Pressure point articles

Delayed Death Touch: Instructions to the Coroner of China Reveal Knowledge of Vital Points
By Rick Clark Among the joys of researching a topic in depth are the little gems of knowledge you often uncover. Several years back I came upon a reference to a manuscript that was translated by Herbert Giles. One of the reasons this caught my eye was his name Herbert Giles. He was one of the men responsible for developing the !omani"ation of #hinese $one of the two most used methods of translating #hinese pronunciation to %estern spelling known as %ade&Giles'. (hen there was the title )Instructions to the #oroner* or )!ecords of the %ashing Away of +njust Imputations*. %ith a ,asters degree in #riminology I began to wonder what type of forensic information might be discussed in an old #hinese manuscript. (he )His -uan .u* dates from the reign of Shun -u $/01/ 2 /034' and was written by Sung ("hu. Giles first came across this work while stationed at 5ingpo in /674 and subse8uently translated this te9t. It was then published in the )#hina !eview* in /671 and later republished in the ):roceedings of the !oyal Society of ,edicine* in /;01. Once I ac8uired a copy of the translation I 8uickly scanned the te9t and to my pleasure there were two charts showing vital points< 5ow here indeed was something to look at. A te9t that dated from the mid /0==>s translated into ?nglish in /671 that clearly addressed vital points. (his may be the earliest te9t in the ?nglish language that mentions vital points. #onsider the fact that the )His -uan .u* made available to us information on vital points forty eight years prior to the introduction of @arate into Aapan by Gichin Bunakoshi in /;00. Also remember there are a number of books published in the early /;==>s that clearly discuss and demonstrate the use of vital point techni8ues.

%ith this in mind the contents of this work become immediately provocative. (he information given on vital points was limited but clearly presented. (here are two charts which show vital points on the front and back of the body. According to the te9t there are si9teen vital points on the front of the body $twenty two if you count them as bi&lateral' and si9 vital points on the back $twelve if counted as bi&lateral' for a total of thirty two vital points on the human body. In addition there are thirty si9 non&vital spots listed on the front of the body and an additional twenty listed on the back. Although this was an early work there are records of earlier books that have been lost describing the injuries that could be caused on another person by a trained fighter. (hey areC )I -u #hi* $!ecords of Doubtful #riminal cases' written in the /=th century by Ho 5ing and Ho ,eng and the ),ing -uan Shih .u* $(rue !ecords of the #larification of %rongs' by Hsu #hih (shai in the Eth century. #onsidering that the Shaolin monastery $to which many forms of #hinese martial arts trace their lineage' goes back to the 3th century one could make a very tenuous assumption that Ho 5ing Ho ,eng and Hsu #hih (shai could have had knowledge of the damage that trained individuals could inflict on one another without the use of weapons.

)His -uan .u* recogni"ed two classes of vital pointsC those that could be fatal on impact and those that could cause death at a later date.*

In #hina there were two main sources of knowledge $or tradition' in the martial arts. (he Shaolin temple is the one most people immediately associate with the fighting arts of #hina due to the television series )@ung&Bu*. However there was another temple %udang which followed the (aoist tradition. (his temple has gained fame with the general public from the movie )#rouching (iger Hidden Dragon*. Fecause of its age the )His -uan .u* may be one of the oldest books on forensic medicine ever written. (his book was carried by the high territorial official who had the duty to act as coroner whenever they had to investigate a death. It is interesting to note that in8uests were also held on the living if a person sustained a dangerous wound. (his was done to establish a )death limit*. According to the )His -uan .u * the wounded man in a brawl would be handed over to the accused to be nursed back to health. If the victim died as a result of the injuries suffered in the fight the aggressor would be subject to a death penalty. (he author of the )His -uan .u* recogni"ed two classes of vital pointsC those that could be fatal on impact and those that could cause death at a later date. (he te9t notes that if a mortal wound is given to the top of the head behind the ear the throat or the pit of the stomach death can take

