Akshay Kumar in Dim Mak

DIM MAK

Dim Mak, meaning "press artery", is the Chinese form of martial arts also known as the "Death Touch". It is the ancient martial art of striking vital points of an opponent’s body. These strikes are engineered to cause a knockout, death, or delayed reaction in the opponent.

The concept of death touch originated in the Wuxia genre of Chinese martial arts fiction. It appeared among the fictional martial arts styles in the novels of Jin Yong from the 1950s.

Throughout recent decades, there have been a number of martial artists claiming to practice the technique in real life. In the 1960s, the infamous Count Dante associated Dim Mak with the English moniker the "Death Touch". In 1985, Black Belt magazine additionally carried the speculation that Bruce Lee's mysterious death in 1973 may have been caused by "a delayed reaction to a Dim Mak strike he received several weeks prior to his collapse". Other authors further speculated the death of Bruce Lee as a result due to a "Vibrating Palm" technique.

In the 1990s, Taika Seiyu Oyata founded the style of Ryū-te which involves pressure point fighting. During this same period, karate instructor George Dillman developed a style popularized through seminars, books, and videos which identified with Dim Mak. Dillman even went as far as claiming to have developed Qi-based attacks that worked without physical contact ("no-touch knockout" techniques). (The claim was rebuked by third-parties and consequently denounced as fraudulent.)

Dim Mak works by applying pressure to vital points on the body, which can be manipulated to cause immediate and excruciating pain with a relatively small amount of force. Most pressure points are located along the centerline, an important concept of many Kung Fu styles including Wing Chun Kung Fu. These points are considered major striking targets along the centerline and exist in the arms, legs, back, and head.

By definition, dim mak effects the arteries, which are continuous and span the entire body. In concept like acupuncture and acupressure points, organ function as affected by pressure points can be supported by thousands of years of practical experience and by experiments with modern biomedical technology. These vital pressure points are the same as used for healing in acupuncture and other Asian healing arts.

Pressure point fighting, or rather applying pressure to vital points on the body, is an integral part of all martial arts. However, very few instructors know much of the specific techniques. It is said that it is still taught to a few select kung fu practitioners. Dim Mak remains a misunderstood and questioned application of martial arts and also a popular discussion topic among martial arts enthusiasts.