Jin Shin Do Foundation for Bodymind Acupressure

How Jin Shin Do® Helps Martial Artists


By Mike Christie, Registered Jin Shin Do® Acupressurist, Hazelhurst, Wisconsin
(From the 2015 Acupressure News)


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Mike Christie of Hazelhurst, Wisconsin, has a Red Sash in Fu Chen Kung Fu, which he has studied, practiced and taught for over 40 years . He has studied Kyu Sho Ryu Jitsu since 1999 and has a 4th Dan in that art, in which pressure points are used for knockouts. A Registered Jin Shin Do® Acupressurist since 2012, Mike says when he goes to Madison, more martial artists want JSD sessions than he has time for. “They are interested in using Jin Shin Do® to rebuild their depleted energy.

“As a direct result of studying martial arts, I wanted to increase my knowledge of the healing arts, because I thought there should be a yin and yang balance between this type of deadly knowledge and knowledge of how to balance the Qi (energy) and relieve stress. I was fortunate enough to be steered to a wonderful Jin Shin Do® teacher—Cheri Haines in Madison. Her knowledge is very in-depth. I love the way she can answer my questions about how energy works in the body— questions I had because of my martial arts background.

“What’s really important is the intent of the person and the method of delivery of pressure to the points. Some of the points that can help you to feel really good can also help you to feel really bad—for example, GB 20 (JSD #22), GB 14 (JSD #1) and GB 13 & 15 (just above the hairline), which greatly facilitate relaxation when held with the gentle yet firm pressure used in Jin Shin Do® acupressure.”

Mike said that because of doing JSD, his fingers find points instantaneously, even if someone were to attack him in the dark. However, more importantly: “As we study knocking people out, we are practicing on fellow students and martial arts practitioners. These people are our friends, not our enemies, so we want to make sure to help each other to recuperate after practicing. Before I brought JSD into my dojo, practitioners would just use a basic resuscitation technique of slapping B 10 (JSD #21:B).

“When points are used for knockouts, it is usually a combination of 3 points. With my JSD knowledge, I can find out which meridians were affected, and use distal points to help release the tensions. I usually work on the Control Cycle of the 5 Elements or the diurnal (24-hour) cycle of Qi flow, or both. “For example, we use a strike that drains the Large Intestine Meridian, and then we strike a place on the Stomach Meridian, which already has been weakened by the strike on the Large Intestine Meridian because, along the 24-hour cycle, the Qi moves from the Large Intestine to the Stomach Meridian. Now, with my knowledge of Jin Shin Do, I can hold points that help replenish both meridians.

“Jin Shin Do® classes start with Qigong exercises called Pal Dan Gum—the ‘8 Silken Movements.’ Now, I start my Kung Fu classes with Pal Dan Gum so my students know how to balance and replenish their energies with these 8 movements."

“I want to really thank Senior Authorized Jin Shin Do® Teacher Cheri Haines for answering my questions regarding the martial arts. She was very competent at going into my territory and making sure that her answers were on the mark for me. After I became a Registered Jin Shin Do® Acupressurist, I appreciated being able to call Cheri with more questions, including about about clients.”

Gerard E. Thomas, M.S. of East Meredith, NY, who has been a Registered Jin Shin Do® Acupressurist since 2008, said: “I’ve been practicing and studying Ninjutsu for 18 years and currently hold a 4th degree black belt in that art. In Ninjutsu, I learned to strike various pressure points to unbalance an adversary—the same points I now use in Jin Shin Do® to bring balance to clients.

“Some points, when struck sharply and accurately, will render that part of the body temporarily limp and inoperable. For example, one of the points that can deaden an attacker’s punching arm (and give you time to counterattack) is JSD #27 (P 6). Also, attacking pressure points can temporarily unbalance an attacker’s mind, disrupting them and giving you time to counterattack.

“While practicing Ninjutsu, I use Jin Shin Do® to speed healing to injuries received during training — to reduce swelling and pain, both for myself and for my fellow Ninjutsu practitioners. I also use JSD to relax tense, sore muscles after a training session.

“Ninjutsu is an effective means of self-defense, and JSD is an effective means of relieving discomforts experienced by us and our clients. However, I believe the greatest value of both arts comes when we use them as an integral part of our daily lives — to enrich our lives and promote good health.

“It has been stressed in Ninjutsu to always use one’s body in the healthiest way possible, no matter what task is being done — even something as simple (?) as walking. It is also emphasized that it is far better to avoid confrontation than to put oneself at risk by being involved in a fight — i.e., to put one’s health and safety before one’s ego.

“Similarly, I believe that it is important for us and our clients to incorporate Jin Shin Do® into our life routines, as a means to strengthen and maintain a healthy body, mind, and spirit. It is better to aim at preventing issues through tension release, energy balancing and exercise, than to wait until something happens and then use JSD to help ‘fix’ it.”

Gerard Thomas wrote “Unbalancing Points– for self-defense” in the 2011 JSD Networker.

William Thurston, of North Vancouver, British Columbia, has studied Judo, Ju-Jitsu, Arnis, and Karate, and has a 10th degree black belt in DarkStar Martial Arts and a 7th dan in Ryu Kyu Kempo (Kyu Sho Jitsu). He has been a Registered Jin Shin Do® Acupressurist since 2002.

Bill said, “Karate (especially Ryukyu Kempo and Kyusho Jitsu) taught me the effects of impact or strike points on an attacker’s body, when used in self-defense tactics.  It was impressed upon us that we were ‘communicating to the attacker’s brain through pain.’ Depending on the specific point, these stimulations can be from a direct touch, a rub, or a hit. The body’s reaction could be interpreted as a ‘stunning’ effect. The strikes don’t have to be hard as much as accurate in the application.

Similarly, when we access the points for healing in Jin Shin Do®, accurate location and angle are important, to work through or around the muscles in order to access the specifically chosen points.

“The wisest information, which was impressed upon me at an early age and is worth passing on, is an old saying: ‘One should learn how to heal before one learns how to hurt.’

“There were extreme limitations to learning pressure point applications within the western approach to martial arts. In my research, I found that I had to look outside of the martial arts community to learn more about the proper approach to pressure points from a healing perspective.”








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