Kyusho-Jitsu: The Dillman Method of Pressure Point Fighting [Paperback]

George A. Dillman (Author), Chris Thomas (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1992

Thorough detailing of how to use pressure point strikes for personal self-defense.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Dillman's theory will totally change the way future generations learn Karate!

About the Author

George A. Dillman, a 9th degree black belt in Ryukyu Kempo Tomari-te, recently honored by Black Belt Magazine as “ 1997--Instructor of the Year” is one of the U.S.A.’s best known and well-established martial arts personalities. Dillman came to the attention of the martial arts press when he began competing in the early 1960’s. By the end of that decade, he had started running his own tournament, called the Northeast Open Karate Championships. This competition was held annually-- the first kicking off in Palmer Park, Maryland in 1966. The site was moved to Suitland Maryland in 1967, and moved again to Reading, PA in 1968 where it was held until 1996.

Official Karate magazine (Nov.1982), described Dillman as, “one of the winningest competitors karate has ever known.” Dillman was four-times National Karate Champion (1969-1972) and during this period was consistently ranked among top ten competitors in the nation by major karate magazines. During his nine-year competitive career, Dillman claimed a total of 327 trophies in fighting, forms, breaking, and weapons.

Dillman began serious martial arts training in 1961 with Harry G. Smith. He went on to study with Daniel K. Pai, James Coffman, Sam Pearson, Robert Trias and Seiyu Oyata. Dillman has always considered himself a student, never a master of the martial arts. To this end he and his wife and students have traveled throughout the United States to meet and train with various martial arts experts.

Because of his perseverance, Dillman’s martial arts talents have earned him widespread U.S. media coverage. He has appeared on 35 National TV shows, including: Real People, Mike Douglas, PM Magazine, Evening Magazine, and NBC’s Sports Machine. Dillman has also been featured five times in Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and has been the subject of over 300 newspaper and magazine articles. Dillman, who was a professional boxer for three and one half years, is the only person known to have trained with both Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali. In May of 1988. Dillman was inducted into the Berks County Sports Hall of Fame. He was the first martial artist to be included.

Currently, Dillman travels the world teaching seminars on pressure points and tuite (grappling) hidden within the traditional movements of the old martial arts forms. It is his research and scientific dissection of the old forms that is earning him his most notoriety. Never one to shy away from controversy, Dillman has rediscovered a formerly secret level of meaning for kata movements, and has made that interpretation understandable to all. He has produced a video tape instructional series on the pressure points, and has written six books with Chris Thomas: Kyusho-Jitsu: The Dillman Method of Pressure Point Fighting; Advanced Pressure Point Fighting of Ryukyu Kempo; Advanced Pressure Point Grappling: Tuite; Pressure Point Karate Made Easy; Humane Pressure Point Self-Defense; and Little Jay Learns Karate. The books have been said to be,” the definitive martial arts books of the century,” and “unparalleled among current martial arts literature.”

Dillman is the chief instructor for Dillman Karate International, an organization of over 85 schools worldwide, with an enrollment of nearly 15,000 students. He has studied under five 10th degree black belts from Okinawa and is currently furthering his personal study through research, practice, and the sharing of techniques with Prof. Remy Presas ( Modern Arnis) and Prof. Wally Jay (Small Circle Jujitsu).

Chris Thomas has studied karate since 1970, and holds a black belt ranking in three separate styles: Shotokan, Isshinryu, and Ryukyu Kempo Tomari-te. Thomas is a widely published and respected authority on martial arts whose works have appeared in martial arts periodicals world-wide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Dillman Karate Intl (January 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963199617
• ISBN-13: 978-0963199614
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #724,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting But Inaccurate, May 9, 2006

By 

Phillip Starr "Author, "Making Of A Butte... (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kyusho-Jitsu: The Dillman Method of Pressure Point Fighting (Paperback)

