I’ve been practicing martial arts for a little over five years now, and so I’ve run across all those various ideas people get about martial arts masters, usually from cartoons, graphic novels and movies chock full of special effects. You’ve got people who can run through tree tops, flip in the air a dozen times and otherwise dance around the laws of physics, laughing their Buddha bellies off. Is any of that kind of stuff real?
We’ve already seen a video that debunks the idea that a sword could deflect bullets. Now let’s take a look at the whole pressure point/Dim mak system. Dim mak is the official name for the martial arts system that can incapacitate or kill someone by striking acupuncture locations on the body. It is supposed to be one of the more “deadly” styles out there, considering it interrupts one’s flow of chi, and can be used to kill with a single poke of the finger. I’ve read a lot of fantasy stories where you have an assassin character who can do this, or something similar. Heck, even Star Trek had Spock, who could pinch a fellow into oblivion, should they need a handy escape.
I have no doubt that there are various nerves and such that can cause pain and other negative symptoms when struck precisely. What I do have a little trouble with is this whole insta-death concept. The below video is an investigation into some of the more famous pressure point martial artists. Watch it for yourself and see what you think.
I don’t mean to ridicule, but these people falling over almost make it look like a healing session from one of those televangelists. So…is the martial artist channeling the Holy Spirit, or are televangelists people with really specialized control over their chi?
The obvious appeal of this type of fighting style is being able to dispatch an opponent with a touch. It has a spooky, mystical draw that works perfectly for mysterious, death-dealing characters in stories. However this mystical side gets shattered for me when the guy starts coming up with explanations for why it doesn’t work when he’s getting tested in a more scientific manner. Curling your toes? Really? And, hey, I’ve got half moons on my fingernails right now. Hmm…time to start chasing people down on the sidewalk to test this out.
I see that smile.
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