This ten article series will deal with the various components that need to be addressed when considering the utilization of a particular kick in a combat or self-defense situation. These ten components can also be used by the tournament competitor although certain segments would have to be modified slightly for the tournament aspects of kicking, rather than the more intensive nature of using a kick or kicks in combat. Although all of these individual components are important, they are most effective when combined together and utilized correctly when executing a kick.

Although I will only be discussing one of the components in this article, here is the complete list of all ten of them.

1. Your Kicking Ability
2. Your Intended Application
3. The Environment
4. Telegraphing
5. Striking Implement
6. Striking the Correct Target
7. Initial Impact
8. Impact
9. Retraction or Follow Through
10. Return to Fighting Position

Component Six; Striking the Correct Target:

No matter how well you execute your kick, it isn't going to do you a damn bit of good if you don't strike a specific vital or vulnerable point on your opponent. Sure, for the most part, hitting your opponent somewhere on his/her body is better than not hitting them at all. However, you risk not only having a less effective kick and possibly prolonging the confrontation, but also the very real possibility that you may end up injuring yourself instead of your opponent.

Imagine for a moment that you are confronted by an opponent and are left with no other options than to resort to an actual physical confrontation. An opportunity presents itself where you are able to execute a Roundhouse kick to your opponent's ribcage. Only instead of connecting with the lower ribs, you end up hitting his elbow instead. Now anybody that has kicked someone's elbow with the instep of their foot will tell you just how bad that hurts and how little, if any, effect there is on your opponent. Now imagine being presented with the opportunity to land a kick to your opponent's head and hitting his shoulder instead. How effective do you think that kick is going to be?

Knowing where to kick your opponent is just as important as knowing how to kick your opponent. If you are serious about learning how to defend yourself, you need to study as much as you can about the physiology of the human anatomy and its ability to withstand blows, as well as, deliver them. This knowledge is beneficial not only for inflicting damage upon your opponent, but also for knowing what to defend on yourself in order to keep from getting seriously hurt. Remember; only use that amount of force necessary to stop your attacker from hurting you. Never use excessive force!

Here are a few things that should be considered concerning vital/vulnerable points.

1. Is the proposed target a vital point or a vulnerable point?

A vital point is generally defined as an area of the body where, when struck results in either incapacitation or death. A good example of this would be the groin. Any man who has ever been kicked in the groin knows how bad it hurts and how incapacitating it can be. If you are lying on the ground and unable to move, how hard do you think it would be for your opponent to inflict a significant amount of damage on you or even kill you. Another interesting fact that you may not be aware of is the fact that if the groin is struck just right and with a sufficient amount of force, that you can actually kill a man by striking him in the groin.

A vulnerable point is generally defined as an area of the body where, when struck results in slight to moderate damage. A good example of this would be the nose. Depending upon the amount of force used, a blow to the nose can result in as little damage as a localized pain and watering of the eyes to a broken nose resulting in an inability to breath through the nose combined with intense pain and blurred vision due to a watering of the eyes. This is far from incapacitating, although it can and usually does impede your ability to defend yourself.

2. The actual vital/vulnerable point being struck should be considered to be no larger than the diameter of a dime.

The more focused and concentrated you can make your attack the more effective it is going to be. There is a line in the movie "The Patriot" where Mel Gibson's character asks two of his sons what he had taught them about shooting, there response was, "Aim small miss small." This is very good advice not only for shooting, but for any activity where you are required to hit a specific point or target like say for example, kicking. Imagine how effective your kicks will be when you can consistently place them in an area the size of a dime.

3. The amount of force needed to affect a particular vital/vulnerable point.

Although basically built the same, each human beings physical make-up and tolerance for pain varies from individual to individual. Therefore, the amount of force necessary to affect a particular vital/vulnerable point on an individual may vary from one to another. This is very important to know so that you can gauge just exactly how much force is needed in order to gain control of a particular situation. You don't want to strike a person and inadvertently cause more damage than what is necessary. On the other hand, you don't want to use too little force either if the situation warrants the use of serious or even lethal force.

4. What type of damage can be caused by striking a particular vital/vulnerable point?

As I previously stated above, a good example of this would be the nose. Depending upon the amount of force used, a blow to the nose can result in as little damage as a localized pain and watering of the eyes to a broken nose resulting in an inability to breath through the nose combined with intense pain and blurred vision due to a watering of the eyes.

Final Thoughts:

The subject of vital/vulnerable points and how to strike them is a very serious matter and one that should never be taken lightly. I personally am very leery about teaching people about them and usually only give a generalized description of them.

Two excellent resources on the human body and vital/vulnerable points are Black Medicine, Vol. #1 by N. Mashiro, Ph.D. and the classic text, Gray's Anatomy. I highly recommend both books for further information on the subject.