Customer Reviews

Dim-mak: Death Point Striking

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off, for the purpose of this book, you could nearly make the equation "Dim Mak=Taijiquan". Whether you agree with that or not doesn't matter much, but prospective buyers should be aware that this is a book on taijiquan, with a smattering of other things. Bagua for example.

A must-read for any serious practitioner of taijiquan and highly recommended for martial artists of any style interested in details of point striking. Mr. Montaigue is certainly a controversial figure who has both his supporters and his detractors. I am not really concerned with any of that though, although I have never met the author, I have met plenty of people in both camps--but if you are a practitioner of taijiquan, perhaps even more importantly one that does not focus on striking, then you should at least consider a viewpoint different than your own. I call it a must read because even if you are dead set against what Mr. Montaigue teaches and says, you should at least confront it for yourself, and not be dependent upon someone else's viewpoint.

I personally have a soft spot for this book because back in the early 80s, before there was an ocean of books on taijiquan (in the US at least), before there were magazines dedicated to it, anyone who did anything differently from what you were taught simply "wasn't doing tai chi". In those days you took a lot of flack if you believed that those things that looked like punches or slaps were actually meant for hitting. This book was one of the first longer studies on striking in taijiquan available.

Also at that time there was not much exposure to different forms. Certain postures from long boxing are not explicit in either the form or short form, and one might simply glance at this book and mistakenly say "that's not taiji", dismissing it as not authentic. You may do that anyway, but doing so for those reasons is primarily conditioned hubris.

Despite the book's title, it is NOT only concerned with death. In addition to this, Mr. Montaigue provides chapters that deal with life, using these points to heal and treat afflictions--not simply treating someone who has been struck, but also someone afflicted with corresponding illnesses (sunstroke, for instance). Information is also provided on qi gong and applying specific taiji postures and sequences for treating specific ailments. These chapters are sadly very short but are loaded with interesting information, that could prove useful. Also included is a brief transcript of a Q&A between Mr. Montaigue and Chang Yiu-chun which is extremely worthwhile. Such chapters contain many pearls to be plucked by attentive readers.

The book can also help one understand reasons behind certain movements that one might never have thought about, or simply performed by rote, the importance of which may have been overlooked. An example of this occurs in Mr. Montaigue's application of "Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain". This example helped me understand the turning over of the palm in a new light. This is not an isolated example. Even if one were to disagree with an application as presented, getting up and testing the posture will be good for your development.

A minor complaint I will register at this point is that although many of the applications shown are drawn directly from taiji postures, Mr. Montaigue generally does not relate the descriptions and photos to those postures by name. This is a drawback to me as a taiji practitioner, but perhaps would be a plus to martial artists of different schools. In the end it doesn't matter much because if you know the postures you can recognize them, however it does make thumbing through looking for a specific posture a headache.

This brings us to the flaws of the book. The book suffers from a somewhat lax job of copyediting. Although not overly burdened with typos, there are enough to annoy me. This is a minor complaint for a book of this genre; I do have more serious complaints as to some points of editing and production. For example: "When your opponent kicks, simply move in and strike St32..." (p. 130.) There is no point St32 discussed in the book. I think this may be a mistake for Gb32, but perhaps the St32 point was edited out of the manuscript. This seems clearly to be the case just below that in a discussion of striking Sp8 and Sp9. These points are not in the book in its published form and do not appear to be mistakes. A prospective buyer should be aware of these problems as they do occur, but also rest assured that they are not widespread. Also, clarity was sacrificed for page count. In a book of this nature, IMHO, clarity should be paramount. Diagrams and photos often do not appear on the same pages as their corresponding text. This is especially annoying if you are standing up and working through the applications. In some instances the photos are two full pages away.

Given these problems, why not downgrade the rating? I do not consider these problems with the instruction, or with Mr. Montaigue's techniques. I am not rating the book on aesthetic principles, but rather on the the martial and other presented, especially to taijiquan. Mr. Montaigue shares his knowledge without holding back. His style is casual and friendly, yet authoritative. Again, you may not agree with what he says or believes, but you should confront it on your own.

