Dr. Joseph Bannon Ph.D., Former Government Special Agent, U.S. Presidential Bodyguard, and  Founder of the Surgical Strike System™ of Dim Mak - Kung Fu; has developed a medically and scientifically based “Quick Kill” and “Rapid Defense” counter assault system designed to immediately stop an attack against one’s self; or during the protection or rescue of another. The foundational concepts and ideologies of this acupuncture point based fighting system date back to the Shaolin Temple in China - 495 A.D. where the most superior fighting art was based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, and Ancient Martial Arts Secrets. The martial arts practiced by the ancient Chinese Warriors conformed to one philosophy; “One Hit – One Kill” or “One Hit – One Knockout.” This secret fighting art was understood only by a select and privileged few, and went by the terribly feared names of - Dim Mak;  Death Touch; Poison Hand; and Shooting Finger.

The “Surgical Strike System” was originally designed exclusively for government official level protection and “mission oriented” covert and special government agents that needed to learn extremely effective, life saving combat survival skills within a very short period of time just prior to their mission. These survival skills had to possess the ability to create immediate results; be easy to learn; easy to remember when under the severe stress and confusion of an attack, ambush or assassination attempt; and remain equally as effective against multiple attackers at the same time. "Immediate neutralization" of a close range enemy attack against these agents was the only acceptable option. Long, drawn out and protracted combat was too time consuming and unacceptable.  These special agents were:    Specialized Law Enforcement Undercover & Tactical Officers. Covert; Black & Special Government Operatives. Presidential Level Protection Agents. Advanced Martial Artists.

Ongoing Training Seminars Now Available To :   All styles, backgrounds and skill levels.  Police Officers, Martial Artists and Private Citizens.    Whether you are a Secret Service Agent protecting the President, a police officer protecting the public, or a mother protecting your child; the concepts, techniques and philosophies of the Surgical Strike Self Defense & Counter-Attack System will work equally as well for everyone who learns it. The concepts are direct; fast & easy to learn; effective; and do not require a martial arts background; youthful speed; flexibility or size;– yet contain the same principles, secret knowledge and techniques that have been taught to some of the world’s most elite bodyguards; government special agents and advanced martial artists.

This “Special” and “Secret” knowledge of controlling an attacker’s brain and body functions through strategic nerve; pressure point and acupuncture site stimulation – while producing extremely painful; unusual; unexpected; unfamiliar and immediately debilitating energy loss; has historically been coveted by and limited exclusively to entities such as:  Shaolin Temple Warrior Monks & Chinese Medical Doctors. CIA and Special Covert Government Operatives. Navy Seal & Delta Force Special Teams. Very Old Martial Arts Grandmasters. Presidential Level Protection Details. Specialized Law Enforcement. Political Assassination Teams. Russian Spetsnaz & the KGB.

What exactly is the “Surgical Strike System™”?   The Surgical Strike System of Combat and Self Defense is founded upon the philosophy of capitalizing and taking full advantage of a human being’s inherent anatomical; physiological; cyber-physiological; and psychological vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Once these “weaknesses” that are universally common in all people are learned and understood; we surgically focus our attack directly against them causing immediate and devastating results. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and these "weak links" become our specific targets. We never “box a boxer” or “wrestle a wrestler.” We never "fight with" or go toe to toe with our opponent. We use only specially focused techniques that are unfair; unexpected; uncommon; unfamiliar and unknown to most people.  Why?  Because – if our attacker cannot see; stand; breathe; function; or think clearly – he cannot continue to attack us.

The human body was designed to tolerate; absorb and withstand blunt trauma; not focused strikes against acupuncture points or fragile and inherently weak areas. These areas can be referred to as the “Achilles Heels;” “Dimmer” or “On and Off” switches of the human brain and body that exist in large numbers in all people regardless of their size; strength; age or skill level. Dim Mak techniques focus on attacking a different type of pain receptor; energy system; and specific nerve cell fibers that create havoc, cerebral overload, excruciating pain in the body, and severe confusion of the mind. Ask yourself this question – what would be more painful to you; a punch on the shoulder? A pinch to the inside of your thigh? Slowly pulling a hair out of your nose; or peeling back one of your toe nails with a pair of pliers? A “ punch;” a “pinch;” a “ pull;” or a "peel" – all stimulate a different type of nerve cell fiber and reaction in the brain and body.   Type A fibers as opposed to Type C fibers to be specific.

