This stance was photographed without coaching because it is the natural stance of an experienced DS who adopts a good non-aggressive posture when he is confronted with a problem. Both his hands are covering the center line of his body, creating a buffer zone in front of his vital and vulnerable body parts. The body must also be positioned side on to the opponent to present a smaller target in a potentially dangerous situation..

Should the opponent try to head butt, the leading hand is simply swiveled round so that Mr. Anus butts your finger and thumb tips with his eye balls. 

Introduction   Pressure points are areas of the human body that are vulnerable to damage when attacked with the appropriate weapon. The effects of strikes to pressure points will also depend upon a combination of the following five factors:

• The weight behind the delivery.
• The speed of the delivery.
• The accuracy of the strike.
• The type of weapon used.
• The opponent's physical and mental state.

As a DS you have to limit your pressure point attacks to areas that will cause control and compliance without permanent damage to the individual. Despite this humanitarian ideal, it will prove difficult to apply this type of attack on an opponent who may be moving fast and trying to attack you. According to the late Suro Mike Inay (1999)  pressure point attacks and presses are used in order to achieve some of the following  results:

• Pain Compliance
• Stunning
• Distraction
• Balance Displacement
• Motor Muscle Impairment

Dress and jewelry will directly influence technique as well as the effect of any strikes. Specific pressure points may prove difficult to reach, especially when the opponent is moving and attacking you at the same time. The exact pressure points can only be attacked when the opponent's defense has been broken down with strong attacks to general areas. Real combat will never be a display of perfect form. It will always be a display of quick opportunities. There will always be a high rate of low power strikes, forced throws and imperfect techniques. Because of this factor, consider the principle of 'Hammering'  in both your attack and defense. 

The thumb presses are used in the following examples to obtain pain compliance and also distract the opponent. There is a wide gulf between reading about or watching a video on pressure point attacks and actually using them for real. It takes a rare talent or total madness to abandon your tried and tested repertoire in order to test  new moves on a fighting mad drunken bum. The following pressure point attacks have been used in fighting situations on several occasions by myself.  Employ these holds for a maximum of one second only. Accompany these presses with verbal  instructions in order to let the opponent know what is expected of them to stop the pain. If you press these points for too long, an adrenalin dump will take place and the individual stops feeling pain.

Any strike or pressure point attack used by you must be instrumental in achieving compliance in a humanitarian manner. These one second pressure point attacks will release a flow of adrenalin as well as pain in the individual. Accompany these attacks with verbal information so that you dominate the antagonist. These attacks and the resulting  hormone releases will cause an emotional high. By giving verbal instructions to the individual, you are channeling their interpretation of those emotions. Rather than the pressure point attacks or strikes causing an aggressive response, your clear verbal instructions must elicit fear and compliance. If these thumb presses do not work in a real situation  it is usually because the adrenalin dump has taken place. It will be necessary to move on to using strikes that cause motor muscle impairment or stunning.

These thumb presses are just as effective when applied from either the side or from behind the individual. They can be used to distract and speed up the individual as you take them off the premises without resorting to arm locks.

1. The groove between the wind pipe and the neck muscle. Use of this area in a pressure point attack will even get a result from an individual who is on an adrenalin high. Only use this press on one side of the neck at any one time. A one second jab is sufficient to elicit a response. Make sure that you retain a hold to the back of the opponents neck, so that you can apply the press without the individual escaping back. In some situations, you may want to use this press in order to force the attacker away from you. Punches to this area with the thumb extended has been used in street fighting tactics  in order to KO the opponent.

This press is dangerous and impractical for using on an individual  that is not fighting. This is because it is also a massage area used by some MD's to influence the heart beat. There is a danger that attacks to this area may adversely affect the heart beat of the person attacked.  

2. The hollow above the jaw hinge and just below the ear lobe. Press straight in towards the center of the head and the opponent will probably straighten up before you ask them to. There is an equally effective nerve in the same area. Press your thumb forward to trap the nerve against the upper section of the jaw. This attack also requires you to hold the forehead to ensure the individual receives the full impact of the press. Without using the forehead support, you can force an individual to walk forward in order to escape the nerve attack.

