Black Medicine Anthology

by N. Mashiro

  Forehead: The striking point is the center of the frontal bone, about two inches above the eyebrows. The frontal bone is a dome-like shield in the front of the skull which can receive tremendous impacts without damage. One frequently sees karateists showing off by breaking huge blocks of ice or stacks of bricks by striking them with the forehead. In combat the forehead is most useful for striking the opponent's nose, mouth, jaw or collarbone when your hands are pinned or bound.

  Back of Head: The occipital bone in the vicinity of the lambdoid suture. This is not as good a striking point as the forehead because too strong an impact here can fracture the lambdoid suture and depress the occipital bone into the brain. The back of the head is almost always used to attack the nose and face of an assailant who has pinned your arms from behind. This situation is frequently encountered when one person holds you while another beats you from the front. Ramming your head backward into the opponent's nose and mouth may cause him enough pain to break his grip on your arms and body.

  Chin: The bony tip of the mandible. Although the jaw is extremely strong it is not normally used for striking a blow because it connects directly with the balancing organs in the ear. Any jarring of the jaw, therefore, disrupts balance. The chin can be used for gouging, however. Ina desperate one-onone fight when your arms and legs are otherwise occupied (as in the deadlocked wrestling or judo match) the chin can be used to gouge at nerve centers within reach of the head. There are many such centers in the neck and shoulders, for instance, and chin pressure against the inguinal region can effect an immediate release from a scissors hold (see Black Medicine, Vol. I for nerve pressure points).

  Teeth: Usually the upper and lower incisors, but can include molars under rare circumstances. The human jaw and teeth can deliver shearing and crushing forces in excess of 400 pounds per square inch. The incisors exert the least pressure and are best adapted to cutting or tearing, while the molars in the back of the jaw produce the strongest crushing forces. It is obvious that an opponent who puts his hand over your mouth (to silence you) is in danger of a bitten finger, and if you can work one of his fingers into the back of your mouth you can crush it between the rear molars. In a grappling or wrestling contest the teeth can be brought to bear on the opponent's ears, nose, lips, carotid sinus, thyroid cartilage and most nerve pressure points. Some karate schools teach a technique for attacking the throat which consists of butting the opponent in the face with your forehead, and as his head jerks back away from the blow you twist to the side and bite his Adam's apple. Tasty! (See Figure 3.)

  Mind, Eyes and Voice: Your mind, eyes and voice are among your most powerful weapons, through which you can directly attack the opponent's mind without recourse to such crude methods as striking him physically. Training to use these mental weapons is the essence of true, traditional karate, and is one of the sad losses associated with the evolution of this art into a popular "sport." A master of this technique can paralyze you with the look in his eyes, or fill your mind with terror at the sound of his voice. This sounds improbable to the western mind, but the author has personally met many karateists who could knock a person off balance with a hostile facial expression alone.

  My own mastery of the technique is limited, but I have employed it successfully in real life. On one occasion I con about coming back later, he led his gang away. He never bothered me again, but I heard later that he was in prison for murdering a defenseless storekeeper during a robbery. The look in my eyes had stopped him. It is a very valuable weapon.

  Everyone has seen martial artists who shout insanely as they attack. This is a more obvious version fo the same psychological intimidation. But a loud shout isn't enough. The shout must possess emotional content in order to be effective. You may imagine this in terms of a shout of rage, or a shout of hatred, but a trained karateist can produce the same psychological effect when his mind is actually calm and rational. This karate shout, or kiai, can force a whole room full of people to step back involuntarily if they are not expecting it. I've seen it happen. The effect of this shout when directed against a single opponent at close range can be devastating.

  Shoulder: The striking point is the acromial end of the scapular spine where it forms the bony "point" of the shoulder. The shoulder padding worn by football players is adequate testimony of the damage which this point can do when forcefully driven into an opponent's body. The point of the shoulder is usually employed against an opponent's solar plexus, floating ribs, bladder or genitals in a motion resembling a diving tackle. In judo contests one occasionally sees the shoulder being used to sneak in an illegal blow during an apparent throwing attempt. If the judges are not very alert such fouling can easily win many matches.

