Dim Mak .. The touch of death

Dim Mak translates to "manipulation of points" or "manipulation of the arteries." The pronunciation of dim mak is an English approximation of the Cantonese term 點 脈, an extension of the Mandarin term dianxue 點穴 which means "manipulation of pressure points", an essential component of some traditional Chinese and Okinawan martial arts such as Shaolin Kung Fu and Karate Jitsu (also known as Ryukyu Kempo, Okinawa-Te, Tode, etc). A few centuries ago, when Dim Mak arrived in Okinawa, it became known as Kyusho Jitsu (in Japanese: the art of pressure points). In the United States, George Dillman took from several Okinawan teachers the basis for developing the Dillman Pressure Point Method, a modern version of Dim Mak (Kyusho Jitsu). Until 2005, two decades after Dillman started spreading it, it has more than 100 affiliated schools around the world, including in China. In the Hispanic world George Dillman has affiliates such as the grandmaster Hernan Fung who resides in Costa Rica.

Often dim mak is known as the touch of death, however this does not seem to be so true since many of the pressure points when attacked do not cause death but other effects such as limb dysfunction or loss of awareness.

For centuries it has been a set of secrets very well kept by the masters who dominated it. They inherited it only from their children and a very small group of close and more trustworthy students. This is the main reason why so many of the modern Kung Fu styles do not encompass Dim Mak and why most Karate styles do not.

In traditional Chinese medicine it is explained that the good flow of the Qì (chi, ki) is vital to enjoy good health. In this way, if there is a problem in this good flow, it will manifest in the human body as a health problem. Chinese acupuncture is based on this and other theories to treat different diseases.

In contrast, Dim Mak / Kyusho Jitsu is also based on theories of traditional Chinese medicine but with a different approach. It is about inducing the damage by obstructing the good flow of the chi by means of light blows or applying pressure on certain points.