This short video lesson looks at some of the ways to really make pressure points work for a knockout. It is for martial artists, self-defence students and anyone who has seen pressure point knockouts online and wondered why they seem to work for some people and fail for others.

A pressure point knockout is not a magic touch. It is the result of getting a few things right at the same moment. Miss one of them and you have just hit someone, which is still useful, but it is not the result you were after.

Why Most Attempts Fail

The common mistakes are the same everywhere I teach:

  • Trying to hit a point on someone who is standing square, balanced and braced
  • Swinging hard and tense, so the strike bounces off instead of going in
  • Hitting the right spot at the wrong angle or in the wrong direction
  • Betting everything on one strike with no set-up before it

Each of these turns a good point into a poor one. The point itself has not changed. The way it was hit has.

What Makes A Knockout More Likely

First, take the balance. A person who is falling, even a little, cannot brace against the strike and cannot protect the target. Balance comes before the point every time.

Second, strike relaxed. A short, loose strike that travels through the target puts far more energy into a point than a stiff punch. I call this waveform power, and it is why smaller and older students can make these points work.

Third, respect angle and direction. The location is only part of it. A point struck straight in can do very little, while the same point struck at the correct angle can drop the legs.

Fourth, set it up. A first strike, a distraction or a change of level opens the point you really want. If the knockout does not come, you have still landed a hard, accurate shot and you carry on.

Training With Control

Knockout points on the head and neck can do real damage. Train them at low power, with a cooperative partner you trust, and never strike the head or neck hard in practice. Learn the location and angle first, then add speed, and only then add movement and resistance.

Take It Further

If you want the full method behind balance, points and waveform power, the Pressure Point Fighting Course takes you through it step by step. For the background on why points work and when they do not, read Pressure Point Fighting: The Complete Guide.