Touchless knockout
{{short description|Supposed martial arts technique}}
Touchless knockout or no-touch knockout is a fraudulent practice by con artists who claim knowledge of techniques by which an enemy combatant can be rendered unconscious solely by application of qi, kiai or similar methods, without making physical contact. This differs from pressure point techniques which involve light or slight contact to specific areas of the body causing unconsciousness. Skeptics believe apparent demonstrations of touchless knockout techniques to be hypnotism of, or acting (collusion) on the part of, the apparent victims of the technique.
One notable practitioner of the fictitious touchless knockout is George Dillman; he attempted to demonstrate the technique for a National Geographic Channel program about him and was unable to knock out volunteers previously unknown to him.{{cite web|url=http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/435883/No-touch-martial-arts-master-meets-reality/|title=No touch martial arts master meets reality|work=mixedmartialarts.com|accessdate=7 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027043448/http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/No-touch-martial-arts-master-meets-reality|archive-date=27 October 2017|url-status=dead}} Another martial artist who claimed but was unable to prove an ability to knock out without contact is Harry Thomas "Tom" Cameron, who was featured in episode eight of season one of Stan Lee's Superhumans and, unusually for that program, judged not to have any superhuman ability whatsoever. Cameron was also debunked in a Fox news investigation.{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/martial-art-pretenders-a-history-of-imitators-and-snake-oil/|title=Martial Art Pretenders: A History of Imitators and Snake Oil|work=Fightland|access-date=7 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203015011/http://fightland.vice.com/blog/martial-art-pretenders-a-history-of-imitators-and-snake-oil|archive-date=3 December 2020|url-status=live}}{{Skeptoid|id=4189|number=189|date=19 January 2010|title=Bullshido: Martial Arts Magic|accessdate=7 March 2022}} Other people who have claimed, but been unable to prove under controlled conditions, an ability to perform a touchless knockout include Yanagi Ryuken of Japan{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/what-martial-arts-have-to-do-with-atheism/275273/|title=What Martial Arts Have to Do With Atheism|work=The Atlantic|date=25 April 2013 |accessdate=19 August 2015}} (sometimes misidentified as Kiai Master Ryukerin), Jukka Lampila of Finland,{{cite web|url=http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/12/13/after-showing-up-to-his-live-event-skeptics-debunk-promoter-of-touchless-karate/|title=After Showing Up to His Live Event, Skeptics Debunk Promoter of 'Touchless' Karate|work=Friendly Atheist|accessdate=19 August 2015}} and numerous practitioners of the Yellow Bamboo school of martial arts centered on Bali in Indonesia.{{cite web|url=http://skepdic.com/yellowbamboo.html|title=Yellow Bamboo|work=skepdic.com|accessdate=19 August 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://hoaxes.org/weblog/comments/the_ancient_art_of_yellow_bamboo|title=The Ancient Art of Yellow Bamboo|work=Museum of Hoaxes|accessdate=19 August 2015}}