Customer Reviews

Pressure Point Karate Made Easy: A Guide to the Dillman Pressure Point Method for Beginners and Young Adults

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This is the fourth book on pressure points written by George Dillman and Chris Thomas. The text has been written specifically with the younger martial artist in mind, and the authors make good use of photographs showing instruction with children.

The use of "pressure points" in martial arts refers to strikes to small points along the body which are used in acupuncture. As such, this book includes a very brief introduction to Asian internal medical theory (i.e., why stiking acupoints can be so effective), to help the reader understand the point terms and concepts, and makes references to Mr. Dillman and Thomas' earlier works.

Unfortunatly, the authors have chosen to only cover 17 of the 350+ classical pressure points (ten on the inner and outer arms, five on the lower torso and two on the legs). Regarding the selected points (L-5, L-6, L-8, H-6, EX M-UE-28, LI-7, LI-10, TW-11, TW-12, SI-7, CV-3, CV-4, CV-5, CV-6, SP-10, SP-11 and SP-12), the authors provide excellent anatomical diagrams, but provide limited descriptive text on where those referenced points are located and their martial function / application. In fact, the "how they work" paragraphs are so simplified, each of the discriptive texts numbers 14 words or less. While I can appreciate the fact that the authors are writing this text with a beginning martial arts student in mind, I think they simplified the text too much. A few areas do footnote Mr. Dillman and Thomas' earlier works, and suggest the readers learn more about the points once they become more advanced. But the existing text is so limited in the extent of its explanation, I am not convinced this is the best manner in which to write an introductory primer on a subject rooted in Chinese Dim Mak theory.

In addition to the few pressure points covered, the authors give a brief historical overview of the development of karate, and provide application overviews on the basic building blocks of a martial arts curriculum: stances, punches, blocks, kicks and kata. The final chapters include some training and drill advice.

While this book is written for those beginning their exploration into the use of pressure points, it also provides a useful reference for those who have been studying longer and want to be able to refresh their knowledge of the locations, angle/direction, and activation methods of some of the more commonly-used points.

Is it the end-all, be-all of pressure point books? No... but then, if such a book exists, I've never found it. Is it a good primer and reference book? Absolutely, and I have recommended it to many of my own students.

This book is very simple for the beginner both for adults and teens. If you are a student of Karate, Kyusho, or Dim Mak, It is a good book to have in a collection. The book goes over many techniques.

I bought this book as a required reading for all white belts. As a person who has never had any experience with pressure points and karate, I was very intrigued. The picture, charts and text help me to gain a better understanding of what my instructors are trying teach me. This book was written in simple language I could easily understand. I believe Mr. Dillman intended it to be that way. He states on page 135 of this book, "This book barely begins to touch on the deep secrets of the art". I look forward to reading more books from Mr. Dillman.

This book starts of with a looooooong self-serving picture gallery. It then goes on to present 4, yes 4 pages of pressure point information. The rest of the book is basic white-belt karate material. This book HAS NEARLY NOTHING TO DO WITH PRESSURE POINT FIGHTING. If that is what you want from a book - this ain't it!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book is only intended for younger kids like ages 5-11+ and is awesome for that age group. However this is the worst book of self defence i've seen but im just keeping in mind its awesome for Younger people ONLY. If you want to learn realistic and effective self defence buy another book.