Pure Animal Spirit

For over 15 years I have been writing a monthly column in the worlds largest Martial Arts Magazine, on the subject of Kyusho under the main title of "Get to the Point".

Originally these articles were aimed at teaching anatomical targets thought to be pressure points. As we evolved they are no longer believed to be what we in Kyusho are targeting and that by accepting the idea we are targeting actual physiological structures we have experienced greater effect, efficiency and potential.

Our training sessions have been for decades involved in the combative applications of Kyusho, not simply knowing about it or working set techniques, points, bunkai, etc. And again we are evolving as we gain more practical experience and see the needs of society evolving as well.

As we look at the picture here we see many spots (we will loosely refer to as Kyusho Targets) similar to the availability of weaker anatomical targets in the human body. Look at this animal, you see all the targets, but will it be easy to touch them?

But also depicted are a few issues that will prevent most Kyusho practitioners from success in real combative need.

These are first the animal is still (not moving) and unfortunately how most Kyusho courses run to this day.
The environment is not the soft matted and controlled climate or terrain most Kyusho courses are held in.
Next is the intent of the animal, in training halls where Kyusho is being taught, it is not the same as this major factor is not even addressed.
And also there is the spirit and lack of fear or constraint this animal exudes... most Kyusho training sessions do not even address this component of real attack.
Then there is the weapons both seen and unseen that will be followed by full physical as well as spiritual weight of this animal (really you need to think of any opponent as a wild animal with all attributes thereof and train as if facing one all the time).
What weaknesses can you actually use when the attack happens, many you see now will vanish when you under stressed dynamic action of severe attack.
Oh did you notice this animal did not dress up special for the event, it is in natural daily skin that it is accustomed to and never changes... do you still wear comfy clothes to train, well that may be a big surprise for you under a real attack, you must be able to work as you are, where you are, anytime without surprises like adhesion or not (women also heel height), weight of shod foot. The constrictions of tighter clothing limiting your athletic maneuvers, or looser clothing being caught and used against you.

What about the focus of this photo, yes even this contains a lesson... tunnel vision ensuing that most again do not even know about, let

And finally (but there is many more lessons we can derive just from this photo in comparison to our training processes), what did you feel when you first looked at this animal... you knew it was ready, practiced and just pure animal spirit. This is what an attacker will present to you and if you are not hardened to it and the ensuing complexities, you will be lost... Kyusho or not.

So merely knowing Kyusho does not make you better, or safer or more in control... you must practice realistically, you must practice combatives and all it's concepts.

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