place 8uickly. Or death can result in three days if a vital point located at the back of the head the forehead or the chest is struck. (hen there are also )ordinary* vital points which if struck can result in death within as long as /= days. Brom a practical point of view the vital points that result in immediate death would have been of the most interest to the warriors of those days and even to the current day martial artist. In practical terms of self&defense you would want to have an immediate reaction from strikes to vital points rather than delayed effects. However there may be some advantage to striking a person and having him die ten days henceC it might allow an individual to escape notice as being the perpetrator of a fatality. It is interesting to read that fatal wounds resulted from blows delivered by the hands to the upper part of the body the back chest and upper ribs and rarely on the lower ribs. @icks would have been delivered to the pit of the stomach and the ribs. (he author of )His -uan .u* believed that certain blows to the head face chest breast etc. could have mortal conse8uences. (he author noted that if a blow resulted in the death of an individual at a later date #oroners should look for somewhat larger bruising and inflammation. If the blow resulted in immediate death then there would be

deeper and more severe bruising. (his may be where some of the lore on the delayed death touch could have first surfaced. Brom a purely western point of view it is possible to understand how death could occur at a time later than the original altercation. Bor e9ample if you rupture the spleen or liver you would not be able to survive unless you were taken to the hospital and surgery performed. At the very least severe infection might occur that could cause death. So it seems that the #oroners of #hina were well aware of the use of vital points and how they could result in the death of an individual either at the time of the assault or at a later date.

The Case or Vital Points

By Rick Clark :eople join the martial arts for many reasons and learning self&defense is one of the most important. Fut is that what people are gettingG %ith the development of martial arts both as a sport and a martial way there appears to be a decrease in the combative applications found in the arts. ?mphasis seems to be placed on safety protective e8uipment rules

of competition limiting striking areas physical conditioning personal development or sport applications of techni8ue. And competitions divide contestants into divisions by age se9 rank and weight. %hile it is still possible to teach and learn self& defense techni8ues from martial arts that have a sports or spiritual focus more often than not effective street self& defense has been lost somewhere in the process. In addition competitive divisions often isolate the student from facing opponents that are much larger heavier or stronger. Artificial divisions will not occur in real life. If a woman is assaulted it will probably be done by a male who is taller stronger and heavier. If a child is abducted it will be by an adult. In most situations the attacker will attempt to have the advantage. Our job as martial arts instructors is to provide a tool for the smaller younger or weaker individual to use when faced with a determined attacker. %hat will give the smaller person an advantage over the larger and stronger opponentG If you look at judo tournaments you will see that the larger opponent has an advantage over the smaller judoka. Of course the smaller judoka can throw and score on the larger opponent but it re8uires a high degree of skill and

ability to do so. (his is one of the reasons you see weight divisions in judo tournaments. %eight does have an impact. Skill level is another consideration in tournaments. -ou do not see black belts sparring against yellow or green belts. #an the lower ranks score points on a higher& ranked and e9perienced martial artistG Of course they can but by and large the black belts should be able to beat the lower& ranked students. Do you see juniors competing against adultsG Do you see senior students competing against juniors or younger adultsG 5o is it because the junior or senior could not winG Of course not they could but in the interest of being fair to the competitors age divisions are set up to lay down a level playing field for them. (herefore we must train our students to defend themselves against older $or younger' stronger bigger faster or more skilled opponents. It is imperative that we offer a way to e8uali"e the advantages the aggressor may possess against our students. ?veryone knows there are places on the human body that are vulnerable to attack. It is common knowledge that a punch to the stomach can cause a person to lose their breath. -et with training you can learn to take a strong punch to the stomach. If delivered to the testicles throat or eyes that same punch could be 8uite destructive.

So at one level we understand there are targets on the human body that are more vulnerable than others. If we understand and accept that there are places on the body that are more susceptible then it would seem logical we should look for these weaker places. Once we know where these weak points are located it then becomes a matter of developing the skill to make use of these points under stress. Bor centuries Sun"iHs (he Art of %ar has been one of the treasured books of the literate warriors of the Orient. ?ven today in the %est we can find words of sound advice. Bor e9ample Sun"i said Ito be certain to take what you attack is to attack a place the enemy does not protect.I -ou might stop and ask Ihow does that affect my practice of self&defenseGI (o answer this I would like to lay a little foundation. If you look in chapter si9 of Bunakoshi GichinHs @arate& Do @yohan you will find a discussion of vital points $kyusho' and the results of strikes to various parts of the body.

