Striking

The vast majority of martial arts include striking techniques. Some, like Judo, rely solely on grappling and throwing techniques, but most other martial arts, no matter where they originate, include strikes. The reason for this is obvious: striking tools like the fist and foot are fast, strong and require relatively little skill to do damage.

Some styles, like Tae Kwon Do, are based almost exclusively around strikes. Such styles teach perfection of techniques through training techniques like linework and destruction. Almost all parts of the hand and foot can be used for striking and causing damage, and Tae Kwon Do teaches different foot and hand positions to strike at different target areas. This ensures that the practitioner can both defeat an opponent quickly, and control their techniques to the extent that they desire.

Ryukyu Karate and some other styles (that are now becoming quite rare) teach what is a very famous aspect of martial art - pressure point fighting. This has developed from the ancient oriental technique of acupuncture. The theory is that ch'i (see Glossary) circulates throughout the body in lines known as meridians. On these meridians, at certain places on the body, the ch'i accumulates in points known as pressure points. These points are highly sensitive to touch and can easily be lethal for a trained practitioner. Recently, scientific investigations into pressure points have produced proof of a link between the pressure points and actual nerve ganglions in the body - points where nerves are gathered together and even a gentle strike can upset the body's nervous system.

An oriental chart showing the placing of meridian lines and acupuncture points throughout the body.

Striking techniques include punches and kicks, and less usual attacks such as knees, elbows and headbutts. Almost all martial arts include a vast repetoire of punching and kicking techniques, but only a few, such as Muay Thai and Vale Tudo, emphasise the use of techniques like elbows and knees. Such techniques are probably the most dangerous available to the striking martial artist, and some may argue that these techniques are not art, as they require very little skill or precision to make a damging impact. However, Muay Thai practitioners condition their elbowing and kneeing techniques through years of training in much the same way that other artists practise more spectacular techniques.

<Picture of a thai guy breaking something>

Muay Thai practitioners spend years conditioning their bodies to acheive incredible power in their techniques. As Thai kickboxing is a full-contact sport, injuries are frequent and serious.

Practitioners of striking arts use pads and destruction to practise power. As some techniques can be lethal after years of practise, this is the only possible way of safely judging power.