Please take a moment to read this. Thank you for being a sheepdog. And for those of you who received this who don’t think you’re a sheepdog, I would argue that I have personally witnessed differently.

Sheep, Sheepdogs, and Wolves

Jill Edwards is a junior math major at the University of Washington. In brief, Edwards, a member of the UW student senate, opposed a memorial to UW grad "Pappy" Boyington. Boyington was a U.S. Marine aviator who earned the Medal of Honor in World War II. Edwards said that she didn't think it was appropriate to honor a person who killed other people. She also said that a member of the Marine Corps was NOT an example of the sort of person the University of Washington wanted to produce.

Entered below is Gen. Dula's letter to the University of Washington
student senate leader.

To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW)

Re: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

Miss Edwards, I read of your 'student activity' regarding the proposed memorial to Col Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from conservative folks like me. You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naiveté.

It may be that you are, simply, a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep - - as long as you know and accept what you are. Please take a couple of minutes to read the following. And be grateful for the thousands - - millions - - of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.

Brett Dula

Sheepdog, retired

----------------------------------------------------------

ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS By LTC (RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D., author of "On Killing."

Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for? -William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 One Vietnam Veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me, it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell.

Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there whom will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.

But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa." Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do inAfrica, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers -athletes, business people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.

If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.

Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?" It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear, helplessness and horror at your moment of truth. Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling."

Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level. And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes. If you are a warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself..."Baa."

This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

"If It Weren't For The United States Military and the Local Police, there Would Be No United States of America". God Bless You All! Soke Merriman

Residents who witnessed this horrible chain of events, which took only seconds, ran for their own lives. And, then the blame game started. Rich’s family and friends spoke glowingly of a man who would give you the shirt off his back. Miller’s family initially took some heat because of his father’s (Frazier Glenn Miller's)White Supremacist past 20 years ago. But, the family reached out to the locals and expressed their grief at this senseless tragedy too. They (like the Columbine shooters families) could not explain their sibling's reaction to a simple car accident after a couple of bad days with his girlfriend.

[L-R: Officer Andy Clark's injuries in his near-death brush with Jesse Miller; all photos are from KSPR 33 website]

Of course, the man whose family was left to deal with the aftermath was the young Marionville officer who, to this day, is lucky to be alive and still cannot fully use his left arm. Officer Clark says what was on most of our minds who didn’t just want to have a group hug and get on with life, "I think he would have walked into town and there's no telling how many people he would have shot." He did his job and protected his flock. A young officer who has lost his livelihood and doctors say is lucky because the shot narrowly missed his spine and an artery in his neck. His wife, Rhonda, also lived through this recent episode as one of the first responders to the scene of her husband’s shooting.

And, what do we take from this? As a previous prosecutor in Lawrence County (from 1997-99), soke has more than passing familiarity with Marionville, Missouri, which sits in Lawrence County. A quiet, sleepy little town where nothing ever happens. Just, like good ‘ol Springfield. People...WAKE UP! Kirkwood, Missouri, Columbine, Colorado, ad nauseum! These are not big cities. Predators are striking where the sheep live quietly in their pastoral surroundings. But, just last week, a church in the toughest patrol district in Springfield panicked and threw a hissy fit about a parishioner even suggesting a security team (unarmed but, with radio communication) in their midst. The wailing and gnashing of teeth was long and loud while the women in that congregation lost their freaking mind. Soke even lost a good student over the mess when a wife put her foot down and ordered him out of the aiki ju jitsu program.

We continue to learn nothing from these shootings, folks! The price of safety is vigilance and you have to stop whining whenever someone points this out to you, particularly, if you do not want to take point. You see, at the same time soke’s lost student was getting his come-uppance, less than 90 seconds away from that latter church, William Lamar Aspaugh (a 45-year-old Springfield thug) stabbed 34-year-old Dwight Scott to death for an alleged insult over a stolen pitbull! And...that...is why you have to pull your head firmly from your rectum folks. It ain’t Mayberry no more anywhere!

-----Original Message-----
From: L K Tucker [mailto:kc4iai@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 4:12 PM
To: martiallaw@hushmail.com
Subject: Site Feedback George A Dillman Explained

I found your site while performing reverse searches from hits to my site. Please forward this message to the author, or person responsible for the review of the article about Dillman, on the linked page. I was struck by Dillman and Seung Hui Cho articles being together without your realizing the two are connected. My site is about a little known problem with the physiology of sight related to the vision startle reflex. It caused mental breaks for office workers in the 1960's. The cubicle has been used for forty years to prevent what is a believed-to-be- harmless mental episode.

You are correct in that Dillman does not possess superhuman or supernatural powers. He does believe what he attempts as Dim Mak no touch Chee strikes. (It appears to work because of hypersuggestability. It doesn't work with non-students.) Why he believes it is at the heart of the problem on my site. Low-level long-term Qi Gong or Kundalini Yoga exercise sessions produce a fixed altered mental state where other such beliefs appear. Kundalini Yoga Gurus might believe they can levitate, dematerialize, walk through solid objects unharmed, and read your thoughts/control your actions through mental telepathy. Any exercise that uses the same eyes-open concentration with repeating detectable movement in peripheral vision has the potential to create these bizarre mental states. Look at what you must believe regarding Qi Gong. Standing in a group and waving your arms and legs in unison grants you the power to control powerful energy responsible for creating the Universe.

I write people who have expressed an interest in some aspect of this because I believe this same phenomenon is responsible for disappearances and strange suicides of college students. Perform the demonstration of subliminal sight and habituation in peripheral vision to understand how subliminal Distraction exposure begins. The 'Qi Gong psychotic reaction' page has a longer explanation. The Virginia Tech shooter created the "special circumstances" to cause this exposure. When he had the believed-to-be-harmless mental event he planned and killed 32 people.

L K Tucker
In Montgomery AL This email address is not on the site.