In many cases the places he describes to strike are 8uite obvious targets to attack. Bor e9ample some of the targets are ones that the man on the street would be aware of attacking. (hese are the eyes nose groin and solar ple9us. -et in this same section he states that if you strike a specific point on the wrist you will knock out your opponent. Bunakoshi also details points on the arm legs back chest neck and head that will cause an opponent to become unconscious or possibly fatal if struck. It is not only Bunakoshi or other Oriental authors that make such claims. In his ,odern Audo series $/;10' #harles -erkow notes a number of points that would be used in self& defense but not in practice as they are very dangerous. Bor instance he notes one point at the bottom of the foot that can be deadly when struck. -ou can find e9amples of places

to strike in :rofessor H.H. HunterHs Super Au&Aitsu $/;46' in which he locates points on the arm and leg that will create Ipartial paralysisI if struck.

I would like to go back to the Sun"i 8uote Ito be certain to take what you attack is to attack a place the enemy does not protect.I If we look at the comments of Hunter -erkow and Bunakoshi they all state there are places on the e9tremities that can be struck to cause partial paralysis unconsciousness or even death. If a person is being attacked what does the individual have to do to make contact with youG (hey must put out their arm or leg to attack. Once they place a part of their body near you they are in effect giving you a target to attack. I am confident that individuals would not be overly concerned with a person attacking the arm or leg. -et they would be protective of their eyes noes ears throat groin or solar ple9us. So if you are aware of the results of attacking vital points on your opponentHs arms and legs it is possible to have a relatively clear shot at those targets. Once you have successfully struck these points it will be too late for your opponent to ade8uately defend against further attacks to vital points. (he normally harder to access points

may now be seen as targets of opportunity and readily attacked. A sound knowledge of the vital points located on the bodyHs e9tremities can prove to be a valuable asset in any self&defense situation. (his understanding offers you the door to enter should you wish to attack points on the head neck chest or back providing an e8uali"er for the serious student of self&defense.

The Thread That Binds

By Rick Clark #ontemporary martial arts such as judo aikido and karate&do seem very different. However if you look for those things that are held in common you might be surprised by their many similarities. .etHs look at some of the techni8ues taught today in a basic judo or jujutsu class. (he new white belt is taught break falls basic throws and rudimentary ground fighting. As these skills become more developed advanced techni8ues are introduced into the curriculum. %ith good instruction and some determined practice the student can reach a substantial degree of proficiency in his or her art. In most jujutsu systems punching and kicking is taught as part of the systemHs responses to various attacks or grabs.

In judo punching and kicking skills however are considered ancillary to the primary art. And while these techni8ues are a natural complement to throwing joint locks and grappling skills today they are only taught to the most senior students. (his was not always the case. (he /;01 book I(he #omplete @ano Aui&Aitsu I did illustrate a variety of knee strikes foot kicks and head pushes or strikes. Fut as judo became more sports oriented these techni8ues were no longer taught to most students. In other arts such as karate kempo or tae kwon do the foundation skills consist mainly of punching kicking and blocks. As in the e9ample above when the student advances in skill and ability advanced techni8ues that are representative of judo or jujutsu may be incorporated into the training curriculum && throws takedowns arm bars and other joint manipulations. (hese same techni8ues are also found within the more advanced kata.

hen BunakoshiHs early 0=th century karate books for e9ample photos illustrate not variety of throws similar to those in judo but jujutsu type joint techni8ues as well.

In aikido too striking techni8ues were originally considered a critical element to help set up many techni8ues by distracting or momentarily stunning an opponent. In fact aikidoHs founder ,orihei +seshiba is credited with saying that striking is a critical part of setting up many techni8ues. In the /;44 first published account of aikido IFudo (raining In Aikido I there are many illustrations of these initial strikes $see first photo in this article'. In later years however +eshiba tended to stress movement and the flow of techni8ue especially in his films and in recent years the initial striking aspect of the art disappeared from the curriculum of many schools. As you may have noticed similar techni8ues are often taught as basic techni8ues in one system and advanced techni8ues in the second. It is a matter of the priority that each martial art puts on the techni8ues that determines at which point

