PRESSURE / KYUSHO / DIMMAK /VARMAM POINTS

  
   
 

Kyusho jitsu is the art of attacking pressure points / nerves in the human body,

What is a nerve ?  Where are they located?  How do we use them in combat?

What is a nerve ?

The billions of cells whose job it is to keep your body informed of conditions outside and inside it are called nerve cells, or neurons. Neurons transmit messages throughout the body by passing signals, or impulses, from one to the other.

Sensory neurons are nerve cells which carry impulses from the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin to the brain and spinal chord. They allow us to see and hear, smell and taste, and tell us whether we are hot or cold, and let us feel pleasure or pain.

Motor neurons are nerve cells which carry these impulses from the brain to the muscles in the body, telling them to sit, stand, run, or talk.

Still other neurons work automatically, without signals from the brain. These neurons keep your heart beating, your blood flowing, your lungs breathing, and your stomach digesting food — all automatically, with no command from your brain.

Some impulses travel through your body at a speed of more than 300 feet per second, while others go as slowly as 1.5 feet per second!

Where are they located?

  
     
 

Real body with flesh cut away to reveal nerves , Veins and arteries.
   

Here we can see the nerves in yellow going up the leg and running along side the bone and or muscle, I would explain this as electrical wiring or trunking hidden just behind the bones or muscle running along side them through out the body. They are not generally on the surface as this would give them abnormal stimulation. This is why its so important to know the angle and direction when you are striking the nerves or pressure points in order for it to be effective in combat.
   

Here we can see the nerves running from behind the ear along the jaw (this nerve you can also get to underneath the jaw along the bone)  and then you see the ends coming out at the mental nerve. At TW-17 there are alot of nerve roots branching out from here so it is a very dangerous place to strike someone for good effect I would strike it from back to front with the middle knuckle .
   
 
 

How do we use them in combat?

How we use the nerves to our advantage  when in combat is we can partially immobilize or numb an opponent long enough just a split second to gain the upper hand, it is not always necessary or even always possible to knock the person out. This is due to say your skill level, experience, stress , fear , adrenaline also if the person does not feel or is able to mask the pain / sensations that is associated with the nerves being activated.

My way of thinking is to learn 20 good nerve locations that you can use without thinking it must be in your muscle memory that you can do subliminal, eg like driving. and you can produce the hit or strike with out thinking.

How do you get it in muscle memory ? Repetition  repetition repetition and more repetition its the only way.

Do not just rely on knowing where the points  are, please pressure test your skills, its a little bit different training with a willing partner than having  a 300 pound 6ft 8 hairy man running at you with a machete in both hands.

A way I have found and tested is you strike your opponent with different energies eg  If I strike GB-31 from back to front and in and up with a shin kick, in a split second or even sooner  I punch CO-17 with a  in and down motion then with the other hand I punch with a hook at TW-17 from back to front, you have a very dangerous / lethal combination. Out of responsibility I am not going to say anymore than that any one who studies pressure points will know what this combination will do.

Another aspect is how you put the energy into the opponent for example if you strike your opponent at Lung-6 in and towards you the opponent will jump towards you and the energy will go out along his arm towards his hand. If you reverse that by hitting the same point away from you and towards your opponent the energy will crumple him and buckle his legs.

All these points represents vital spots in the body. Every country has its own brand name for pressure points. In India we call this us pressure points as varmam points, we call this art as varmakalai, varmaadi, marmakalai, marmaadi. In other regions they called this art as dimmark or kyushojitsu and etc…