The Power of Pressure Points: The Most Common and Effective Martial Art Pressure Points

After World War II and the Korean War, Asian martial arts began to be shown in America. These early demonstrations began a transformation within the American public that no one could have predicted. That transformation eventually flowed to me and ultimately had a profound impact on my life.

There was a time when I traveled from South Carolina to New York, some 13 hours one way, just to see Chinese martial art movies in Chinatown. I would watch several martial art movies and then drive straight back. Asian martial arts completely dominated my thought and actions.

A year after graduation from high school in 1969, I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Little did I suspect that this would lead me to my life’s work and my life’s love. After completing training as a security policeman, I volunteered for duty in Vietnam. However, instead of being sent to Vietnam, I was sent to Korea. Unknown to me at the time, I was about to begin my life’s journey into the Korean culture, history, and martial arts.

I was stationed at the U.S. Air Force base at Kunsan, South Korea. It was there that I was first introduced to the Korean traditional martial art of Kuk Sool by Master Oh, Yi Kuen. For two years I trained in the ancient techniques of this art.

During this period of my training, I was introduced to the use of pressure points, acupressure, Ki (internal energy), herbal medicine, and acupuncture. Master Oh was a 6th degree black belt and the local village healer, and many locals came to him for medical treatment. I also witnessed him treating soldiers that were training in his school. Master Oh treated me with both acupressure and acupuncture for injuries received during fighting. He also gave me herbal medicine for an illness I once had. The treatments were successful and made a deep impression on my psyche. It was my first introduction to Asian pressure points and medicine. It began my interest in pressure point study, herbal medicine, and acupuncture.

I first met Grandmaster Suh, In Hyuk at my black belt testing in Kunsan, Korea. Little did I know what the future held for us. To me, he was my instructor’s teacher, a teacher who taught only 4th degree black belts and higher, which, at that time put him way out of my reach. Master Oh was Grandmaster Suh’s private student, so Master Oh often invited him to testing’s and promotions as a guest of honor.

After my honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1974, I attempted to stay in Korea to study Kuk Sool but was unable to get a visa. I had no choice but to return home to South Carolina. Kuk Sool was not yet taught or practiced in the U.S., so I started a club. That was the only way I could keep in practice and remember the techniques I had learned.

Upon receiving news that Grandmaster Suh had immigrated to the U.S. and was holding a seminar (1975) at Louisiana State University, I jumped on my Harley Davidson and headed out to Baton Rouge to meet him once again. He remembered me from Korea, and, fortunately, with a letter of introduction from Master Oh, he accepted me as his second American student. I began living in his school full time. I was given the Korean martial art name “Suh, Sung Sool” (“Suh” is the family name and “Sung Sool” means to achieve technical skill) by Grandmaster Suh when he accepted me, and I began a martial art journey from the past that few will ever experience. Many years later I would receive a Korean Buddhist name “Ha, Il Moon” (“Ha” is a family name from the area that Grandmaster Suh is from and “Il Moon” means: first gate).

My standing orders were to eat, sleep, and train. For five years I lived in Grandmaster Suh’s school and followed those orders. At times it was very difficult, and many people told me I was crazy or brainwashed, but I knew that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I was determined to make the most of it, no matter how difficult.

While I was living in the school, I saw Grandmaster Suh treat many people with acupressure and acupuncture. I witnessed healing that seemed impossible but happened right in front of my eyes. I also saw Grandmaster Suh use two fingers and put people that came in off the street to challenge him on the ground, screaming in pain. Those events stimulated my interest in learning more about pressure points and how they affect the body. I did not speak Korean well enough to understand Grandmaster Suh’s explanations, so I had a difficult time understanding in-depth explanations of pressure points. I did however get both practical experience and the fundamentals of pressure point usage in martial arts thanks to Grandmaster Suh’s instruction.

My time living in the school came to an end following my arranged marriage to Lee, Choon Ok, a Korean Kuk Sool Instructor. Our wedding took place July 13, 1980, and we now have two beautiful daughters, Emerald Mi-Yong and Jada Mi-Ho.

In 1981 we opened our first Kuk Sool School in San Mateo, California, and we continue to train under Grandmaster Suh to this day. We have both taught and demonstrated Kuk Sool in many countries around the world, and our martial art education goes on under the watchful eye of Grandmaster Suh.

With the encouragement of my mentor, I started college and earned my B.A. degree from San Francisco State University. Two years later I received my acupuncture degree from the San Francisco College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, providing me with training in healing arts traditionally obtained by high masters. The driving force for me to accomplish these studies was the fact that ancient martial artists were often scholars, and I wanted to follow the ancient tradition. My Kuk Sool mentor, Grandmaster Suh, is one of the best martial artists in the world, but he also knows how to help people through the healing arts of acupressure, acupuncture, and bone setting, as well as herbal medicine. Grandmaster Suh was practicing these techniques many years before these healing arts were recognized in the West and the licensing process begun.

My training with Grandmaster Suh and the study of acupuncture has helped me understand the mystery of pressure points and how they work. As with most subjects, the more you learn the more you realize there is to learn. Even though I am a licensed acupuncturist since 1989 and have treated over twenty thousand patients, I still feel that there is much to learn. I have used pressure points in martial art application thousands of times and believe that everyone can benefit from learning to use pressure points in self-defense and traditional martial art training. I also know that pressure points enhance any type of martial art technique whether it’s self-defense, fighting, or training for good health. Pressure points can benefit all martial artists regardless of rank, system or style. I continue to study and learn about pressure points on a regular basis. I expect to continue with this interesting study for the rest of my life.

I moved to Houston, Texas in 1991, where I presently live with my family. I have dedicated my entire adult life to studying and practicing Korean martial arts. I have spent uncounted hours training my body and educating my mind. I truly believe that the martial arts, Kuk Sool in particular, have enriched and fulfilled my life in a way no other path could have.

As a small token of appreciation to my adopted culture that has given me ancient roots, and to the art that first introduced me to pressure points and Asian healing arts, I humbly decided to write this book.

There are those of us in search of the Forgotten Knowledge, while others search for the Undiscovered Knowledge.

--R. Barry Harmon