You’re in public … maybe at an outdoor concert or at the mall. Suddenly, they attack you. You have to defend yourself. If your mind is not frozen with fear, then you may have time for a few brief thoughts as you respond (and react) to the attack.
Punches, punches, kicks, wrist locks, and maybe even pressure points. But would a pressure point work in a flying punch fight?
And that’s a key criterion: would pressure on a nerve work while punching you and you?
Well …
Pressure point synchronization
Will you have time with the flurry of blows to put pressure on someone’s sore spot, near a nerve? Remember, all action happens very fast.
We are not talking about nervous attacks, but about pressure points. Apply pressure to a point, say an inch or two above the elbow, on the triceps, to cause pain.
In between the blows, you won’t have time to slowly find the exact spot and then apply pressure. I’m not saying pressure points are useless. It is better to link a pressure point to the “control” phase of a fight, rather than trying to find a pressure sensitive point in the middle of quick punches.
Pressure point accuracy in fighting
Pressure points really do require some precision. You have to press the right place, with the right amount of pressure, in the right way.
Could you do this in the middle of a fight? While dealing with a lot of punching and kicking?
Are you nervous beyond belief … with adrenaline rushing through your body?
You can be more careful hitting and kicking, until you are in control.
Do pressure points work in a berserker?
Let’s forget about your adrenaline, what about the adrenaline rushing through your attacker’s body? Will he (or she) feel a pressure point?
My answer is that it depends on the pressure point you are talking about and also how much “red” your attacker is seeing.
For example, the Wrist Locks nose check: From Protecting Yourself to Becoming an Expert will work no matter how angry your attacker is. Your opponent will feel the pain, it is a sensitive and controlling point.
On the other hand, the pressure point for bending the wrist on the inside of the wrist never seems to work “for me”, when I “really” have to use it.
Pressure points are great when used properly. It worries me when a newbie thinks it’s easy to stop a punching attack with a little pressure at one point.