-----Original Message-----
From: martiallaw@hushmail.com

To: L K Tucker [mailto:kc4iai@hotmail.com]

Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 8:43 PM

Subject: RE: Site Feedback George A Dillman Explained

Interesting. We have studied a similar phenomenon in US army marksman observer situations where our marksman experience "phantom" appearances, etc. while staring fixedly at the same target without sufficient eye relief. You can actually begin to "see" and experience phenomenon which are not actually there. Hence, why we are instructed to frequently break eye contact and look at something else allowing our peripheral vision to keep track of the mark. Failure to do so can lead to vertigo, etc. too. When I update our newsletter, I will include your remarks if you do not mind. Thank you!

-----Original Message-----
From: L K Tucker [mailto:kc4iai@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 4:12 PM
To: martiallaw@hushmail.com
Subject: Site Feedback George A Dillman Explained

Please do include the email in your newsletter. You may also use any information on the website. You might note that I propose that PTSD is actually caused by this same phenomenon when the battle situation and group living arrangements create Subliminal Distraction. The outcome of WWI exposure in trench warfare and barracks living would have caused heavy exposure. Look at the YouTube links to video of "shell shock" during that campaign. The mistake being made is to assume that the subjects of flash backs are the cause of those mental events. There is no evidence that this is true.

I had panic attacks that suddenly just stopped. I had changed computers and moved the location to a corner of the room where I could not have SD exposure. The first position was on a room divider where all family members could walk by me as I used the computer. If you have previous traumatic experiences they are recalled by your brain in an effort to associate the effects and sensations of panic attacks. An important detail is that you can have exposure from more than one place in the same day. This is because subliminal sight does not identify the movement in peripheral vision it just triggers a warning reflex when movement is detected. When you learn to consciously ignore distracting movement it is never identified by your mind.

A fact which is lost in this new millennium of dojo "masters" (self-promoted or otherwise) who have never actually been cut with a knife or shot with a sidearm. The old military adage, "A man with experience is never at the mercy of man with an opinion" rears its ugly head. In short, you folks who learned your trade in the dojo or in the ring (amateur or professional) have very little to teach outside of physical fitness, self-esteem and winning a trophy. And, of course, I have been preaching this doctrine since the 1980’s to deaf ears as "black belts" strut the streets secure in the knowledge that they can "kick ass". Hence, why, police officers and soldiers disdain (now more than ever) not only these civilian "masters" but, even their own trainers (taught by these guys) who have not worked the streets or the battlefield for years and, for some, in their entire careers. Martial "arts" "magic" which does not work in the field against large, drunken thugs who are Hell-bent on resisting arrest or kicking your ass has given everyone a bad name because we do not speak up. Hence, my problem in Las Vegas this year with some of the training and, although I love these guys, I am going to put in my two cents!

As noted, my friend (a high ranking master) demonstrated the touch knock out on me back in 2003 and, after tasting metal in my mouth when I dusted my butt, I memorized the parlor tricks and returned home excited that I had now become a werewolf. Even going so far as to assist him later at a banquet when he did it again against two huge body-builders who were at the event. And, that is when Dr. Emilio Moore came unglued. He told us that we were foolish for doing these "nerve" strikes without learning and appreciating the resuscitation techniques first. And, never to teach these strikes to impressionable young people who could, ham-handedly, cause permanent nerve damage to seminar attendees who did not know any better. After all, we are either justified in causing "serious physical injury" (nerve damage, facial paralysis, stroke, heart-attack, loss of smell/taste, etc.) in a street fight or we are not. But, never on-the-mat where we are teaching those we love, respect, and/or are trying to help. But, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions after all.

Regardless, in 2003, I went back to my instructor (Soke Scott Sikes) and asked him for his cooperation in learning the "dim mak" nerve strikes and I learned something even more interesting. It made him sad to teach it to me simply because he saw that an ancient Chinese accupressure meridian (the gall bladder or cardiac depending on which idiot is teaching it to you) was being abused to make a buck. And, he taught me the basics and had me read the work of Erle Montague and Wally Simpson, "The Encyclopedia of Dim Mak" (both volumes) telling me that these two men had prostituted a very dangerous subject for the sake of making a buck. And, honestly, after talking to Sikes, I was more scared of what I learned, i.e., teaching it to others, than I was being excited to being exposed to a new theory. In other words, short of being a professional assassin killing unarmed (and ignorant), unsuspecting victims, I found the dim mak system to be totally irrelevant on a modern battlefield, except to heal injuries. Why? Because they will not work and I am firmly convinced of that fact!

That is not to say that I have not used these bo, gin and set points to charge those meridians and allow me to teach warriors who had been previously exposed to PPCT ’esque "pressure point" applications (and who thought they were useless before my training) the "correct" way that pressure points in the lower extremities work, i.e., distraction and enhancement; but, that does not equate to a practical, battlefield application of dim mak for someone who has spent only an hour with you at a seminar. Again, the "wake ups" seemed more practical to me and I counted 6 traditional plus modern CPR and artificial breathing. In fact, two other World Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductees, Rick Moneymaker (TCM practitioner), see, http://www.usadojo.com/biographies/rick-moneymaker.htm; and Thomas P. Muncy, Jr. (TCM practitioner), see, http://www.usadojo.com/biographies/thomas-muncy.htm; had dealt with similar topics from a medical standpoint and their seminars were not populated with this tent revival atmosphere that appeared in the Dillman video. In other words, an entrepreneur selling his brand of dim mak to young, inexperienced, non-resisting seminarees (believers) regardless of prior training, age or experience.

