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Karatai - Tao
Dim Mack (artery strike), Atemi (striking the body), kyusho (pressure points) and acupressure point basics
Tai Chi/Chi gong (infinite ultimate) Karate (empty hand) and other martial arts employ techniques that manipulate energy by applying controlled energy striking techniques that use natural forces known as chi (Chinese), ki (Japanese) or prana (Indian), point striking is known as yin in nature and healing energy such as acupuncture, acupressure-shiatsu (finger pressure) massage is yang in nature; the yin being of direct forceful striking to cause pain leading to illness and in some cases death and the yang to holistically help the body to heal. To truly understand the correct way of how to harness and apply healing and destructive force striking or healing pressure on natural energy points, and their effects one must first have a good working intelligence of how natural energy flows through the body, otherwise the Dim Mack Atemi kyusho life & death point striking knowledge that are learned will be limited through a simple lack of understanding. To redress this ignorance fourseas will help with understanding yin and yang theory along with 10 acu-energy striking points for healing and hurting, a general over view of why and how these energy centres work, why Tai chi/Chi gong is respected as one of the deadliest martial arts in China, possible reasons why Gichin Funakoshi (Gichin Funakoshi & point striking) changed karate kata - leaving out point striking information.
10 acu-points to heal or harm indications: to understand the reasons of the how and why - apply acupressure or point striking techniques using indications one must understand that the Chinese studied over thousands of years to learn the effects of each point and what therapeutic healing or hurting properties each point may be able to help or hurt with depending on which application is used.
For acupressure using indications: If 2 or more indications/symptoms are present and pain, numbness or anything feels unusual along the meridian/channel - then try a course of therapeutic acupressure using the acu-point associated with the indications presented. Therapy results usually take time to take effect.
For acu-point striking using indications: study the indications - when point striking the indications/symptoms that are associated with that point could either be immediate (ex. striking Li 13 could produce immidiate pain in the arm and motor impairment, but over time using a correct striking technique the recipient of the strike could develop shortness of breath and be susceptible to fevers and chills etc.
Acupressure or point striking:
Therefore indications are used to decide what outcome can be produced by acu-therapy or point striking. To improve and understand point striking knowledge martial artists are advised to learn and apply acu-therapy simply because the more people that the martial artist treats with acu-therapy the more he or she will develop intelligence of different sized people and how to locate an energy point with accuracy, and learn/recognize the different types of unique energy signatures of each person (weak, strong, hot, cold, deep, superficial, yin, yang.) to help decide and develop combat or healing strategies.
Click to learn acupressure basics and study more acu-points
Acu-point enrgy centre |
Anatomical location |
Heal or hurt indications |
Lu 3 (Lung 3) |
 Tian fu - Heavenly palace |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: Clears harmful influences and helps chi to spread through the lungs to cool heat & help to stop coughing and heal the trachea, bronchitis, asthma, sweating, amnesia, heat and fullness in the chest, vertigo, stop nose bleeds. |
Lu 4 (Lung 4) |
 Xia bai - Clasping the white |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: Promoting the free flow of chi whilst opening the chest to help resolve lung infections and illness such as asthma, bronchitis, cough with dypnea, shortness of breath and thoratic pain. |
| Li 13 (Large intestine 14) Located on the centre outer-side (lateral) part of the arm in the bicep muscle 3 Cun above the crease that appears in the front of the arm when it is bent at the elbow (cubital crease). Nerve that is affected: Lateral inferior cutaneous, posterior cutaneous of the forearm. |
 Shou wu li - Arm five miles |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: |
Li 14 (Large intestine 14) |
 Bi nao - Upper arm |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: Opens the channel to help relieve lymph swelling in the arm-pit and throat, clearing eyesight, paralysis of the arm, pain and impaired motor function in the shoulder and contracture of the neck. |
| H 2 (Heart 2) Located on the inner-side (mediall) part of the arm in the bicep muscle groove 3 Cun above the crease that appears in the arm when it is bent at the elbow (cubital crease). Nerve that is affected: Medial cutaneous forearm, median ulnar. |
 Qing ling - Green spirit |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: Opening the channel by relaxing the tendons and promoting pain relief whilst helping with disorders of the head, shoulder, arm, rib pain, difficult shoulder movement, yellow sclera & headaches. |
| P 2 (P ericardium 2) Located on the front, (anterior) inner-side (medial) part of the arm in the biceps muscle 2 Cun below the axiliaris fold (arm-pit) between the the 2 heads of the muscle brachia biceps. Nerve that is affected: Medial cutaneous forearm, median nerve of the trunk. |
 Qu ze - Marsh at the crook |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: Decending & regulating reversed chi whilst harmonizing the stomach to help releve angina, heart disease, vomiting, nausea, irritability, bronchitis, myocarditis & sun stroke, pain in the inner arm, hiccups. |
