Since it's been a while since we've had a good conversation about fighting,
let's back up a bit and review our common assumptions:

1. The basic paradigm should be: Move, block, counter, with movement of the
target always being a first priority. If you take a look at kata, you will see
that all of the "traditional" kata start with these premises.

2. Lumans First Law of the Martial Arts (Broken Bones HURT!) is always in
effect. The best application of a pressure point strike is to hit the spot hard
enough to activate the point and destroy any bones in the area. This strategy
guarantees that everyone is a responder.

3. Properly done, using short power, knowledge of physiology and anatomy, etc. a
grapple IS a pressure point strike, is a hit. That's why you spend all those
years becoming an "expert" so that you can use short power, fajing, internal
energy and all that cool stuff. This might seem like hocus pocus to the guys
who've only been waving their hands and feet about for a couple of years, but
someone who's been training for 20-30 or 40 years should be able to put his or
her hands on the their attacker and break their ribs without pulling their hands
back.


Finally, a comment about how people react to attacks: I have been in fights,
under gun fire, in auto accidents and my heart and adrenelin never go nuts until
AFTER the event. I've never lost fine motor control or an awareness of what was
going on, the tunnel vision they talk about. Only some people panic under
pressure. Others go into survival mode and have the panic attack afterwards.

regards,

Hank Prohm