From the earliest times, Western Martial Arts developed many concepts that we often think of as exclusively Asian, including the use of ‘pressure points,’ conditioning lotions, etc. Bretha dein checht, an ancient Irish legal text, lists 12 vulnerable areas of the body or "12 doors of the soul". Corresponding points in Chinese martial arts are said to disrupt chi, causing knockouts or even death….. 1. The top of the head, i.e. the crown or the suture 2. The hollow of the occiput 3. The hollow of the temple 4. The apple of the throat (‘Adam’s apple’) 5. The hollow of the breast (suprasternal fossa), i.e. cavity of the throat 6. The armpit 7. The breast-bone (sternum) 8. The navel 9. The bend of the elbow (antecubital fossa) 10. The hollow of the ham (popliteal fossa) 11. The bulge of the groin (femoral triangle) 12. The sole of the foot Western Dit Dar Jow? The early boxers used a variety of potions to toughen the hands, "If at first they should get a little raw or rubbed, a few applications of weak tannic acid solution, or rosin, or good strong pickle out of the salt-pork barrel, will soon make the hands and knuckles tough." (Billy Edwards' "Art of Boxing and Manual of Training" from 1888) Natural Remedies? There are a number of sources listing the use of herbs to treat injuries. In boxing, clay was used on the eyes “when boxing has blinded them” Chi Power? The old boxing term ‘Wind’ was the fighter’s strength and breath, which could be lost through lack of proper training or by being ‘winded’ by your opponent. Iron Shirt? The term, ‘Game’ or ‘Bottom’ was a boxer’s ability to take punishing blows Louie
The ones extensively used by Fiore's wresteling: The elbow joint The wrist The knee joint The neck/throat A lot of his tecniques is based on breaking the other dude's balance/structure, by stepping into the side of the knees while pushing back the head, for instance. One of the characteristics with fiore wresteling, is that it seems as the attacker walks "through" the opponent, and don't work around him.
Sir Thomas Parkyns in his manual on Close Hugg wrestling published in 1713(the first wrestling manual in the English language, though Z. Wyldes book predates him by a few years and has a wrestling section in it) makes good use of the pointed elbow to hit or rather dig into several pressure points including the breast bone. It is one of the things that really makes his manual special in my mind.
Hi Stolenbjorn, The most vulnerable points that Fiore lists are: eyes, nose, under the chin (including neck and jaw line) flanks In addition to these areas being noted as the main areas to strike/injure we see the pressure points under the ear being manipulated, pinch to under the upper arm, which is to gain an advantage either for the escape or to move into different holds. In the Abrazare section , although one could describe this as "walking through an opponent I would say that this is only true for a few techniques. Yes, you are correct that structure and balance of the opponent is destroyed in the process. To illustrate my point the first technique that is shown in the abrazare section is accompanied with a volta stabile and then a moving away from the opponent, this accompanied with the chiave de sotto brings the opponent to the ground face first. The next technique shown which is where the opponent has spotted the first movement and you flow with the player moving slightly forward to ensure that your leg is behind the opponent while striking to gain control of the head to torque it round to guide him to fall over your leg accompanied with a grab of the leg to aid the throw. The technique that follows where you have failed to stop both the upper and lower grip is a torsion technique pure and simple, probably designed to cause severe damage to the magic cervical area. The other unarmed techniques shown throughout the manual show zoning away from the opponent's left arm using his right as a shield and moving to the inside of the opponent's right. In both cases these things are accompanied with binds and joint locks that are to help manipulate the opponent in a variety of ways, as well as to break and dislocate the limbs during the actual throw itself. As well as these there appear to be a huge number of incidental strikes to the more vulnerable areas that should be used to help facilitate the actual completion of a technique. All of this in addition to the usual strikes, chokes and throws that are liberally strewn around. Remember the 8 principles (requisites): Strength Speed Injuring/Striking Binds Locks Dislocations Breaks Throws This is the essence and the ordering, in my opinion, of Fiore as a system. Regards Rob
Bizarre link, excuse my mental tangents. Science books I read as a kid often mention our exploration of outer space and new discoveries to be found, while acknowledging we still know so little about our own planet (deepest ocean, how the dinosaurs died etc) We go looking for the next best MA, when it might be better to look at what's immediately to hand?
