Probably due to the fiery debate and huge increase in traffic this thread has sparked, the lead article on FA.com is Pressure Point related:
http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=737The Author seems to call PP strikes ‘spotting’ which differ from ‘neurological’ strikes (please correct me if I’m wrong here. I found the article difficult to follow). Though I don’t really know what a ‘neurological’ strike is.
From the article:
In the practice of spotting, the injuries are going to be different than a simple strike or trauma to the body. The targeting of points is not focused on the immediate tissue but rather on the flow of energy/Qi through the various organ systems associated with that point
As seemingly there is no evidence for the above statement as a whole. Surely PP training is not relevant for MA in 2013.
And a selective quote:
Pain is by definition in Chinese herbal medicine a blockage or stagnation of the flow of Blood* or energy (Qi/Ki)
Pain is, by definition, in Medicine:
Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons…..
This is also the point where the conversation, intentionally or not, get clouded. Are we talking about Chinese herbal medicines - its definitions, effects and processes in a real life sense? Or are we talking metaphorically and not actually describing the real world?
As I understand the article is intending to describe the real world. Would anyone disagree?
The remainder of the article talks about medicinal herbs to repair supposed trauma caused by the specific effects of PP strikes. E.g. ‘moves Blood and Qi to relieve pain’ and ‘moves Blood and moistens and moves the large intestine’.
Does being a lead article on FA.com lend credibility to the article?
As it is on this website I’d like to see some people here who might know something of PP training critique the article and lend their thoughts.
Were I to read it elsewhere I would probably disregard it as dogmatic and nonsense. There were lots of other problems I had with the article, which others may wish to address but for the sake of staying on topic I stuck the MA themed PP strikes.
Looking forward to the follow up articles to further inform me.