Once you understand how and why the shoulders affect balance, distance and power, you can start to use them far more in your training. This video lesson looks at using the shoulders for more advanced techniques: taking the balance, strength and power away from your opponent very quickly and easily, and giving yourself a window of opportunity to strike.

It is for martial artists, pressure point students and self-defence students who want their strikes to land on someone who cannot absorb them.

The Shoulder As A Balance Point

The shoulders are one of the key balance points I teach. The upper body sits on top of the hips, and the shoulders are the easiest place to move it. Turn or push a shoulder on the right angle and the whole body has to follow it, or lose its balance.

A person who has lost their balance has also lost their strength and their power. They cannot punch properly, they cannot grab properly, and they are busy trying to stay on their feet.

Why The Strike Works Better

When your opponent is off balance, a strike has a much better effect. They are less able to absorb the shot because they are not braced for it. Their muscles are working to recover their balance, not to protect the target. A strike that a balanced person might shrug off can have a big effect on someone who is falling.

This is why, in my teaching, balance comes first and the strike or pressure point comes second.

How It Works

Some general principles:

  • Work on an angle, not straight back into their strength
  • Small movements at the shoulder make big movements at the feet
  • Turn the shoulder, rather than just pushing it
  • Strike as the balance goes, not after they have recovered

Look at the principles being used here and think how you can apply them in your own training.

How To Practise It

Work slowly with a cooperative partner. Find the angle where a light touch on the shoulder moves them most. Then add a light strike into the window you create. Pressure points and strikes can cause real injury, so keep everything at low power, with control, and never strike the head or neck hard in practice.

Take It Further

The shoulders and the other balance points are a core part of the Pressure Point Fighting Course. For a full explanation of balance points, read Pressure Point Fighting: The Complete Guide.