I'm sure some people are reading my title and saying, "but dim-mak isn't an art", but that's what this book pretty much focuses on. Erle Montaigue is best at putting horns and claws on the internal Chinese arts, and that's exactly what he does in this book. It's a great book on accupuncture points, their martial applications, and using taiji to attack them. The sections on C-back and Fa-jing are useful to everyone. The author goes into how the points work, how to counter the effects of being hit in those points, basic "chi circulation" theory, some chi kung, and some excersises to mess with your chi flow. I have just some minor complaints about this book. First, some of the points mentioned were not actually covered, like "strike point so-and-so", but no where in the book is that point's location given. Also, it's kind of oriented to someone with some background in taiji (t'ai chi), which I'm not, so some references to certain possitions just left me confused. There is a video that makes this book easier to understand, done by Montaigue, by Paladin Press. Overall, a very unique look at pressure-point striking, offering insights into why these points work the way they do. A good book for anyone interested in the subject of pressure-point strikes. This is one of my favorite books, and I learn something new every time I read it.

The information in the book is worth 10 times the price. Stuff i never saw in 6 years of TKD. But i had to watch the video to get what the pictures were trying to show. The pictures in the book are really poorly done. Get the video, if you like it and want more then get the book.

As a student of external Kung Fu, this book was an interesting look at the internal styles and the background behind them. But as far as the use of the pressure points go, this book made it look fairly impractical and useless. The point location diagrams are impossible to follow (sketches), which ruins what little effect the appendixes show. All in all, an interesting read, but nothing further..

As an international assassin, I get into a lot of fights. I've always been able to handle myself well, but after reading this book, my fights end much quicker. By killing the opponent sooner, I sustain less injury and require less downtime before my next contract. This book increased my revenue by at least 40%. It is great.

Based on the acupuncture points and the energy channels of the body, the ancient Chinese art of Dim-Mak, or death- point striking, can be used to maim and kill as well as heal. But until now, martial artists have had to rely on acupuncture texts for information on the points and how they worked. Earl Montaigue and Wally Simpson teamed up to compile the most in depth study in print of every point on each of the 12 main energy meridians of the body. A must read for all of those serious about learning true Dim-Mak!

This book is perhaps the better one of dim mak or pressure point books. The author knows what he is talking about particulary in the art of dim mak, though favour in Tai Chi taste, I'm sure other style practitioners who are serious of self-defence martial art will be able to extract useful information into their respective art. Another book, Advanced Dim Mak by the same author is also highly recommended. Target points and illustrations are good and clear. Author also did a good job in describing the location each time a point is mentioned complemented by illustration. As a martial artist myself, I am satisfy with the content of this book. I would strongly recommend anyone who is keen of self-defence (not sport martial artist) to read this book as equipped with the dim mak knowledge, one will definitely be more confident in defending oneselve when the need arises but equally important is the deadly skill of dim mak should be practised in restrain and not abuse. This is definitely a better book I have read so far.

This book is very imformative on many DIM MAK moves for self defense. It is very interesting, you really should be in a martial arts class to learn how to do all the moves correctly and practice each move. On the street only use in life or death situations. This book and all the DIM MAK books is highly reccommended.

I like this one because of how easy it is to follow what Mr. Montaique has presented. I could use the techniques shortly after reading about them. Well written. This is just nother example of his martial abilities.

Bryan Winkelman (www.senseibryan.com)- Author of "Training Manual for Isshin Ryu Karate" listed on Amazon.com

The origins of Dim Mak and its supposed effectiveness are extremely questionable. But, Erle Montaigue does seem to be the authority in this controversial subject, and I do believe this is the definitive guide.

The chapter about Fa-Jing is very useful for Chen Taichi practitioners. Modern Yang style, which is supposed to be the roots of Dim Mak, has lost all the Fa-Jing movements.