What to do

[JerryLove]

thats why you tilt you head down, bigger target for your forehead.

The action involved tiltign your head for 2 reasons. One is that really ahrd part of your skill is about where most people's hairline is; the second is that the angle of hit produced would do little to jar your head around (bouncing your brain in your skill, which is what causes knockouts and brain damage).

Mas Oyama could kill a bull by punching it in the head. Conditioning your fists will remove any worry of damaging it on the other person's skull.

And the Chinese MA were know for conditioning their heads. That said, I'd like to see the videotape of Mas before I come to any conclusions regarding hat legend... unfortunately it does not exist.

there are people who condition so much that they punch steel so bone would be nothing.

So two of these people punching each other in the fist would do what? After all, it's just bone they are hitting.

[TJS]

Jerry, there are two short clips of Mas Oyama fighting a bull, I dont know that they show much but here they are.

 

http://www.kyokushinmail.com/koya/VideoClipses/OyamaBull1.avi

 

http://www.kyokushinmail.com/koya/VideoClipses/OyamaBull2.avi

 

and here is one of him breaking a rock

 

http://www.kyokushinmail.com/koya/VideoClipses/OyamaRock.avi

[JerryLove]

Wow, those videos could not be any worse. I definately make out a man wrestling down a small bull, but the rest is very unclear. The rock frames look out of order and everything is *very* pixelated.

[mikS]

yo, i know that fighting in a dojo and fighting in a street are much diff, like punching in the face is bad, your fist has many small bones that can break easily, and so for me i would use elbows for face, fist for neck. and i would never kick above waist. I have others, but what are some of yours?

 

I never kick above the waist, and i often use palm heel strikes to the face.

[Warp Spider]

thats why you tilt you head down, bigger target for your forehead.

The action involved tiltign your head for 2 reasons. One is that really ahrd part of your skill is about where most people's hairline is; the second is that the angle of hit produced would do little to jar your head around (bouncing your brain in your skill, which is what causes knockouts and brain damage).

 

Actually the front of your hairline is not the best place. It is very thick but comes to a point on the inside of your skull, which your brain will then impale itself on. If possible, the sides of your head above the same amount up have an area almost as thick that is smoothe on the inside. Bouncing around of the brain inside your skull, especially on the pointy bits, causes punch-drunkedness, but knockouts are usually caused by twisting or bending of the spinal cord.

[JerryLove]

Actually the front of your hairline is not the best place. It is very thick but comes to a point on the inside of your skull, which your brain will then impale itself on.

Part fo the point is that your brain will not be impactig on anything. Unless you are holding your head incorrectly, it will move very litle from this punch. No movemener = no brain injury.

If possible, the sides of your head above the same amount up have an area almost as thick that is smoothe on the inside.

 

And nowhere to send the force... getting hit in the side of the head with power is disorienting.

[Sens55]

I think many of us have nice theories, but we sometimes forget things like...the opponent and the circumstances. Although it's always good to have a plan, Tyson once said "Everyone has a plan...until they get punched in the face" (or something similar). The point being, there are no perfect scenarios that will fit in all circumstances. If there were, everyone would learn those and that would be it.

 

That being said, there are some good basic strategies that can be used. You alluded to kicking low. That's good on a number of levels. First, most every day joes in a fight will try to box. They don't always look for kicks, and good, hard, low kicks can hurt. It can impede their ability to move as easily. And, a few good shots might get them thinking about your kicks and open up something higher, like the face.

 

On the punching to the face. I do believe you can condition your hands to make the punch less likely to hurt your hand. But, few of us have the time, or the inclination, to do that. Especially since it's truly unnecessary. Palm strikes to the face can be just just as effective and punches and with far less training.

 

The last strategy that I like is, "Don't box a boxer or grapple a grappler. Grapple a boxer and box a grappler." Again, this is taking into account the opponent and the conditions. Meaning, I wouldn't want to go to ground in a barfight if I could help it, because you never know if someone else won't decide to kick you in the head while you're tied up with the original opponent.

[omnifinite]

I'm usually taught to use hard weapons on soft targets and soft weapons on hard targets... with exceptions of course... and conditioning probably can't hurt, unless you give yourself a blood clot .