Hello Saisho,
Yes I have seen a Vagus nerve many times. Held it in my hands many times and I know very well its complete tract in the human body. All the way from where it exits in the cranium to what inervates outside the cranium. The vagus (X)nerve is the longest cranial pair and fullfills many functions in the human body. Part of it's innervartion is the respiratory system cardiovascular system. So you see now all the things you can do when you push on it or even strike the area where it's more expose. The carotid receptors I have never seen them due to them been so small that only the area can be seen through a microscope but I know very well what their main function is and where they are located and the results on the human body when you hit them or stimulate them.

True Silat not sport silat was and is very efective. some say is only a jungle style and does not work in the street. Very stupid comment if I do say so myself. Silat was and continued to developed under constant battles between villages and when Indonesia was invaded by the Dutch and Japanese. The style continued to evolved to fight tall and strong opponents like the dutch. True Silat is very free flowing and not rigid in its practice. So if Silat was effective in war situations it can still work anywhere even on the streets.Specially how you get train to handle the knife. If I had to fight more than one opponent on the street I would rather know how to fight standing up and with a style which my brain has already memorize its movements very well and with effective techniques. Even against one I would prefer to fight standing up. True Silat has great techniques on the ground and standing up. Therefore it has great counters for going to the ground. Specially Cimande, Sera and Harimau.

That is great. Not many people have the opportunity to see such structures. So you understand when I say that if you have cut far enough into the neck to reach the Vagus (by the trachea and vertebral column), you have done more damage than pressing on the nerve. You will have already cut the Phrenic and shut off the diaphragm. You also most likely severed the External and Internal Carotids.

You are correct, the carotid bodies are microscopic and they are located in the junction of the common carotid branching into the internal and external. Again, if you have cut that far to be able to press on them, the person has bigger worries.

Saisho, Yes i understand the body fairly well part of that comes from my martial arts training and some from my education. But what I am trying to get across is that there is a big difference between sport silat and Old silat and competition. Thinking that what one sees at the UFC or PRIDE is the ultimate way of fighting or reaching that level of fighting is the highest is a little bit off. Hardly does anyone do any type of body conditioning anymore like they use to be. If you did not have your knife your fingers could accomplish part of the job. Now days few know how and do condition their fingers. Imagine using your well conditioned fingers to jab the abdomen or neck?
The skin in the neck is tought and somewhat flexible but practicing and knowing how to bite, one can get the job done. I know what I write sounds very violent but this is the reality of old silat and some of the old chinese styles of fighting. This is the reason there arent many teachers left because few want to train this way.
When someone says that this styles dont work in the street they have no idea what their talking about. How can a style that has been used in fights with sharp weapons, against one or more opponents not be effective in today's street violence or when needed in hand-to-hand combat during warfare? How it cannot work? Maybe because not many are willing to stand the hard training that old silat is known for and see and feel is true results.Also few have tha patience to learn. I have tasted only the tip of the iceberg of that type of training and is hard very hard but very effective for no rules or combat fighting. True, very true it might not work in the CAGE or RING, I truly agree because for one, true silat is not ment for sport and second in order for someone to use silat in the UFC or RING he or she has to be very but very good where they would not have to seriously hurt their opponent to win. But once you reached that level why would you like to enter a sports tournament? Many of those in that level they have nothing to prove to anyone by fighting in those tournaments and they believe fighting is for kids. Yes they will take on any challenge but the fight wont be with plastic knives or with padded gloves or nice mats or under the UFC rules or any rule. Those fights only last a few seconds and one falls badly damage. This is what I have seen and this is what I have been told.

This is good old silat!! Not the diluted form of Silat that Indonesia is trying to promote now days just like Japan did with karate and Korea with TKD. Soem of this styles have been diluted a lot to be socially acceptable and profitable not for effectiveness.

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what I am trying to get across is that there is a big difference between sport silat and Old silat and competition

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No arguements here

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Thinking that what one sees at the UFC or PRIDE is the ultimate way of fighting or reaching that level of fighting is the highest is a little bit off

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Or here (although I would say a lot off)

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This is the reason there arent many teachers left because few want to train this way

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Still nothing

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When someone says that this styles dont work in the street they have no idea what their talking about

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Why didn't you just say so?

I know I should just have said so.

How many arts here have been or were used in battles or used by body guards and are considered traditional or old?

Pakua was the favorite martial art of the bodyguards of the chinese emperors. Some practitioners learned how to make the gun part of their fighting techniques. They would fight multiple attackers but when a weapon was drawn they would out of no-where pull out the gun.