| Th 10 (Triple heater 10) Location is 1 cun directly above a flexed elbow in the depression that is formed on the lateral side at the back (posterior) aspect of the arm. Nerve that is affected: Posterior brachial cutaneous & muscular branches of the radial. |
 Tian jing - Heavenly well |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: Resolving phlegm, activating chi which helps eliminate shoulder, upper arm & elbow pain, epilepsy & lymphatic problems in the neck/axilla regions. |
Th 11 (Triple heater 11) |
 Qing leng yuan Clear cloud abyss |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: Activates the channel to bring some paine relief to the arm and shoulder, helps to relive shivering. |
| Th 12 (Triple heater 12) Location is on the lateral side at the back (posterior) aspect of the arm mid-point between Th 11 & Th 13. Nerve that is affected: Posterior brachial cutaneous & muscular branches of the radial. |
 Xiao luo - Dispersing luo river |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: Unblocks the channel to bring pain relief and help with diseases of the head & arm, epilepsy, stiffness in the nape of the neck, painfull joints & toothache. |
| Th 13 (Triple heater 13) Location is on the lateral side at the back (posterior) aspect of the arm 3 cun below the depression that is formed on the outer-shoulder when the shoulder is lifted. Nerve that is affected: Posterior brachial cutaneous & radial. |
 Nao hui - Upper arm meeting |
Acupressure healing and hurting indications: Resolving phlegm, activating chi which helps eliminate shoulder, upper arm & elbow pain, goiter, epilepsy & lymphatic problems in the neck/axilla regions. |
Click to learn acupressure basics and study more acu-points
Author's note: on this site point striking techniques or the way (Tao) of point striking are not fully explored as this needs to be physically shown and fully studied to really grasp what point striking is about. To fully grasp point striking the practitioner needs to understand the chi energy cycles of support and destruction, Yin & Yang, meridian flow/direction, how to use focused chi (ki) energy and how to group/strike multiple points in succession with various hitting/striking techniques (wasa). Some of the hitting moves are explained in the karate basics section; to only use these techniques without full instruction and training would normally only produce an end result of a painful bruise with no indicational long term side effects (sometimes though there are indicational side effects, but the person that is suffering from them will not be able to connect their illness with being struck on a acu-point because of lack of knowledge). However some commonly known points when struck will stun or cause knockout even without much training, these Dim Mack - Kysho points are commonly well know in all martial arts circles (which includes boxing and wrestling or any pugilistic sport) and are usually illegal to the sport. It is possible to build up a strong chi energy in the body which has nothing to do with how muscular you become but is do do with making the life-force we all posses strong, and being able to direct that life force to parts of the body for protection against illness and point striking. Meditation is one of the most important and powerful ways to strengthen chi and prana life force energy whether it is through the practice of still meditation or moving meditation (tai chi & chi gong). Karate kata is also a form of meditation if the practitioner can relax - focus and lose themselves within the techniques - although kata is a very short type of meditation (sometimes less than a minute and usually no more that 2) it can still relax if practiced correctly and with heart (although not as powerful as tai chi & chi gong for promoting a healthy mind body and spirit).
Cun a natural measurement: Get the Measure your patient or your opponant
To find an acu-point natural anatomical measurements are used. This means that to locate an acu-point the location of the point is found by using anatomical measurements and anatomical land marks - which makes each acu-point for each person unique to them. For example to locate acu-point Lung 3 (Lu 3) with the arm relaxed against the body the arm-pit crease is used, by laying the hand on the upper arm, with the outside edge of the index finger level with the curve of the arm and body (torso). If the arm is raised the arm-pit is exposed (the fold of skin between the torso and the arm is known as the auxiliary fold). Measure down the outer-edge of the biceps muscle 3 Cun (4 fingers) from the axillary fold to find Lu 3 point. Using this method means one must take into account how big or small a person is to find either the healing or striking point to apply good, accurate techniques.
One Cun |
One Cun |
One and a half Cun |
3 Cun |
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Gichin Funakoshi writes about point striking in Karate-Do my way of life
More and more, in recent years, I have heard people say "karate sannen-goroshi" or "karate gonen-goroshi," meaning that a man who has been struck by a karate blow will inevitably die either three years or five years after the blow. This sounds quite savage and is of course wholly deplorable, but inasmuch as there is some truth in it, I should like to go into the matter here briefly.
To be sure, it is altogether inaccurate to say that if you strike an opponent in a certain way, he is inevitably doomed to death within three to five years. But it is true that a man so struck, although he may not die at the moment he is hit, may after some years actually die as a result of the blow. Certain karate blows, then, may tend to shorten life of the victim: therein lies the modicum of the truth that has given rise to these pronouncements.