they are introduced. ?ach art has its own strategy of combat with different emphasis and priorities && striking and kicking throwing grappling joint manipulations etc. Audo jujutsu and aikido tend to deal with attacks at a grappling or close range. Arts such as karate will best handle attacks from a medium range. (ae @won Do which is known for its kicking techni8ues deals best with the longer range attacks. Of course each art can deal with attacks from other ranges but it seems that they tend to emphasi"e particular ranges of techni8ues. :rior to the modern era warriors such as the samurai needed to be well rounded in their combative techni8ues in order to survive in battle. (hus they were skilled in the use of various weapons and un&armed combative techni8ues. (oday many martial arts do not train with combat effectiveness in mind. ,ost teach with emphasis on sport physical fitness or mental development. (here is however a strategic relationship between the various arts. At the basic level of any martial art that is being used in a life or death struggle the intent and purpose of the art is the rapid destruction of the opponent or in the case of aikido the neutrali"ation of the opponent. !emember we are not talking about the sporting or the character building aspect

of martial arts. I am talking about martial arts that are being practiced as self&defense methods. Here most martial arts seek to cause injury or at least incapacitate the attacker && by breaking knocking out $by a punch kick or strike' choking or throwing. %hile various arts such as karate judo tae kwon do jujutsu silat aikido etc. each have their own strategies and priorities of techni8ues each also shares deeper body of knowledge that bridges their art style or country of origin. %hat is itG :ick up just about any older martial arts book in ?nglish published in the 0=th century and you can flip to the back and find diagrams showing the vital points on the body. ,any older te9ts in #hinese and Aapanese dating from the /E==Hs and before also include these vital point charts. (hese charts may vary in the number of points shown the locations shown or the amount of information given about them but the vital points shown were incorporated in some form in each art. (hese points represent places on the body that can be attacked and manipulated within that system to cause varying degrees of damage. (he use of vital points has not been the e9clusive domain of any particular art. Fefore the introduction of @arate into Aapan in /;00 by Gichin Bunakoshi

vital points were being written about in the ?nglish language. In /;/4 @oyama and ,inami published Aiu& Aitsu $jujutsu'C (he ?ffective Aapanese ,ode of Self Defense in which they stateC
I(here are some Aiu&jitsu $jujutsu' maneuvers that have never been e9plained to ?uropeans or Americans & and probably they never will be. (hese death blows are remarkable. Some are delivered on the spine others on the neck and head and two on the face. (here are almost numberless maneuvers that temporarily paraly"e nerves and nerve centers and others that stop the circulation of the blood in various parts of the body.I $p. 3&E'

Aujutsu thus made use of percussive techni8ues to incapacitate their opponents. (e9tbooks on judo from that time also describe the location and use of vital points in that art. An early work on @arate by Gichin Bunakoshi has a chart of vital points and their reactions. #hoi Hong

Hi in his first work tae kwon do $/;E3' has a chart and list of points to attack. (his list could go on and on but to what purposeG %ithout 8uestion the use of vital points can be found to one degree or another in all martial arts whatever country of origin and is the thread that ties them together.

?ven though vital points have been shown in many older te9ts however there seems to be limited knowledge among the martial arts community today on their use. (heir use has also been the subject of controversy. (he reason is that traditionally their study was reserved for only the most trusted students of an instructor. As far back as /;/3 -okoyama Oshima and Horiguchi stated in their book Audo $/;/3' that the use of striking vital points were considered secret techni8ues something to be keep away from students. ,oreover this knowledge was never taught to the many foreign students who first studied various arts in Aapan Okinawa and elsewhere overseas following %.%.II. (hey returned home to teach their arts as they had learned them. Also with the emergence of various martial arts as a sport the combative nature of such arts as judo and karate has been relegated to a secondary position. In aikido and some karate systems emphasis has been on mental spiritual and physical training. (hus the uni8ue knowledge of vital points and how to strike them has been neglected or forgotten. In most karate kempo or tae kwon do classes for e9ample if strikes are indicated students are instructed only in the most general of terms && hit the face or side of the head or neck.

