Atemi waza /kyūsho/ pressure points - Rosowski Budokan Institute
Rodokan Combat Karate Kempo
 |  |
Rosowski Budokan Institute
Rodokan Combat Karate Kempo
Main menu:
Atemi waza /kyūsho/ pressure points
Training
Kyūsho, pressure points in Japanese martial arts, which can be translated as ‘vital points’, ‘key points’, or ‘sensitive spots’, derive from the meridian points in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Indian Ayurveda.
In the field of martial arts, they refer to areas on the human body that may produce significant pain or other effects when the right action is performed in a specific manner at a selected point. Vital point attacks can employ strikes and holds as well as holding, throwing and joint twisting techniques.
On the other hand, the Japanese term ‘atemi’ designates blows or strikes to the body. With ‘atemi’ one can attack any point of the opponent’s body with any part of one’s body. Such attacks can use ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ techniques. Karate is a typical martial art focusing on ‘atemi’. The knowledge of nerve and pressure points that coincide with the acupressure and acupuncture points, often informs the choice of targets for ‘atemi’.
Some strikes against vital parts of the body can kill or incapacitate the opponent for a certain time. Such strikes include attacks on: the solar plexus, at the temple, under the nose, in the eyes, genitals or under the chin.
Some drills can be trained on dummies where it is impossible to kill or injure the opponent. This type of training can also be performed with the use of ‘yawara’ or other self-defence weapons.