Chuntian Academy International

Fight Medicine

Dim Mak/Pressure Points

Fight Injuries

Dim mak (death touch)

is an ancient martial art that consists of striking certain points on the body to cause illness or death. The points are usually called dim mak points, but they are also referred to as vital points and pressure points. The majority of these points correspond to the same locations as acupuncture points. Dim mak is an extremely dangerous martial art, which can cause a great deal of damage to the human body. The effects of attacking the dim mak points include knockout, death, and a delayed death. Many have seen videotapes and seminars where a subject looses consciousness after being struck on certain points. Although this is a very dramatic demonstration method, it could have dangerous consequences.

Many believe that dim mak was created centuries ago by the same man who is believed to have developed the original tai chi form. Some have postulated that this form contained the founder's methods of attacking the most dangerous dim mak points. According to legend, this knowledge spread rapidly and influenced the development of many Chinese martial arts. These martial arts then influenced the ancient Okinawan martial art called karate. It is believed by many that the traditional katas of the Okinawan martial arts also contain the secrets of striking the dim mak points. This is interesting because Okinawan karate has had a major impact on the martial arts of Korea and Japan. Thus, it is conceivable that the traditional katas of these other martial arts could also contain the secrets of dim mak.

In the past, this knowledge was only taught to the most advanced and trusted students. As the martial arts spread around the world, the knowledge of dim mak (pressure point fighting) remained in seclusion. Thus, the true nature of many martial arts remained shrouded in secrecy. Recently this tradition of secrecy has been broken and there are martial arts masters who teach the methods of attacking the points to the public. This information is now available at seminars, in books, and on videotapes. Although this has had a positive effect on the martial arts, it does raise the issue of safety.

In most instances, dim mak is explained and taught using ancient theories based on acupuncture. Although this has been the tradition for many years, it has led to a great deal of skepticism and confusion. Because of this, many have disregarded the warnings about dim mak and started to experiment with the points. This practice could have tragic consequences. If the dangerous effects of dim mak could be explained scientifically, the warnings about the points might have more credibility. There is a definite need for a reference on dim mak that is based on modern medical science.

Ancient Dim Mak Theories

According to the ancient theories of acupuncture, the body has a circulating life force (chi or ki) that travels through invisible channels called meridians. According to this theory, all diseases are the result of disruptions in the flow of one's life force or chi. Acupuncture points are located on the meridians and represent areas where the flow of energy can be altered. There are multiple methods of manipulating the acupuncture points including finger pressure, burning herbs, and inserting needles. The acupuncturist inserts needles into different points depending on the illness or complaint. Dim mak evolved from this theory and different points are attacked to cause different effects. According to the ancient theory behind dim mak, attacking the points disrupts the flow of energy, which results in illness or death.

There is no questioning the effectiveness of dim mak. Anyone who has ever been struck hard on a dim mak point or witnessed a pressure point knockout can attest to dim mak's effectiveness. However, there are many who question the ancient explanation of dim mak's effects. Although the previously mentioned theory has been in existence for centuries, modern medical science can provide a new scientific explanation for dim mak's effects. Almost all of the points are located in areas where the one can attack a vulnerable portion of a nerve. In fact, many of the points can be linked neurologically to the internal organs that they are believed to affect. Consequently, attacking the nervous system can disrupt many of the body's functions resulting in illness or death.

A more western explanation ;

Known in Cantonese as dim mak and in Japanese as kyusho jitsu, the touch of death is said to be something like acupuncture's evil twin. The idea is that chi, or energy, flows through the body along lines called meridians. A blow or squeeze applied to certain pressure points on these lines will supposedly put the whammy on the victim's chi, leading to incapacitation or death, medical journals describe many incidents in which a seemingly mild trauma results in disproportionately serious injury, and the sites of some such traumas correlate with dim mak pressure points.

Cases like these include:

Commotio cordis,

also known as cardiac concussion. This is a syndrome in which a nonpenetrating impact to the chest causes heart failure but little or no structural damage. The classic victim is a kid or young adult who takes a baseball, hockey puck, or other hard object in the chest, but a 44-year-old teacher died when she caught an elbow while breaking up a fight at school. About half the time the victim collapses immediately, and in the balance of cases within a minute or two. Death is thought to result from ventricular fibrillation, a state in which the lower heart chambers start fluttering and stop pumping blood. One study of 128 cases found that 84 percent of the victims died, and nearly all the survivors received prompt defibrillation. Relatively little force is required for the killing blow--one researcher estimates that the blunt instrument need be moving at only 30 mph. Don't think this is something you'll be able to pull on the next ninja who leaps from the shadows, though. Animal experiments suggest that you’d have to strike within a 15-20 millisecond window in the heartbeat cycle to have a reasonably good chance of taking down your attacker.

Trauma to the carotid artery.

Located in the side of the neck, the carotid artery provides blood to the head. Pressure on the carotid sinus, an especially sensitive area where the artery divides into two branches, can damage the blood vessel walls, leading to stroke followed by partial paralysis, other neurological problems, and, once in a while, death. The precipitating event can be surprisingly trivial--a karate chop has been known to do it, but so has the strain of playing the French horn.

Miscellaneous unexplained injuries.

A 13-year-old girl fell in gym class, struck her head on the crossbar of a hurdle, and died. Finding little obvious trauma and stumped for a cause of death, doctors blamed "transmission of a concussive force through the reticular activating system." Michael Kelly, an osteopath and author of Death Touch: The Science Behind the Legend of Dim Mak (2001), claims that the hurdle hit the girl on the "bladder-10" pressure point at the base of the skull, "one of the most lethal dim mak points."