The martial-arts tag has no wiki summary.
25
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2answers
26k views
Can you break a person's neck with a manual head twist?
In a move often seen in action movies (very often!), someone takes the head of another person with both hands, usually from behind, and twists it only once or twice in order to break their neck. A ...
14
votes
1answer
789 views
Are there secret pressure points in our body?
Do we have "secret" "bundles of nerves" — pressure points — which, when struck with a particular Karate move, kill us?
Wikipedia is skeptic but see this History Channel documentary (only ...
7
votes
1answer
723 views
Breaking the bottom brick with your hands
In the movie Bloodsport, which claims to be based on a true story, the lead character is challenged to break one brick at the bottom of a stack, using only his hands. He successfully causes the bottom ...
10
votes
1answer
399 views
Were nunchuka used by peasants because they weren't allowed edged weapons?
According to this article, nunchuka (sometimes misspelt as "nunchucks") originated as peasant weapons, based on the design of a rice flail - as the peasants were forbidden from possessing edged ...
18
votes
2answers
2k views
Is breaking bricks/wood “karate style” an impressive feat?
Related: How do Shaolin monks break spears with their neck?
For anyone unacquainted with the fairly impressive looking feat of breaking bricks (or wood) in martial arts, see THIS 1.5min video. I'd ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
Can martial artists strengthen limbs, appendages, and other parts of their bodies to “super-human” degrees?
In the book American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China, the author describes his exposure to, and training in, some of the so-called ...
15
votes
1answer
3k views
How do Shaolin monks break spears with their neck?
Shaolin monks perform demonstrations of their skills that seem almost superhuman. The one that really has me stumped is breaking a sharpened spear by putting the point in their neck, the other end on ...
15
votes
1answer
1k views
Did (Does?) the Shaolin Wooden Men labyrinth exist?
It is mentioned in nearly every fiction on Shaolin Temple, but did it really exist? Wikipedia didn't mention it at all the last time I read, so I assume it's all fiction. But I haven't had a chance to ...
