KILLING BLOWS THEN AND NOW

 by Phillip Starr

It's very interesting to think about what were considered killing blows 200 or more years ago aren't necessarily the same thing nowadays; it gives you a bit of perspective. For instance, that side thrust kick to the side of the knee that you may have recently practiced could have, back in the day, resulted in the death of the opponent...and possibly his family! Bear in mind that medical therapies back then weren't at all like what we have now and your kick may have ripped muscles and torn ligaments, resulting in a permanent injury that crippled the opponent (even today, WITH proper surgery and therapy, such an injury will usually have permanent results). Your opponent wouldn't be able to work and provide for himself or his family. Welfare didn't exist and he and his family might very well have starved to death. The same goes for those nasty techniques that are intended to tear the ligaments in the elbow or destroy the shoulder...

Yes, really.

Blows delivered to what we'd call “vital areas” would have been even more effective because of the lack of proper, effective medical treatment at that time. Broken ribs nowadays are very painful and any blow that caused internal bleeding could easily result in death because such wounds were largely untreatable (surgery wasn't an option) but nowadays, such injuries can be readily treated and even strikes to many “fatal” targets can, if treated in time, be survived.

Not so back in the day. There are very few spots that will cause immediate (or nearly immediate) death.