From what I understand, certain points affect the heart rate. So if we have to strike a point at a certain time (“high or low tide”, as in the above example), then we must first know which state the body is in…or must we?
Let me explain. The body has a cycle changing from yin to yang to yin again, etc. And within each major part of this cycle, there is a smaller cycle, and within that one there is a smaller cycle, etc, and on and on.
Now, if hitting a certain point can affect this cycle to a small degree, then why not use them in conjunction with the points which must be struck when the body is in a certain state if these points change the body’s cycle to that necessary state?
How about some examples? Lung 8 and Heart 5 on the wrist are said to set up St9 for the strike. There are applications in the old Yang style that involve taking the wrist, jerking and cranking it, and then coming forward into the throat with Press/Squeeze. My own personal take on this is that these points on the wrist momentarily force a change in the cycle of the body, putting the heart in the desired state for the strike. In other words, these points put the body in the necessary (“high or low tide”) state for the strike.
Other points that are said to work well with St9 are Neiguan and Heart 3. There are applications from the old Yang style that involve striking the arm at Neiguan with one hand and at Heart 3 with the other, and then coming forward with Chee into the throat.
Both of these sets of techniques are from Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail, which is said to be the foundation of Taiji. In fact, both of them use Rollback and Chee. I am reminded of a line from one of Taiji’s classic manuals, “Rollback without Chee is a waste of Rollback; Chee without Rollback is a foolish risk.” Besides the obvious, might we also not interpret this line in light of point striking techniques? In other words, we might get from it that using set-up points without striking the target is a waste of energy, and that striking the point without a set-up might not necessarily get the job done.
Also in the classics, it is said, “Split strikes out with horizontal force like a surprise shot; avoid the central gate and take the spiral path. With a single hand sweeping the opponent’s neck, I am like a speeding horse destroying all in its path.” So if we use P’eng to defend against a punch, and then use Rollback, we can then use Split as he comes forward, to spiral his arm up into his body. We could throw him, having pressured his elbow to the point of almost breaking it, or simply break it, but we can also go on and damage him much more, by jerking the wrist again with one hand as our other strikes into St9. From here, all we have to do is step around behind, tear the head back with one hand as the other jerks his wrist again, pulling his arm across our chest and breaking it, and then kick to the back of knee at Kidney 10 while we tear the head farther back, using Split again.
Or we could use P’eng to defend against a punch as we strike with the other hand to the temple, then step around behind quickly, and thrust one hand across his throat, knocking sideways against the Adam’s Apple, as the other jerks his wrist so his arm breaks across our chest, and then kick to the back of the Knee at Kidney 10 as we tear back on his head, again using Split.
For those here who study Chiang Jung Chiao’s Bagua, you might want to use Jade Lady Throws Fan to block a low punch, striking Heart 5 and Lung 8, and then rebound into Stomach 9 with the top hand and into Liver 14 with the other. If done with fa-jing, the hands will jerk the arm as they close onto it because of the turning action of the waist, using Bagua’s Leading ability (sort of like Rollback), and then as he comes forward, your hands slam into St9 and Liv14.
Or, also for the Bagua stylists, you may want to use Flower Hides Beneath Leaf to defend against a punch and step around to his closed side, using the top hand to jerk the wrist as you step around and the lower hand to strike to the kidneys. As you come around fully, your shoulder locks his elbow into place, you crank his wrist, and spiral his arm up into his body, using the knee closest to him to pop into the back of his knee at Kidney 10, and the lower hand’s forearm to scrape up his arm into his armpit to Heart 1. If done hard or with fa-jing, the hand will continue up into his neck or jaw as you throw him. Or you could simply bring the “lower” hand over the top of his arm as you turn and step, striking him in the jaw, then crank the wrist etc like before, and come around with the hand coming directly into the throat instead of the armpit.
If these points set up the body for the strike as we are told, then we do not necessarily have to know which state an attacker is in, as we can put him there for a moment and execute our strike. I think that is more important than knowing a bunch of theory, which won’t help you with application until after you have learned usage. Anyway, the key is, as others have said, in laying the knowledge over what you have learned, not just reading about some points and trying to poke them real hard. If you can relate the point striking to what you already have learned, and then can use it to augment what you already have, then you are doing well.
BTW, were any of the applications above unclear? They all come directly from the forms.
“I put forth my power and he was broken.
I withdrew my power and he was ground into fine dust.”
-Aleister Crowley, The Vision and the Voice
), at the very least what they’ll be doing is an excellent limb destruction flowing into a closing movement which utilizes sticking, controlling, and listening energies flowing into a powerful strike to the face or throat. Regardless of how successful their point-striking is, they’re still doing something martially sound. In other words, their point-striking doesn’t exist in a vacuum, but is an overlay upon basic martial efficiency.