How does this come about? No doubt all my readers have seen photographs of karateka breaking boards or tile with a blow of their bare hands. Generally the first board or tile remains undamaged while those beneath are the ones that get broken; the board that actually receives the blow shows no sign of having been struck.
The same may be true of a blow to the human body: nothing appears on the surface of the body, but the interior may be seriously damaged. We have all heard of instances in which a man has been struck by something but, feeling little or no pain, dismisses the matter. Then, as time passes-perhaps years-the pain begins, and may increase. But striking such blows, like breaking boards and tiles, is far from the true essence of karate-do.
Let us say that a person skilled in karate can usually break five boards with a single blow. Now if the average man who know absolutely nothing of karate undergoes sufficient training he will probably be able to break three or four boards. But we certainly may not say that he has therefore come to understand the true meaning of karate. Should he attempt to utilize the ability he has thus acquired by initiating attacks on others, he would in all probability lose the fight; he has succeeded in strengthening his hands but has failed to understand the true nature of karate. (fourseas author note; bare in mind that point striking techniques originated from the Chinese martial arts)
Yin & Yang
From the Huangti ti ching sun wen (yellow emperors guide to internal medicine)
Ilza Veith Translation
Energy changes
“The principle of Yin and Yang is the basis of the entire universe. It is the principle of everything in creation. It brings about the transformation to parenthood; it is the root and source of life and death
“Heaven was created by and accumulation of Yang; the Earth was created by an accumulation of Yin.
“The ways of Yin and Yang are to the left and to the right. Water and fire are the symbols of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are the source of power and the beginning of everything in creation.
“Yang ascends to heaven; Yin descends to Earth. Hence the universe (Heaven and Earth) represents motion and rest, controlled by the wisdom of nature. Nature grants the power to beget and grow, to harvest and to store, to finish and to begin anew.”
The constant interaction of the two basic elements is described in the following paragraph:
“Everything in creation is covered by heaven and supported by the Earth. When nothing has as yet come forth the Earth is called: ‘the place where Yin dwells’; it is also known as the Yin within Yin. Yang supplies that which is upright while yin acts as the ruler of yang.”
Yang stands for the sun, heaven, day, fire, heat dryness, light and many other related subjects; Yang tends to expand, to flow upwards and outwards. Yin stands for moon, earth, water, night cold, dampness and darkness; Yin tends to contract and flow downwards. As heaven, Yang sends fertility in the form of the sun (and rain) upon the earth; hence heaven’s relation to earth is like that of man and wife-the man being Yang and the wife (woman) being Yin.
Yang represents the positive and Yin represents the negative. It must be always be borne in mind that that Yin and Yang were conceive as one entity and that both together were ever-present. Day changed into night, light into darkness, spring and summer into fall (autumn) and winter. From these, the most striking and regular manifestations, it was deduced that all happenings in nature as well as in human life were conditioned by constantly changing relationship of these two cosmic regulators. But the general application of this ever-present duality also led to the realization that neither of the components ever existed in an absolute state and the concept arose that within Yang there was contained Yin and within Yin was contained Yang.
These yin-yang observations written so long ago show how obvious the way energy is in movement within the world, solar system and nature (including humans). Each facet of each individual depending on each-other-individual to naturally, energetically interact for the whole of creation to survive and work as we know it.
Tao (way)
The Tao that can be expressed by name is not the eternal Tao;
The name that can be defined is not the unchanging name.
From non-existence comes heaven and earth:
Existence is the mother of all things.
From the eternal non-existance therefore comes the existence
of the universe and the 10 thousand things. Lao tzu
Chi and the 5 elements
The early Chinese scholars which studied the creation concluded that the source of all things was an unnamable emptiness which they named Tao for convenience.
From the emptiness the one formed and this was known as existence.
From existence the two or yin and yang was produced, two opposites that complimented, destroyed and created each other.
The movement of yin and yang produced the three, a friction known as chi energy.
Chi energy created by yin and yang produce and lives within all things in creation.
All things in creation are a product of one or all of the 5 elements, chi energy brought the 5 elements into existence and chi gives each element life.
The 5 elements are: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. Each element has its own particular chi energy which can manifest itself in the ten thousand things (all things in creation became known to the Chinese as the ten thousand things).
The sea or rain for example belong to the water element, gold and copper to the metal element and trees mainly to the wood element.
Human beings are a blend of all the 5 elements that was created by chi which in turn was produced by the movement of yin and yang. All thing in nature follow this path and are made up of a unique blend of yin and yang, chi and the 5 elements to develop their own true chi signature.
Chi (Ki) energy:
Chi forms and is expressed as vital energy and/or life force. Chi is matter, but is not matter. Chi is in air, but is not oxygen. Chi is a subtle form of energy that is carried in air, water, food and sunlight, chi animates all forms of matter. Through the practice of tai chi and chi gong more chi is taken in and stored in the body to bring great strength and vitality to promote a healthy long life.
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