Head

Targets on the Head

OK, next I will be talking about vulnerable area's of the body...I know what your thinking, Go for the groin!!! yes, yes, in most cases that is the most effective place to attack and usually the first place many people think to attack...even your attacker. Now what? The eyes! oh no! they are wearing glasses! Dun dun dunnnnn...
But in all seriousness, most people are correct, the eyes on any person are the weakest part of the human body that is exposed, and lets face it who likes getting anything foreign close to their eyes. Also there is no amount of training that you can take to defend yourself against eye attacks besides shutting them or dodging, if that where the case of an attacker then you could just walk away. So using anything from your fingers to gouge, scratch, slap to loose keys scrapped accross the eyes will be effective.


Lets just say the attacker is more resourseful, and say he's got goggles on, and you go with the groin shot...considering most men that prey on females usually expect this to be the one of the first area of attack, some are actually prepared, they ether wear some sort of protective gear or they have mastered moving/tucking to the point that a straight kick will not phase them.
See being a male I have some idea of how grion shots work...(insert jokes here), (*hide your kids this part is for grown-ups!*) see the way it phases us is that the actual balls have to hit walls/or something harder then a wall, that's what hurts, but in a straight attack there are times where some can swing them further back so they will not take as hard of an impact, the result being able to stay up. Do you ever notice that guys rough housing doing nut shots from behind, where the full arm is used to hit the other guy? this is more effective as he is unexpecting and the full arm has a greater chance of hitting their target.
But enough about nut shots, I'm sure all the guys out there are cringing from old high school/college memories. lets move on to what to do if your two top resorces are out of the loop.

Here are some picture's of what parts of the hands, you will be using:

Many people don't think about as a first option, considering that it is just as effective as the eyes, and can be located just below them, that's right the nose, There is an area under the nose that is over 90% effective on all people. Also with no way to condition this area, it sends it's priority level way over groin shots. *Warning* this spot is very effective but be careful of the mouth, you never EVER! want to put your fingers in someone's mouth (chomp!).
(*TIP*) I had to look this up, but a average male can have the bite force of 45-68kgs (99-160lbs) of pressure. This is definitly a bad place to be if your fingers get caught in a bite.
*Important* with the head target points, it is most effective when the head is restricted from moving. But opposite pressure (equal pressure on both sides) works just as well in some cercomstances.

Anyway, the spot I am talking about is call the Infera Orbital, it is located directly under your nose, between your nostrils. When pressure is applied at a 45 degree angle toward the back of the head it may cause a mild discomfort...but at the same angle try with a pointed digit (*from the chart above: index-finger digit*) across the Infera Orbital (as if to cover your mouth) try it with a bit of pressure, but this time add a short rubbing back and forth (toward one ear then back) with that pressure. It should feel like a sharp pain in the front of your brain, an alternative and more aggressive action (that I would only use in a life or death situation) would be to use an open palm and impacting the same region which could potentially drive the bone back into the head.
(*be mindful that this could potentially kill a person if the bone severs a nerve*)

Next up, is a spot just under the earlobe, where the ear and the jaw meet. This spot is known as the Mandibular Angle. To take advantage of this target, you add pressure toward the center of the head and toward the the jaw, with the tip of your thumb (this works better when your thumbnails are vertical), it is important to note that you do not want to use a "thumbs up" position, as having your thump projecting will make it an easy target to grab, also there is less strengh and stability when applying pressure.
The most effective way to make this work is when you are behind the person, so this will be a submition or a way to control the person from behind. But when facing the person using this technique is also effective when applied to both sides as there will be pressure on both sides of the head.

This one may sound familiar to some of your out there, the Auriculo Temperal, similarly know as the temples. Impacting this area will stun some people, but there may be some that have conditioned themselves to these types of attacks. An alternate approch is to apply pressure using your knuckle on your index figures and apply pressure on both sides, or locking the head where there is little movement possible. The exact location where this works is a little dipple in the bone right where the top of the ear connects to the head, for some this dipple in the skull may be a little further ahead then others.

The last part I will be talking about on head targets, is the Hypoglossal. This one is another target that is over 90% effective on the majority of people. The location is right under the edge or the jaw (every human has a dip in the jaw, majority of the time we cannot see this).
How it works is this, take your thumb (not thumbs up) line it up with the edge of the jaw till your thumbnail drops into the notch, from there hook upwards as if to hook a fish with your thumb, the more soft flesh you feel on your thumb and index knuckle the better.

Here are a couple of bonus' for all of you, the neck, though there are many people that build this area, it is still worth mentioning as it could potentially stun a person long enough for you to make a getaway.

The location can be found where the trap connects to the neck (forms a " V " shape). Slapping this spot with a open palm or the back of your hand can stun someone for a few seconds.
Another popular spot on the neck is the throat, even criminals know to attack this area as it is one of the most efficient ways to disable/kill a person. Cutting off oxygen to the brain will work on any person. So the same applies, any impact straight to the throat will immediatly send off warnings to the brain, in many cases even a small impact in the right spot can rupture the esophagus, causing it to swell, which then causes the victim to choke. (I recommend against any attempts to the throat simply because you don't want chance killing someone...or if that doesnt phase you, think about it this way, you may be the one to have to revive this guy to keep your butt out of prison).

There are also a few other unorthodox methods taught to me, but is found to be effective in many cases;
Like clapping the ears with your palms (ensuring that your hands are cupped and thumbs are out of the way, for maximum pressure on the eardrums when clapped together).
The bridge of the nose, any type of impact straight on, upward or from the sides at 45 degree angles will cause a great amount of pain.