BASIC LESSONS IN KARATE

How to Learn Martial Arts "Pressure Points

The traditional definition of a pressure point is a point that, when pressure is applied, produces crippling pain. This is learnt in a chinese martial art called Dim Mak based on accupuntual pressure points,but this art is very restricted and needs and understanding of Chinese acupuncture points.Because of this I can only provide information on on fragile areas that we'll callvulnerable points. This is used to exploit a weakness or vulnerability in the human body to gain an advantage over an opponent. When using these pressure points one must be particularly careful as it is easy to kill someone accidentally, such as a friend or even an enemy. At that point, you enter the legal system, which generally does not know if you were really defending yourself or were actually the aggressor, and in some cases, that may not even matter. This leads to the point that, more important than the technique, is the mindset that you use in training, which is, of course a personal philosophical decision, but one which requires much thought and consideration of when what you practice must be put to use.

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Understanding pressure points

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Learn about the body's very vulnerable areas: These are commonly known as pressure points. The points include the eyes, the groin, the shins, etc. In general, things to consider include:

• Use kicks that use the wide of your foot for the shins (if you know them) as they will make it harder to miss.
• Pull your foot back quickly when kicking to the groin so your foot won't be caught. The nose is easily broken with any strike.

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Head

Striking the flat of the forehead forces the head back with little resistance and will actually rock the brain within the skull, causing a concussion, or worse.Beginners should use the heel of their palm, rather than a fist. The same holds true to the back of the skull, just below the horizontal ridge. (The front has one too, above the flat.) The ridges are strong enough to be used as weapons in their own right, so avoid them.

temple point-The temples are the thinnest part of the cranium, so a good blow here (one-knuckle punch is ideal) can cause concussion, hemorrhaging, or even death. Do not actually strike a training partner with this move.

Neck/sleeper: This is another more obvious pressure point but is very complicated in application. Get behind your assailant and wrap one arm around his neck, using your radius (forearm bone), apply pressure to the external carotid artery (just to the side of the throat where you feel your pulse beating), slowly lowering them to the ground as you do so. You can increase the pressure by pulling your arm toward you with the other arm, and breathing in as you do, puffing up your chest. You can also place the hand of the squeezing arm in the elbow of the other arm and push the head/neck forward with that other arm. If they show no signs of weakening a sharp blow to the back of the head will disorientate them giving you a chance to run.

• To counter: Turn your head toward the elbow. The crevice will not press on your throat, and you will be able to breath. Circulation will still be a problem, so you must be quick. Grab the elbow with the closest hand and use the pressure point there. This will loosen their grip, but they will likely not give up. Combine pulling down with biting, foot-stomping, head-butting, eye-gouging, bringing your heel to their groin, shin-kicking, rib-elbowing (turn your hips), hair-pulling, biting, and anything else you can come up with.