5o specific information about e9actly where to hit and from what angle is given. In similar fashion all too many aikido students neglect an initial atemi or strike as part of their techni8ues. (hey are also not aware of how vital points can be used as part of their standard techni8ues to ma9imi"e their effectiveness. And in judo only the most advanced judo students are taught knowledge about vital points and how to use them while performing techni8ues or where to aim if punching or kicking. (he result is that teachers in many arts have never been trained in the use of vital points and do not have the skill or knowledge to teach that portion of the art to their students. It has taken only one or two generations of teachers for this uni8ue information to be cleansed from the curriculum of most arts and schools. (oday we are seeing renewed interest in this esoteric aspect of the martial arts. All over the world students are researching their arts studying anatomy neurology and #hinese acupuncture points theory of energy flow and seeking out older knowledgeable teachers in order to rediscover this knowledge. I would like to make an observationC all of the martial arts recorded the

vital points of the body to attack. ?ach martial art andJor styles within various arts place varying degrees of emphasis on vital point techni8ues as well as various methods of utili"ing these points. I find it very interesting that the use of vital points was considered so important that it is incorporated into every system of martial arts. (o me this indicates how significant these techni8ues are to the martial arts and how much respect they must command. (hus I believe we should re&incorporate knowledge of vital points back into the study of various arts and systems to preserve this uni8ue aspect of the martial arts.

The !all of "ilence

#y Rick Clark$ %th dan &' Denkou Kai An ongoing controversial 8uestion in the martial arts today isC How much knowledge and esoteric skills of various arts are taught openly to students outside of a select few seniorsG Burthermore many contend that this knowledge is almost never imparted to any %esterner. (he reason for this secrecy is it is suggested so those who are the most senior can maintain their positions of authority.

In their /;/4 book IAiu AitsuC (he ?ffective Aapanese ,ode of Self&Defense I @oyama and ,inami described how secretive martial arts instructors kept knowledge of these points from the general public. (hey state Ithe knowledge of jiu jitus $jujutsu' has only recently been made general in Aapan.I$p.E' (he Iupper classes jealous lest their influence over the populace should wane tried to keep it to themselves.I $ibid p.E' ( ) i s t o r y i s r e p l e t e w i t h e * a + p l e s o f t

h o s e i n p o w e r a t t e + p t i n g t o + a i n t a i n t h e i r p o s i t i o n # y r e

s t r i c t i n g o f w e a p o n s o r k n o w l e d g e , (

History is replete with e9amples of those in power attempting to maintain their position by restricting of weapons or knowledge. Bor e9ample bron"e when it was first used for weapons was vastly superior to other materials and its production became a state monopoly. (oday a similar analogy are the closely guarded state secrets of nuclear weapons and Istealth technologyI that render airplane and ships invisible to radar.

In feudal Aapan only the warrior class $bushi' were allowed to carry two swords and practice the various forms of martial arts. Fujutsu $pre&/E== military arts' were considered to be the e9clusive domain of the warrior class. Donn Draeger the famous martial arts historian and author commented that I#ommoners while not totally without weapons nevertheless were forbidden to possess the types used by the bushi and were refused permission to study the bujutsu.I $Draeger /;64 p.34' @endo $the modern competitive sword discipline IdoI form which evolved from ken jutsu the warriorHs art of the sword' can be used as an e9ample of how Fujutsu techni8ues were changed in the early seventeenth century to a form of Fudo $a generic term meaning martial way or path that refers to modern martial disciplines that stress spiritual and personal development'. %ith this change Dreager states Ithe essence of kendo was stated at that time to be a more spiritual discipline for the improvement of personal character than an activity directly concerned with combat.I $Draeger /;73 p.E6' (he sword disciplines and techni8ues that were used by the warrior in conflicts of life and death had been changed into a new discipline kendo that looked to the spiritual

