Combat slap

[CLFMak]

Someone mentioned this in another post about palm strikes, but anyway...
I'm sure a lot of you have read the Black Belt article about the pre-emptive slap to the head. It seems like the method of knockout described would not work the way it says. I'm not saying that it wouldn't cause a knockout, but I think the knockout would be caused by moving the brain fluid, not causing an overflow of stimulus. If that were the case, it seems like people would get knocked out from sweeps and throws because so much of their body surface is hitting the ground. Seems to me that the slap is using the hand like a sap.
An interesting note- I just watched a documentary called \"Riding Giants\" thats about the history of big wave surfing, and a section about one guy (I forgot his name) mentioned that he got in a lot of fights as a kid. He was the only blond white kid in his class in Hawaii, but he was really strong. Whenever he would get in fights, he would slap his opponents head as hard as he could, and the shock and embarassment caused made him win.

[garddawg]

CLF,
The guys name is Laird Hamilton. Just watched the movie last night. I think the slap as described is a great move as well as being a knuckle saver. I agree with you that the \"science\" is faulty. Not really sure anyone knows why a knockout happens although many people will sya they do.

[NYITGuy]

Checked with a Paramedic friend of mine who conferred with a few doctors and here's the result ñ in cliff notes version.

The initial impact of the blow does not in itself cause the loss of consciousness. The ìknockoutî is believed to occur when:

1. The cranium receives a severe lateral impact, causing the head to accelerate rapidly in the direction of the impact.

2. Reaching the end of the extension limits of the neck, the cranium comes to a rapid halt. HOWEVERÖ

3.The brain, relatively unrestrained inside the skull, continues to move ( think unrestrained passenger in a car ) until it collides with the skull.
4. This traumatic collision between the brain and the skull is what causes the loss of consciousness.

[The Kravist]

A strike on the chin will do that too. One of Mike Tyson's favorite ways to get a knock out is to do a staight to the chin which when knocked back compresses the vagus nerve which causes the knock out.

The same thing can be done by striking along the side of the neck from the ear down. Practice with a friend and have them just lightly hit you on the side of the neck a few times with their forearm. It causes a black out effect in your vision. When you hit it with any force, you can achieve an easy knock out.