This longer video lesson returns to the subject of pressure points in your art. The idea is the same one I teach everywhere: pressure points are not a separate style. They are something you apply inside the martial art you already train.

It is for students who already have a base in a style and want a practical way to start using pressure points within it.

Start With What You Already Know

The quickest way to use pressure points is not to learn a long list of new techniques. It is to look at the techniques you already have and ask a few questions. Where does this strike land? What is near that spot? Could a small change of angle or target make it more effective?

Most of the time the answer is yes. A strike to the arm becomes a strike to a point on the arm. A grab becomes a grab that presses a point. A lock becomes easier because a point has already weakened the limb.

A Simple Process

  • Pick one technique from your style
  • Identify the target it naturally reaches
  • Find a pressure point at or near that target
  • Learn the angle and direction that point needs
  • Add a balance change before it, so it lands on someone who cannot brace
  • Practise it slowly, then with speed, then with movement

Do this with a handful of techniques and your whole style starts to change.

Keep The Principles In Front

Points on their own are hit and miss. Points used with principles are reliable. Take the balance first. Strike relaxed. Set the point up. Never bet everything on one strike. These principles are what make pressure points work across every style, from karate to boxing to grappling.

Common Mistakes

Trying to learn too many points at once. Forgetting angle and direction. Testing points on a static, braced partner. And treating points as a replacement for good technique, rather than an addition to it.

Training Safely

Train pressure points with care. Use low power, work with a cooperative partner you trust, and never strike the head or neck hard in practice.

Take It Further

For a step-by-step way to add points to what you train, go to the Pressure Point Fighting Course. If you are just starting out, the FREE Pressure Point Fighting Mini-Course is the place to begin.