  Armpit: Some high school wrestling teams boast that they win by "armpit power," by which they mean that the suffocate their opponents by not bathing. Here the reference is to the axillary area when it is used to clamp an opponent's arm or neck tightly against the side of the body. There are several elbow locks and throws which involve the armpit as a clamp or fulcrum.

  Point of Elbow: The striking point is the olecranon, the sharp protuberance of the ulna where it forms the hard tip of the bent elbow. With the arm fully bent, the point of the elbow can be used to strike a very powerful blow either straight back into the opponent's ribs, or straight down into a bowing opponent's head and back. (Envision someone who is trying to tackle you around the waist. The elbow blow comes straight down into the back of his neck.) The point of the elbow is also used to strike straight out to the side, but this technique is rarely seen. It requires a lot of training to be powerful enough for serious applications. (See Figure 4.)

  Front of Elbow: This term refers to the medial surface of the ulna within 3 inches of the point of the elbow. This is the hard, bony surface of the forearm just beneath the joint. This surface is used to strike an "elbow blow" directly forward into the opponent's solar plexus, directly up under his chin, or horizontally into the side of his face. (Specifically, the attacker's right elbow moves horizontally from the attacker's right to left, hitting the left side of the defender's face.) These are extremely powerful infighting blows which do not require any special training to be effective. The rising blow under the chin is especially noteworthy, and can break the opponent's jaw or even his neck.

  Fig. 4: The front of the elbow can kill when driven up under the opponent's chin (top left). It can also be used laterally, breaking the opponent's jaw (top right). The elbow point employed in a downward blow to the cervical vertebrae can easily break your opponent's neck (below left). The back of the elbow in a lateral strike to the opponent's head (below right).

  Back of Elbow: The posterior, distal end of the humerus, within 3 inches of the trochlea. This is the back of the upperarm just above the elbow. The back of the elbow is used to strike horizontally at the head or ribs of an attacker who has embraced you from behind, leaving your arms free. You twist sideways and swing the back of the elbow horizontally into the opponent's face. It can also be used as a backhand elbow blow against an opponent who is in front of you. A typical attack consists of using the front of the elbow to hit the left side of the opponent's face, then recoiling back using the back of the elbow to strike his face a second time.

  Bend of Elbow: The anterior surface of the arm within four inches of the cubital fossa. The bend of the elbow cannot be used to strike an opponent, strictly speaking, but as a choking or strangulating device it is unsurpassed. The purest form involves wrapping your arm around the opponent's neck from behind and catching his Adam's apple directly in the fold of the arm. In this position the biceps in the upper arm and the many muscles of the forearm bear directly against the carotid arteries in the opponent's neck. A tight application of the hold cuts off the blood flow to the brain and the victim passes out almost immediately. The fold of the elbow is also used very often as a headlock, in which the opponent's head is held tightly at the side of your body while you strike him or otherwise deal with him.

  Inside Edg
e of Forearm: The medial side of the forearm, especially the distal four inches of the ulna. This is the edge of the forearm on the same side as the little finger. A very common karate block (tettsui-uke) consists of deflecting an opponent's punch by striking his fist or arm with the inside edge of your forearm. The block consists of holding the forearm vertically (fist up, elbow down) and sweeping it across in front of the face or body to deflect the incoming punch.

  Outside Edge of Forearm: The thumb edge of the forearm, especially the distal four inches of the radius. This surface is used for blocking similarly to the inside of the forearm, but the block begins with the fist in front of the opposite shoulder and sweeps back across the body.

  Back of Forearm: The posterior surface of the forearm. This is the side of the wrist/forearm continuous with the back of the hand (where most people wear a watch). This surface is not commonly used in karate, the sides of the forearms being preferred for most purposes. The back of the forearm is most often used to break a front choke in which the opponent is squeezing your neck with both hands while standing in frontof you. The release consists of clasping your hands together and driving the wedge formed by your forearms up between the opponent's arms. In this case it is the back of your forearms which strike the opponent's arms and break the hold.

