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Notes -
As one with one and change, I certainly agree. Humans are both surprisingly resilient and also extremely squishy, and you don't fuck with blunt-force trauma to the cranium if you can help it.
I count myself lucky that I'm a peaceful person who hasn't thrown a punch in anger since middle-school, if I'm risking my noggin it better be for more than a drunken brawl.
I train in martial arts for self defense, specifically Muay Thai, and while I focus on all good fundamentals as you should, I add a lot of additional focus on shots to the body for more or less this reason.
While it goes without saying that you shouldn’t fight unless absolutely necessary and you are unable to successfully run away, I’m trying to stop the fight as fast as possible and also not catch a case.
So I’m talking shin kicks to the liver or floating ribs, knees to the solar plexus, punches to the liver, downward elbows to the collarbone, leg kicks, and stuff like that.
Most of these blows are extremely painful to the point of being debilitating if landed with power and expertise, will sap someone’s will & ability to fight, and with enough practice you can bruise or crack ribs, fold peoples legs, rupture livers, knock the wind out of someone in an instant. Since most street altercations are initiated by drunk and/or high morons with no training and little to no defense, a fight can be ended pretty quickly by working the body or cracking their legs with your shin.
And most importantly; compared to blows to the head you’re much less likely to kill or cripple someone, break your hand or foot against someone’s skull or jaw, and/or catch a murder or manslaughter rap.
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