perfection of the individual. %ith this shift in emphasis to the non&combative aspect it was Ithe first time that swordsmanship in any form had been openly offered as available to all classes of people.I$ibid p.E6' (hus the techni8ues of combat which had been restricted to the warrior class were now being openly taught to the general public. (he modern Fudo forms of aikido and judo were being taught not as a form of combat but for spiritual and physical development in these early years. Aikido and judo came from similar backgrounds i.e. Aujitsu. (he older of the two styles judo was systemati"ed in /660 by Aigoro @ano. .ater aikido was or organi"ed by ,orihei +yeshiba redefined from the daito& ryu aiki&jujutsu he had practiced.. $Draeger /;74 p.l4;'. Foth men @ano and +yeshiba modified older systems of jujitsu to create newer styles which Iin the main KareL unrelated to real combatI $Draeger /;74 p. /46'. ( K a n o w a s u i t e

o p e n i n h i s a c k n o w l e d g + e n t t h a t h e r e + o v e d t h e d a n g e r o u s

t e c h n i u e s f r o + t h e s y l l a # u s o f . u d o , ( @ano was 8uite open in his acknowledgment that he removed the dangerous techni8ues from the syllabus of judo. G. @oi"umi in his /;E7 book I,y study of AudoC (he :rinciples and the (echnical Bundamentals I states that judo relegated the practice of kyusho $striking vital points of the body' to kata $pre& arranged series of movements' so it was not necessary to strike these

points on an opponent. It was during the (aisho era $/;/0&0E' that Gichin Bunakoshi $the man who first publicly demonstrated his Okinawan art on the mainland of Aapan' introduced karate to the mainland of Aapan. -et it is likely that Bunakoshi did not widely teach @yusho& jitsu $the art of striking vital points' to the general population. It is also not clear if he taught @yosho& jitsu to his senior students.
(1)

Bunakoshi in the ?nglish translation of his book I@arate&DoC ,y %ay Of .ife I stated that he Iset about revising the kata so as to make them as simple as possible.I$p.4E' (he simplification of kata however can be first credited to one of BunakoshiHs teachers Anko Itosu. In the early /;==Hs Itosu developed the five :inan kata $heian' which were taught in the Okinawan school system to what we would know as junior high students. (hese kata are known for their closed hand techni8ues $many contend that open& hand techni8ues were modified'. (he most obvious dangerous techni8ues many believe were either eliminated or hidden. (2) (his was the time of growing militarism in Aapan and the physical benefits of karate came to the attention of authorities on Okinawa. An alert military doctor noticed the physical condition of Okinawan conscript which was

attributed to the practice of (e $an old term for karate'. @arate was then included in the physical education curriculum of Okinawa in /;=4. $Draeger /;74 p.3;' (his was of course prior to the introduction of karate into Aapan in /;00. Aust as @ano developed judo so that the dangerous techni8ues were removed allowing Audo to be taught in the school system of Aapan it appears that Bunakoshi when in Aapan also taught karate in such a way as to be appropriate for the school system. Bunakoshi states IHoping to see karate included in the universal physical education taught in our public schools $in Aapan' I set about revising the kata so as to make them as simple as possible.I$ibid. p.4E' Bunakoshi even states that karate as taught in Aapan is Inot the same karate that was practiced even as recently as ten years ago and it is a long way indeed from the karate that I learned when I was a child in Okinawa.I $ibid p.4E' %hile kata was still the mainstay of the art many historians suggest that the self&defense and fighting applications of kata $which included vital point striking' were no longer emphasi"ed by Bunakoshi and other teachers in Aapan. It must be assumed that Bunakoshi did not teach a deep understanding of kata to beginning students. It

was not uncommon at that time to teach only a small number the real secrets of a system. (o illustrate this point Aiu&Autsu $jujutsu' regarded the strikes to vital points of the body as secret techni8ues and did not impart this knowledge to novices. @. -amanaka in his /;/6 book IAiu&AutsuI notes that the master of a system would only teach the full system to the individual who would be the Iinheritor of his entire method.I $-amanaka p.0=6' If you understand that karate kata was designed as a method for remembering various self& defense and fighting techni8ues it is easy to understand the statement of Bunakoshi $@arate&DoC ,y %ay Of .ife' that Iif you merely move your hands and feet and jump up and down like a puppet learning karate is not very different from learning to dance. -ou will never have reached the heart of the matter you will have failed to grasp the 8uintessence of @arate&do.I $p./=1' ( u n a k o s h i h e l d f

a s t t o t h e p r i n c i p l e t h a t t h e t r u e s e c r e t s o f k a r a t e w e r e

