







|
 |
Vital Points
Overview
As every jitsuka knows the body is an amazing thing. It can withstand all manner of assaults,
and whilst a jitsuka can explore their own limits, they must learn to exploit the major
weaknesses of the human body. A perfect exemplification of this is something known to martial
artists the world over as vital points, or to jitsuka studying shorinji kan jiu jitsu as ...
"dangerous parts".
These are parts of the body that when attacked will do one of the following:
- Cause a great deal of pain
- Cause a great deal of pain and permanent damage
- Cause a great deal of pain, permanent damage and death
As you can see these points are noteworthy by their effect. All of these points are reasonably
obvious to anyone who has studied anatomy, and there are many more sources out there that can
provide a much more extensive list.
This kata form of strikes to these points is only taught to jitsuka over 17 years of age. Younger
jitsuka will often learn these strikes quite naturally for finishing off an opponent - but they
are never taught the full kata.
Jitsuka should be particularly careful when using any of these points.
Demonstrating
The dangerous parts kata is (almost) always demonstrated with a partner. This allows the tori to
demonstrate that he knows exactly where and how to strike the uke. The instructor will call out
which section (see below) of the kata he wishes to see demonstrated, and then he will call out
(usually in order) which dangerous part to demonstrate.
The position for the techniques should always be held until the next technique is called for.
Sections
The dangerous parts kata is grouped into three general sections.
| Head - |
This consists of a number of points available on the head when facing an opponent. |
| Body - |
This sounds like it could cover everything, but it is used to group together several points available
when facing an opponent, but excluding the head. |
| Back - |
The back covers all points available when standing behind an opponent. This includes some based
around the head. |
|
 |