Pressure Points and Vital Striking Areas for Maximum Impact

Let’s talk about pressure points and vital striking areas. Can they make a difference in a fight? I am not talking about the mystical no-touch/touch-of-death stuff. Just the actual parts of the human body that hurt via pressure or strikes. There are certain areas of the body where, when a certain amount of pressure is applied, an attacker will let go. There are also certain arteries on the side of the neck that, when “Judo chopped,” cause a person to see stars.

Pressure Points and Vital Striking Areas

I have personally gotten out of headlocks and holds using pressure points. Likewise, I have used pressure points to control individuals when I worked in the security industry. In addition, I have used pressure points in groundwork. They can make a difference.

But can a pressure point end a fight? Sure, depending on where the pressure is applied. If you drive your dirty thumbnail into someone’s eye, they will most likely stop fighting.

Some may say, “That’s not a pressure point. That’s an eye poke.” I personally don’t see the difference. Make no mistake, I don’t see pressure points as a fight-ender. They are just another tool in my toolbox that can be used when needed.

See, there is a lot of truth to many “martial arts things” that a lot of people call “bullshit.” That’s because these things are generally presented in a “bullshit” way.

So, in this article, I will present pressure points and vital striking areas in a very practical and useful way.

What are Pressure Points?

Pressure points are generally defined as nerve attacks. However, I think any soft, sensitive spot is a pressure point.

I once met a George Dillman student and allowed him to show me a knockout touch. His knockout “touch” ended up being a couple of light hits, then a chop to the carotid arteries.

I won’t lie, I saw a little bit of stars. This is expected when you get hit with a knife hand to the side of the neck, but I didn’t drop. And it pissed me off. So, I told the guy that it was my turn, which he wanted no part of.

He then backpedaled and said that he was “just a student” of George Dillman and that he could introduce me, and Mr. Dillman could show me. I declined, as I don’t have time for bullshit myself.

Now, it’s difficult to demonstrate the effectiveness of pressure points in an article. I mean, honestly, it would just be pictures of me pointing at parts of an arm and such.

The only way to learn pressure points is to feel them and then learn how to apply them on a live partner. Like grappling locks, pressure points can find their way into your hands by feel, and without looking.

That being said, let’s dive into the second topic of this article—vital striking areas. Now, this topic can be easily discussed, digested, and demonstrated.

Fight Like a Doctor: Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat

Ok, so I penned a satire article a couple of years back for the PDW sister magazine SKILLSET on the topic of “How To Fight Like A Doctor: Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat.”

As with most of my Fight Club articles, the goal was to be fun bathroom humor. I think we pulled that off. However, there is nothing fun about getting throat punched or catching an open palm strike across the ear.

In fact, I like ear slaps so much that there wasn’t any way I was about to write this piece without including at least one.

Sam prepares to defend himself, and Frank squares off to attack.

Pressure Points and Vital Striking Areas: Frank throws a right, straight punch at Sam. — Frank throws a right, straight punch at Sam.

Sam Blocks Frank’s punch, pushing it down and across Frank’s body, opening his path to counterstrike.

Pressure Points and Vital Striking Areas: Sam delivers an open palm strike to Frank’s ear. — Sam delivers an open palm strike to Frank’s ear.

Escaping a Grab

Vital striking areas can be used to get an attacker off you when things get too close. It is a fact that we live in a grappler’s world. At minimum, some attackers feel like they can just grab you or pull you into a clinch to set up a strike or a takedown.

When caught in a grab, it’s important to keep your hands up. Understand that all your targets will be above the grab—basically, you will be striking the neck and up.

Frank approaches the author, ready to attack.

Pressure Points and Vital Striking Areas: Frank attempts a double-handed grab. — Frank attempts a double-handed grab.

The author reaches across and pins Frank’s hand to his chest to create an opening.

Pressure Points and Vital Striking Areas: The Author delivers a straight palm strike to his attacker’s nose, driving his head back. — The Author delivers a straight palm strike to his attacker’s nose, driving his head back.

Finally, the Author creates space between himself and his attacker with his hands raised, ready to get away or continue the fight if necessary.

Some striking areas are much simpler and more obvious, like a strike to the temple or a kick to the knee. Maybe even a combination of both. Remember, the goal of hitting a vital striking area is to either stun or stop an attacker dead in his/her tracks.

However, never expect the fight to end just because you got a good shot in. In many cases, pressure points or vital striking areas simply set up a follow-up strike. Likewise, they may allow you to gain distance between yourself and your attacker.

Distance is Your Friend

I recently watched a self-defense video in which the instructor said to stay close so you can get a good, cheap shot, and that distance was the enemy. I can’t agree with that mindset at all. When it comes to self-defense, distance is your friend.

You want space to be able to scan everything around you. That’s hard to do when you are inches away and face-to-face with an attacker. Remember, the key words here are self-defense, not controlling a subject to make an arrest.

I don’t spend much time teaching other deadly ways to destroy anyone in a street fight. In my 30-plus-year security career, I have seen hundreds of fights. But I have only seen one person get killed in a fight.

Either way, in any fight, movement is life. That is hard to do when you are close enough to smell what the other person ate for lunch.

Pressure Points and Vital Striking Areas: Frank has his guard up as his attacker approaches to strike. — Frank has his guard up as his attacker approaches to strike.

Frank parries his attacker’s straight punch attempt.

Pressure Points and Vital Striking Areas: Finally, Frank clears Sam’s strike with his right hand and delivers a back fist to the temple. — Finally, Frank clears Sam’s strike with his right hand and delivers a back fist to the temple.

A Simple Knee Kick Can Provide Precious Seconds to Get Away

It is vitally important to be very real with yourself about your fighting abilities. Not everyone is a pro-level ring-fighting knock-out artist, and that is okay. It is also ok to not draw your firearm every time you feel threatened. You don’t always have to be a cowboy.

The simple truth is that a well-placed full-power kick to the knee can stop a fight before it starts. At the least, it allows you time to get away while your attacker is on the ground holding his knee.