Now, here I am in Las Vegas in 2007 and a young, 30+ year old man in a hakama is on the mat teaching what appeared to be a one-hour seminar on pressure points?? OK, and the rondori and basic aikido seemed adequate for the first 20 minutes, albeit, his opinions about traditional martial arts were both arrogant and peppered with the phrase "I think" and "I believe". I mean, I was taught at that age to keep my opinions to myself and sit there and learn--the arrogance of youth. In fact, these modern, constant references to me as "grand master" make me uncomfortable because I am not a grand master. Rank is irrelevant and, I consider my old, creaky self to still be a student of martial arts not a master, grand or otherwise. But, here is this young guy ridiculing the old school and opining about nerve strikes to the arms and torso as his modern contribution to martial "arts" as if Senseis Jim Harrison and Steve Mackey had never existed in the 1970’s teaching the original budo kai in Bushidokan. If there is one thing I have learned, nothing is new. It is all the same, old, tried and true budo and bunkai which is just waiting to be learned.

But, the sensei in Las Vegas was going on and on about his wealth of street experience in the sovereign state of Kansas, so, I looked him up on the Internet today and found a wealth of his youtube parlor tricks and such, but, nothing really new under the sun. Again, just, aikido with a rudimentary spattering of sport ju jitsu and some Chinese nerve striking. Well...at least not like the Serbian’s Real Aikido which (in my opinion is supercharged, old school and the best I have ever seen in 40+ years) or Fred Mastison’s aikido in Phoenix, Arizona, which I have the privilege of seeing each year at the Hall of Fame event. And, also, guess what? The young guy’s credentials confirmed that he had only been studying since 1991 and had no prior military or law enforcement experience on the streets. Just...dojo training!

Now, I do not spout this to information to belittle this man. Again, his aikido was pretty damned good for a 3rd dan. But, brother, don’t tell me about CQB when your uke is a 50+-year-old woman or an impressionable kid from your own program who is doing the pre-programmed kata. To each his own but, I have the right to reject the premise! The Las Vegas event was entertaining and each seminar instructor is selling his own variation of the truth and c’est les vies. Live and let live I always say.

I lay out the foregoing to simply lay the groundwork for what I loathed in the last 40-minutes of his Las Vegas seminar. Now, again, I do not know this guy personally but, my gut has saved my butt more than once and it was telling me that he is badge-heavy (self absorbed) and dangerous to himself and others. You see, he has created another prong of what I consider to be extremely dangerous liability born out of sheer ignorance and that is why I am writing this article. I mean no disrespect but, again, I call it the way I see it and this nonsense had better stop before someone gets hurt and everyone gets sued. Enough said! As I watched the live demonstration in Las Vegas and tried not to take umbrage at this young man’s "shots" at other systems (you don’t build up your program by tearing down another), I was talking to one of his disciples (a very likable fellow) and when I looked up again, the kid on the mat had switched from nerve strikes to the torso and he said (paraphrasing) "Now, let’s talk about Ryukyu (Kempo) and bunki". And, my ears perked up.

I had heard this shtick before and it surrounded a video that I was sent a few years back (after I had practiced dim ching in Cleveland with my friend as referenced above) where a guy named George Dillman had knocked out a young African-American in a dojo seminar and then could not "wake up" the guy for several long, dangerous minutes. In the video I saw, this white guy (Dillman) did a dim ching parlor trick and the non-resisting black kid went down hard--not to rise again any time soon. And, I was aghast because this Dillman character even appeared to have crossed the meridian and was striking to both sides of the uke’s body, in a syncopated manner, with enough force which was sure to cause damage to the kid. At least if why I had been taught was true! In fact, I was specifically taught not to do that to an African-American (susceptible to high blood pressure) or someone with a history of heart disease because of the likelihood of causing a cardiac arrhythmia. But, now (in 2007) here was this new kid, apparently, getting ready to do it right in front of me in Las Vegas to anyone, regardless of age or physical condition, with the only caveat that "You know your own physical condition" and no real, specific warnings about the unintended consequences of what could, very likely, happen to people who appeared to have never done any nerve striking before.

And, I will never forget his next words, "Now, normally, we work on the resuscitation techniques first but, today...." [liability per se if someone got hurt] and I got even more worried because several of my students were standing right there and couldn’t wait to play vampire. I turned to the disciple and said, "Hey that looks like that George Dillman stuff" only to be told by him that our young sensei (his mentor) was one of Dillman’s graduates, and, I GOT REALLY WORRIED! So, I pulled my guys off to the side and warned them if I saw them doing the nerve strikes, at all, there would be Hell to pay when we got home. And, the sensei looks over at me and says, "Is there a problem?" I guess he could not figure it out for himself. And, I think I have really ticked this guy off when it is he, not me, who has got his ass hanging out. And, if he is lucky (as even his disciple admitted) maybe he and Televangelist Benny Hinn will never permanently take away someone’s sense of taste or smell or cause a cardiac event.

So, here we go, I want to address this new liability genre because I ran George Dillman’s name on the Internet today too and was dismayed to see that he is now off and running with his "seminar" program all over the world where he is troweling out, apparently at $200 per head, dangerous nerve strikes to anyone with the money with apparently no regard for the safety of the seminar attendees or the lack of effect in the field. Unless I am missing the medical personnel on the video I have seen and the disclaimers. In fact, for an example of his sanctioned advertising, see, http://www.cbma.ca/dillman-seminar-london-2003.shtml.

YIKES! No offense intended to these Canadians but, I will not even begin to criticize this for the dangerous pastime that it is. If, in fact, someone is foolish enough to do this stuff on the mat without having medical personnel standing by (right there) and the instructors are going to stand idly by and let their students knock each other loopy, with the seminar sponsor(s) totally unconcerned about the liability, who am I to criticize? I’ll tell you who--a lawyer who sees one Hell of lawsuit coming when (not if) someone gets hurt--that’s who! I made the same statement when sport ju jitsu guys in the 1990’s began to train stand-up, hard-contact enthusiasts neck grappling when they did not take into account their age, enthusiasm and the danger of what they were proposing. And, all of us who do teach grappling, know what happened to our insurance premiums after these guys got a few necks broken at their 1 and 2-day seminars.

