Death Touch benefits for Grapplers..........

**GoldenJonas** · Posted On: 3/28/2006 2:39pm

A bit of a rant but here goes........OK, so, generally, Dim-Mak and its progeny is typically only believed by "dim-wits" and TMA spazzes and zealots....right? well, in trying to continue my edification on the "real" or "imaginary" effects of the infamous "death touch" I pick up a book entitled "Death touch: The Science Behind the Legend of Dim-Mak" by Michael Kelly.

While almost every other book on the subject carries the aura of fantasy and flying dragon ball Z chi blasts, the title of this book leads you to believe there is an empirical, scientific, and hopefully physiological proof of the effectiveness, the "realness", of the "death touch".......So I start reading (I haven't finished it yet though).

While the author clouds the subject in medical terminology that, occasionally, takes a refresher course in "Hooked on Phonics" to pronounce, he has yet to provide anything other than hypothetical theories as to how a strike directed at the never roots can affect the body. According to Kelly, a typical dim-mak strike, if there is such a thing as the typical death touch, is aimed to particular points that affect either the somatic or autonomic nerve roots. Somatic attacks supposedly cause paralysis or crippling pain while attacks on the autonomic roots can cause an extreme drop in blood pressure, knockout, or death. Specifically, an attack aimed with pin point precision at the nerve roots located in the persons vertebral space at T2-3 "could" produce a knockout or death due to an extreme drop in blood pressure or crippling pain caused by the force of said strike.

Whatever, prove it with some one other than a brainwashed student who really wants to believe his sifu, shihan, sensei, or teacher can perform a one touch or no touch knockout........

Anyway, I came across the following excerpts concerning the benefit of dim-mak for improving a grappler's game.....enjoy...

"Unconscious reflexes will cause a person to move away from pain and are important in the application of medical science to dim-mak. This is especially true regarding the grappling methods of dim-mak"

Grappling methods of Dim-Mak?

"For example, to move an opponent in a given direction while grappling, all one has to do is cause pain in a nerve opposite that direction by attacking a dim-mak point"

So, if I pinch the uke on the left side he will theoretically move to the right.....or he'll look at me funny and oma-plata me. Besides, how precise does one have to be to properly, theoretically, activate a dim-mak point? Regardless, even assuming that dim-mak point's, mind you he's talking about "dim-mak" points NOT mere pressure points which can cause some discomfort in grappling newbies, the active resistance nature of training would make the pin-point accuracy needed for the dim-mak the theoretically work impossible to achieve.

"When a stimulus causes pain in a limb, the limb will be withdrawn from the stimulus and the opposite limb will extend to facilitate pushing the stimulus away."

What?????

"The martial artist can exploit this same principle while grappling. For example, if one were to attack a dim-mak point on an opponents lower leg or foot, the crossed extensor reflex would cause the same-side arm to straighten. As a result, the joints of the arm and shoulder would be vulnerable to hyperextension or an arm lock"

WTF!!!!!!!! So if I attack a dim-mak pressure point in my opponent's left heel his left arm will reflexively extend and be susceptible to a juji gatame........from who? certainly not me, I'm attacking his heel. Has this guy ever fucking rolled with anyone other than his imaginary ninjers.......

lastly.....just in case you could not correctly attack the T2-3 nerves to cause instantaneous death.......

"[A] martial artist could use reflex paralysis to weaken a joint so that he can dislocate it with a follow-up technique."

and then what....follow that up with a knee break and a jumping face stomp......why don't you just break the limb or joint by following through with the lock or bar...

Still, I may be a bit too hasty to jump on this author's case....he is after all a D.O. - Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine - his research and scientific/medical based dim-mak defense must be infallible because, as he so quickly points out, "[i]n the United States, there is no difference in the licensing of the D.O. and M.D. Both are considered medical doctors; however, the osteopathic physician has a different philosophy of medicine."

As I said above, I have not completely read through this book, so I will save my final criticism until later, BUT, IMO, cloaking the "legend of the dim-mak" in pseudo-science linked through theoretical cause and effect to provide a false base of legitimacy is like.....well..........trying to legitimize the "science" of creationism theory through some pseudo-science called "intelligent design". Both try to provide imaginary truth to a fantasy.

**Feel the Burn** · Posted On: 3/29/2006 6:09pm

The osteopathic "philosophy" is to avoid surgery and pharmaceuticals.

If you ever need a triple bypass, they'll give you a massage to fix it. Or something like that.