Catlill Hi Andy... I wonder if your great, great, grandaddy used this PP on your great grandaddy? CATLILL A kind of punishment inflicted by grown-up people on those who are not so. It is done by pressing the forefinger into the hollow place at the root of the ear” (Scots 1825) I have now added this traditional Scottish practice for my children Louie
I'm glad that secret was lost in my family. My father was obsessed with Leather Strap 3 to Buttocks 4.
You Lucky B***** My mother prefered the more modern kettle flex... minus the plug! :Angel: oh, the good old days!!!! Louie
LOL. You got me thinking about interesting places to research WMA pressure points. I'm thinking Sunday School and Nursery School teachers must know some good ones.
In Asian Martial Arts the 'point' in question is just below the navel, which is connected to the conception meridian in Chinese accupuncture. Depending on the force, striking this area supposedly causes faintness or death... See Yang ywing Ming's Book on the subject "Chin Na" As for this western version, there are no additional details, I was mainly aware of the similarities, particularily the sole of the foot! Louie
: I've been studying Kyusho for 12 years now. I find the use of pressure points in so many sources in wars both western and eastern. In criminals fighting bouncers use em the world over. and then you get people who say you cant use em in a real fight? They are field tested more than most so called martial arts techniques. MF
OH MY GOD this reminds me of a funny story. I grew up on a ranch in Oregon, and we had 12 dogs, eight for cattle herding, and four boxers for coyotes. Now one day me, my brother, and my father were all out in the field working on a stretch of fence that had been torn down by our bull "Cuddles". Anyway, the alpha boxer male, and the alpha heeler male (which is an austrailian cattle dog for those who diidn't know) got into a fight. when two dogs fight in a group of 12, the WHOLE group start fighting. Now me my brother and my dad are in the middle of this ocean of teeth and claws trying to break them up. Now you might be asking what any of this has to do with pressure points, well I'm getting to that... we wade through the mass of beasts throwing some off and kicking them away when they try to get back in untill we have broken all of them up and had gotten down to the two who had started it. The alpha boxer, who was about 100 lbs. of steel hard muscle had a lock on the side of the alpha heeler, who only weighted about 50 lbs, face. So my brother starts throwing downward punches to the boxers head trying to make him let go. Now try to imagine if you would, the genetic muscular bulk of my family, my brother is 6'2" 230 lbs, with a 6 pack, my dad looks almost exactly like Tank Abbott, beard and all, minus about two inches. unknown to my brother, his strikes are big looping punches that are actually hitting my dad in the face and scrapping his nose on their way down. My dad starts screaming at my brother to stop hitting the dog, because he is missing and hitting him instead (which isn't exactly what was being said but you get the idea). After about four or five punches my dad finally gets ****ed and hits my brother right on the top of the head, which I just found out is a pressure point, my brother al the suddenly stops moving for about two seconds like he was frozen, he then falls right over backward. He laid there for about thirty or fourty seconds untill we had the dogs finally broken up, and I go over to him. Honestly I thought he was dead, he didn't move an inch for about a minute. I started to slap his cheecks, and he finally comes around and sits up. When he finally started to talk he swore up and down that he was hit by lightning. I didn't believe in the power of pressure points untill this very minute when I realized I had seen their power just didn't know what it was.
Hi Hi Yes quite a few PP's are int the public domain because they arew found accidentally. they work which is what upsets a lot of Martial Artists cos they dont know them and neither did their teachers. MF
Simple Pressure Point I know that boxers are always guarding the chin because of a potential weak KO spot. Not sure if you'd consider it a pressure point but I'm sure it's a western interpretation and a very good target in boxing.