Death Touch: The Science Behind The Legend Of Dim-Mak [Paperback]

Michael Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2001

The martial arts world is rife with tales of ancient masters who could cause instant or delayed death or illness by attacking secret points on the human body. But to the Western mind, the concept of striking acupuncture points to disrupt the internal energy, or chi, seems like hocus-pocus. Thus, many serious martial artists dismiss the ancient art of dim-mak (also known as kyusho jitsu), which is literally translated as "death touch," as nothing more than fiction. However, if one can accept the idea that a dim-mak point is an avenue for attacking the nervous system, then it becomes easier to understand how striking specific points or groups of points can devastate the organs and the cardiovascular system. In this book, Dr. Michael Kelly, an osteopathic physician and experienced dim-mak practitioner, explains dim-mak's effects based on medical science. In layman's terms, Dr. Kelly reveals the physiological basis for what is clearly a very real and dangerous method of fighting. In the process of unraveling the mystery of this legendary art, Dr. Kelly makes the true genius of its founders brutally, and painfully, apparent.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

As an osteopathic physician and a former state police officer, Michael Kelly has had multiple opportunities to test his martial art skills and his knowledge of dim-mak. Dr. Kelly has trained in Okinawan shorin-ryu karate for more than 15 years and is a second-degree black belt. He has been investigating the effects of dim-mak on the body as well as the pressure point attacks hidden within the traditional forms for the past 10 years and has published numerous articles on the medical aspects of dim-mak.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (November 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581602812
• ISBN-13: 978-1581602814
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #527,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Quite disappointing, June 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Death Touch: The Science Behind The Legend Of Dim-Mak (Paperback)

As a martial artist and neuroscientist, I was looking forward to reading this book and learning what, if anything, is known about the science behind pressure points in general and dim mak in particular. While I admire the effort put forth by the author, and I look forward to a time when science has made substantial strides in understanding pressure points, we are just not there yet.

The author presents unrestrained speculation and passes it off as solidly established scientific fact. For example, he suggests that because the nerve fibers from certain pressure points enter the spinal column at the same segment as nerves that innervate the heart, then hitting those pressure points will obviously have an effect on the heart. But there is no evidence presented (or in existance presumably) that these nerves actually make contact with one another! Simply because they are in the same room does not mean they shake hands.

That example is indicative of the general style of the book. In the instances where the author actually does make reference to some published study, the evidence cited typically relates to basic physiology and medicine and has no direct connection to pressure points per se.

The subject matter of this book is quite interesting -- that's why I bought it after all -- but to say that the author presents what is *known* about the physiology of dim mak is misleading and incorrect. At best the author has presented a theoretical framework for future scientific investigation. At worst, he has presented a completely incredible, wildly speculative, totally unproven view of the science behind dim mak.

Besides that, the diagrams included in the book are under-labeled, unattractive, and marginally useful (simply including a labeled point chart for each meridian or vessel would be a vast improvement). The reader shouldn't be forced to refer to another text with better figures just to have an idea where on the body a certain point is.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Western medical explanation of Dim Mak to date, May 25, 2005

By 

Doctor David - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Touch: The Science Behind The Legend Of Dim-Mak (Paperback)

I have a black belt,an earned doctorate, and over a decade experience with pressure points/kyusho jitsu/dim mak. Therefore, I am not unexperienced when it comes to the topic. I can say without reservation that this is the best Western medical explanation of the topic written to date.

In reading this book, it must be understood that many things about pressure points are not completely understood by Western science. This book provides an excellent theoretical framework for understanding some complex topics. I have also read some of Dr. Kelly's postings on Kyusho.com and found that he is a very knowledgeable person.

In reading the reviews, I found that one physician agrees with me and one doesn't. I respect both of their learned opinions. When you read the Endnotes at the conclusion of the book you will find that Dr. Kelly is a scholar who has done his homework.

One footnote, an osteopath is a physician, by law, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. You may safely dismiss ignorant comments by uninformed sources to the contrary.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Death Touch: The Science Behind the Legend of Dim Mak, December 20, 2001

By 

Rick Bauer (Bahrain, Gulf of Arabia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Touch: The Science Behind The Legend Of Dim-Mak (Paperback)

Since the 1980's, there has been a growing interest within the martial arts community regarding the application of acupoint striking sequences. In general, a large portion of this interest has been driven by the effectiveness of these types of strikes. With growing frequency, techniques using acupoints are often showcased at seminars and promotional venues by various martial artists. In particular, there continues to be a large number of knockout demonstrations, in which practitioners (trained and untrained) smack a select number of acupoint locations on the body to quickly incapacitate a person. As with all things, the quality level (both in terms of instruction and skill) is often varied, and occasionally lacking. These various types of acupoint and joint lock manipulation techniques are often described as Chin Na, Tuite, Kyushu and Dim Mak, as well as pressure point and vital point strikes.

As the interest in point striking techniques has continued to mushroom, there have been a growing number of incidents where individuals have been struck or knocked out using acupoint strikes; occasionally by younger students attempting to emulate these techniques, absent proper supervision and instruction. This practice is not only concerning, but also highly dangerous, given a number of these techniques have long term associated effects which may manifest slowly over time.

Within the introductory section of Dr. Kelly's book, he correctly notes "... that attacking [acupoint locations on the human body] can adversely affect both the nervous and cardiovascular systems and that this, in fact, is very dangerous." (p. 4) Further, he notes that the motivational premise for his book is to help educate the martial arts community on the potential medical dangers of striking acupoints. In my humble professional opinion and experience, this as highly commendable, and I support Dr. Kelly's efforts in this direction.

In my opinion, Dr. Kelly has done an admirable job in presenting highly complex medical material in a format that can be widely read and understood by the layman martial artist. While I am not in full agreement with some aspects of the book, including certain cause and effect relationships he lists for Dim-Mak, I would recommend Dr. Kelly's book to anyone interested in learning more about the scientific theories involving martial uses of acupoints. I sincerely believe that Dr. Kelly's book will be a great benefit to the martial arts community, and will help educate folks to the potential medical risks that can exist in striking acupoints and performing martial knockouts.