|
Pressure Points
 The
subject of pressure points has certainly caused a stir over the
last few years. With people from all ends of the spectrum
voicing their opinion.
There are staunch "believers" on both sides of the camp..
those who completely dismiss them without ever experiencing them
right through to those who worship their "Master" that much,
that they simply fall over at the merest hint of a Kiai!
I have read with some amusement articles reference the use or
rather non-use of Pressure Points. Like any "part of the jigsaw"
of Martial Arts, they have again been taken out of context by
yet more uninformed bystanders.
Pressure Points are the last 5% of any given technique as I keep
saying and keep teaching. They are a part and parcel of what you
should be doing. If I punch someone in the jaw, I will punch
them as hard as I possibly can (which is quite hard by the way)
and try to land on a Pressure Point as well.
I or any Pressure Point practitioner worth his salt would never
try to just use Pressure Points with little touches or taps in a
real encounter. Taps and touches are for teaching and
demonstration purposes only.
As for the effectiveness? I have no doubt. The hundreds of
Doormen we teach have no doubt. The fact that Geoff Thompson
invited me to be a guest writer on his website, should leave you
in no doubt. The fact that I assisted Peter Consterdine and
Geoff Thompson on their annual Self Defense Seminar several
times, should leave you in no doubt. Have Peter and Geoff been
taken in?
Ronnie Green, Lee Hasdell and the esteemed editor of MAI Bob
Sykes are just some of the more famous names I could mention who
are aware of the effectiveness of Pressure Points for Combat.
Have they been taken in as well?
In fact, Bob Sykes is on two of my Pressure Points DVD's
extolling the virtues of what I taught him as regards Pressure
Points. Bob was so impressed with what he had been shown that he
offered to do the Introduction and also asked to appear in the
videos.
Herol “Bomber” Graham, former professional Boxer, who was
considered the finest Boxer the UK has ever produced in his day
was so impressed with the effectiveness of Pressure Points that
Herol and I have now taught many seminars all over the UK in the
useage of Pressure Points for Boxers. Herol, who is now a Boxing
coach, is utilising that information in his own teachings. Has
Herol been taken in as well?
Paul Butlin, one of my ex students, is currently a pro
Heavyweight Boxer, ranked 16th in the UK. He is able to confirm
the effectiveness of Pressure Points in Combat, as we have had
the odd tussle now and then.
I mention the above, not to inflate or promote myself, merely to
point out that some good fighters without the blinkers and
prejudice of the likes of many Martial Artists, or those with a
self serving agenda are able to see the effectiveness of
Pressure Points and then had the foresight to learn them and
incorporate them into what they do as a useful addition to that
which they know.
The people mentioned above and many others are not fooled by
"hocus pocus" or something that does
not, will not or can not be made to work. Fighting ability is of
course up to the individual. Pressure Points are merely the best
use of the weakest parts of the Human body.
My advice to anyone unsure as the effectiveness of anything in
the MA is to seek out a great teacher in that aspect of the MA.
People have gone on for years about how this art or that art
will not work in the street. Or this technique or that technique
will not work in the street. All correct and paradoxically at
the same time incorrect.
Earn the right to land your technique and everything works. Bob
Sykes has the best back kick I have ever seen. I have no doubt
as to Bob’s ability to land it in the street. He would earn the
right to do so.
Pressure Points are the same. Once you have earned the right to
land your technique, why not land it on the weakest part of the
body for the greatest possible effect?
Many of the people who train with us are those who need a
Martial Art or techniques that work with a very high percentage
of success. The vast majority of the people who train regularly
with us are Doormen or ex Doormen who run door security.
These people know what does or does not work. They can smell BS
in terms of useability a mile away. But it is these people that
continuously train with us. It is the blinkered Martial Artists
and "self Protection WW2 Combatives Gurus" or the MMA / UFC
Maniac that deride the use of Pressure Points or dismiss them
even though they have never trained properly in them.
Then you get that special breed of MA who says he will not
believe in them till he sees them beat some of the top guys in
MA today.
Well, applying that logic is ludicrous in the extreme. Using
that logic you can prove that Mike Tyson’s hooks no longer work
because he got K.O’d by Lennox Lewis. You can prove Boxing does
not work if a grappler takes them to the floor and ankle locks
them.
Similarly you can prove grappling does not work by K.O’ing the
grappler before he gets the chance to grapple.
You can prove all of the MA do not work by shooting the opponent
first!
Pressure Points work and work well. They are not a panacea for
fighting or for the Martial Arts. They are a very useful
addition to that which you already know.
Everything in your MA works if you know how to apply it. Some
things work with a much higher percentage than others. It is
these high percentage techniques that I personally give my time
to. Then by adding the use of Pressure Points to these
techniques, you greatly increase your chances of success.
Pressure Points are as simple as this, weak areas of the body.
Is it better to hit someone in a weak part of the body or a
strong part? The answer is blindingly obvious. So, if you want
to improve your Martial Arts ability, why not learn where these
weak areas are and how to utilise them in what you do?
I have detailed in my DVD's all of the material required to make
pressure Points really work for you! It can be made as simple as “hit here” and “X”
will happen. Or “hit here” and most people are K.O’d. It is this
making it simple that is the key to learning it properly.
Personally I spent a long time learning Pressure Points, to
ensure that I really did know and understand how and why they
work. As a Martial Artist or some one wanting quick Self Defense
expertise, you do not need to know all that information.
You
just need to know where to hit and the best way to hit. That is
now the bulk of my teaching, along with fight training.
Russell Stutely - Europe's Premier Pressure Point Expert
|
|
