# To bite or not bite - this is the question



## Cynik75 (Jan 30, 2022)

A few words about biting from Icy Mike. Do you agree or not? Any experiences with biting or being bitten?


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## Kung Fu Wang (Jan 30, 2022)

It depends on your biting target. If someone tries to kill you, you bite his finger off. At that moment, he may think about to go to EM ASAP before he can still have a change to connect his finger back. He won't think about killing you any more.

But to bite on a different target such as nose, ear, leg, ... , you may not be able to cause that kind of effect.


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## seasoned (Jan 30, 2022)

Cynik75 said:


> A few words about biting from Icy Mike. Do you agree or not? Any experiences with biting or being bitten?


I never had the opportunity, but for me biting, as a last resort. I wouldn't go looking for it. The target would have to present itself...


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## drop bear (Jan 30, 2022)

I have been bitten a few times. It isn't very nice. Bit it was never a game changer. 

But yeah as he says if you were keen for it it would have to be in a way that advances your position.


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## JowGaWolf (Jan 30, 2022)

I think priorities would change if a finger was bitten off.  If someone is attacking you and you bit their finger off, then you have just giving the attacker something else to deal with other than attacking you.

An attacker has the option to attack or stop attacking. I think for some, taking finger off would a have a good chance of creating a  "This isn't worth it" moment.


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## JowGaWolf (Jan 30, 2022)

He is not honest in how he's demonstrating a bite.  It's like, pick the dumbest way to try to bite someone and then argue that all biting would be stupid.


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## MrBigglesworth (Jan 30, 2022)

If I was short on options and there's a chance it would distract the other person for even 1 second to create another opportunity, you're bloody right I'd do it.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Jan 30, 2022)

JowGaWolf said:


> taking finger off would a have a good chance of creating a  "This isn't worth it" moment.


One day I asked my teacher, "How did you deal with challengers?" He told me that one time he bit his opponent's finger off. After that day, there were no more challengers.

This is the ancient CMA strategy to deal with unfriendly challengers (it's called "black hand"). If you can cause serious damage (such as to bite his finger off), you can scare others that the risk to challenge you can be high.


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## Dirty Dog (Jan 30, 2022)

As always, the answer is... it depends.
It's certainly not high on my list of go-to techniques, but I wouldn't rule it out completely.


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## Instructor (Jan 31, 2022)

I'm going to say last resort for biting.  I wouldn't take it off the table for real world self defense but I'm not sure I want a mouthful of Hepatitis A or whatever my attacker may have.


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## JowGaWolf (Jan 31, 2022)

Instructor said:


> I'm going to say last resort for biting.  I wouldn't take it off the table for real world self defense but I'm not sure I want a mouthful of Hepatitis A or whatever my attacker may have.


Stuff like that is why I wouldn't want it to be my first choice or 30th.   That would be a life and death scenario for me.  I would have to be in a bad situation to bite someone's fingers or to bite a person period.


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## MetalBoar (Feb 1, 2022)

I saw a fight once where a guy was getting grounded and pounded. Really taking a beating. When the guy delivering the beat down paused briefly to cock all the way back to wail on the guy on the bottom the bottom dude reached his head up and bit top guy in the crotch. I don't know exactly what he got between his teeth but it was something sensitive. The top dude screamed like an animal caught in a trap and kept trying to stand up and run away but bottom dude held on like a pit bull and started shaking his head back and forth, clenching his jaw like mad. When he finally got loose the top guy just limped away crying. 

That was a fight ender right there, let me tell you!


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## Sifu Ken of 8 Tigers (Feb 1, 2022)

When testing one of my students many years ago, he got out of my headlock by biting me. He passed the test.

It isn't that I would ever encourage someone to do such a thing, but that he did it with enough control not to hurt me and yet got the desired result. I did not ask him to use one of the many techniques taught, but in true Jeet Kune Do philosophy, you do what makes sense, even if outside any set curricula.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Feb 1, 2022)

MetalBoar said:


> bit top guy in the crotch.