3. The jugular notch, which is the hollow in the throat between the two collar bones. The direction of the press is down and forward to the front of the chest. Do not attack the wind pipe in this press.

The targets for the face bar are all the nerves running across the cheek bone. Even experienced fighters will forget to tap out when they experience the intense pain induced by the bony edge of your forearm. Depending on the circumstances you can switch the opponents head to point to the opposite shoulder as long as you maintain the fore arm pressure from one cheek to below the nose to the other cheek. There is the added danger of breaking the jaw or the dentures in this press.

It will prove more effective if you can drag the individuals face down to waist level while maintaining the pressure on the face. This will reduce your target area to elbow or reverse knife hand counters.

The Pincer Grip   The pincer grip in the  figures below is made by pressing down with the thumb on the knuckle of the index finger. This technique can be used to create a distraction. As the third figure shows, the finger tips can be used to compress the captured skin against the heel of the hand. The most sensitive areas  for pincer grip targets lie close to the surface of the skin. The nerve connections decrease as you go deeper into the body. Because of this fact, you are always pinching small pieces of skin as opposed to handfuls of flesh. The four finger tips pressed against the palm can be used to create a more powerful shock.

Thick clothing will nullify the shock value of this technique. In some situations the teeth can be used to equal effect on these targets.

1. Hair pull with hands or teeth.
2. Ear lobe twist and pull or bite.
3. Grab a lump of flesh from the chest area, twist and pull or bite.
4. Inside the upper arm, using the teeth or pincer grips. A four fingered pinch to the surface skin will prove to be a shocking experience. Even enough to deter the gropes of an Austrian steroid abuser. When a groper opens up the inside of their arm to reach 'behind'  you, your inside hand can reach up for this spot.
5. Inner thigh, using the teeth, or the four fingered or thumb pinch.
6. Outside the calf close to or on the bone, using the teeth or the pincer grip.

• Provided the subjects are not suffering from drug (or other) induced excited delirium, fights last for at least 8 seconds. After that, there is a drop in hormonal levels and thus muscular activity. If it takes you longer than 8 seconds to reach the scene, there is very little fight left in the combatants. Sometimes there is nothing identifiable as a fight, just an unusually larger crowd gathered out of morbid curiosity. If the fight is still in progress, expect this crowd to deliberately block your route into the fight area. In some instances your way is blocked by the crowd pressing back to get away from the mayhem. In either case you will have to force your way through.
• When you lift/pick up/move a subject towards the nearest exit, you have 8 seconds before they react in an obstructive manner.
• If you have applied arm locks or any other restraints, you have at least 8 seconds before even the dumbest drunk figures out how to counter the tactic.
• To lift and shift a subject for ejection, stalk them until they are as close as possible to an exit. Again, 8 seconds walking is the limit before the operation comes to grief.

Your first physical contact with a problem patron must be non threatening and accompanied with plenty of talk to keep the individual from going reptile on you. If you can draw an individuals attention without touching them, then do that alone. Physically touching a drunk, drugged or mad individual will only serve as a trigger for them to start the assault. The first base for this physical approach is either a friendly pat on the shoulder or elbow with your outside hand. Always try to approach from the side or rear of the individual and on arrival keep talking. If the individual decides to attack or challenge you, control their elbow to control their whole body. This rear approach stops the situation developing into a man-to-man confrontation. Instead it is you, 'The Hunter' sneaking up in order to surprise  'The Hunted'. The Hunted will experience fear and anxiety from this rear approach. You have to placate them by talking the individual down to compliance levels of behaviour.

By pushing their elbow into their body you close down the immediate threat from that arm as well as their free arm. A further push on that elbow will torque their body away from you and unbalance them physically. If you have to take the person to the floor,  then the outside hand pushes on the elbow and the inside hand goes up their back to the opposite shoulder and pulls back in order to increase the torque action. This allows you to either take them down or take up a position to their rear. By kneeing the individual to the back of the nearest thigh, you will speed up the torque action.

