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View Full Version : Brachial Plexus - effectiveness (FM 21-150)



Benjamin Peters
31st October 2002, 22:20
Regarding FM 21-150 (http://66.200.6.11/army-mans/volume_one/21_150/CH4.PDF) (I know its out of date and been revised), but just a question about the information presented below.

(1) How effective is a strike to the "Brachial plexus origin" in real life?

(2) Anyone with actual application experience? Please tell.

(3) Anyone know how they tested for this kind of stuff? If so, please tell.




Page 2 - Chapter 4

(12) Side of neck. A sharp blow to the side of the neck causes

unconsciousness by shock to the carotid artery, jugular vein, and vagus nerve.

For maximum effect, the blow should be focused below and slightly in front

of the ear. A less powerful blow causes involuntary muscle spasms and

intense pain. The side of the neck is one of the best targets to use to drop an

opponent immediately or to disable him temporarily to finish him later.

(13) Back of neck. A powerful blow to the back of one’s neck can cause

whiplash, concussion, or even a broken neck and death.



Page 8 - Chapter 4

(3) Brachial plexus origin. This nerve motor center is on the side of the

neck. It is probably the most reliable place to strike someone to stun them.

Any part of the hand or arm may be applied—the palm heel, back of the hand,

knife hand, ridge hand, hammer fist, thumb tip, or the forearm. A proper

strike to the brachial plexus origin causes—

Intense pain.

Complete cessation of motor activity.

Temporary dysfunction of the affected arm.

Mental stunning for three to seven seconds.

Possible unconsciousness.

Jim London
1st November 2002, 02:27
Hi Benjamin,

See if you can find some tapes of Muay Thai, you should see this point hit with a round kick or elbow, ouch.

Basicly it works, try it out litely, or take a PPCT course and learn how to do it.

Jim London

tmanifold
1st November 2002, 03:43
Besides hearing about its effectiveness I have actually seen the blow to the side of the neck drop somebody. I was watching real TV one time and there was a crazy guy harassing and attacking people on the street. It turns out that he was doing it outside a police defensive tactics course. For some reason the instructor walks out to deal with the guy. Guy throws a wild right and the instructor steps up and delivers a back handed forarm smash to the side of the neck. Guys drops in a heap.

Jay Bell
1st November 2002, 07:48
The result of this blow is amazing. However, there is much in the need of setting up to deliver it. Like much of the area of the neck up, instinctively, the opponent will cover or react towards a blow to that area unless other things are taking their attention away.

jellyman
1st November 2002, 13:01
It's for sure legit. Vladimir Vasiliev's done it to me at a seminar. Even done relatively lightly from a short distance. Very easy to make someone dizzy. As with everything, there's a time and place, of course. No different than any other strike that way.

paolo_italy
4th November 2002, 14:14
Uhm, if I'm correct, it seems we are talking about the kyusho (pressure point) named Uko in Gyokko Ryu (one of the traditions taught in Bujinkan). If I'm correct Uko means "rain door": being hit there makes you surely cry LOL...

I've also seen big pain and/or knock-outs due to strikes in that region, but it seems there's no progression from pain to shock: I mean it hurts or it takes you down. No funny stuff like arms paralized for a while and so on...

And for sure it's not a "first-approach" strike: even the more unexperienced will raise his arms in cover IMHO. You have to pass at least an istinctive guard and the related resistance.

greetings,

Neil Hawkins
5th November 2002, 06:13
In the "Way of the Warrior" series, if you can get hold of a copy these days to watch, there is a Shorinji Kempo pressure point instructor who uses a open handed slap to the side of the neck to render a student unconcious.

When I say open handed slap that is how it appears, although I would suggest that he uses the heel of the palm. The force was certainly not great however.

Maybe some of the guys up in the Kempo forum will know more about that perticular instructor/technique.

I have experienced a sword hand strike to that area that certainly stunned me and caused me to drop to my knees, though I did not lose conciousness.

Some medical information of the brachial plexus and the areas controlled by the nerves that run through it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A783830
http://calloso.med.mun.ca/~tscott/nerve/brach.htm

At a guess I would say that any unconciousness is caused by an interuption to blood flow through the axillary artery. A strike to the nerves may cause temporary paralysis down the arm. Damage to this area can be permanent with loss of motor functions or sensation in the arm. It is reasonably common for an injury of this type to be caused during childbirth.

Regards

Neil

mt2k
6th November 2002, 22:47
Many years ago in college, I was attacked from behind. I spun around, and the attacker flew up against the wall, grabbed his neck with both hands and slid down, out cold. I had no idea what happened, so I walked over and pried his hands loose.
I noticed four small red marks on the side of his neck, and realized that I must have "finger whipped" him while I was spinning around.
I imanage that a chop/forearm/slap would be even more effective, if not fatal.
Matthew Temkin