Originally Posted by
anerlich
A guy I know who is highly skilled in WC and other MA's, and has extensive ring, security, and streetfighting experience, and is fairly amoral as regards hurting people, doesn't use "finger strikes" per se, but uses the thumb in the eye, from the inside corner outward to good effect.
It's not a stopper against a fully committed opponent, but he claims it works in situations to stop one guy temporarily while he's dealing with another, or to indicate to someone looking for a fist fight that he's biting off more than he wanted to chew.
I've seen demos of Karate guys that can split apples in mid-air and break boards with their fingers. Impressive. It must take loads of conditioning. But then again, I'd bet these guys can punch like battering rams as well.
Probably more so in the US. He's been around for decades, one of his books was my first MA-related book purchase in 1977. He has a number of students or associates that you often see in bit parts in Hollywood movies or on TV, Like James Liu (?) who was in Perfect Weapon, and Al Leong, the Asian guy with long hair from Lethal weapon.
He's always been a bit on the pudgy side for a supposedly top class martial artist IMO, but his books were OK.