t o # e f o u n d i n t h e v a r i o u s k a t a , ( Bunakoshi held fast to the principle that the true secrets of karate were to be found in the various kata. Bunakoshi states I.ooking over the thirty& odd kata he Ka studentL should be able to see that they are essentially variations on just a handful. If you truly understand a single techni8ue you need only observe the forms and be told the essential points of the others.I $Bunakoshi /;66 p.11' Grasping the essence of karate&do is an elusive goal reached by few. It takes a

mentor who truly understands kata to point you in the proper direction. (he Imartial arts masters of old would confer a diploma and reveal key elements only to those disciples whose training almost unbearably hard and austere had led them to e9perience directly the spirit of budo.I$Bunakoshi /;66 p.11' ( , , , k a r a t e / d o , , , k a t a c o n t a i n n o t o n l y v

i a # l e s e l f / d e f e n s e a n d f i g h t i n g t e c h n i u e s # u t a l s o d e + o n

s t r a t e t h e p r o p e r e * e c u t i o n o f v i t a l p o i n t s t r i k e s a n d + a

n i p u l a t i o n s , ( Brom the perspective of modern day martial arts two of the key elements to grasping the essence of karate&do are that kata contain not only viable self&defense and fighting techni8ues but also demonstrate the proper e9ecution of vital point strikes and manipulations. #onsider for a moment if you could teach individuals lightly to strike various parts of the body and knock out your opponent &&would you want every high school student in your city to have that knowledgeG Of course not< (his type of techni8ue would be withheld from all but a very few of the best students of an instructor. Or if you were an instructor with the knowledge of deadly techni8ues would you teach the real secrets to those who had recently con8uered your nationG I think not. Okinawa was a con8uered nation under Aapanese rule. How likely is it that Bunakoshi ever revealed the true secrets of karate&do $applications and vital points' to his senior Aapanese studentsG

In the words of one of BunakoshiHs early students Shigero ?gami in his book I(he %ay of @arateC Feyond (echni8ue $?nglish translation /;7E' speaking of the I-oiI or ready posture he states II know that there are changes in function among the various kata but I must confess that I do not know the reason nor why they change according to the kata.I$p. /=7' If such a senior student of Bunakoshi does not fully understand kata how likely is it that American servicemen after %%II who studied karate in Aapan and on Okinawa would be taught the real meaning of karateG @oyama and ,inami in their /;/4 book IAiu AitsuC (he ?ffective Aapanese ,ode of Self&DefenseI state I(here are some jiu jitsu maneuvers that have never been e9plained to ?uropeans or Americans & and probably they never will be.I I(hese death blows are remarkable. Some are delivered on the spine others on the neck and head and two on the face. (here are almost numberless maneuvers that temporarily paraly"e nerves and nerve centers and others that stop the circulation of the blood in various parts of the body.I$ p.3&E' (his same conviction is held by !.A. Mairamuttu in his /;31 book IScientific +narmed #ombatC (he Art Of Dynamic Self& defenseC (he Ancient Asian :sycho& :hysical StudyI $ p.0/'. He echoed @oyama and

,inami when he statedC I%hether the real secrets of advanced jujitsu which are so greatly treasured by the Aapanese and imparted under vow of strict secrecy to pupils of un8uestionable moral character have ever been divulged to Occidentals is very much open to doubt.I (he Hreal secretsH to which Mairamuttu referred were the methods of attacking the vital points of the body and the resuscitation after the administration of such blows. :rior to %%II there were several publications which discussed vital points and how they could be used to knock out or kill a person. Several of these books give 8uite accurate information if you know what to look for< (o give several e9amples D. ,itchell in his /;4E' book ISkilled DefenseI demonstrates at least three workable knockouts $p.l43&/14'. H.H. Hunter in his /;46 book ISuper Au&AitsuC Mol./ I also lists and describes vital points on the human body and describes a knockout $p. l 6&01'. He additionally describes various IkatusI or ways of bring back a person to consciousness $vol 0 p. 7&;'. In general these te9ts are 8uite vague concerning e9actly how to go about knocking out an opponent. If the reader was already familiar with vital point theory and techni8ues these knock outs would be self&evident. (here were not any te9ts reviewed which tied in kata and vital