As a kung-fu practitioner and acupuncturist, I found a good deal of the information contained in this text to be inaccurate. The effects of striking some of the points shown in the book are incorrect and in any event, real combat happens much too fast to try to strike a number of the (minor) points suggested by Mr. Dillman.
Moreover, many (acupuncture) points must be struck with various type(s) of power in order to be effective. You cannot simply give them a solid whack and expect much. Knowing where the points are located is only part of the equation. You have to develop, through special training, the type(s) of force needed to adversely stimulate these points.
It's a cute book, but falls short of the mark.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Pressure Point Fighting, May 16, 2000

By 

A Reader (in the USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kyusho-Jitsu: The Dillman Method of Pressure Point Fighting (Paperback)

Commentary on Pressure Points and their uses in the martial arts. This book included sections on applications and techniques. It also includes limited narrative on selected pressure points (19 total). For example, in the section on the points, the authors have included five anatomical drawings of the human body. These charts are intended to illustrate the Traditional Chinese Medicine energy pathways throughout the body, which pressure point strikes access. Unfortunatly, the illustrations are lacking in detail, and are somewhat confusing. They have used solid black lines to represent the pathways, and have included multiple channels on each illustration. In the areas where two or more lines may intersect, there is no distinction between the lines. As such, some readers will quickly become lost.

The selected point descriptions are very limited in detail and information, covering 16 "Basic points" and three "advanced" points. Using the Chinese descriptive codes, the points covered are L-5, L-6, L-8, H-2, H-3, H-6, LI-7, L-10, L-13, L-7, TW-3, TW-11, TW-12, TW-17, SI-6, SI-7, S-5, S-9 and M-UE-28. The point striking information given the reader is very limited. For example, on page 64, the martial application for Heart Three (H-3) simply lists the martial uses as "[this point] may be struck or firmly pressed to bend the elbow." This is concerning, since a sufficient strike to H-3 can also be very dangerous (and potentially fatal). If hit stright in, a sufficient strike to H-3 can severely injure a person by stopping the beating of the heart. The immediate signs of this trauma shock to the body are an ashen gray complexion to the skin. The reciprient of the strike will collapse into unconsciousness, since their circulatory system has effectively been shut down. With sufficient force and intent, this same strike can also be fatal. These additional uses of the points in fighting are not covered, and their riskes are not covered.

15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have reference for any serious martial artist., February 21, 2000

By 

Taiji 218 (The Frozen North) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Kyusho-Jitsu: The Dillman Method of Pressure Point Fighting (Paperback)

As a 28 year practictioner of Old Yang style taijiquan, I found many "secret" techiniques contained in this text regarding pressure point attacks. George Dillman has spent over 30 years researching the acupuncture points necessary to end a fight, and in this, his first book, I think he's done a commendable job. I would recommend the serious martial artist buy this and also his second book. I would also recommend purchasing some of his commercial videotapes, either from his school or off of ebay when they become available. The one reviewer who complained that the book did not contain healing techniques should purchase Dillman video #5 which focuses on just that. Essentially, to heal you braodly strike the pressure point you just attacked sharply with one knuckle, using your fingers or the flat of your hand, striking the attacked point in the direction of its natural energy flow (in an attack you go against the energy flow of the meridian). If you don't know the direction of flow, you generally massage the point. If you don't do anything to heal a pressure point strike, the person usually recovers on his or her own in twenty minutes to a half hour. If you knocked them out, they'll usually wake up shortly on their own even if you do nothing to revive them (unless they're on drugs, especially vulnerable to the type of strike you administered, or you hit 4 or more points at once. Then they need revival (but you probably shouldn't have hit 4 or more points to begin with). That's generally it on how to heal a pressure point strike. I still recommend you buy the healing video for the fine points. Any serious martial artist of whatever style should seriously consider buying Dillman's books and videos. Hitting a pressure point and numbing an arm or achieving an electrical (vs. a mechanical) knockout is more humane than breaking a leg, an arm, busting up some teeth or leaving a black eye-- not to mention the whole issue of legal liability! Pressure point fighting is clearly something more people can benefit from learning.