This basic hold on the elbow acts as a sensor. You will be able to detect how the individual is reacting and use this information in order to apply a restraint,  if you believe that course of action is necessary. By using this simple first base contact, you are controlling, dominating and predicting the opposition's behaviour from the start. They have a limited set of options from this position and you must learn from practice what these are. Always try to talk and walk the problem patron off the venue. When it becomes necessary to go physical, this minimum force approach will show that you have been reasonable. 

The person may  'Lock Out' and the Elbow Grab allows you to detect how their body locks as solid as a rock. It will prove to be more productive for you to review your escalating procedure at this stage. If the individual  does not pose an immediate threat, tell them that they have five minutes to sort out their life as you will be back. The 'Lock Out' occurs when the individual is about to descend into reptile mode. By withdrawing instead of escalating your physical response, you will screw the individual up mentally. The five minutes delay in the ejection will, on most occasions, give you the upper hand. It is impossible for a normal  individual to sustain their adrenalin rush and aggression for such a long period. Hopefully their fear, friends or common sense will intervene and the individual will leave the venue under their own steam with their dignity intact. If you are dealing with an aggressive individual, expect to take some verbal abuse from the individual as they leave. If the individual is drunk, also expect to take  some verbal abuse and also expect the drunk to take much longer to leave.

When a friendly pat on the shoulder or elbow and a request for the individual to move is not met, you can also resort to the basic Escort Position.  In the basic Escort Position, your outside hand is grasping the targets wrist. Your inside hand is on the shoulder with your thumb resting below the armpit. Any initial resistance is met by pushing your thumb high into the arm pit and retaining your grip on the wrist. With some practice you will be able to compress the nerves below the shoulder joint against that joint. This is not important in these initial stages. What you are aiming to achieve is the breaking of the targets balance forward, so that they will start to move forward.

With a partner on the other arm, and both of you telling the individual to keep moving, this becomes a stroll in the park. It is essential that you talk to the individual as you escort them off the premises. Let the individual know why they are now leaving.  By keeping their mind engaged in talking, there will be less likelihood of them going into a panic attack and resisting the escort position. 

Restraints and escort locks are very difficult and usually impossible to apply on someone who is physically stronger than you and actively resisting.  In the general management of the door and working the floor, restraints are very rarely resorted to. It is much more important that you can talk to the patrons who are giving you bother, rather than resorting to physical contact. At the end of any physical contact it is always necessary to resolve the situation through talking. The  use of restraints and the escort position is, on many occasions,  the first stage in an all out fight. You are initially controlling the individual and consequently expecting a specific set of reactions from them. If it comes to a fight, starting from the restraint position should leave you with the initiative. In order to escort a non-compliant patron from your venue always start off with pain compliance tactics before escalating to striking tactics designed to weaken or reduce their resistance.

1. The target resists the escort position by bending their arm and pulling it forward.

2. Retain your grip on the wrist and chop the top of the elbow joint to distract the target.

3. Step round anti-clockwise and force the chopping hand in deeper in order to grasp your own wrist. From this position, the target can be escorted out by making them walk backwards or taken down until your back up arrives.

1. The target resists the escort position by bending their arm and pushing back.

2. Slip your inside hand down from the shoulder to the elbow joint and fold the arm into the hammer lock position.

3. Secure the lock with a face bar or pressure point hold.

4. Alternatively, release the wrist grip and apply a hammer lock with that arm.

5. Secure the hold with a collar grab or pressure point attack.

1. Grab the right lapel in your right hand and push the opponent back in a short punching action. Immediately pull forward and step to the side. 

2. As the opponents head jack knifes forward, lift your elbow and allow their head to pass below. 

3. If necessary, use your free hand to push their head through the gap. Make a point of pushing the skull and not the neck area as this may prove lethal. 