So, PROBLEM #1 with this nonsense is the danger to the seminar attendees--they are not street thugs. Again, I do not believe this stuff works in a combat environment with a dedicated, motivated, non-cooperating tango. But, even if it did, I am speaking to the civil liability, and morality, indigenous to the seminar genre--these kids are the GOOD GUYS who look up to us for guidance and help. We should not be exposing them to the unacceptable risk inherent in nerve striking to the head and neck--NO EXCEPTIONS! If we are teaching mature, older (minimum age 40) trainers, there may be an exception to this rule, after full disclosure and the medical ramifications in a training environment which, by necessity, is going to take at least 2 days--the first for the medical implications, dangers and resuscitation; and then (and only then) the nerve striking sequences. And, in fact, one of the resuscitation techniques I think I saw in Las Vegas (vagal nerve stimulation) has been criticized in the last Western medical literature I read for fear of arterial plaquing and the risk of a stroke??? Someone with more experience can respond to the wisdom of that "massage" technique and smacking the alarm point in the back. Again, I am a lawyer not a doctor.

PROBLEM #2--Touting this stuff as the magic, silver-bullet is unequivocal, b*** sh** and (like other nonsense which, today, passes for mainstream martial arts) and should not be touted as some pseudo-religious way of self-defense, thus, creating false expectations among the martial arts community. Because when you try your dim ching (Dillman system or otherwise) in combat and step back to admire your handiwork, you are going to get your ass kicked. Again, I am just a small-town lawyer and aiki-jujitsu instructor, so what do I know when the great "grandmaster" of dim mak preaches to the contrary. For that answer, I direct the reader to the following article which is taken, verbatim, from www.bullshido.com/articles/dillman-article-6.html. I am going to re-print it in its entirety because these guys have been my source for martial "arts" intell. on more than one occasion and I think the public has a right to know what kids are exposing themselves to when they are being taught that (as lower belts [white belt through 4th dan]) they now have the internal power to knock out opponents with just a waive/touch of the hand:

"George A. Dillman is the chief instructor for Dillman Karate International, an organization of approximately 85 schools boasting an enrollment of over 15,000 students worldwide. George A. Dillman is a creative entrepreneur. This one time martial arts hobbyist was able to find a niche in general martial arts theory within which to sell a hypothetical explanation. Dillman's sales pitch is that traditional kata, taught as part of the standard Ryukyu Kempo curriculum, contains hidden meanings or "bunki" that are disguised by the movements performed. Mr. Dillman claims to have "discovered" the true secret meaning in these kata; understanding and mastery of the true bunki within the kata will supposedly result in the practitioner becoming a complete and deadly fighter. (*Please note that the terms Ryukyu Kempo, Okinawan Kempo, and Okinawan Martial Arts are used interchangeably throughout this article and refer to the general doctrine of martial study, which has branched off into many different styles, that originated in Okinawa).

Mr. Dillman believes that the movements performed through these kata are a series of pressure point strikes and joint manipulations. Further, he has stated that these allegedly hidden strikes can cause varying degrees of damage to an opponent, including discomfort, paralysis, or even death. Specifically, Mr. Dillman states that the common/modern interpretation of most of the kata found in Ryukyu Kempo is either completely ineffective for its stated application or simply does not make sense. According to Dillman, this misinterpretation was an intentional result of disguising the true bunki meaning for the safety of the children who were first taught the art. Initially, Ryukyu Kempo was introduced to school children by Anko Itosu around the turn of the 19th century. The primary focus of the art was modified for the children from combat to exercise and personal development. As a result, the secret meaning of the Ryukyu Kempo katas were withheld so that the teacher could test the dedication of the individual student. Instructors would only reveal the true deadly nature of the movements to those students who demonstrated the utmost commitment and had proven themselves deserving of the knowledge.

During the pre-World War II era, Ryukyu Kempo teachers in Okinawa sought to popularize their art within imperial Japan. As part of their attempt to make the art more mainstream in Japan they changed the name of the art to Karate-do from the older, more Chinese name, which was Ryukyu Kempo to-do jitsu. Further, the people of Okinawa, being as ethnocentric as any other culture, closely guarded the true bunki of the art and purposefully withheld the true meaning of the katas from the Japanese. The Japanese were shown the same art that was initially taught to Okinawan children by Anko Itosu, i.e., Karate-do. As a result, America's post World War II occupation of Okinawa and Japan exposed American servicemen to the watered down Karate-do, rather than the true Ryukyu Kempo. Thus, the rudimentary explanations or bunki for the kata, originally provided to Okinawan school children, is the bunki that was brought back to the United State by our service men. Allegedly, the "true deadly" bunki of Ryukyu Kempo katas, consisting of debilitating pressure point strikes and joint manipulations, were lost…Well, that was until Mr. Dillman made the deadly true kata bunki of Ryukyu Kempo known to the public. This is the nutshell history behind Mr. Dillman’s art. It has all the makings of legend or maybe a "C" level Americanized chop-socky movie. An allegedly ancient martial art that has deadly secret techniques that MAY have roots in another ancient and secret martial art from India called Marma adi. After centuries of oppression of the Okinawan people by the Japanese samurai the super secret ancient deadly techniques are revealed to the common man by our hero, George Dillman, who proceeds to ride his cash cow into the sunset.

