During the mid- to late 1990s I started to hear about pressure points and got sucked into the hype about them. After a bit of research, I decided to focus on a practitioner named Russell Stutely. He originally studied Shotokan Karate but then trained with the Dragon Society International in the USA, which specialised in pressure points. The World Wide Web and email were just taking off, and I contacted Russell by email to enquire about any courses.

He suggested I attend a seminar he was putting together to cover a new topic, called BAR (Body Alarm Reaction), that greatly increased your self-protection and buys you time to follow up with pressure points. So, after a 4-hour drive to his gym in Oakham, Rutland, I joined in. It was an interesting seminar, though there was not much training on actual pressure points. The guest instructor, Eddie Stokes, was very good at providing a lot of self-protection advice. I followed up a few weeks later to attend a training session on pressure points, though this covered enhancers, which Russell called ‘players to the game’.

At this point Russell moved to Malta, so I had to make do with some of his training videos. Later, the clearance sale of a collapsed martial arts video production company (NAP) allowed me to pick up a lot of his early material cheaply.

He has since moved to Cambodia and now operates from there.

Core Philosophy
He emphasises that pressure-point fighting doesn’t exist as a standalone system; instead, it should be used as an addition to existing fighting and self-defence skills to massively increase effectiveness. He rejects mystical approaches, insisting there should be no “hocus pocus” when learning pressure points.

Key Principles
Practical Application – His approach is grounded in real-world experience from security work, professional boxing coaching, and over 40 years in martial arts. Over 100 police academies worldwide use his methods, training approximately 20,000 security officers annually.

Integration with Existing Skills – Rather than treating pressure points as a separate fighting system, he teaches students to incorporate them into their current martial arts or self-defence techniques. The focus is on enhancing what you already know.

Technique Enhancers – He teaches specific methods to amplify pressure point effectiveness, including concepts like the “heavy hand” technique (making strikes feel heavier), body vibration to magnify impact, and proper use of balance points.

Anatomical Understanding – His system is heavily based on studying Traditional Chinese Medicine, giving him profound knowledge of body mechanics from both Eastern and Western perspectives.

No-Nonsense Training – He can teach people with zero prior experience to utilise his techniques in just a few hours. His instruction aims to double or triple striking power while targeting vulnerable points on limbs, head, torso, and legs for maximum effect with minimal effort.