Anyone who has studied traditional martial arts for awhile has been to a seminar where the master, shaman-like, lightly hits a couple of points on the uki’s body and he goes out, caught by the faithful followers before he hits the ground.  No explanation usually is offered other than the implied idea that knowledge to the secrets of the Chinese-based martial arts gave one inexplicable power.

Knowledge into the science of traditional martial arts actually does give one a certain measure of power, but it can all be explained by anatomy and physiology…and there is no magical secret to it.  An attacker always believes he has the advantage: bigger, stronger, meaner, likes to fight, likes to hurt, is excited by pain, has accomplices or a weapon, is a little crazy or on drugs.  Pain likely will not cause submission and just might fuel the rage.  The defensive response needs to affect a subconscious reflex causing a systemic shutdown over which the aggressor has not control.

The easiest and fastest way to accomplish this is to affect a parasympathetic heart response – a specific, directed attack to the heart which causes immediate unconsciousness.  Stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system causes the heart to slow down with less forceful contractions, the large arteries coming out of the heart to expand, which leads to a precipitous drop in blood pressure.  The brain now cannot get enough blood so the small arteries in the brain constrict, thus decreasing blood flow to the brain further.  The result:  unconsciousness, called a vasovagal faint or syncope, the knockout of the seminars.  This is not the same as the knockout a football player experiences on the field.  That is caused by the brain being severely slammed against the cranium.  This knockout is a state of temporary unconsciousness, a faint.

Points that give access to the nerves on the head and neck are able to stimulate a parasympathetic nervous system response and cause a vasovagal faint.  There are two types of trauma to the body, blunt force trauma and penetrating trauma.  In the traditional martial arts we have two types of strikes: blunt force trauma strikes in the traditional karate long punch; and energy penetrating strikes in the close-in fajing strike.  These two strikes have different sources for their energy, although there is overlap.  The fajing energy strike is especially suited to rapidly hit the vital points on the head and neck, and to send concentrated energy into the small area of the vital point.

The physics of these two kinds of strikes, as well as a complete discussion on attacking for a vasovagal knockout is discussed in the video and accompanied book, Parasympathetic Attacks to the Heart, offered by the Dragon Society International.  This PATH approach is the quickest, safest and most effective means to neutralize an aggressive attack.

In the world of traditional martial arts the word dim-mak is bounced around freely as an enigmatic and dark technique that has the magical ability to be lethal days after subtly administering it. Various points on the body are discussed as death points, touched or lightly struck, causing devastating and protracted effects.

Much of what is called dim-mak is actually kyusho jitsu, the art and science of attacking vital points on the human body. Dim-mak (dian xue in Mandarin) incorporates this but goes much beyond utilizing all of the concepts of the Chinese experience, like Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), yin-yang, Five Elements/Phases and qigong. Dim-mak has a premeditated intent to seriously destroy a person’s life or quality of life. It is almost an evil intent for the practitioner systematically, with knowledge of the outcome, uses attack methods in sequence to affect a systemic, often slow shutdown of part or all of the opponent’s being, including their spirit and zest for life.

Understanding human anatomy and physiology gives us insights into what exactly can cause a delayed, serious effect. This is especially true by knowledge of the nervous system and the heart and circulatory system. The body is a complex and beautifully sophisticated entity with all aspects of it having multiple functions. All parts and systems of the body are intimately integrated into a whole. For the body to function as an integrated whole there must be organization and this necessitates communication. There are two communication devices, nerve impulses and chemicals. Chemicals, hormones, from the endocrine system travel through the blood and electrical nerve impulses travel by means of the nervous system.

In addition to hormones the blood carries nutrient enriched blood to all organs and parts of the body, and the circulatory system carries the waste products away. Disrupting this flow has dire consequences on the organs of the body. A decrease of blood flow to any organ can lead to damage to the organ or total organ failure. A traumatic hit directly over an organ can cause this easily. Also, stimulating certain nerves connected to an organ by convergence in a sympathetic nervous system attack can cause a somatovisceral reflex response, which results in a decrease in blood flow to the organ.

In the video and book on Parasympathetic Attacks to the Heart offered by the Dragon Society International there is discussion on the how to attack the nervous system for a sympathetic response and various ways to negatively affect the heart and circulatory system. This information relates to the Chinese concept of “Dim Hsueh”, attacking the blood gates. Also, in the video is a demonstration of a true dim-mak attack to the lymphatic system as a sample of what dim-mak actually means.

Recently at a Dragon Society International Seminar, Certified Instructor David Hansford released his thorough and detailed martial science research of the Parasympathetic Nervous System and how it affects the heart and other organs of the body.

We were all blown away with this ‘cutting edge’ information to say the least.

