"I'm a Fighter not a Doctor"

As the voice of Star Trek's Bones McCoy echoes in my brain, I read another post about how important it is for you to know the specific medical effects and terminology of what happens to a guy when you hit him in the spleen. Seriously, did Mike Tyson know that when blasted a guy in the jaw he disrupted the trigeminal nerve and caused concussive force to the brain-pan? Is George St. Pierre more effective knowing that he's cutting off blood supply to the carotid artery when he's choking the snot out of someone?

Maybe? The point is, some people feel that if you know the specific medical jargon you will be better off (or sound like you know what you're talking about). While understanding what happens to a target when you hit it in a particular way is important, some of these guys get all CSI and quite honestly, I don't have the time to go to med school and my Latin is REALLY rusty. I'm not going to expect you know what a "Mental Foramen" is, as long as you know where the side of the jaw is located.

Instead of going to med school, I can save you the time and effort of purchasing a Grey's Anatomy and give you the layman's description of knock out blows.

A "knockout" is one that renders the receiver unable to face his opponent for no less than 10 seconds. It is a blow landed to some vulnerable spot on the anatomy.

MENTAL FORAMEN OR JAW STRIKE SDTS Module 1

The most common knockout blow, and the best known, is the "hook to the jaw" strike. Few clean knockout blows reach the extreme tip of the chin, as it is a hard blow to land, because of the natural protection of the hands and arms, and the keeping of the chin well down on the chest.

The left hooking type strike to the side of the jaw is the most common knockout blow. It is usually delivered at close range, being out of the line of the vision, and making it harder to guard off.

The line of drive is made so as to force the upper end of the jawbone, ball, and socket up into the brain area, near where it is fastened to the upper skull.
It agitates the nerve of the brain area, causing a concussion, or shock, and senselessness. It also affects the nerves, so that they act deadened completely, making it impossible to feel pain. The victim knows nothing until he begins to recover. When he wakes up, he usually hears a low, buzzing, and steaming noise, and faint ambient sounds.

This knockout blow also sometimes disturbs the fluid in the semi-circular canals of the ear, where the sense of equilibrium is located, causing a loss of balance as well. Sometimes old-time fighters habitually walk with a wobble, or sense of unbalance, caused by being beaten over the ear so as to partially destroy the sense of the balance fluid.

The most deadly effect is obtained when the blow is delivered and the jaw is not tense, especially when the fighter is tired or when the mouth is partially open. This is why fighters wear mouth pieces, or mouth-guards, so that the teeth may be clenched, and thereby take away any shock. A tightening of the jaw makes the blow much less effective.

CARATOID ARTERY, OR NECK BLOW SDTS Module 1

The caratoid artery, or neck blow, is the most sensational and least painful of blows. The strike lands on the upper side of the neck under the ear and just below the jaw, where the main external artery divides — one part supplying the brain, the eyes, and ears, and the other part supply the face, tongue, and internal parts.

This blow is reflectory, and sometimes induces a sympathetic action of the vagus nerve, causing a temporary inaction of the heart and breathing organs, thus bringing about senselessness. It is also very effective when the neck muscles are relaxed.

EAR, OR MASTOID, BLOW SDTS Module 2

The mastoid is located directly behind the ear, encasing the ear bones, and is the hardest bone in the body. The blow is landed directly behind or over the back part of the ear. It does not always produce a knock-out, but shocks the brain and causes the victim to stagger and wobble for a few seconds. Many boxers shows its effect by "cauliflower" or clipped ears.

TEMPLE BLOW SDTS Module 1 and Module 2

The temple is located directly in front of the ear, and just above the upper jawbone. It is the thinnest part of the skull. The temple blow is the most dangerous of all, and may have a fatal effect.

"Atlas C1 Vertebrae/ Mastoid Process or where the top of your spine meets your skull" SDTS Module 1 and Module 2

Strikes here in boxing are called "rabbit punches". These are blows delivered directly at the base of the skull or back of the head. It is usually delivered when you are behind your target or when he's in a bent-over position. Strikes here shock the brain and sometimes produce partial paralysis of the breathing functions. Concussions or shock are common. This strike is so devastating that
it's regarded as a foul in practically all parts of the world.

NOSE BLOW SDTS Module 1, Module 2 and Module 4

The nose often becomes hardened, or immune to blows, but many pugilists develop a case of soft nose, caused by a splitting or shattering of the bridge of the nose. The chief danger of a "nose sock" is that the blood flow interferes with the breathing and cutting off of the air supply. The notion of driving the nose into the brain is a wives tale.

TESTICLES SDTS Module 2, Module 3 and Module 4

The celiac plexus provides the autonomic nervous supply to the testis as well as to the liver, pancreas, duodenum, gallbladder, and colon. Therefore, testicular pain may result in gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, through reflex stimulation of the celiac ganglion." In other words, some pain impulses race up to your brain to inform you that you've absorbed a jolt to the vitals, while others branch off to the gut and make you feel sick and possibly vomit, in case there was any lingering doubt.

Three main types of actions can cause severe trauma: blunt force, which is what it sounds like; penetrating trauma (gunshots and such); and degloving (tearing) injury, which may occur when the scrotum is caught in machinery and about which I'll say no more.

Severe impact can result in a condition called testicular torsion — a twisting of one or more of the testes and spermatic cord — which may be accompanied (once again) by intense pain, nausea, and vomiting. Another relatively unusual one is dislocated testes, in which a testicle gets knocked out of the scrotum altogether, potentially winding up anywhere from up by your hips to partway down your thigh. Motorcycle accidents are good for this type of injury too, collision with the gas tank or handlebars commonly being the culprit.

There have been rumored cases where a person squeezed an attacker's testicles until he went into shock. I can't speak 100% on this but I will say owning a pair myself and despite their being forged from carbon steel, getting hit or squeezed with sufficient force will be enough to take me out.

EYES SDTS Module 3 and Module 4

Attacking the eyes will cause anything from excessive tearing and temporary blindness to shock and nausea. Shock is the main component that causes death due to eye removal.

Shock is basically the body shutting down and not delivering blood to organs. Most defensive tactics use shock to incapacitate a target. After all, there are only so many ways people die other than old age, hypothermia, starvation and disease. Shock, loss of blood, loss of air, internal bleeding our swelling, disruption of the hypothalamus (The part of the brain that lies below the thalamus, forming the major portion of the ventral region of the diencephalon, and that regulates bodily temperature, certain metabolic processes, and other autonomic activities.)

Where is the hypothalamus located?

Incidentally, look how far you need to travel into the brain to pus someone's lights out.









Train Honestly,


Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company


Damian Ross is CEO of the Self Defense Company and developer of The Self Defense Training System, the most lethal and effective self defense system in the world, The Guardian Defensive Tactics Police Combatives Program, 60 minute Self Defense and the Family Safe Program. Mr. Ross also founded the Self Defense Instructor Program that helps people develop their self defense careers from the ground up. Mr. Ross is originally from Ridgewood, NJ where he was a High School Hall of Fame Athlete in football and wrestling as well as a varsity wrestling coach. He then went on to Lehigh University where he was a varsity wrestler and football player. Mr. Ross has 3 black belts, 4th Degree in Tekkenryu Jujutsu, 2nd Degree in Judo, 2nd Degree in Tae Kwon Do. In addition to his martial arts experience, Mr; Ross spent 8 years in the professional security and personal protection business. He is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities in reality based self defense.