Freak knockout!

No, no one put my lights out, so drop that line of thinking. A high school football player was knocked out by, "a nearly empty plastic sports-drink bottle." See what happened was that, "a teammate nonchalantly tossed" a Gatorate bottle over his shoulder. The bottle struck McMonigle in the forehead, above his eye." The story goes on to mention how amazed the thrower was that such a light blow would have such an impact.

This brings up the subject of "freak knockouts." Anyone who has been in combat sports for a while, including kickboxing, MMA, boxing, TKD, or even point fighting, has seen some things which amazed them. I've seen some "taps" have such have effects which, even now, seem weirdly disproportionate to the force applied. Heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali was accused of cheating in his second bout with Sonny Liston when Liston, considered one of the toughest men in boxing, was floored by a such a seemingly light blow that foul play was immediately suspected. Press-savvy Ali soon dubbed it his "anchor punch." What's amazing is that the knockout still inspires debate today. To see it for yourself, click this link

I bring this up because, despite the amazement of the player throwing the plastic bottle, we have no idea what will happen when we hit someone. I have read that strikes "on the street" are notoriously unpredictable, and remember reading a book by Loren Christensen where he said that the same punch which floored a massive opponent one day wouldn't cause another man to even blink. Now, with the grappling trend, we have more dependable, predictable techniques with which to control or subdue an opponent, making them perfect for law enforcement.

Another point is that where you strike has as much importance as how hard, if not more. I love the eyes, throat, and groin for quick, effective strikes, in that order. For less lethal stuns or knockouts, aim for the nose, chin, temple, vagus nerve, solar plexus, bladder, knees, and femoral artery. There are many more. Work on it...

Hat tip: The Obscure Store and Reading Room

Tags: self-defense, striking, mma, knockout, targets, sparring

UPDATE: To reinforce these points, please read this LeBlog post and watch the linked knockout clip on YouTube.