point practice e9cept @oi"umi $I,y study of AudoC (he :rinciples and the (echnical Bundamentals I /;E='. ?ach knock out was described as an individual techni8ue and not connected to kata. %e the martial arts community have allowed this knowledge virtually to slip away. (o give a specific e9ample H. Irving Handcock and @atsukuma Higashi in their /;=3 book I(he #omplete @ano Aiu& Aitsu $Aitso' I pointed out a number of @yusho $vital' points and detailed methods of katsu $resuscitation'. (his book was republished in /;E/ by Dover :ublications. At the beginning of the book the following notation was printedC I(his Dover edition first published in /;E/ is an unaltered republication of the work originally published by G.:. :utnamHs SonHs in /;O3 e9cept that the last two sections $0E pages' on serious and fatal blows and kuatus or the restoration of life have been omitted because their use to the public is doubtful and they do not affect the over&all value of the book.I %hile the publisher may have felt the overall value of the book would not be affected the deletion of these two sections is a significant shortcoming. (hus in summary there are major flaws in these early works as well as contemporary works dealing with vital pointsC

/. (hey lack the direction and angle to strike and the results of the strike. 0. (hey lack the way in which these points are set up to allow you to knock out the person 4. ,ost importantly they fail to show how these techni8ues are found in various traditional kata. (hese important aspects of the martial arts have been neglected for much too long of a time. It is critical that at this juncture we rediscover the true meaning of karate&do.
ootnotes: (1) %hile his early books did contain charts of the human body illustrating various vital points many important points were missing and information on the angle of attack and anatomical weapon used were missing. An interesting side note is that Bunakoshi did include a portion of the once secret Okinawan Fubishi te9t in his early books but it was not translated from the original written #hinese $which while using characters that were also used in Aapan represented a

distinct written record with older characters and without separate written modifiers used in Aapanese'. In the ?nglish versions of BunakoshiHs early books the translator noted that he was not able to translate this section. (he Fubishi section did however discuss important timing information related to vital point striking something Bunakoshi must have thought important to preserve or it would not have been included. (2) (here is much controversy over these kata. Some e9perts consider them I#hildrenHs ?9ercisesI with little combat or self&defense effectiveness. Others contend that they were condensed from similar versions of techni8ues drawn from @usanku $@anku' and other important kata and while they look basic they actually contain what Itosu considered important elements taken from the other kata. A third school of thought contends that the :inans were originally called I#hannon I the source of which is again a subject of much contention. Bi#liography: Draeger D. B. (he ,artial Arts and %ays of AapanC Molume / #lassical Fujutsu %eatherhillC5ew -ork $/;64'. Drae ger D. B. (he ,artial Arts and %ays of AapanC Molume 0 #lassical Fujutsu %eatherhillC5ew -ork $/;73'. ?gami S. (he %ay of @arateC Feyond techni8ue @odansha International (okyo $/;7E'. Bunakoshi G. @arate&DoC ,y way of life @odansha International (okyo /;73. Hancock H. Irving N Higashi @atsukuma (he #omplete @ano Aiu&Aitsu $Aitso' Dover :ublications Inc. 5ew -ork /;E/. Hashimoto ,asae A(S+@+5AI O@-+ 5-+,O5 $An Introduction to Acupuncture and ,o9ibusiton without #autery (okyo /;E1.

Hunter H.H. Super Au&AitsuC Mol. /N 0 (imes Aob :rintC Ontario /;46. @oi"umi G. ,y study of AudoC (he :rinciples and the (echnical Bundamentals #ornerstone .ibraryC 5ew -ork /;E7. @oyama @. N ,inami A. Aiu AitsuC (he ?ffective Aapanese ,ode of Self&Defense American Sports :ublishingC 5ew -ork /;/4 ,itchell D. Skilled DefenceC (he Dewey ,itchell System of Skilled Defence #leveland /;4E. Mairamuttu !.A. Scientific +narmed #ombatC (he art of dynamic self& defence the ancient Asian pyscho&physical study %. BoulshamC .ondon /;31. -amanaka @. Aiu&Autsu. :enton :ressC #leveland /;/6.