But who is George A. Dillman? Where did he come from? Why should we trust him and his theories for "self-defense"? Why do people seem to pass out or sometimes collapse when Mr. Dillman pokes them in the neck or even when he doesn’t touch them at all? Why does everyone seem to attack Mr. Dillman with a slow and contrived lunge punch? Why doesn’t that guy let go of Mr. Dillman’s wrist or lapel after he starts his technique? Is Mr. Dillman bullshido?....Whoa, whoa, whoa…slow down reader, one step at a time. Mr. Dillman and the arguably theoretical application of his martial art, Kyusho-jitsu, is a big apple and we must take one bite at a time. Read on. The worst that can happen is this article provokes you to do a little more research prior to learning a theoretical and untested martial art. At best, this article will provide you with the information you need to be able to make up your own mind. The Man:George A. Dillman presently holds a 9th degree black belt in Ryukyu Kempo Tomari-te. It would appear that Dillman was originally a student of Isshinryu Karate master Harry G. Smith. It is assumed by this author that Dillman got his exposure to Okinawan karate through Mr. Smith and then subsequently floated off on his own from there. Dillman apparently went on to study with Daniel K. Pai (controversial founder of Pai Lum Kung Fu), Robert Trias (who studied a variety of Chinese and Japanese martial arts while stationed in the Pacific theater during WWII and is believed to have opened the first Karate school in the United States, in Phoenix, Arizona, 1946) and Taika Seiyu Oyata (said to be responsible for introducing Tuite and Kyusho-Jitsu to the United States in 1977). Dillman has also claimed to be the only person who has trained with both Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee.

As far as martial arts accomplishments, Dillman was a National Karate Champion, primarily in forms and breaking, during the years 1969 through 1972. He is apparently the holder of approximately 327 trophies in forms, fighting, weapons, and breaking. He has been on a variety of television shows over the years and claims to have been a professional boxer for three years. However, this author was not able to verify whether Dillman was or was not ever a professional boxer. For the past decade or so, Dillman has traveled the world teaching seminars on Kyusho-jitsu and Tuite-jitsu claiming to have identified the secret traditional movements of the old Ryukyu Kempo forms as described above. He has produced a DVD instructional series on pressure points and pressure point fighting, and he has authored five instructional books and one children’s book with a student of his, Chris Thomas. Four of these books will be referenced and briefly reviewed at the end of this article. The vast majority of self-defense techniques taught in Dillman’s Kyusho-kitsu and Tuite-jitsu are in response to the following attacks: The menacing finger point; The wicked angry fist shake; The slow looping cross; The contrived straight lunge punch; A variety of nasty bear hugs; and finally The unbreakable lapel and/or wrist grab.

To fully understand the difference between Dillman’s interpretation these traditional Okinawan Kempo self-defense techniques and kata and the modern interpretation of the same techniques lets look at the following basic kata: The modern, or karate-do, interpretation of this opening sequence of Pinan Shodan is as follows: "The attacker is performing a 2 strike combination. The fist strike is with the rear chambered fist (a half-moon lunge punch). In response to this the defender faces the incoming punch while drawing up into a cat stance and performs an inside/out block to counter the first punch. The other hand should be above the defender’s head to prepare for countering the next strike. The attacker then throws a reverse punch with his other hand. The defender then traps the strike with both arms and strikes the attacker with a lead punch while chambering the other arm at his hip." Dillman’s interpretation of this same opening sequence is as follows: "The attacker throws a lead jab. In response, Dillman goes into the cat stance and grabs the punch with the hand that is by Dillman’s head while simultaneously punching the attacker in the face with the other hand. Better yet, with the catching hand, Dillman grasps the attacker’s wrist on two pressure points on the wrist and then strikes the attacker with a one-knuckle punch directed to a pressure point behind the attacker’s ear. After the first strike, Dillman pulls the grabbed wrist down to his waist while simultaneously striking the attacker on the other side of the face at a pressure point on the jaw." Most importantly, in his books Dillman provides the following warning to people who intend on practicing this technique utilizing the secret bunki: ‘WARNING: as shown, the technique crosses the head striking vital points on both sides. Do not hit these points in practice!’ [NOTE FROM MR. MERRIMAN--NO CRAP! So, why were we crossing the points at the Las Vegas seminar??]

Lets look to something even more basic and fairly constant in Okinawan martial art styles, the upward block. The modern, karate-do, interpretation of this common block is just as stated by the instructor in the video, i.e., commonly used to block an overhead strike coming at the defender. Dillman’s interpretation of this blocking technique is as follows: "Application 1 – The attacker tries to grab your lapel or shirt. You catch the hand with one hand grasping pressure points on your attacker’s wrist. You then twist the attacker’s arm so the palm is up, and press upward (like the block) with your thumb striking a pressure point just above the attackers elbow to hyperextend the attacker’s arm. During this the defender pulls the attacker forward into the arm lock by chambering the grasping hand." "Application 2 – The attacker strikes at your abdomen. You catch the strike with one hand grasping pressure points on your attacker’s wrist. You then strike down onto a pressure point just below the elbow on the inside of the attacker’s trapped arm and proceed with the upward arm motion. However, instead of a block this motion is actually a backhand strike to a pressure point on the attacker’s jaw."

As stated above, Dillman’s apparently derived his base of knowledge in Okinawan martial arts from his exposure to Isshin-ryu Karate early on in his career. Further, it would appear that the Isshin-ryu community, as well as most other Okinawan based martial arts styles, acknowledge that the bunki of the various techniques and kata do contain pressure point strikes to vital areas, similar to what Dillman has revealed. The major question or issue that many martial artists have with regard to Dillman’s interpretation of these techniques is not so much the details of the actual interpretation, but whether his interpretations of these kata and techniques can be applied in an alive setting. Typically Dillman’s techniques are performed or demonstrated on his students or on other persons who are otherwise "believers" in his methods. Thus, it is common to watch Dillman or his instructors "strike" someone with what appears to be no more than a firm poke only to see the opponent collapse to the ground as if he had been just hit with a right cross from Roy Jones, Jr.