These combined actions will pull the lapel across the front of their throat to one side of their neck. The bony part of your forearm completes the scissors action on the other side of their neck. From this position, you must move to a less lethal control, such as the side head lock (chancery) or else a face bar. This complete move is a sanitized version of a street fighting technique. The original technique was  used to slam the opponents head back into the wall, knee the groin then slam the face into the ground in one continuous move. (T. Law)

Method 2

1. These techniques are for Level 4 situations.
2. If the opponent is wearing a jacket,  grab the collar from the back in both hands and pull it down off their shoulders. This will pin their arms at the elbows. Stand to the right side on to the opponent, using the left hand to press down on the collar to keep their arms trapped. Use your right  hand  below their nose or in their throat  to unbalance the opponent back. From this position the opponent walks out backwards. (T. Law)
3. If the opponent is wearing a jacket, scoop up the bottom of the jacket from the rear with both hands. Pull the whole back of the jacket, along with the collar, over the opponents head.  Pull the collar on down the front of the body in order to pin the opponents arms at the elbow. Reach up between their legs and grab the jacket collar and  propel them forward. (T. Law)

The Flapjack   It is possible to restrain someone without striking them first. I call it the 'Flapjack' and if it is done correctly. I have used this method for several years without it ever having failed me. It is best used when facing your adversary.

1.  First push his/her right shoulder away from you with your left hand, at the same time grab his/her left shoulder with your right hand and pull it toward you. This torque action will turn the opponent clock wise so that they face in the same direction as you.

2.  As their body turns and nears your own, rotate your right hand around the shoulder to the shoulder blade and place your left hand across their throat. Then with your left arm, pull him/her closer to your chest in a choke hold and strengthen this by pushing up and out with your right hand on their back. The entire maneuver (if done properly) takes less than one second and is very effective both physically and as a shock tactic. The most important thing that I can stress is practice, practice, practice! I guarantee that if you spend enough time practicing this move, you will find it unstoppable. I should also mention that it works best as a surprise. (shootandlooter and  W.E. Fairbairn)

3. In the interests of minimum force  Instead of pressing the thumb of the left hand into the artery of the throat, reverse it so that the knuckles of your open left hand are pulling against your opponent's jaw and cheek. Their chin should be facing either shoulder. Reinforce this hold by taking your right  hand from their left shoulder blade and use it to to pull on your left hand, pulling their head into your chest. This changes the maneuver from a rear choke to a very painful face bar, a controlling technique with the cheek  as the object of control. 

4. As the opponent struggles, you can keep the pressure on either cheek or below their nose and still walk them out. (shootandlooter and T. Law ) The lower their head is in relation to yours, the greater your control will be. There are weak points, counters and escapes from every escort position, it is important that you  train in dealing with the counter moves.

5. The initial torque on the individual can be used to turn them and push them away from you or out the door.

From the rear, grab the shoulder pads of the jacket, lift up and pull the opponent off balance to the rear. The perp can be moved short distances in this manner.

Method 3

From the rear, grab the shoulder pads of the jacket, lift up and propel the opponent forward. The perp can be moved short distances in this manner.

Belt Lifts (Wedgees)

Method 1

Method 2

Method 3

Method 4

Thumb Grabs

1. Get close to the opponent. Using an even grip, secure their thumb in an all round grasp. At the same time, your inside hand grasps the opponents elbow joint.
2. Lift the elbow up and outwards. At the same time start to rotate the secured hand in past the ribs. At this stage the fingers my snag on the jacket, just punch the hold through.
3. Turn to face in the same direction as the opponent with the wrist lock applied to compliance level. (Fairbairn)
4. As an alternative, or when the opponents fingers snag on his clothing, take the captured hand behind their back.

An attack to the groin, even a low power feint, will induce the opponent to double forward. (Dave Turton SDF-I) This groin tap can be used in many different situations as a distracter for a variety of techniques.

Immediately follow up pushing your forearm out below the opponents nose and pulling their right shoulder forward. This will torque their body down to the deck.

Follow up as necessary.

1. Groin tap.

2. Light forearm strike below the ear to distract the opponent.

3. Apply the straight arm bar by turning the palm of the opponent's hand down so that his elbow and palm are in opposition to each other for the arm bar. Then lean above the elbow joint with your chest. Do not jerk this hold on as it is easy to break the arm or dislocate the shoulder joint.

4. Change your grip to a thumb hold.

5. Lift the arm up and outwards in order to swivel the hand in below the arm pit. If the hand jams on the jacket, move into the hammer lock position retaining the thumb grip.

6. Temporarily lock the thumb hold on to a  compliance level in order to let the opponent know the value of the hold. Issue verbal instructions and apply the hold again  to compliance level when necessary.