I had been practising qigong and taijichuan for many years before I discovered kyusho-jitsu as a complementary discipline. I was introduced to qigong during rehabilitation after a serious illness and noticed how it could reduce the side effects of my long-term medication. After about 10 years of Qigong training, one of my Chinese Qigong teachers introduced me to Taijichuan (Chen style). Since then, I have been practising Taijichuan intensively.

 

Qigong is an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Anyone who wants to study Qigong intensively will also study TCM. Some acupuncture points are particularly important for Qigong (e.g. Laogong - pericardium 8), but also help with physical problems. The point Jianjing - gallbladder 21, for example, is very useful for neck tension and the resulting headaches. Yongyuan - kidney 1 helps when restlessness prevents you from falling asleep.

 

However, this knowledge of TCM can be used not only for healing, but also for fighting. Every coin has two sides! My very first Qigong teacher, Moshe Kastiel, was not only a Qigong master but also a master of Ninjutsu. He knows how to help people with the help of TCM, but he also uses this knowledge for fighting.

 

During my Taijichuan studies, I came across ‘The Encyclopedia of Dim-Mak’ by Erle Montaigue. In this book, he describes how the knowledge of TCM can be applied in Taijichuan and other internal martial arts. So I set out to find ‘Dim-Mak’ to learn more about this art. To my regret, none of my Chinese teachers knew anything about it. They were unfamiliar with the term ‘Dim-Mak’. It was only years later that I discovered that the Chinese call this art ‘Dian Xue’. Although everyone was familiar with it, no one was able (or willing) to teach me. 

Through intensive internet research, I discovered that the Japanese call this system ‘Kyusho-Jitsu’ and then found Manfred Zink. Since then, I have attended all of Manfred Zink's seminars. Although I already had some knowledge of acupuncture points and meridians from my Qigong practice, everything was new and unfamiliar to me in the first seminars. Over time, however, I realised how much Taijichuan is involved in Kyusho-Jitsu.

 

Levels 1 and 2 are taken directly from an acupuncture atlas. However, almost all of the information found there relates to the healing effects of the corresponding activation direction. In Kyusho-Jitsu, of course, the aim is to achieve the opposite in order to quickly neutralise the opponent. But especially in the higher effect levels 3 and 4, there is an incredible amount of Taijichuan. No matter which Taijichuan technique you take from the form, it always contains several principles of effect level 3.

 

The principles of defocusing, synchronisation, higher forms of communication and fajin of effect level 4 are the ‘basics’ of Taijichuan. Defocusing, synchronisation and higher forms of communication can be felt and learned well in Tuishou. Tuishou is the partner exercise of Taijichuan, where you fight against each other.

Fajin can be seen particularly well in the ‘Paochui’ (cannon fist) form of Chen Taijichuan. This is a very dynamic form with a lot of fajin. But even in the slow forms, every movement can actually be performed with fajin. Fajin does not only work with the hand or fist; the shoulder, chest, elbow, hip and foot are also suitable for this.

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Even though these principles are absolute ‘basics’, that doesn't mean that everyone who practises Taijichuan has mastered them. It takes many years to internalise them. With Kyusho-Jitsu, I have found another way to deepen my understanding. For me, Kyusho-Jitsu is a great opportunity to practise with interested people from different martial arts backgrounds and to test what works. It is therefore a wonderful addition for me to further improve my Taijichuan.