Beginner stage biting training - Get a raw pig leg and sink your teeth all the way down to the bone.
Intermediate stage biting training - Test your biting against dog and snake.
Advantage stage biting training - Go to zoo and test your biting against tiger and lion.


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## jayoliver00 (Feb 17, 2022)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> It depends on your biting target. If someone tries to kill you, you bite his finger off. At that moment, he may think about to go to EM ASAP before he can still have a change to connect his finger back. He won't think about killing you any more.
> 
> But to bite on a different target such as nose, ear, leg, ... , you may not be able to cause that kind of effect.



Clearly a grappling situation, so how long would it take to bite someone's finger off? 

I think that's a lot of time for the person who's getting bitten to use their other hand's fingers to scoop out the Biter's eyeball or both of them. A finger for an eye, what's worse? 

If you're going to go there, expect the same or worse.


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## Dirty Dog (Feb 17, 2022)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> It depends on your biting target. If someone tries to kill you, you bite his finger off. At that moment, he may think about to go to EM ASAP before he can still have a change to connect his finger back. He won't think about killing you any more.
> 
> But to bite on a different target such as nose, ear, leg, ... , you may not be able to cause that kind of effect.


Good luck with that. Biting off a finger is a lot more difficult than you seem to think. 
We've had plenty of bite injuries from patients who need restraining. None of them caused the victim to turn loose. The most likely result of biting someone in the ER is that you will be arrested. Assault on a healthcare worker is a Class 3 Felony in Colorado. If you actually injure them (like if the bite breaks the skin) it's a Class 2 Felony. If it's serious bodily injury, it's a Class 1.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Feb 17, 2022)

jayoliver00 said:


> Clearly a grappling situation, so how long would it take to bite someone's finger off?


I have seen it happened within 1 second.

If one understands that fighting is dangerous, he may lose a finger, an eyeball, or even his life, he may try to avoid fighting as much as possible.


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## Buka (Feb 17, 2022)

I don't consider it a viable self defense option for the most part. Yes, it can be used, but I don't consider it part of a viable game plan.

Other than dealing with the restraint of an unstable individual, there are those of us who really take offense at getting bit, and react accordingly with much vigor.


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## Ji Yuu (Feb 17, 2022)

My opinion is this:
Compromising the structural integrity of the attacker (the knees) will take him out of the fight; if he can't stand, he can't pursue you. Robbing the attacker of air supply is also effective but temporary. Anything that involves pain (biting) and you are taking a gamble that your attacker will retreat instead of continuing to attack you; pain tolerances differ from person to person.


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## jayoliver00 (Feb 17, 2022)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> I have seen it happened within 1 second.
> 
> If one understands that fighting is dangerous, he may lose a finger, an eyeball, or even his life, he may try to avoid fighting as much as possible.



Sure it could work, but just realize the possible immediate consequences of maiming someone. 

We fought in the streets a lot, in the 'hood of North Philly. It could be life & death, esp. when others jump in. But most of the time, it was just to settle beef.  If I bit someone's finger off rather than take a beating & a loss, I'd bet he'd come back and cap me in the head => game over.


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## Mider (Feb 17, 2022)

I rather not, what if the guy has Hepatitis or something


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## Holmejr (Feb 17, 2022)

Danny Inosanto was once asked which art he thought was the best. He stated in a tongue-in-cheek manner that at long range it might be TKD or Savate, at middle range Thai Boxing, Karate or boxing, at close stand up range Judo is a good bet, on the ground it’s BJJ and after that it’s whoever can bite the hardest.


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## Wing Woo Gar (Feb 18, 2022)

Dirty Dog said:


> Good luck with that. Biting off a finger is a lot more difficult than you seem to think.
> We've had plenty of bite injuries from patients who need restraining. None of them caused the victim to turn loose. The most likely result of biting someone in the ER is that you will be arrested. Assault on a healthcare worker is a Class 3 Felony in Colorado. If you actually injure them (like if the bite breaks the skin) it's a Class 2 Felony. If it's serious bodily injury, it's a Class 1.