We also attack the Electro-Magnetic Circulatory System of our attacker which creates a reaction similar to an electro-magnetic pulse or surge that causes a blackout or temporary shutdown in his brain and bodily organs - similar to blowing out a fuse in an electrical circuit. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, and Dim Mak; this phenomenon is known as "Chi flow disruption."  A specific Dim Mak strike penetrates much deeper into the center core of our being; creating serious malfunctions and destabilization to our vital energy, brain and organ systems than a superficial gross area “nerve strike” or commonly taught "pressure point strike" alone. According to the field of Modern Neuroscience; a focused attack or stimulation against certain areas and points on the body, will severely disrupt the autonomic nervous system causing a minor; moderate; or lethal imbalance between the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous systems -  (Yin-Yang) in Chinese Medicine. This then becomes our ultimate goal.

Chi is the vital life energy that is found in all living things; and a meridian is the pathway in which it flows. Yin and Yang determine the direction of the flow. It is critical to a person’s overall state of health, that the body's Chi  (positive and negative polarities) of this synergistic system remain balanced in relationship with one another. An imbalance will cause pain; sickness; debilitation; paralysis; mental confusion and disease. This ancient Chinese Medical phenomenon has recently been substantiated by Harvard University. A nerve push or pressure point strike can be effective depending on what your objective is; but in many cases only produce a “localized” pain reaction or limb dysfunction. They can be used to move a person in a certain direction; cause weakening; and in some cases unconsciousness. Although a Dim Mak Energy Strike may simultaneously involve the contact of a nerve or pressure point due to their near proximity; they must not always be mistakenly understood as one in the same; They are not !

Whether flying on a plane; riding a subway or a bus; waiting for a traffic light to change; stuck in a phone booth; walking the dog; or out grocery shopping – You can now effectively save yourself or a loved one from an unwanted attack by a rapist, child molester, mugger, kidnapper, highjacker, or terrorist. If either the “Chi,” the “Meridian,” or both are attacked; blocked; disrupted; slowed down; speeded up or reversed; the mental and physical processes within the brain and body of an attacker begin to rapidly fail. Under these adverse conditions, our attacker can no longer logically think; defend himself; or continue his attack. His robbery; rape; or attack against us; our loved one; or the person that we are assigned to protect; has now been successfully shutdown and aborted within a matter of seconds. We have essentially “created” the very same adverse condition that doctors attempt to “heal.” Thus the old saying – “The hand that heals is the same hand that can destroy.” All we need to do is to reverse the paradigm of our intent and application of force.

When the President of a country comes under attack; terrorist ambush; close quarter assassination or hostage taking attempt; there is no room for failure or ineffective, time consuming, “theoretical” techniques that require constant practice and memorization. The techniques used must be simple; lightning fast; easy to remember when under stress; tactically superior to our attacker; and effectively work in a matter of seconds if not sooner; utilizing the least amount of energy and effort, while yielding the greatest amount of results. This basic concept is universally understood within the martial arts as the “20/80 Theory” – ( 20% effort for 80% results). This has always been the primary objective of ancient Shaolin Dim Mak - Kung Fu.  The art of Dim Mak has historically been referred to as, "Acupuncture's Evil Twin," the "Dark Side," "Dragon's Touch," "Death Touch," "Delayed Death Touch," or the art of "Black Medicine;" and all for good reason:    The (5) Basic Elements of Traditional Shaolin Dim Mak: Tearing, Ripping, or Causing Severe Pain of Tendons, Ligaments, and Muscles. Dislocation or Destruction of Joints and Breaking of Bones. Sealing (occlusion) of the Breath. Sealing (occlusion) of Veins and Arteries. Cavity Press and Pressure Point Attack of the Chi (Ki) Energy System.  To fully understand the in-depth scientific concepts of  Dim Mak; Kung-Fu; Acupuncture; Cyber-Physiology; Medicine; Psychology and the other elements that comprise this system; one would have to diligently study them at a college and medical school level over a period of many years. This has already been done for you. Each training module has been designed and modernized by Dr. Bannon in an easy to understand format; using everyday language, lay terminology, and comparative analogies that each student can easily relate to. The concept, goal, and training objective of each seminar; is that the student will be able to immediately apply on the street; that which he/she learned in the classroom on that same day. Knowledge Equals Power; and “Effective – Simplification” of that power is the key to “Survival.”   The Surgical Strike System of Dim Mak - Kung Fu™ is a sponsored fighting system that is owned by and directed solely by  Bannon Institute Incorporated, which is chartered by the United States Martial Artist Association as a Martial Arts Institute of Higher Education. This System is currently being presented in a certification seminar format such as:  Evolutionary Fighting Tactics   Or   VIPMMA Street Survival Series    Please see the Training Curriculum  page of this web site for a detailed description of each training module that comprises the Surgical Strike System™ in its entirety.     Also please see the "Ecclesiastes 3" Program description for a further explaination of the Two Dragons of Dim Mak.    All Rights Reserved. Bannon Institute Copyright © 2004.