The following is typical of a Dillman seminar where the opponent gets allegedly "KOed" with a pressure point strike: Neither the body mechanics used nor the amount of force applied to the strike appears to be sufficient to render a person unconscious. Even if one were to make a giant leap of faith and disregard the empirically established reality of human physiology and the level of force that a strike must have to render a person unconscious, it is clear that the person being "hit" by Dillman or his instructors is putting up absolutely no resistance. But, generally, what causes a "knockout"? Quote: Originally Posted by Ross Enamait--When a punch is landed to the head, the circulation to the brain is compressed. The impact to the brain depends on the acceleration and snapping motion of the head. When forcefully struck, the head accelerates backwards or sideways. The force of this acceleration determines whether the knockout occurs. The impact to the brain is dependent on the rapid turning of the head following impact. The carotid arteries in the neck may also compress. http://www.rossboxing.com/thegym/ thegym15.htm

Also the omnipotent well of knowledge Cecil Adams, from the Straight Dope Archive, has done a bit of research for us on this question as well…Quote: Originally Posted by CECIL ADAMS--See what you make of this: Immediately after biomechanical injury to the brain, abrupt, indiscriminate release of neurotransmitters and unchecked ionic fluxes occur. The binding of excitatory transmitters, such as glutamate, to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor leads to further neuronal depolarization with efflux of potassium and influx of calcium. These ionic shifts lead to acute and subacute changes in cellular physiology. After two more paragraphs in this vein, the authors (Giza and Hovda, 2001) remark, "This overview represents a simplified framework of the neurometabolic cascade [involved in a knockout]." They then launch into the non-dumbed-down version. I get the drift, but the average reader is apt to think he just got hit on the head.

Is there a simpler explanation? Sorta, but be warned--nobody really understands what causes a concussion, as a knockout is more properly known. (Just so we're clear, what sports types call a "ding," in which you're stunned but conscious, is a mild concussion.) A few basics: First, sudden acceleration or deceleration of the head seems to be essential. If somebody clouts you from above, so that your head remains stationary, you may suffer other injuries but probably no knockout. Second, strong evidence suggests that a KO requires twisting or rotational motion--one reason woodpeckers don't beat themselves silly, it's thought, is that their bills travel straight back and forth, like a jackhammer. In contrast, a boxer loses consciousness when a blow causes his brain to slosh and spin inside the skull. Is knocking somebody out as easy as it looks on TV? If we're talking Tweety pounding Sylvester atop the noggin with a mallet, no, that's not how it works. A compact, head-snapping shot to the side of the jaw, on the other hand, might well do the trick.

This brings us back to the central question: How is it that a single blow can cause somebody to black out only to revive without apparent permanent damage (although see below)? In a 2002 review, New Zealand physiologist Nigel Shaw rules out some of the more common theories--for example, that you lose consciousness because disrupted blood flow starves your brain of oxygen. Not possible: blood flow is just too poky to account for the near instantaneousness of a classic knockout. More likely, Shaw thinks, a concussion is a form of epileptic seizure involving massive, uncontrolled brain-cell discharge--that's where Giza and Hovda above seem to be going with their talk of indiscriminate neurotransmitter release. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/ 060505.html Thus, it is fairly common scientific knowledge that a mere poke on the chin, chest, or neck will not cause sufficient trauma to the brain to result in a loss of consciousness.

Dillman apparently hangs his hat and theories on the prevalent misunderstanding that clouds the average person’s/consumer’s perception about the presence or existence of "mystical forces" in the practice of and theory behind the martial arts (when referring to the "average" person, consumer, or the general public this article is referring to those persons who have only a general knowledge about martial arts). Until the introduction of "no-holds-barred" martial arts competitions in the United States in 1993, which competitions originally pitted practitioners from various martial arts against each other, it was commonly believed that a "black belt" was a person worthy of fear because of their perceived "deadly" fighting skills. This is mostly because the American public’s only exposure to the martial arts was through the wildly unrealistic and spectacular films coming out of Hollywood.

The theories proffered by Dillman with regard to the viability of performing a pressure point knockout on a resisting opponent depend heavily upon the imagination of his audience. Often times a person wants to believe that it is possible for a 5’3" 100lb woman to knockout a 6’4" 250lb attacker by simply poking him in the neck. This, coupled with the audiences general misconception as to what is physically possible and what a person is actually capable of, is fed by claims that these strikes are "secret" or "ancient" or "hidden" or "too deadly to perform at full speed". This author has yet to see Dillman, or any of his instructors, perform a light-touch pressure point knockout on anyone who Dillman would label as a "nonbeliever".

No-Touch-Knockouts: The most controversial of Dillman’s theories on kata and self-defense concern his belief that he can harness his chi, direct and launch his chi at an individual, and knock that individual unconscious without touching them. ATTENTION, ATTENTION Someone please call Steven Hawkings, George Dillman has found a way to defy the laws of physics without providing a complex proof that covers 6 chalk boards…Apparently, all you have to do is believe, or at least remember to not place your tongue on the roof of your mouth or alternately tap your big toes. Please, enjoy the video proof of Dillman’s miracles [see, youtube.com]

Miracle? No…Useful and effective self-defense option? No…A wish to not make their "teacher" appear to be a quack in front of a large crowd resulting in quasi-mass hypnosis of like minded believers? Yes…Compare the two above videos with the following [video depicted in this article]…Regardless, a self-titled "chi master", Richard Mooney, accepted the notorious Randi challenge a few years back in an attempt to prove the existence of his ability to use and manipulate his chi. Needless to say, the "chi master" failed…miserably. http://www.randi.org/jr/071902.html

The relation between one-touch and light-touch pressure point knockouts and no-touch knockouts is unfortunately easy to draw. Both relate to the alleged disruption of chi or energy within a person's body. The obvious difference is the delivery method of the allegedly disruptive force, i.e., one is a blow or touch while the other is…well…supposed to be disruption without any physical contact. The strikes used within the Dillman Method of pressure point fighting target various acupessure points that are used or manipulated during acupuncture therapy. According to Dillman, Quote: Originally Posted by George A. Dillman--The idea in acupuncture is that life force, or ki, must be balanced in the body. When a part of the body has too much or too little ki it can cause an illness. Ki runs through the body along paths called meridians. Pressure points are spots on the paths where the doctor can speed up, or slow down the ki. (Pressure Point Karate Made Easy, by George A. Dillman and Chris Thomas, page 22 (1999 Dillman Karate International)).

