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PRESSURE POINTS OF
THE NECK: These pressure points
can be used to cause pain. Many neck
points involve applying pressure to
major arteries and blood vessels as
well as nerve centers. Faintness and
unconsciousness can result from
attacking these points.
1. Location: Behind
the jaw in the depression under the
jaw.
Attack: Strike diagonally back to
front.
Result: A strong blow can cause
unconsciousness or dislocate the jaw.
Grinding with the thumb or knuckle can
cause intense pain.
2. Location: In
depression behind the corner of the
jaw.
Attack: Poke or press in and upward at
a 45 degree angle toward the center of
the head.
Result: Causes pain. Strong blow may
dislocate jaw.
3. Location: Notch at
bottom of jaw.
Attack: Hit on line 45 degrees toward
the center of the head. Can use
knuckle or fingertips to poke and roll
inside the bone.
Result: Causes intense pain. Heel palm
strike at correct angle can knock out
attacker. Puts attacker off balance,
jars head.
PRESSURE POINTS OF
THE ARM: These pressure points can
be used to control an attacker and to
force him to the ground. They can also
be used to control the hand and wrist
to force an attacker to loosen his
grip or to lose control of the fist.
1. Location: Front of
arm, where the pulse is located on the
thumb side of the wrist.
Attack: Press in toward the bone and
up toward the wrist.
Result: Weakens the hand.
2. Location: On the
little finger side of the front of the
hand, approximately 1/2 inch below the
wrist crease.
Attack: Press against the bone and
toward the hand.
Result: Weakens the grip and the
wrist.
3. Location: Inside of
arm just below the inner knob of the
elbow.
Attack: Strike or press.
Result: Causes the elbow to bend and
the arm to go numb.
4. Location: Front of
arm, 2 inches to 3 inches above the
inside of the elbow.
Attack: Strike or grab.
Result: Causes the elbow to bend and
pain to extend down the arm to the
little finger.
5. Location: Back of
arm, Mid-triceps.
Attack: Strike against bone to lock
elbow and release shoulder.
Result: Combine strike with wrist grab
to lock out shoulder and arm in
control move to the ground.
PRESSURE POINTS OF
THE LEG: These points can be used
to immobilize an attacker, to distract
an attacker, or, if required, to
seriously damage the leg or knee.
1. Location: The back
of the thigh just below the buttocks.
Attack: Kick.
Result: Immobilizes the leg.
2. Location: The
middle of the inner thigh, halfway
between the groin and the knee.
Attack: Kick with the toes or press
hard with the knuckle.
Result: Pain can distract attacker.
Hard strike can buckle the leg and
force the opponent to the ground.
3. Location: The
inside of the leg, halfway between the
ankle bone and the lower edge of the
calf muscle.
Attack: Kick from inside the leg with
a rising motion.
Result: Causes the leg to become numb.
4. Location: Back of
the leg just below the knee.
Attack: Stamping kick or toe kick.
Result: Forceful kicks cause extreme
pain and may cause the muscle to
spasm.
5. Location: The top
of the foot where the 4th and 5th toe
bones connect.
Attack: Stomp or, if the attacker is
shoe less, strike with a single
knuckle.
Result: Causes pain, distracts
attacker, may fracture foot bones.
6. Location: Achilles
Tendon at the back of the ankle.
Attack: Kick with edge of foot or
shoe.
Result: Moderate kicks cause pain.
Hard kicks may damage the tendon.
Nerve center pressure
point attacks make very effective
attack points in self defense
situations. Some martial arts (Aikido,
for instance) are built almost
entirely upon the application of
pressure point knowledge. These points
are used to control or to quickly
incapacitate an opponent. Activation
of a pressure point can cause
excruciating pain capable of making
almost any adversary back down. When
the pressure point is released, the
pain subsides. Therefore, compliance
can be gained without inflicting
serious injury. That is one advantage
of pressure point attacks. However,
there are also drawbacks.
Pressure points are
generally only the size of the tip of
a ball-point pen - the area of
activation may be the size of a
quarter (Dillman, 1992). In the
excitement of an attack, pressure
points can be elusive. In addition,
physical variations in size and
musculature often make a specific
pressure point on a specific
individual difficult to locate. You
must be knowledgeable as well as
skillful to carry out a successful
attack. An individual's sensitivity to
pain or his level of intoxication (by
alcohol and/or drugs) can also effect
the efficacy of a pressure point
attack. You may make an accurate,
proper pressure point attack and your
adversary may be unaffected. You need
a back-up plan, just in case, whenever
you rely on such an attack.
Knowledge of pressure
points and pressure point techniques
is a useful addition to one's
self defense arsenal. When
appropriately used, they provide an
effective means of controlling an
adversary without necessarily
inflicting serious injury.
Listed below are a few pressure points
on the human body. |
