Dim Mak Meridian Training:
How to Reach Advanced Level

Over the last few dim mak pressure points meridian articles the focus has been on re-acquainting yourself with the 14 main meridians, the direction of the flow of Chi in these and the cycle they follow for pressure points training in the martial arts. Now, let’s give you some tips on how you can reach advanced level training in dim mak.

You’ll recall I explained how you might remember the flow direction and the meridians themselves, by looking at the numbering system of the points. It also looked at the difference between the 12 main meridians and the two vessels that make up the important 14.

The other article looked at why understanding this was important in both knowing the consequences of your techniques on your attackers mind and body, and in improving the technical practice of dim mak itself.

As you increase your theoretical understanding of dim mak, your level of competence and effectiveness increases. As you progress into the advanced level, you are beginning to tie all the theoretical knowledge together with the practical skills. The more you practice and the more you return to the theory the more effective and skilled you become.

At the more advanced level of dim mak, the skills that took so much concentration in the beginning are becoming intuitive. You are able to target and hit many points with speed, efficiency and power. You are no longer targeting one point or cluster of points, but you're able to quickly assess the best follow-up points, based on your understanding of the direction of Chi flow in meridians and your knowledge of how paired meridians work.

By now you will also have ventured into the theoretical relationship between the meridians and their organs. Each meridian directly connects to an internal organ, and the meridians and organs are all interrelated to maintain balance and harmony throughout the body and mind; they are a complex network of communication and energy. Understanding the Zang Fu organ system and its relationship with the meridians gives you another powerful edge in a defensive situation.

But the flow of Chi through meridians still holds more secrets for improvement, for the practitioner who has been studying their theory. For now you are becoming skilled enough in your technique to incorporate concepts such as Counterflow into your practice.

There are really three stages of dim mak practice and learning to use this technique optimally:

1. You must know the direction of Chi flow in the meridian system, and you must know where the meridians are on the body.

2. While it is possible to mildly activate the Counterflow technique by hitting the meridian against the flow of Chi -- for example striking a meridian where the Chi runs downward, with an uppercut strike -- you would still be more effective if you struck a targeted point accurately with a natural blow.

So the second stage of practice is in learning which points are the most effective for employing this Counterflow technique. While there are many points that can be used, some points are ineffective, and more tricky, for this technique to really work. Keep in mind that there are specific points that activate the Counterflow technique. Again, you just cannot say you’ll use any or all pressure points for Counterflow; that would be useless.

For example, Spleen 21 on the spleen meridian is difficult to use for Counterflow for a number of reasons; it is the last point on the spleen meridian, so you have to also know where Spleen 20 is inorder to trace the meridian, so that you can hit Spleen 21 in the direction of Spleen 20.

So, to include the Counterflow technique into your repertoire, you must know the theory first. At this advanced level, your practical techniques should be quite well-tuned, you are targeting and moving much more intuitively because you have absorbed a lot of your learning. You're still practicing these skills, but now you're able to adjust your physical techniques in line with what you know of the theory, to bring all of the elements of dim mak into a cohesive whole.

3. The third stage in using an advanced technique such as Counterflow is in bringing both the theory and the practical together. You use your ability to strike accurately to target the points that you know are extremely effective, from your theory study, in reversing the flow of Chi along a meridian.

Because you can already hit some of these points precisely, you now bring your theory into the game, altering your striking technique slightly so that the strike comes at the right angle to employ the Counterflow technique. You have effectively increased your effectiveness, just by bringing theory and practice together.

In these last few articles, meridians and the flow of Chi have been used to show you the relationship between theory and practical application, and the relationship between levels of understanding and levels of effectiveness. This progression of learning and effectiveness applies to all the theoretical concepts in Dim Mak.

At some point your ability to deliver the physical techniques will peak. You won't be able to get any fitter, any faster and stronger, and your practice will consist of maintaining this level of physical skill (you will be at your most efficient). But your dim mak can still continue to improve, and your skills increase, through deeper understanding of how the theory and practical work together.

Look at it this way. There are two dim mak students, in two different cities. Both have been students for many years, one has 15 years of practical experience, practices and trains everyday and is considered at their peak physically, but they have concentrated on the physical techniques and skills. They know all the points and their target accuracy is spot on, but they never considered the underlying theory overly important.

The second student is older, has still been training for 15 years, but their physical peak has started to pass. While they still practice everyday and train hard, they are starting to lose the physical advantage they once had. But they have continued to study their theory, gathering more information, and incorporating what they're learning into their training sessions. They are adjusting their angle of strike for techniques such as Counterflow, putting techniques together that incorporate what they've learnt about the effectiveness of using points on paired meridians, and the relationship of Zang Fu organs; they are bringing all their theory to bear on their physical skills.

In these different cities, at different times, each student is attacked walking home from work one day...who do you think will be the most effective at defending themselves?

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