OK from the posts I've read so far this seems like a great place to ask this question. I've recently been diagnosed with Avascular Necrosis of the hip(AVN) with flattening of the femoral head. That being said anyone who knows this type of condition knows I can't afford to be involved in a knock down drag out scrap or even kick for that matter.
So if I were in a defensive situation my strikes have to be quick, clean, concise, and effective. My question is which is more effective for a quick knock out? 1) A vagus nerve/carotid artery strike-knife chop or close fisted? 2) A quick elbow strike to the jaw. 3) An upwards open palm strike to the chin.
Any advise anyone may be able to give me would be appreciated. -Murray77
Hi Murray,
Yeah… you're focusing on the wrong things here. For one thing, there is no such thing as a "one size fits all" defence situation… so having only one response is to miss a lot of the reality of the (potential) situations. Next, the physical aspects of self defence are really only a small part of the entire equation… if you can't afford to get involved in a knock-down, drag-out brawl, you're better off looking at awareness, evasion, de-escalation, and escape concepts as your real first line of defence.
From there, technique isn't anywhere near as important as tactical application and understanding of the situation. You might have a great "knock out" strike, but if you don't understand when you can (or should) use it, or how to apply it, you might as well not have it for all the good it'd do you. Once you have an understanding of such things, it doesn't matter what strike you use, it'll be effective.
Finally, words written on a forum page won't do you any good at all… you need an instructor who can guide you through the proper mechanics, angles, power generation, timing, application and so on… so it doesn't matter what we'd recommend, it matters what your teacher would say. That's who you'd need to listen to… provided, of course, you have one. I mean… pretty much each of the strikes you list have the potential to be a knock-out (I'm not so fond of the carotid strike for that, though)… but that doesn't mean that you can actually use any of them.
The simple truth is there is no quick and easy way to knock a person out. If there was professional fights would last far less time. Even a very hard, very precise strike comes with no guarantee the person will be KOed. Some people you can hit with everything you got and they aren't going to get KOed.
The only reliable way to make a person lose consciousness is through choking them out... probably not the answer you wanted, but that's the truth.
Hmm… I largely agree with much of what you say here, Andrew, but I would point out that there are a number of other factors in professional fights that limit the success of such knockouts… such as the fact that both competitors are aware of the fact that the other guy is going to be trying to hit them, they're psychologically prepared, and actively guarding against such attacks… street, not so much. And, as we know, even in competitive systems, it's the one you don't see coming that takes you out…
