Questions tagged [martial-arts]
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practices, which are practiced for a variety of reasons: as self-defense, military and law enforcement applications; as competition, physical fitness, mental and spiritual development; as well as entertainment and the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage.
19
questions
5
votes
1
answer
297
views
Does wearing contacts increase the risk of retinal detachment if you receive a blow to the head?
It's fairly well established that a blow to the head can be a contributing factor to retinal detachment, and there are various people who claim that wearing contact lenses or being nearsighted are ...
- 6,568
13
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Did Bruce Lee have to slow down his punches to see his movements on camera?
Fact fiend, for example, maintains that:
Bruce Lee himself had to slow himself down before the camera even started rolling because when he punched as fast as he could, or as fast as he was allowed ...
- 243
1
vote
0
answers
389
views
Can Master Kanzawa make animals sleep at a distance?
As seen here and other places, like Stan Lee’s Superhumans, Master Kanzawa claims to be able to put animals to sleep at a distance by exchanging "chi energy".
I am doubful this is true, since Chi ...
- 78.6k
2
votes
0
answers
5k
views
Did Donnie Yen beat up eight men in one fight?
According to Wikipedia, Donnie Yen one beat up eight men guys in a single fight:
There's one reported occasion that confirms him being an efficient
martial artist. According to news reports by ...
- 3,791
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is Jeet Kune Do's direct punch method more powerful than traditional punches?
I remember I read years ago that the direct punch taught in the Jeet Kune Do martial art is proven scientifically to be more powerful than the traditional direct punch used in other martial arts such ...
user29814
21
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Did a police officer hand back a weapon after disarming a criminal because of bad habits learned in training?
Kyle Eggimann writes on his blog LuckyGunnar in an article titled "Muscle Memory: Combat-Proven Self-Defense Training Tips":
One very important thing to remember is that while muscle memory can ...
- 33.3k
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Did a soldier fight off 40 train robbers?
The Art of Manliness website reports
Bishnu Shrestha, who had just retired from the Indian army where he served as a Gorkha soldier, held off a horde of robbers that tried to rob a train in India. ...
user4951
31
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Is Shaolin monk Hu Qiong using "Chi energy" to withstand an electric drill?
In one of the episodes of Stan Lee's Superhumans (the excerpt in question can be viewed here) a Shaolin monk named Hu Qiong claims that by training his body and "transfering Chi to the right part of ...
38
votes
1
answer
20k
views
Can you punch someone's nose into their brain?
A persistent tale in martial arts is that one can strike an unfortunate other on the nose in such a way that you drive the cartilege up into their brain. Is this possible?
I think some points to ...
- 491
21
votes
1
answer
21k
views
Can you knock someone out with pressure points, in the style of a Vulcan nerve pinch?
Is it possible to pinch someone's nerve (on the shoulder) in a manner similar to the way Spock would do on Star Trek such that the person would either pass-out or result in being temporarily paralyzed?...
- 371
41
votes
2
answers
149k
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 ...
- 3,867
15
votes
1
answer
1k
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 ...
- 78.6k
16
votes
0
answers
5k
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 ...
- 18k
14
votes
1
answer
1k
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 ...
- 6,678
20
votes
1
answer
6k
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 ...
- 21.7k
9
votes
1
answer
3k
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 "...
- 9,373
41
votes
1
answer
48k
views
Can a blow to the base of the neck cause unconsciousness? (i.e., "Karate...CHOP!")
Relating to Are one-hit knockouts possible? : It was a common trope in the 60s for heroes to knock out evildoers with a open-handed chop to the base of the neck (preferably accompanied with a high-...
- 15.1k
27
votes
1
answer
12k
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 ...
- 4,059
21
votes
1
answer
4k
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 ...
user288