Goju-Ryu
15th August 2002, 03:03
It's really a pity, but quite a few people out there actually believe this kind of nonsensical fantasy. Many are themselves involved with the martial arts and should most certainly know better. The amount of myths and misconceptions that infest the truths of the martial arts is as staggering as it is embarassing. In a bussiness where much of the focus is on an understanding of the body and simple physical principles, there should be very little room for physical misconceptions. Nonetheless, misunderstanding and a general lack of information run rampant.
The most glaring myth is the one, dealing with driving the nose bone up into the brain. of all the myths involving the martial arts, this is one of the most common. Even extremely literate members of our society believe that this works. The major fallacy of this technique is that there is no "nose bone" as such. the assembly of the nose consists, for the most part, of cartilage, and this is much too weak to penetrate the thick frontal bone of the skull. As far as penetrating trough the nasal passages - as is suggested in many accounts of this technique in application - this is impossible due to the fact that these passages are acutely minute. There is absolutely no way in which shards of cartilage, or even splinters from the tiny lip of bone known as the nasal bone, could enter into the brain case. Understand, however, that any hard strike to the skull can theoretically result in death. Concussions, shock-induced internal hemorrhages, and injuries of this nature can result from a powerful head strike. But a strike to the base of the nose is certainly not a lethal technique.
A second popular falsehood is the old saw about "breaking the hand and foot bones to make them stronger". This one, though equally as ludicrous (in a practical sense) as the previous one, is harder to attack becauseit is partially based in fact. that is why this one has hung around for so long.
It is true that when a bone breaks it will heal in such a way that the fractured place will be stronger. This is partially due to the amount of raw calcium the body channels into the bone as it heals. Calcium is extremely strong, and when used as an internalcement, it forms a powerful bond. that's the fact. Strengthening the "entire" bone in this way, however, would require systematic breaking of the bone at intervals about every eighth of an inch. When referring to even the small, two-inch hand bone (the blade of the hand), this still involves about sixteen precise breaks. Despite today's almost consummate medical science, this would be a difficult and tricky procedure.
Unfortunately, some individuals do break their bones in a vain effort to augment their strength and raw power. Perhaps they may acquire less vulnerability in some spots, but this certainly doesn't make them invincible. It does, however, expose them to an 80% higher risk of arthritis and other equally crippling joint and bone diseases. What a waste of time! ;)
Another popular misconception concerns street self-defense: that martial artists are forbidden by law to use their knowledge and abilities on the street. Of the several hundred people surveyed in conjunction with the research for this article, 85% thought that this was so. Eighty five percent! :D Another 10% thought that martial artists were only allowed to use their hands to defend themselves. that makes a total of 95% who have a totally erroneous concept of what martial artists are and are not allowed to do. This may be the reason more people do not seek out karate/kung-fu schools to join. They are afraid that the knowledge and usage of their skills might get them in trouble with the law.
There were more things I could write about here, but this post is already long enough! ;) I hope you thought it was interesting...
This article was partially reproduced from the book: "Ultimate Martial Arts Encyclopedia" from the article that John Maberry wrote with the title "Exploring the Myths and Misconceptions of the Martial Arts"
The most glaring myth is the one, dealing with driving the nose bone up into the brain. of all the myths involving the martial arts, this is one of the most common. Even extremely literate members of our society believe that this works. The major fallacy of this technique is that there is no "nose bone" as such. the assembly of the nose consists, for the most part, of cartilage, and this is much too weak to penetrate the thick frontal bone of the skull. As far as penetrating trough the nasal passages - as is suggested in many accounts of this technique in application - this is impossible due to the fact that these passages are acutely minute. There is absolutely no way in which shards of cartilage, or even splinters from the tiny lip of bone known as the nasal bone, could enter into the brain case. Understand, however, that any hard strike to the skull can theoretically result in death. Concussions, shock-induced internal hemorrhages, and injuries of this nature can result from a powerful head strike. But a strike to the base of the nose is certainly not a lethal technique.
A second popular falsehood is the old saw about "breaking the hand and foot bones to make them stronger". This one, though equally as ludicrous (in a practical sense) as the previous one, is harder to attack becauseit is partially based in fact. that is why this one has hung around for so long.
It is true that when a bone breaks it will heal in such a way that the fractured place will be stronger. This is partially due to the amount of raw calcium the body channels into the bone as it heals. Calcium is extremely strong, and when used as an internalcement, it forms a powerful bond. that's the fact. Strengthening the "entire" bone in this way, however, would require systematic breaking of the bone at intervals about every eighth of an inch. When referring to even the small, two-inch hand bone (the blade of the hand), this still involves about sixteen precise breaks. Despite today's almost consummate medical science, this would be a difficult and tricky procedure.
Unfortunately, some individuals do break their bones in a vain effort to augment their strength and raw power. Perhaps they may acquire less vulnerability in some spots, but this certainly doesn't make them invincible. It does, however, expose them to an 80% higher risk of arthritis and other equally crippling joint and bone diseases. What a waste of time! ;)
Another popular misconception concerns street self-defense: that martial artists are forbidden by law to use their knowledge and abilities on the street. Of the several hundred people surveyed in conjunction with the research for this article, 85% thought that this was so. Eighty five percent! :D Another 10% thought that martial artists were only allowed to use their hands to defend themselves. that makes a total of 95% who have a totally erroneous concept of what martial artists are and are not allowed to do. This may be the reason more people do not seek out karate/kung-fu schools to join. They are afraid that the knowledge and usage of their skills might get them in trouble with the law.
There were more things I could write about here, but this post is already long enough! ;) I hope you thought it was interesting...
This article was partially reproduced from the book: "Ultimate Martial Arts Encyclopedia" from the article that John Maberry wrote with the title "Exploring the Myths and Misconceptions of the Martial Arts"