why is the chin so sensitive??

[The MMA kid!]

the following clip show a freind of mine getting knocked out from a blow to the chin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEXedme88AA

why is the chin so weak, and what is it that makes some people have glass jaws and others be like Ricardo Mayorga?

can you condition your chin? if so, how?:whip:

 

[TigerWoman]

We have a tough guy in our school. He likes to break boards with his chin for tournaments. But he is not always successful. I've seen him pretty loopy from a bad attempt on more than one occasion but he continues doing it. Go figure. He also likes to do ring boxing and he thinks he is toughening up his chin. My opinion, I don't think the chin was made for that sort of thing with it attached with two hinges to your skull. Not worth having those hinges damaged, not to mention what is inside the skull. TW

 

[SAVAGE]

There is the belief that a blow to the chin is not what knocks you out..it is the moving of the neck...when the neck has gone as far as it can go...the brain shuts off motorskills so that you are relaxed and do not snap your neck!

I could be wrong!

 

[Grenadier]

There is the belief that a blow to the chin is not what knocks you out..it is the moving of the neck...when the neck has gone as far as it can go...the brain shuts off motorskills so that you are relaxed and do not snap your neck!

I could be wrong!

That's actually a very valid statement. The snapping back of someone's head can lead to getting knocked out, and people with very strong necks have a lot more muscle mass there that can take out some of the snapback.

Look at someone like George Foreman. The man didn't exactly have a good defense, and took an untold number of really hard shots to his head, and many landed squarely on the chin. Still, knocking out George Foreman was highly unlikely, given his build.

The man's neck is so heavily muscled, that his head wouldn't snap back like any other person's head would, or almost any other boxer for that matter.

 

[Martial Tucker]

Your chin is the most efficient "lever" that can be used to snap your head forward/backward/sideways, and it's those sharp, jarring movements that cause your brain to shift within your skull, creating concussive shock

 

[The MMA kid!]

wow! great feedback guys! is there anyone that wants to make a comment about the video? i think it is hilarious!

 

[still learning]

Hello, From what I understand, there is 3 main knockout points on the human body for boxing.

The knockout blows (one punch)....CHIN....temple...and the kidneys?

It's nice to have the other person looking up after you hit him in the chin!....Aloha

 

[Flying Crane]

there are nerves that service the chin and jaw and can be affected if the chin is attacked. I believe some nerves are in the front of the chin and others are near the hinge. If these are struck directly they can, i believe, cause you to blackout.

As a similar example, when I was training capoeira I accidentally kicked another student on the cheek next to the nose. This affected the maxillary nerve that services the upper teeth. She rolled on the floor and sort of blacked out. She said that she was aware of the people crowding around her but she could not open her eyes or respond to anyone for a minute or so. She also said that her upper teeth on that side of her mouth felt like they were on fire and it was extremely painful. There must have been some swelling that lasted for a while and continued to affect the nerve because her teeth continued to be sore for a few days, even tho the teeth themselves were not struck. Needless to say I felt terrible for having done this.

Also, a dislocated/broken jaw would be extremely painful and I suppose could end many confrontations.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

the chin is a great point to control and leverage the head and thus the body. a good shot to the chin can generate a lot of velocity in the movement of the head. i remember reading that a lot of one-shout knockouts occur when the head snaps so quickly that the cranum rotates just a fraction quicker than the brain inside. when movement stops, the brain catches up, causing abrasions on the brain.

brain has no nerve endings and can't feel pain, but apparently that can black you out.

keep in mind this is from a half-remembered article i read something like ten years ago. it could be completely wrong.

 

[7starmantis]

There are many, many reasons you can become unconscious. The term "knock out" is actually a bit misleading. It can be from the pounding of the brain, nerve shock, pain shock, even cutting off blood or air suply which can be done from a choke or strike.

I think the chin is effective because like everyone else has said it has such control of the head and thus can be a great lever for moving the head/brain. Its not about the neck extending too far as that would require every knock out to have intense whipping of the head, which is not the case.

7sm

 

[Andrew Green]

It's not the snapping of the head, but the slamming of the jaw:

"Blows to the lower jaw or chin produce an abrupt slamming of the end of the lower jaw (condyle) against the base at the skull and the bones at the ear canal (temporal bone complex). In the boxing arena this jaw joint slamming episode results in a knock-out."

http://www.brainpads.com/WIPSS_williams.html

(ok, probably a slightly biased reference but the first one I found that explains it)

Best simple thing you can do to prevent a KO is wear a really good mouthguard which pads that, and bite down on it slightly like you are supposed too, locking the jaw in place.

 

[DavidCC]

there are nerves that service the chin and jaw and can be affected if the chin is attacked. I believe some nerves are in the front of the chin and others are near the hinge. If these are struck directly they can, i believe, cause you to blackout.

As a similar example, when I was training capoeira I accidentally kicked another student on the cheek next to the nose. This affected the maxillary nerve that services the upper teeth. She rolled on the floor and sort of blacked out. She said that she was aware of the people crowding around her but she could not open her eyes or respond to anyone for a minute or so. She also said that her upper teeth on that side of her mouth felt like they were on fire and it was extremely painful. There must have been some swelling that lasted for a while and continued to affect the nerve because her teeth continued to be sore for a few days, even tho the teeth themselves were not struck. Needless to say I felt terrible for having done this.

Also, a dislocated/broken jaw would be extremely painful and I suppose could end many confrontations.

Sharock was covering himself pretty well until Rich Franklin landed a shot on that same spot. about 3 seconds alter, the Ref called it.

There are nerves near the front of the chin (extending from the mental foramen for example) that can be effectively struck, also the jaw can be moved to affect nerves at the hinge. Also, all the neck movement and brain consussion stuff too.

so, there are many good answers to this question.

 

[kickcatcher]

Many martial artists believe that knockouts are the result of a pressure-point type occurance. The boxing community and from what I can tell most medical doctors seem to think that knock-outs are the result of concussion in the brain caused either by the brain lobes bouncing off eachother, the brain bouncing off the spine or the brain bouncing off the skull. In certain punches the jaw may be affected as Andrew describes. I tend to go with the boxing community's thoughts.

Of note, the reason chin-covering headguards are so unpopular is because they increase leverage by making the chin bigger, thus increasing the chances of knockout. They were introduced to Amateur boxing for political reasons and the general feeling is they make it more dangerous.

 

[Jimi]

I agree with the statement that striking the chin causes a jarring effect on the skull/brain. I have also heard that striking the liver can cause a knock-out as well. Not only my opinion, I saw this in an Erik Paulson videoclip. Most Boxers call the chin the "button".

 

[The MMA kid!]

has anyone else watched the video?

 

[Andrew Green]

Yes, he looked like he went down pretty easy, of course it's hard to tell from the video.

A better mouthguard, ok any mouthguard, from the video I don't think he even had one, and making sure he bites down on it a little to lock the jaw might be enough.

A lot of beginners tend to let there jaw hang open and breath through there mouth when they spar and start getting tired, if he was doing that it wouldn't take much to put him down.

 

[The MMA kid!]

thanks, i thought the video was HILARIOUS! it was me laughing on his way down.