Grandmaster Tom Muncy said…

“This is GREAT!.  This is some REALLY good stuff every martial artist needs to learn.”

But before we go into what is in the book and DVD set, let’s first go over what exactly is the Parasympathetic Nervous System and why martial artists need to learn about it.

It is one of the three main divisions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is responsible for regulation of internal organs and glands, which occurs unconsciously. To be specific, the parasympathetic system is responsible for stimulation of “rest-and-digest” or “feed and breed” activities that occur when the body is at rest.

Its action is complementary to the other main branches of the ANS, the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for stimulating activities associated with the fight-or-flight response.

You got that so far? Okay, hang in there. You’re doing great.

Sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the nervous system (nerves in the body) typically function in opposition to each other. This natural opposition is better understood as complementary in nature rather than resistant.

Here’s an example. Think of the sympathetic as the police, or first responders and the parasympathetic as the court system.

The sympathetic typically functions in actions requiring quick responses. The parasympathetic functions with actions that do not need immediate reaction.

Yeah, yeah.  So what does all this mean for a martial artist, combat expert, and self defense extraordinaire like you?

Let’s put it plainly.  Learning from Hansford’s Book and You will get all the juicy details of EXACT SCIENCE on how to manipulate your attacker’s nervous system to have the ‘upper hand’ with your favorite self defense technique in an altercation.

Period.

So what can you learn from David Hansford and some cameo appearances by Grandmaster Rick Moneymaker in this Book and DVD set?

Here’s my top 7…but there are so many more.

* What is the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic and why you need to know the difference between the two.

* What is Fa Jing and why it is the secret to energy transfer and styles like ‘iron shirt’.

* How the Central Nervous System works and the ways to dismantle your attacker in ways you never thought of before.

* What points ‘speed up’ the function of the organs, which ones ‘slow things down’ so you are not ‘working against yourself’ in your self defense.

* The most vital pressure points to ‘take out’ someone three times your size with ease and accuracy.

* What is ‘blood profusion’ and why every martial artist out there, regardless of your style, needs to know how it affects your striking ability.

* Learn one of the most easiest facial knockouts by Rick Moneymaker that takes a ‘quarter of a second’ to pull off.

The DVD is over 60 minutes of instruction to bring you up to speed on the extensive research David provided to the seminar attendees. It features hands on examples and demonstration and a look at seminar students practicing with a partner.

If you love studying martial arts and self defense science and pressure points, Parasympathetic Attacks to the Heart is one to definitely add to your library.

 

The secrets of the Chinese-based martial arts, including karate, have been revealed gradually as the understanding into Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Chinese cultural experiences, and role these play in their fighting systems, has expanded. Still it all seems so mysterious with colorful names like “Palace of Toil”, “Bubbling Spring”, “Needle in the Sea” and “Brushing the Peacock’s Tail” and with concepts like the “Sichen”, “Five Element/Phases”, “Controlling or Destructive Cycle”, “Qi and the Twelve Meridians” and “Yin-yang”. What’s a Westerner to do with these totally alien names and concepts?

Mostly we memorize them, accepting that they are based on centuries of observation with results that are predictable and reliable. Touch here, hit there in the sequence of the Destructive Cycle and unconsciousness follows. Or strike hard here, in and down, and death within three days. The concept of dim-mak (dian xue in Mandarin), striking techniques causing severe, delayed effects, seems almost impossibly magical. Since these were guarded secrets for centuries, traditional martial arts have an aura of even more mystery.

The light of understanding began to shine as individuals and organizations, like the Dragon Society International, studied, researched and experimented; and then applied western medical knowledge to these Chinese concepts. For example, the most fundamental and important concept in the Chinese philosophy and Chinese-based martial arts is that of yin-yang, the opposite and complementary nature that exists in all things and between all things. In anatomy and physiology the human body has an autonomic nervous system to rapidly respond to emergency situations in order to protect the body and maintain homeostasis. The responses are reflex actions over which a person has no control. The autonomic system is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems with these having opposing and complementary functions: one speeds up the function or activity of an organ, while the other slows it down. Thus the autonomic system unconsciously controls blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, urination, sleep and breathing.

Striking some nerves causes a sympathetic response with an increase in blood pressure, breathing and heart rate and which can cause a heart arrhythmia. Striking other nerves activates the parasympathetic nervous system which results in the heart slowing down, the blood pressure dropping dramatically, and the brain to go into a vasovagal faint. In the extreme scenario the heart can stop.

The book Parasympathetic Attacks to the Heart, offered by the Dragon Society International, summarizes the anatomy and physiology relevant to martial arts implications for the heart and circulatory system. The physics and kinds of strikes most suited for either a sympathetic or a parasympathetic response are discussed as well.