Lethwei is an incredibly intense full contact combat sport from Burma that allows punches, kicks, elbows, knees and headbutts. Did I mention that the fighters don't wear gloves and only have a thin layer of gauze over their knuckles? And that there are no judges or decisions: the only way to win a fight is by knockout? Today's guest on my podcast (The Strenuous Life … [Read more...]
Karate Myth: Can You Kill a Man by Driving his Nasal Cartilage into his Brain!
It's absolutely amazing how persistent the myth of "drive a man's nose cartilage up into his brain to kill him" myth is! Almost EVERYONE has heard this story at some point, even people who don't practise martial arts. Belief in this 'technique' has been fostered by Hollywood, with both Bruce Willis in The Last Boy Scout and Nicolas Cage in Con Air lethally driving a man's … [Read more...]
The Dreaded Double Ear Slap
The double ear slap has long been a staple of combatives training. The official story, related by many self defense experts, is that if you slap both of your opponent's ears at the same time then, no matter his size, his eardrums will explode and he'll drop to the ground in a shrivelled heap. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Let's take a look at the best data we … [Read more...]
Too Deadly for Boxing, MMA and BJJ: Illegal but Effective Combat Sport Techniques
by Jeff Meszaros Many people learn martial arts to learn how to handle themselves in a real fight. But many martial arts are sports and sports have rules while street fights don't. That means many things happen in fights that aren't allowed in certain martial arts. Although it started out as "no-holds-barred", mixed martial arts has rules today. Headbutts, groin … [Read more...]
What Knuckles Should You Punch with Barehanded?
Want to start an argument between two martial artists? Ask them which knuckles you should punch with? The fundamental issues here are generating power and mitigating the risk of breaking your hand if you hit a hard bony part of your opponent. I shot a video on this exact topic, so give it a watch and then scroll down where I've included additional … [Read more...]
Two Methods to Make a Really Strong Fist
Boxing when your hand is shielded by wraps and gloves is one thing. All that protection on your hands distributes the force across your entire hand, stabilises your wrist and safeguards the small bones of your hands. But hitting someone in the head with your bare fist in the street is quite another matter... When your unprotected fist meets an unpadded skull there's … [Read more...]