Principle of Weather and Time on Vital Points

In the past, ancient Chinese manuscripts have been written about how and when to strike vital points or a specific a pressure point. Contained in these writings, were twelve basic rules which most of the ancient systems strictly followed. Later, as the Chinese visited the Okinawa people, new manuscripts were written by Okinawan masters, but many of these masters hadn’t collected a complete set of these rules. But in China many of the higher martial art systems still follow these rules to this day. A deeper understanding of these twelve rules will certainly assist in your progress in the mastery of striking points. It can also assist you when practicing in the Dojo. Out of these twelve rules, the tenth rule, weather and time is the subject of this article.

Important rules for Striking Points

1. The correct bodily weapon to use.
2. The direction and depth of the strike.
3. Proper breathing control.
4. Age and health of opponent.
5. Sex of opponent.
6. The degree of power.
7. The number of strokes necessary.
8. The stroke technique.
9. The muscle structure of the opponent.
10. The weather and time effects.
11. The length of time before application of strike.
12. The synchronization ability of opponent.

These are basic rules for beginners for the point striking arts.

Part of understanding the tenth rule is to realize that there is a correct time of day to strike most pressure points. The GV meridian and the CV meridian, under normal conditions, have no specific times for striking, any time of day or night is equally potent. All other meridians and their points have a special time for striking. The quandary is in connecting a time to a point and to memorize each and every point with it’s individual time of day. This may have been the very reason why this knowledge has waxed in modern times. But if you are a student of point striking, you may find two reasons to resurrect this information, 1) This additional knowledge makes striking more effective in a life and death struggle. 2) So that injury or even death, may not accidental happen during practice. Which as most of us know, has been the case. An additional consideration is how does the weather effect the time?

Noon Midnight Law

The noon midnight law is used in acupuncture and was adopted for point striking. In the practice of acupuncture, doctors choose certain times of day to treat the various organs for illnesses Yin organs respond best at the time of day they are most active, Yang organs follow the same principle. The vital point striking arts utilize the same concepts. Shown in the charts below, the center number is the highest period for activity , for example, in the Gall Bladder the times below show us three hours, 11 pm is the starting point of a rise in activity, 1 am is the time the meridian levels activity back to normal, but 12 o’clock is the highpoint of activity. So 12 o’clock is the proper time for highest activity for healing as well as striking. In the earlier Chinese manuscripts each point listed had a single hour beside each and every point. The most commonly known time chart is the wheel chart below. To the left is another commonly used time chart, note that the times are slightly different. But each chart has a singular high activity time, in which doctors of old and the martial artists alike would activate necessary pressure points.

The Standard Noon Midnight Time Table

60 to 70 degrees

Yin & Yang

Note that the wheel chart is cut in half, one half Yin the other half Yang, this is the key to the direction of the flow of energy (QI) or the direction that the energy travels. This is helpful information because when striking a point, there are three methods used

1. stopping energy
2. reversing energy
3. accelerating energy.

Construct your own chart

It is possible to construct a chart with your systems pressure points using the time charts above. Below is a partial sample of the Shin Shu time chart. You may want to apply the above chart to the list of pressure points your school uses.

Shin Shu Ryu

Single strike vital points of the head and neck.
With activity times.
Sampler

You now may orientate your striking points by time to use in a combat situation. Also, to construct a safety time schedule for practice. The striking points marked “time open”, are doubly dangerous because the effect that may be caused by a strike, may vary and that variance can be instantaneous or delayed. The doubled striking points are dangerous also because the first point time interlocks with the second point time which gives the point a variance of six hours of high activity.

THE HEAD

THE NECK

Shin Shu Ryu

24 hour single strike pressure points sample of active times.

A few things are noticeable right away from the sample charts above that I have given. The first thing is that if you add in points you already know, you can expand your own chart according to time. And some simple experiments can be made by using pressing, tapping or rubbing these points listed above or your own points in and around the proper times listed. This will give you a working understanding of how time can dramatically increase effectiveness. Also that the point combinations marked with a * , show two things, one is that when two points are hit at the same time, like GB #1 & TW #23 on the temple, this combination can be hit at two activity times in the same day. But in the case of LI # 18 & ST #9, with times that over lap, LI with 6 to 8 am and ST #9 with 8 to 10 am, it now starts to become clear that the strike time enlarges by additional hours, 7,8,9 interlocking hours of highest activity. The over all range of time for these strikes are from 10 pm to 2 am, in the case of this particular combination. Given the understanding that points exist within inches of one and other, combination of points can be hit without even knowing it. Because of time, the effects seem to vary, but the truth of the matter is that the point you may be testing has been tapping another point all along! This is the very reason why masters of ancient times used a lot of one or two finger strikes and single or double knuckle strikes. With this knowledge a true understanding of why a hand or foot weapon may be listed and why they change from school to school.