  Fingernails: We are all familiar with the fact that fingernails can be used for scratching, an ineffective technique at best. They can also be used for clawing, however, which is more practical. In this context the nails can be used to achieve deep penetration into the eyes, throat and especially the nerve pressure points on the back of the hand (see Black Medicine, Vol. I). Some dedicated karate and kung-fu artists allow their nails to grow 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, and strengthen them with nail hardener. Naturally they also sandpaper the tips to a sharp edge. The wound produced by four of these nails slashed across a person's throat (like saw teeth) is difficult to believe even when seen.

  Tip of Thumb: The tip of the distal phalanx of the thumb, together with the sharp edge of the nail. The tip of the thumb is used for gouging, usually at the opponent's eyes but frequently involving the throat and other nerve pressure points. The trapezius muscle is especially vulnerable to a thumb gouge (see Black Medicine, Vol. I and Figure 5).

  Foreknuckle of Thumb: The distal end of the proximal phalanx of the thumb. The foreknuckle of the thumb (immediately behind the thumbnail) can be used for jabbing into soft tissues. With the hand open, align the thumb in its natural position along the side of the hand. Now bend just the tip of the thumb in toward the palm, leaving the foreknuckle exposed. In this position you can use this striking point to attack the side of the opponent's throat. Jab your hand (palm down) along the side of the opponent's neck. Let your index finger slide along the angle between his throat and jaw. This will guide the thumb knuckle directly into the carotid sinus. This is one of the most certain ways of hitting this small but very valuable nerve center.

  Fig. 5: The tip of the thumb and the thumbnail are excellent for gouging at an eyeball.

  Back of Thumb: Counting back from the thumb nail, the first joint is the foreknuckle, the second is the knuckle, and the "back of the thumb" is the bony area between the knuckle and the wrist. (The dorsal side of the first metacarpal bone.) When the hand is in the standard open attack position with thethumb pulled down into a tight knot next to the palm, the back of the thumb forms a hard bony ridge protruding at a45 degree angle from the line of the forearm. This surface is usually employed in blocking, especially since the angle between the thumb and forearm can lock on to an opponent's wrist (behind his fist) and not only deflect his punch but pull him off balance.

  Thumb and Forefinger: Which of us does not know how to pinch with thumb and forefinger? This pinch can bevery painful when applied in the lip or nose region, and can crush a testicle like a soft-boiled egg. When the pinch catches the thyroid cartilage in its grip it can actually be fatal. (See Figure 6.)

  Sides of Thumb and Forefinger: When the thumb is held out away from the open hand the "V" between it and the forefinger becomes a useful weapon for attacking the carotid sinuses in the throat. (See Figure 7.) The web of the thumb is rammed against the thyroid cartilage, and the sides of the thumb and forefinger strike against the sides of the neck in exactly the right location to shock the carotid baroreceptors and produce unconsciousness. (See Black Medicine, Vol. I for a discussion of the vulnerability of the carotid nerve centers.)

  Tip of Forefinger: The tip of the distal phalanx of the first finger. Many karate schools teach a technique called ippon- nukite, the one-finger spearhand attack. I n this attack the forefinger is held rigidly extended with the other three fingers partially bent beneath it, giving the forefinger strong support. This weapon is used to stab into the opponent's eye, throat or solar plexus. The attack is effective in proportion to the attacker's training. Anybody can poke his finger in someone's eye with a reasonable chance of success, but the attack to the solar plexus requires conditioning and training. (See Figure 8.)

  Tips of Forefinger and Middle Finger: The tips of the distal phalanges of the first and second fingers. The fingers are usually spread about two inches apart and are used for stabbing into the opponent's eyes. This is the famous "Three Stooges" eye attack, but it is not formed in the common V-for victory finger position. The forefinger and middle finger are fully extended, but the ring and little fingers are only half bent and serve to support the middle finger. Sometimes the thumb is laid along side of the forefinger to give it additional support, too. A karateist trained in finger spearing techniques can stab through the eye sockets and into the brain with this technique. (See Figure 8.)

