YOUR HANDS MUST HAVE EYES

 by Phillip Starr

Some time ago, I was teaching more senior students how to strike certain vital points. One of them was located on the upper arm and when hit correctly (using the second knuckle of one finger), the strength on that affected side of the body vanishes and the opponent is unable to continue the fight. Striking this point isn't particularly dangerous if practiced under supervision, however.

One student had quite a bit of difficulty striking the point...he kept missing. I told him what my teacher told me many, many years ago; “Your hands must have eyes.” Of course, I was confused when he first spoke those words. But over time, I came to realize their truth. It required a great deal of practice with live partners (no, nobody was ever injured during such practice sessions) until it seemed that my hands “knew” exactly where to go, as if they could actually “see” the points.

Numerous gong-fu styles, particularly southern forms such as white crane, dragon boxing, white eyebrow, and southern praying mantis, are designed for very close-quarters combat. Many of their strikes are very short-distance techniques, intended to strike certain vital points. Learning to issue any substantial power with such short-range blows requires a great deal of special training; even more is required if one hopes to have hands that “see” the vital points, and strike and hit the mark without the slightest hesitation.

This same skill can and should be developed with martial disciplines that utilize longer-range techniques.