Proof that this Works?

[Triumph Rider]

Two experiences from my paramedic days support what Mike is teaching. The first was a man who's bicep had been deeply sliced with a broken beer bottle. I promise you that his arm was useless. The other was a soft drink delivery man who dropped a case of cokes. One of the bottles "exploded" sending a shard of glass upward into the inside of the man's wrist, severing one of his flexor tendons. While it may have been theoretically possible to use the hand with only one of the tendons cut, he sure wasn't doing it.

[Silat Student]

This is by far one of the better discussions I've seen on Bio-Mechanical Cutting. Thanks to the OP for framing the question respectfully, and to everyone else who's shared info for not getting all caught up in positions.

As an aside, if you frame a little anatomy knowledge with a look at some of the defensive things done by SE Asian Martial Arts it looks pretty plain that the guys who founded those systems thought there was something to Bio Mechanical Cutting...and I imagine they were in a position to know first hand.

[ERN]

I will throw in one more caveat. Tendons are harder to cut than some suppose. Good technique and a very sharp blade are required.

They are not all that hard to cut when they are under tension. Sort of like a rope or rubber band. I agree they are robust, but no match for a sharp blade or glass.

[ERN]

If you're still not convinced about the "instant-kill" capability of carotid cuts, get up on YouTube and search for "hockey player neck cut" and take a look at the incidents where hockey players have had their carotid arteries accidentally severed by skates. Obviously, they were in the middle of a game and had an elevated heart rate. Although medical help was certainly close at hand, it's not as if there was a vascular surgeon skating around on the ice. To my knowledge, this has happened numerous (I believe about 10) times and only one player has actually died.

Mike: Thanks for contributing. I just got a copy of my first knife fighting book: Knife Fighting a Practical Approach. It iw very well done for a complete newby.

In my experience, bleeding from large veins is much more difficult to control and deadly than arterial bleeding, especially if the artery is completely severed. Arteries benefit from thick muscular walls that can spasm and in a complete cut sometimes close off the artery completely. I believe that is part of why the hockey players do well.

Arteries are also much easier to sew up.

All the best, and thank you for the education.

[Dr John Meade]

They are not all that hard to cut when they are under tension. Sort of like a rope or rubber band. I agree they are robust, but no match for a sharp blade or glass.

Of course, it is very easy when you are doing it like we normally do, using scalpels. I was cutting tendons in the Peruvian Andes just a couple weeks ago, doing releases, etc. However, most people don't keep their blades as sharp as you & I might. So, we really are not at odds, given the right conditions.

[ERN]

Of course, it is very easy when you are doing it like we normally do, using scalpels. I was cutting tendons in the Peruvian Andes just a couple weeks ago, doing releases, etc. However, most people don't keep their blades as sharp as you & I might. So, we really are not at odds, given the right conditions.

We are not at odds at all. Tension is really important as I am sure you have seen pretty trivial cuts that weren't all that deep that completely severed a tendon under tension, and deeper, more serious cuts that only "nicked" them in a relaxed situation.

What condition are the flexor tendons of one's opponent during in a knife fight when holding a death grip on a knife?:)

[DWW]

I would say that Mike Janich has probably put in more scientific time & research than just about anybody on the planet in determining what really happens and what works in a real knife fight. I own several of his books and videos and think Janich is without peer in terms of his presentation, evidence to back up his methods and overall technical information. Plus he is a humble & honest guy who goes above and beyond to help his students or anyone interested in MBC and doesn't make claims that he can't prove & back-up or will admit if a particular topic is subjective and open to opinion.

[Tracker]

I read through the entire thread and am very interested in what Mike and others had to say. What drew me to look was the time to death tables quoted in the past. I witnessed an artery cut in the neck playing pond hockey as a teen, without a doubt a life changing moment because it was my cousin who got cut, and we had to tackle him because the adrenaline was up. He didnt know he was cut, we had to tackle him and pack his neck with snow and a t shirt. Was a wild ride to the hospital as well, looked like we butchered a hog in the back of my jeep, but he made it. It was 20 minutes at least and after an overnight stay he was as fine as you would expect.

Made me step back and look more objectively at things. Ive trained in AMOK, and have MBC on a short list for training .

BTW you CAN indeed drive a 5 speed wearing skates, however its best to be distracted at the time