The unsubstantiated belief behind the existence of a no-touch knockout is a person’s alleged ability to harness the hypothetical energy which runs along the acupuncture meridians and be able to project that energy and use it to either attack or heal a person without touching them. Essentially, for those who remember the video game Street Fighter and Ryu’s SHIRUUKEN!!! strike, Liu Kang’s fireballs from the Mortal Kombat series of video games, or the fight scene toward the end of the 2006 movie "The Covenant" where the actors are tossing amorphous balls of energy at each other, those are all generalized examples of the use of chi in the context of a no-touch knockout. These fantastic images are what the general public picture when they are told by an instructor that they will learn how to knock someone out without laying a hand on them by projecting their chi. The chi-like hypothetical attacks begin at 2:42 of the following clip from the fantasy teen angst movie "The Covenant"…[clip is depicted on this article’s website, see, above] Now that is obviously Hollywood, but yet, when "little Johnny public" is told that he can harness his chi and use it to attack someone these are the fantastic images he gets. To date there have been no empirical studies that support the existence of chi within the human body. As you can imagine, there have certainly been no studies that give any credibility to someone’s claim of being able to ability to project this "energy" out of the human body, over a distance of open space, and use it to attack another person. Chi sympathizers mistakenly find solace in that some studies have determined the existence of chi to be "inconclusive". However, one should not make the logical fallacy of conclusively determining the existence of chi by arguing that you can’t prove that it doesn’t exist. The inability to prove something DOES NOT exist is not empirical proof that is DOES. Regardless, quite a few infamous martial arts practitioners have stated an ability to perform a no-touch knockout; which theory, if true, is an anomaly in modern physics.

The big question for this article is: where in Ryukyu martial arts did Dillman find support for the existence of the no-touch knockout? Some have proposed that he obtained this while he was one of Oyata Sensei’s top students. However, the literature is quite clear that while Oyata Sensei was a proponent of light touch pressure point knockouts, he was not a known practitioner of the ‘no-touch’ theory, at least not openly. Further, there is ongoing controversy with regard to Oyata Sensei changing the name of his art from Kyusho-jitsu to Ryu Te. It has been argued that he changed the name of his art to separate himself from what was being taught and marketed by Dillman, his former student. It has also been alleged that Oyata never endorsed Dillman’s style, even though Dillman was introduced as one of Oyata Sensei’s "top students" during Oyata’s many seminars and demonstrations in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. However, this author was not able to substantiate this claimed conflict between Dillman and Oyata.

If not from Oyata, where did Dillman’s theories on this controversial subject come from? The commonly accepted foundation for the development of Ryukyu arts is found in the various interpretations of the Okinawan Bubishi. The Bubishi is a compilation of writings on kata, self defense, and healing techniques which form the basis for the development of many Ryukyu, Okinawan, martial arts. There are many interpretations of the Bubishi with some asserting that the book combines Chinese White Crane and Monk Boxing systems to form a "unique improved fight[ing] method" while others state that the book is a compilation of various Shaolin styles with White Crane as the cornerstone. Regardless, the primary weapon used for self defense in the Okinawan Bubishi is the empty hand. Various writings found in the Bubishi refer to vital point striking. The focal point of these strikes tends to follow acupuncture theories and meridians. Further, the book does reference exercises, primarily breathing exercises, which are used to develop one’s ki or chi; these are called Sanchin or Paipuren, depending on whose interpretation you are reading. However, there is nothing within any of the various interpretations of the Okinawan Bubishi which describe an ability to harness one’s "ki" and project it out over an open distance and affect another person without physically touching them. Given the obvious Chinese influence over the evolution of Okinawan martial arts, it should be expected that some elements of Qi Gong found their way into Ryukyu martial theory. However, while there appears to little to no mention of the offensive use of Qi Gong theory in the Okinawan Bubishi, the vast majority of references of Qi Gong theory are limited to its use for healing and resuscitation; and even that requires that the practitioner touch the person being worked on.

This leads us to Hohan Soken Sensei. Hohan Soken (1889-1982) was a well respected "old school" practitioner of Okinawan Karate-do (Soken Sensei’s specific style was Matsumura Orthodox Shorin-ryu Karate-do). For a number of years Dillman has been lecturing on "Hohan Soken’s Secret Notes". The details of how Dillman came into possession of these "notes" are controversial. Some have alleged that Soken Sensie specifically bequeathed them to Dillman in his Will. Others have stated that Dillman got them second hand from a student of Soken Sensie. Regardless, it is unclear as to whether the notes were really "secret" (some have stated that the notes were simply handouts that Soken Sensie gave to all of his students and were not secret at all) and whether or not the notes actually provide basis for Dillman’s fantastic (as in "fantasy") theory concerning "no-touch knockout" techniques. However, one fact is fairly clear; Dillman was never a student of Hohan Soken.

So, are Dillman’s lectures on the "Secret Notes of Hohan Soken" a clever marketing strategy that relies on martial arts mysticism, gullible consumers, and a well respected Okinawan Karateka’s name to sell seats at $200.00 per person? Or, was Dillman actually the legal beneficiary of notes on "secret" techniques, i.e., no-touch knockouts, which techniques there is no record of Hohan Soken having ever espoused or practiced? Hmmm…as the saying goes, it certainly looks like a duck…doesn’t it? Further, apparently none of the original masters of the various Okinawan systems practiced anything but solid, strong, technically proficient, and physically hard karate. Neither Chojun Miyagi (founder of Goju-ryu), Kenwa Mabuni (founder of Shito-ryu), Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan), Gogen Yamaguchi (founder of Japanese Goju-Kai), Chotoku Kyan (renown Okinawan Master), Tatsuo Shimabuku (founder of Isshin-ryu), or Choki Motobu (legendary Okinawan fighter) advocated or taught no-touch knockouts.

