Pressure points derive from the supposed meridian points in

Traditional Chinese Medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

, Indian

Ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

and

Siddha medicine Siddha medicine is a form of traditional medicine originating in southern India. It is one of the oldest systems of medicine in India. The Indian Medical Association regards Siddha medicine degrees as "fake" and Siddha therapies as quackery, ...

, and

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

. They refer to areas on the human body that may produce significant

pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...

or other effects when manipulated in a specific manner.

History

The earliest known concept of pressure points can be seen in the

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

Varma kalai Varma Kalai (Tamil: ''varmakkalai'', Malayalam and Sanskrit: ''marma-vidya/marmam'') is an Indian traditional art of pressure points. It combines massage, alternative medicine, traditional yoga and martial arts in which the body's pressure poin ...

based on Siddha. The concept of pressure points is also present in the old school Japanese martial arts; in a 1942 article in the ''Shin Budo magazine'', Takuma Hisa asserted the existence of a tradition attributing the first development of pressure-point attacks to Shinra Saburō Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (1045–1127).It is also called Internal point. Takuma Hisa Sensei, Shin Budo magazine, November 1942. republished as "Yoshimitsu ..dissected corpses brought back from wars in order to explore human anatomy and mastered a decisive counter-technique as well as discovering lethal atemi. Yoshimitsu then mastered a technique for killing with a single blow. Through such great efforts, he mastered the essence of aiki and discovered the secret techniques of Aiki Budo. Therefore, Yoshimitsu is the person who is credited with being the founder of the original school of Daito-ryu." Hancock and Higashi (1905) published a book which pointed out a number of vital points in Japanese martial arts. Accounts of pressure-point fighting appeared in Chinese

Wuxia ( , literally "martial arts and chivalry") is a genre of Chinese literature, Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity ha ...

fiction novels and became known by the name of

Dim Mak The touch of death (or death-point striking) is any martial arts technique reputed to kill using seemingly less than lethal force targeted at specific areas of the body. The concept known as ''dim mak'' (), alternatively () traces its history ...

, or "Death Touch", in western popular culture in the 1960s. While it is undisputed that there are sensitive points on the human body where even comparatively weak pressure may induce significant pain or serious injury, the association of ''kyūsho'' with notions of

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

have been harshly criticized. Felix Mann: "...acupuncture points are no more real than the black spots that a drunkard sees in front of his eyes." (Mann F. Reinventing Acupuncture: A New Concept of Ancient Medicine. Butterworth Heinemann, London, 1996,14.), quoted by Matthew Bauer in
Chinese Medicine Times
'', vol 1 issue 4, Aug. 2006, "The Final Days of Traditional Beliefs? - Part One"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pressure Point Martial arts techniques Martial arts terminology Concepts in alternative medicine

History

See also

References