Weather and Time

An additional complication to vital point striking times is that temperature changes the activity time of the meridian and therefore the points strike. In other words, the temperature or weather conditions, can be a definite factor in the outcome of striking a point successfulness. Temperatures that range from 30 degrees to over 100 degrees changes the best strike time or it’s high point of activity dramatically. At 90 degrees the above noon midnight chart has been made worthless. Simply because the mathematical sequence listed above deteriorates. Some points have a longer span of time, instead of a three hour span, a individual point can have a 4 or 5 hour span. Some points not only change times but flip from AM to PM! And strange as it may seem, many CV & GV points, develop a specific striking time rather than having a open activity time. Scientifically speaking, a question arises, is there a mathematical way to decode the changes that weather or temperatures bring? Can it be figure-able and brought down to a typical cycle or ratios? The answer is NO!

That would be like trying to apply mathematics’ to Quantum Physics. Acupuncture’s medical theory, of noon midnight applies only in 60 to 70 degree temperatures, Manuscripts like The Bubishi, state that strike points have a special active time for striking but the Bubishi does not mention weather fluctuations to activity which will cause deviations in time, But the old Chinese manuscripts do! As temperature Changes all meridians grow more and more radical. An example, at 80 to 90 degrees, one point goes from a three hour span, as another changes from AM to PM, as another shortens from three hours to two!
Another thought to consider is, when two adversaries battling it out, there body’s heat up (see rule number 11). These rule lets use know that the strikes maybe more successful later rather than sooner, due to body’s higher heat factor and can also change strike times just as the weather does.
Also there is a real and ever present danger to repeatedly striking points (rule number 7). When in practice an extensive knowledge of time and temperature along with health ( rule number 4), has become fatal from time to time. The cause may not be detectable by medical science, and a cure can be elusive.

Safety First

There are safe ways to learn all about striking points and that’s the old school way. By kata and kata data from a truly qualified instructor and by repetition of Kata, And two man sets. Never ever strike a point for practice, tap with the proper hand weapon, using a light bouncing action. You may also lightly press down on a vital point. Another method is to use a rolling action on a point.

You maybe asking at this point, how will I know if what I have learned really works? My answer to my students, “you will know when and if the time comes.” Let’s hope that the time never comes! The fool chatters the wise lesson. Or, do you feel lucky? Well do ya? I sure don’t, I’m not all that lucky!

Below is a sample of a document from ancient Chinese manuscript called, the 25 Dim Mak points. This document tells us that the weather or temperature will change the strike times of each point in different ways according to each point. This particular school, lists 25 points with four time changes per point according to temperature. The same thing is true of all points of the meridians in the entire body. Combinations are not listed for the simple reason that listing those effects becomes much to complicated. But in the case of warfare, horrorable effects do not matter, dead is dead, but in today’s civilized world, we need to take note and not play with death.

A question that has come up from time to time is, “does the noon midnight wheel chart apply no matter where on the globe you live?” Answer: the wheel chart is constant no matter where you live because it is ruled by the Sun & Moon & the pitch of the earth.

Unfortunately accidental deaths do occur

I was notified by a MA instructor, about an accidental death of a NH student. His death was due to his unauthorized practice of striking pressure points. Namely the ST# 9 point, This student along with another decided to practice striking each other in the dojo without supervision. When the head instructor saw them, he stopped it, but it was too late.

One of the two students died two days after attending a seminar on pressure point striking. One of the two students suffered no ill effects, the other was found dead in his NH apartment the following day. I personally knew this student from teaching at his school about a year earlier. I remember him as a great guy, a fine student, but a little impetuous, and fixated on learning pressure points. He dogged me constantly, which I declined on account of his immaturity and rank.

Over the years, I have had countless questions by e-mail and phone call, from martial students who suddenly became very ill after attending one of these seminars. Accidental illnesses and death happens because, 1) Two impulsive, students get together to practice after going to a seminar, as in the case above, 2) And equally dim-witted instructors who, would take it upon himself to practice by striking his students.

Conclusions

In conclusion, I have presented one of the twelve rules, weather & time and touched upon a few of the others. Weather & time would be impossible to understand unless the manuscripts were in your position. I will present the other rules as time allows. But pondering the other rules now that you’ve seen them, will just take a little thought on your part to understand better. The twelve rules are worthy of contemplation, to those who wish to master the art of striking vital points. Each one of these rules, has a separate and astonishing value. Mastery of any one of the twelve, will ignite a lesser apprentice ability to a prominent noteworthy capability. Take rule number three, control of breathing. You may think, “well, I know about breathing, what’s to study?” But that’s the rub. Is there more to it than breathing in and out. Or if you were to think further more deeply about it, is there additional information which will enhance your potency? Think of it, what would happen if the secrets to all twelve rules were mastered?

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