In Martial Arts and Self Defense, students and teachers look to gain a maximum effect, a maximum advantage over their opponents using many methods, one such method is by knowledge of such areas considered by many as “Deadly Pressure Points“.

These extremely sensitive areas of the body will give the ability to cause intense pain quickly and effectively and will create obvious advantages.

In modern day use the outcome does not have to be deadly, pressure points are more so used to gain a significant advantage by producing significant pain in the area when struck or simply when a force is applied to that area.

These areas can be used to gain a significant advantage through intense pain but also you can use them to make the opponent move in a specific direction by applying the force to a specific target. This becomes very practical when applying take-downs (throws) or Hold-Downs (submissions).

Pressure points allow the person applying a technique to use a minimal amount of force to gain a significant effect.

Police and Security Forces throughout the world, rely on these potentially deadly pressure points to maximize the effect of their own techniques. PPCT has become a popular addition to their curriculum.

Deadly Pressure Points exist all over the body and can be accessed in many ways by using many different tools of the body. The fingers, fists, elbows, knees and feet are all ultra valuable tools in accessing these areas effectively.

Another area that can create a significant advantage is the knowledge of motor nerve points, with effective striking ability, this creates the ability to temporarily disable the functionality of a limb, by traumatizing the nerves that supply it.

So in summary, the extreme sensitive areas of the human body should not necessarily be considered as deadly pressure points, however, they can be used to gain a significant advantage by helping you to maximize your effect with a minimal amount of effort.

I am a big fan of UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), it is great to see these athletes getting themselves into superb condition and then climbing into the cage to fight. The big question is what impact is UFC having on Martial Arts today?

Is UFC Helping or Hurting Martial Arts? It  is certainly debatable and I can see cases for both sides of the argument.

The technical ability of these competitors is outstanding; it is also amazing to see the fighters coming from so many different backgrounds, specializing in different areas of combat.

What does concern me though, is the fact that some of the most important attributes of Martial Arts are oftentimes not present within the competitors - Respect, Discipline, Code of Honor, Code of Conduct, etc.

In UFC and Cage Fighting in general, there is too much cussing, disrespecting one another and general misconduct.

Let’s Lead by example!

UFC is right there in the spotlight for everyone to see. It has attracted a great deal of media attention in the last couple of years. Yes, there are some great competitors, demonstrating excellent techniques but it is not a complete representation of Martial arts. Even if that is not what they are trying to be, it is the way they are thought of by many.

The fighters in UFC become role models for children, so they should be conscious of the example that they are setting.

Lets remember that 70% of Martial arts involves children, helping them to become good citizens, team players and leaders through encouraging discipline, respect, conduct, focus, mental and spiritual development and so on.

Many parents do not really know what Martial Arts is, so the likes of UFC is the only picture of Martial arts they have. They have the impression that this is what it’s all about. To think that this is what their children are being prepared for, is in many cases, not really the encouragement required to Promote Martial arts amongst parents.

The types of injuries being received by competitors in MMA and other Cage Fighting  type arenas is certainly keeping surgeons very busy too and that is unlikely to change any time soon.

There are several different opinions spinning around whether or not UFC is hurting or helping Martial Arts. What do you think?

In combat Sport, full contact training is absolutely necessary, however, good sparring gear is a must to ensure safety.

There are many elements of training that must be included in your program, each one of them as important as the next -

• Conditioning
• Strength Training
• Technical Skill Training
• Grappling
• Sparring
• Drills
• Flexibility

By using good sparring gear whilst training, unnecessary injuries will be avoided. This is especially important as most of your sparring will be carried out in the period approaching your competition and you do not want to be carrying injuries into the arena with you.

Depending on your specific Art, some of the following items will be useful -

• Mouthguard
• Head Guard
• Sparring Gloves
• Grappling Gloves
• Groin Protector
• Foot Pads
• Chest Guard

Sparring and Grappling can both be trained at varying levels of intensity but sparring gear will certainly help you to train more safely.

Train Smart - Train Smart - Fightwize

There are so many variations on Jiu Jitsu Throws, some take advantage of the attackers momentum, some take advantage of momentum generated by the thrower, others require good leverage and others may require good mechanical technique. It is knowledge and practice of such areas that allows people to take on much larger and stronger opponents.

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Jiu Jitsu forms the basis of Judo (Throwing Techniques), Karate (Striking Techniques) and Aikido (Joint Manipulation).Judo is one of the Arts that was extracted from Jiu Jitsu, so throws could be practiced safely in a sporting type arena. The Judo throws shown above are the same as the throws used in Jiu Jitsu.It is such variety that makes such a great Art for us to be involved in, the Jiu-Jitsu Throws are just one element that is very dynamic and attracts much attention.

Flexibility in Martial arts is essential for high performance of techniques. Stretching is a must before each training session to ensure your muscles are prepared for optimal performance.

Stretching ensures that you are preparing your body for the demands of training.

Increased flexibility in Martial Arts helps your performance but also decreases the risk of injury both during training and competing.

Stretching is one of the most overlooked areas of your overall health and fitness. Flexibility in Martial arts will also help the general structure for your body as a whole. Many people limit their thought to stretching the legs for the splits and high kicking but it goes far beyond that.

There is some great advice available in many areas now.