  Fig. 6: The pinch of the thumb and forefinger is best applied to the lip, nose, or the Adam's apple.

  Fig. 7: The 'V' between the thumb and the edge of the palm can be rammed up into a person's throat, doing damage to the thyroid cartilage and both carotid nerve centers. The result is unconsciousness or even death, but with little risk of injury to the hand.

  Tips of Forefinger, Middle and Ring Fingers: The tips of the distal phalanges of the first, second and third fingers. This is the classic karate "spear hand" attack, which consists of holding the fingers, hand and wrist as straight and stiff as a board while ramming the ends of the fingers into the opponent's throat, solar plexus or even his ribs. There are several minor variations in the technique. In most cases the fingers are held tightly together with the middle finger slightly bent to make the three fingers about the same length. In another method the fingertips form a triangle, with the middle finger resting on top of the appressed fore and ring fingers. In yet another method the fingers are spread with about an inch of space between each finger tip. (This arrangement is for attacking the trachea or the eyes when you want to be sure you don't miss.) Another version involves bending the fingers into a sharp right angle with the hand. The wrist is also bent back slightly, which makes the position of the hand resemble a "Z" in shape. In the days of old when karateists trained for years to toughen their hands, it was said that a true practitioner of the art could stab through a man's body wall with this technique. There are only a few people today who can accomplish this feat, but they are sincerely respected. (See Figure 8.)

  Tips of Fore, Middle, Ring and Little Fingers: Hold your hand open, with the fingers extended straight but with a one inch gap between the middle and ring fingers. In some karate schools this position is called an "extractor" hand, because it can be thrust palm-up into the opponent's groin. The two groups of fingers pass on either side of his penis and direct alltheirforce into the testicles.

  Little Finger: In many Army manuals you will find the comment that the little finger is a lethal weapon. This is preposterous. The comment usually alludes to the knife-hand chop (discussed below) which uses the little-fingeredge of thepalm, which is not the same thing as the little finger at all. As we all know, however, the little finger is precisely the right size to insert into a nostril, and the effect on an opponent's state of mind when you ins
ert your finger into his nostril is devastating. The finger-in-the-nose technique is one of the simplest and most effective releases from an unwanted embrace.

  Fig. 8: The one-finger attack to the eye (top left). Two fingers used to attack the eyes (top right). Three fingers in a stab to the throat. At least one finger will crush the trachea even it the attack is partially deflected (below left). The full spear-hand attack to the floating ribs. Some experts drive theirfingers in under the ribs, then grasp the lower ribs and pull (below right).

  Foreknuckle of Forefinger: The distal end of the proximal phalanx first finger. The "foreknuckles" are those which one uses to knock on a door. When the hand is clenched into a fist the forefinger can be unfolded slightly so that the foreknuckle forms a point. This point is used to gouge or stab sharply at nerve centers and other small vital points, such as the temple, philtrum, solar plexus and any of several nerve centers in the throat (see Black Medicine, Vol. I).

  Foreknuckle of Middle Finger: The distal end of the proximal phalanx of the second finger. The foreknuckle of the middle finger can be allowed to protrude from a clenched fist similarly to that of the forefinger, discussed above. It is employed identically to the foreknuckle of the forefinger except that the middle finger is better supported and can confidently be used to strike a little harder than in the previous case.

  Foreknuckles of Fore, Middle, Ring and Little Fingers: The distal ends of the proximal phalanges of all the fingers. Imagine jabbing at the opponent's throat with your fingertips. Now fold your fingers as if starting to make a fist and jab with the foreknuckles instead (the knuckles you use for knocking on a door). These knuckles form a hard, penetrating weapon which is especially useful in slipping a punch in under the chin to the soft tissues of the throat. This technique is also used against the philtrum, temple, solar plexus and the subaxillary nerve bundle in the armpit. (See Black Medicine, Vol. I for discussion of these nerve centers.)