The typical scientific theory used to explain the uncanny ability of both Dillman and his students to blow people over with a poke of their finger or wave of their hand is a form of mass hypnosis or suggestion. Simply, the student does not want his instructor to look bad and has a vested interest in these techniques working. This, combined with the gallery of onlookers expecting to see something fantastic, results in the student doing exactly what the instructor says will happen. So, is it possible to render someone unconscious without touching them by attacking them with unseen "energy" harnessed within your own body? Biology, mathematics, physics, human anatomy and common sense say the answer to this question is a categorical "NO". However, George A. Dillman says "YES". What do you believe?

The Books [the author has read the following Dillman publications cover to cover]: (1) Tuite: Advanced Pressure Point Grappling, by George A. Dillman with Chris Thomas (Copyright 1995 George Dillman Karate International); (2) Pressure Point Karate Made Easy, by George A. Dillman with Chris Thomas (Copyright 1999 Dillman Karate International, Publishers); (3) Kyusho-Jitsu: The Dillman Method of Pressure Point Fighting, by George A. Dillman with Chris Thomas (Copyright 1992 George Dillman Karate International); and (4) Humane Pressure Point Self Defense, by George A. Dillman with Chris Thomas (Copyright 2002 Dillman Karate International, Publishers). I want my money back. The only reason to purchase these books is if you happen to be writing an article on the subject. In my opinion, from a self defense perspective the techniques listed and demonstrated in the books COULD NOT BE PERFORMED ON A RESISTING OPPONENT. The kata bunki stated in the books are EXTREMELY subjective, and visually loose, interpretation of what the particular movement might be. Each kata could have a large number of interpretations and many of the strikes proffered by Dillman in the buki are simply impractical, ineffective, or outright ridiculous for use in a street fight or self defense scenario. Most, if not all of the "attacks" which the techniques defend against are run of the mill cookie-cutter submissive karate attacks. Essentially, the attacker grabs the defender’s wrist, stops, and stands there allowing the defender to perform the technique on them; or, the attacker steps in and throws a half hearted haymaker allowing the defender to perform some block, trap, or fist/arm catch and then the attacker freezes allowing the defender to perform the technique; or, worse yet, the attacker clenches his fist in frustration and rage, without actually touching the defender. In response to this imminent threat of harm the defender grabs the "attacker’s" fist or arm and performs some simple, yet wholly unnecessary, joint manipulation. Of course, the "attacker" does not pull away or strike the defender his free hand.

Each of the books has a recitation of Dillman’s version of the history behind the evolution of Ryukyu martial arts. The history appears to be somewhat over generalized and its historical accuracy, or inaccuracy, is not the subject of this article. None the less, it is interesting. In today’s society everyone wants a quick and easy fix for whatever ails them. In the context of martial arts, there is a definite demographic in the population that wants to be able to have super martial ability with minimal work, training, or time on the mats or in the ring or cage. This is the portion of the population which the Dillman Method appeals to, and Dillman knows it. Any martial artists who trains in an alive setting and actually pressure tests their abilities knows full well that an opponent cannot be knocked unconscious by sequentially poking three or four points on their body (assuming they can miraculously dodge the incoming jabs, crosses, straights and overhand shots to be able to poke those three points). Similarly, these same martial artists know for sure that they will not be able to project their ki or chi at an oncoming opponent and end the confrontation. Why, you ask? Well, my friends, it is just not that easy.

OPEN CHALLENGE--Ok, now I am sure that some of my faithful readers may actually be ‘believers’ in the light-touch and/or no-touch knockout theories and practice. Some may be Dillman or Dillman affiliated students or instructors and others may be Qi Gong students or Chin Na students or students of some other style of martial arts that espouses the validity of these two knockout theories as a viable form of attack or defense to an attack. I am an open mined, but practical and realistic person; ‘the proof is in the putting’. I would love for any martial arts practitioner to prove me wrong by knocking me unconscious with either a light-touch or no-touch knockout technique. The light-touch technique must be similar to the ones demonstrated in the video's that are attached to this article and the force of the strike or strikes can be NO HARDER than the ones demonstrated on the videos attached to this article. Anything harder would NOT be a "light-touch"; I am sure that you can knock me out by clocking me on the button. So, a haymaker to the jaw DOES NOT prove the validity of a light-touch pressure point knockout. A no-touch knockout is self explanatory; knock me out without touching me with anything.

If you would like to prove me wrong and demonstrate that you can perform a light-touch or no-touch knockout on me, register a username and password on "Bullshido.net" and start a new thread in the YMAS forum (Your Martial Art Sucks) addressed to me, GoldenJonas, stating that you would like to prove me wrong and we will see if a meeting can be arranged. I am willing to travel within driving distance to meet the challenge; I live in Orlando, Florida. The entire encounter and demonstration will be video taped and you must consent to having the video posted in the thread you started on YMAS. If you do indeed knock me out using a light-touch or no-touch knockout technique, similar or identical to those espoused by the Dillman Method, I will remove this article and replace it with an apology stating that I have been proven wrong and that you have knocked me out with a light-touch or no-touch knockout technique and here is the video of me being OWNED. To those who would like to test themselves, good luck.

SOURCES:

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Bleachers/6758/bubishi.htm

http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Dtimes/Pages/article17.htm

http://www.kushu.com/aboutto.htm

http://www.kushu.com/aboutRT.htm