I recently had a HBOT patient who had the end of a thumb bitten off. The bite went through the bone. The patient was bitten while trying to restrain the biter. The patient knew they had been bitten but didn’t realize that the thumb tip was severed until removing their glove. My point is, the bite did not stop the restraint process, and the bite was an almost instant amputation through bone even though there was a leather glove.


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## Flying Crane (Feb 18, 2022)

I think biting is an excellent choice if you have been turned, and are now motivated to turn others into zombies just like you.  

If you are not yet infected and are on the run from zombies, don’t bite.  Rotten flesh.  Yuck!


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## Flying Crane (Feb 18, 2022)

Biting is also a good choice if you happen to be a vampire and are in need of a quick snack.  Nothing like a quick drink of the good stuff to get you through a busy night.  Don’t worry, it does not turn the bitten into a vampire.  Or so I’ve heard from various folks…I wouldn’t actually know firsthand…


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## Wing Woo Gar (Feb 18, 2022)

Flying Crane said:


> I think biting is an excellent choice if you have been turned, and are now motivated to turn others into zombies just like you.
> 
> If you are not yet infected and are on the run from zombies, don’t bite.  Rotten flesh.  Yuck!


Tainted meat!


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## Kung Fu Wang (Feb 18, 2022)

jayoliver00 said:


> We fought in the streets a lot, in the 'hood of North Philly. It could be life & death, esp. when others jump in. But most of the time, it was just to settle beef.  If I bit someone's finger off rather than take a beating & a loss, I'd bet he'd come back and cap me in the head => game over.


As I have said in my 1st post, one may want to do this "if and only if someone tries to kill him".


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## jayoliver00 (Feb 19, 2022)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> As I have said in my 1st post, one may want to do this "if and only if someone tries to kill him".


 
But see, this is not really something that you can gauge in real time.  Because a simple rear naked choke can be anywhere between keeping someone in an uncomfortable position to trying to actually kill them.  And the extreme of trying to kill someone with an RNC, looks just about exactly the same except with full force & not releasing. 

And for striking, a single punch can KO you; which means that you could die from it if your head cracks open on the cement....or if once unconscious, your attacker can do as he pleases with you, including homicide.


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## CB Jones (Feb 19, 2022)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> It depends on your biting target. If someone tries to kill you, you bite his finger off. At that moment, he may think about to go to EM ASAP before he can still have a change to connect his finger back. He won't think about killing you any more.
> 
> But to bite on a different target such as nose, ear, leg, ... , you may not be able to cause that kind of effect.



It's not that easy to bite a finger off...

In college, a guy tried to bite one of my fingers....it had no effect on stopping me and did not turn out well for him....


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## Brian King (Mar 12, 2022)

A talented wrestler was next to face the Eliminator. The Eliminator was a fierce, strong, and unbeatable wrestler that earned his moniker by eliminating all from any match that he participated in. The Eliminator had a move that all knew he always used, called the pretzel. It would bend his opponent almost in two forcing their neck to bend to almost broken. All who faced the Eliminator knew that the pretzel was coming but none had ever been able to counter it. The wrestler asked his coach for advice but just got a pat on the shoulder and a "do your best son, stick to our plan to avoid the pretzel at all cost and improvise if you must." The match started and went well, then to both his and his coaches horror, the wrestler was in the bends of the pretzel! The wrestler's eyes bulged, his face turned purple, and his vision blurred. Then, swinging in his face, he saw a chance. His coach watching from the sidelines and seeing his man in the pretzel turned his head in pity and despair, when he heard a terrible animal like scream. The coach whipped his head back around to the match to see the Eliminator on his back and his wrestler on top pinning for the win. When his wrestler, exhausted and limping came over the coach whooped and hollered clapping his man on the back, yelling "You did it! You beat the pretzel!" "How did you do it?" he asked his wrestler. His man looked at him and told him that he saw nuts swinging in front of him, so he bit them...hard. Shocked his coach whispered..."You bit his nuts?" The wrestler shook his head and replied..."I didn't say they were his."


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