[QUOTE=Fish]
That reason alone is why I say the whole “ninja death strike nose-breaker instant kill” move is baloney. Every legend I’ve ever heard says you have to do it “just right.” But who would you practice on, and how would you know when it worked?
[/QUOTE]
There is certainly no “mystical instant death strike” sort of thing. However, in previous eras one might practice techniques by picking fights or using condemned criminals for target practice, both of which happened in feudal Japan and probably lots of other places too.