:lool:
Now that's one brave stand you made there. I bet it took a lot of guts to post such a radical opinion
Pressure Point Strikes In Kenpo
- Thread starter MJS
- Start date
:lool:
Now that's one brave stand you made there. I bet it took a lot of guts to post such a radical opinion
IWishToLearn
3rd Black Belt
kidswarrior
Senior Master
Just got Vol 4 of Infinite Insights in the mail yesterday, and you were right. Good stuff. Thought I knew quite a bit about pressure points. Hah! Thanks again for the tip. :wink2:
Brother John
Senior Master
Yes and no.
It's not an official bit of AKKI curriculum really. But there was a video of Mr. Mills DROPPING someone, knocking them out with a finger-whip. I know the person he knocked out and I know the pressure point he struck. I don't envy the man the headache he must have had upon revival. sheesh....
Kenpo, whether AKKI or otherwise, does deliver strikes to locations that are VERY useful in terms of pressure points!!! Take the EPAK version of 5 Swords!!! Pretty much each and every strike!! Seriously. Check this site and look into the charts (VERY VERY handy resource by the way) www.acuxo.com
then think of the strikes in 5 swords
or
thundering hammers.....
or just pick a tech and check it out!
You'd be amazed...
Sometimes there needs to be a change in the exact trajectory or method of execution in order to opimize the effect on the kyusho point, but really.... in many cases we're already going to those zones!
also: Just a side note.
I have the UTMOST respect for Mr. Mills, my instructors and the AKKI; still very fond of them all, but I'm no longer a member of the AKKI. Still doing Kenpo, still train in what I've been taught, but my path is no longer w/in the AKKI organization....I've gone on from there. Studying other things and such.
just an fyi....becuase I don't want people to think that what I say is "AKKI-doctrine" or anything.
it's just little old Bro. John now....
Your Brother
John
I agree, Bro. John, it is amazing how kempo (and kenpo) combos seem to gravitate towards what we call "kyusho points". My teacher is a KI Instructor, and we've found most of our techniques require only minor modificaiton to take advantage of various Kyusho "techniques".
It's a really fun area for experimentation!
but out of all the people I have met or read about, the pinnacle of nerve striking/manipulation within Kenpo (or kempo) is Dr. Chapel. I probably shouldn't even qualify that to be within Kenpo! The consideration of posture of the attacker and the changes it makes in the availability of various points, added tremendous depth to the KI work we were already doing. The consistency of application of kyusho techniques is greatly improved when you pay attention to the posture of the attacker.
It's a really fun area for experimentation!
but out of all the people I have met or read about, the pinnacle of nerve striking/manipulation within Kenpo (or kempo) is Dr. Chapel. I probably shouldn't even qualify that to be within Kenpo! The consideration of posture of the attacker and the changes it makes in the availability of various points, added tremendous depth to the KI work we were already doing. The consistency of application of kyusho techniques is greatly improved when you pay attention to the posture of the attacker.
BigKiai
Yellow Belt
OK, here are my choices for a top 30 list of intermediate level pressure points as I alluded to in earlier post. jdinca also mentioned some of these and their value. My list is not meant to be scientific, viz., some of these technically may not be nerve centers at all, just places that hurt more than others when struck or pressured. Acid test if youre in doubt about one of these: knead/hit yourself (or have a friend do it) in these places, and see if it hurts (e.g., knead the philtrum with your second knuckles). If it doesn't hurt, dont use it. If so, youve added a tool. For me, thats enough to be called a pressure point.
I classify them as intermediate because theyre not that difficult to locate (dont need to pinpoint) and as Flying Crane said, you don't usually need 100% accuracy. I dont teach these analytically, i.e. from a list, or in any order (except that the first dozen or so, I emphasize to women's/elementary kids self-defense students). Instead, I teach them organically, as they come up in the course of a class. So, some may get more attention, some less. But somewhere around, say, green or brown belt, I would expect a student to know the value of these targets for striking, kneading, twisting, squeezing, ripping, scratching, biting, and as leverage for a takedown. All can do severe damage. Some are very dangerous to the opponent, and can cause severe injury or death. If you havent used any of these before, please proceed with caution as you teach, and use them only in emergency situations (and to the nay Sayers and the jaded, let me say up front that, yes, I have personally been to funerals where a routine fistfight turned deadly when one person accidentally hit a pressure point and got way more bang for his buck than either side bargained for; I have also seen the effect in the training hall, for example: an open tigers mouth/web hand actually delivered to the Adams appleby accident/carelessness; or, a backhand to the ear. Neither was anywhere near full power or speed, yet delivered significant pain and stopped the opponent dead).
They are listed here in no particular order, beyond the caveat above. BTW, Ive even given the list a name in case anyone wanted to use it. Better yet, please make suggestions and lets improve it.
The Dirty Thirty
1. Groin
2. Shin (front)
3. Inside of thigh (kick, hit, pinch)
4. Inside of knee
5. Philtrum (just under nose)
6. Adams apple (can be fatal)
7. Eyes (can maim)
8. Carotid artery (about midway between side/front of neckcan cause stroke)
9. Inside of shin (especially on planted leg)
10. Side of neck
11. Feet
12. Ear (cuff/boxer slap)
13. Ankle
14. Clavicle (strike: knife hands work well; pressure/takedown: drive fingers down behind clavicle)
15. Temple
16. Base of skull
17. Lower abdomen (between belly button and pubic bone)
18. Outside of knee
19. Solar plexus
20. Brachial nerve (top, inside of forearm, about 6-8 inches above wrist)
21. Vastus externus (middle/back of thigh, about halfway around between side and back).
22. Floating ribs (especially sharp, glancing blows; or, can act as spring from direct blow)
23. Front of armpit
24. Point of chin
25. Jaw hinge (can seriously injure/do long-term damage)
26. Underside of upper arm (1/3 up between elbow and shoulder, or 1/3 down from shoulder)
27. Wrist (top/underside)
28. Small of back (can cause spinal damage, paralysis)
29. Back/hollow of knee
30. Coccyx (Tailbone: can seriously injure)
31. Achilles tendon
32. Upper back (between shoulder blades: can cause paralysis)
OK, so I couldnt cut it down to an even 30.
(NOTE: the MT encyclopedia has an excellent reference to human anatomy, with great graphics, where these could be easily pictured).
Responses?
That's a great list - thanks for sharing. It seems only practice and repetition help me in developing more accuracy when trying to hit the pressure points.
kidswarrior
Senior Master
Thanks, Big Kiai. :ultracool You make a good point. Wasn't the concept attributed to Confucius: The harder I work and the more I learn, the more good luck I have? I'll never be a pressure point expert, but maybe more practice and repetition can make me a decent pp user.
kidswarrior
Senior Master
By coincidence, just came across this in reading Kane and Wilder's The Way of Kata: "Nerve strikes are 'extra credit'." Haven't gotten to the actual chapter where they address this, but I find it an interesting idea. Doesn't this kinda go back to the original post by MJS on how important are nerve strikes to kenpo?, and are they hit and miss, or something we practice?
