squads, I escalate the training to the point of inducing unconsciousness. In civilian training, I concentrate primarily on escape and disabling methods.

The points are often used as non-striking aids when grappling and locking. However, one rule of thumb is never to grapple without striking first, even if only to startle and/or distract the attacker. As it is possible to inadvertently knock someone out by using the points, it is better to start with a brief look at the mechanism of the knockout. This will allow you to better understand the dangers of misuse and to promote safety in training.

The Causes

In broad terms, unconsciousness is brought about by stunning the brain or by starving it of blood (and therefore the oxygen that it needs in order to function). It is also possible to do both. A knockout, or loss of consciousness, can occur in three ways:

1. It can be induced by a severe blow to the head when the brain is injured as it bangs against the opposite side of the skull.

This type of knockout requires the stimulation of the upper spinal cord. The force of the blow must be at an angle that reaches and provokes a response in the basal ganglia. This in turn interrupts the reticular activating system (which is crucial for maintaining consciousness), disrupts motor function, and shuts down the brain.

2. It can be induced by causing a disruption in the blood flow to the brain.

This is inherently very dangerous as the longer the brain is starved of oxygenated blood, the greater the damage that occurs. For example, during a stroke, blood vessel blockage (which deprives the brain of blood, and thus oxygen) causes a loss of circulation to a part of the brain, thereby resulting in permanent loss of function.

Unconsciousness occurs after a short interval (generally between 12 and 20 seconds). Maintaining the disruption longer than this can lead to permanent damage and even death.

There are a number of ways in which this denial of oxygenated blood can be initiated. One method is to constrict the jugular vein and carotid artery in the neck. In combat terms, this is the basis of the lateral vascular choke hold, which blocks fresh, oxygenated blood from entering the brain while simultaneously preventing deoxygenated blood from flowing from the brain. The result is unconsciousness.

3. It can be induced by a sudden lowering of blood pressure.

It is also sometimes possible to induce a drop in blood pressure in the body to such a degree that dizziness and loss of consciousness occur. This is caused by the action of the baroreceptors. These are located in the walls of the arteries in the thorax as well as in the neck, and can be divided into high-pressure arterial baroreceptors and low-pressure baroreceptors. These detect the pressure of blood flowing through them, and can send messages to the central nervous system to increase or decrease blood pressure and heart rate. The baroreceptors will also report the information to the two areas of the medulla: the vasomotor center and the vagal center.

If, due to a strike or blow, arterial blood pressure increases, the firing rate of the baroreceptors increases, which sends a greater frequency of impulses to the brain. The reflex in this instance will cause stimulation of the vagus nerve, decreasing the heart rate in order to reduce arterial pressure. If the strike or blow is of a strength that does not cause any permanent damage to the underlying structure but is hard enough to activate the response from the baroreceptors, blood pressure decreases, thus reducing the firing and frequency of the baroreceptor signals. This activates the sympathetic nervous system, causing the heart to contract more rapidly and the blood vessels to constrict, to increase arterial blood pressure. Through this reflex circuit, the body’s optimum arterial blood pressure is maintained.

Note, however, that striking the vital points in order to manipulate the baroreceptors is not consistently reliable as the effects are markedly less in young, fit people. However, striking can be combined with pressure or constriction techniques for cumulative effects.

When the neck is struck or squeezed, it is possible to affect the vagus nerve, which starts in the brain and travels down into the abdomen. The vagus nerve is one of the most important nerves in the body, responsible for tasks such as heart rate, peristalsis, sweating, and several muscle movements in the mouth, including speech and keeping the larynx open for breathing. Stimulating the vagus nerve with a blow (commonly to the side of the neck, St.9, Li.17) will lead to a reduction in heart rate, blood pressure or both. If the degree of stimulation is sufficient, it will lead to a condition called vasovagal syncope. The most common symptoms of vasovagal syncope are dizziness and fainting; it occasionally leads to a complete loss of consciousness.

Techniques aimed at the neck might also adversely affect the phrenic nerve, which passes through the body and controls the movement of the diaphragm, and thus breathing. Damage to one side of the nerve is occasionally fatal, but usually leads to a dysfunction in one half of the diaphragm.

4. It can be induced by overstimulating and disrupting the central nervous system.

At the base of the brain is a small part of