Perhaps an exact account of instances of nutting I have seen will help to clear up some misconceptions in this area. I invite our overseas cousins to add their own reminiscences as this is a bit of a national pastime over there.
Episode one in which is witnessed the result though not the actual contact (I was overlooking the area about 30ft away but not looking at the contestants). The nutter is seen standing holding a pint of Youngs’ in each hand, the nuttee falls and rather groggily rolls over; enter bouncers. All actual witnesses agreed this was a nutting and indeed the way the victim fell was incompatible with having been kicked or kneed. The protagonist spilled little if any beer. I was later informed (hearsay) that the nutee had been trying to pick the nutter’s pocket while his hands were occupied.
Episode two in which an altercation is viewed through the window of a pub a clinch being separated one of the contestants manages a parting nut as his hands are pinioned. Contact is witnessed front to front or just off to the side. Nutee goes down and out, nutter being held so difficult to say whether he could have stood under his own power. Both were the worse for drink.
Episode three which contact is witnessed top front of forehead to nose. Nuttee is rising from a bench with the intent of pressing the discussion in a more rigorous manner. Nutter is sitting to his left on a stool. Nuttee falls back into booth which his bench formed part of and bleeds profusely from the face. Nutter leaves pub hastily. I was at the next table about eight feet away during this altercation. I later spoke to the nutter (who had a nasty lump on his head) who filled me in on the fine points of nutting, (not to hit the teeth, theory as to why it works et.) which he claimed to have practiced on an unspecified number of occasions. As to the incident I had witnessed he said, “well he was a big bugger and I knew if I let him get up, there’d be trouble”.
Yes it works. In all circumstances. Aim to put your hairline (or in my case, my fondly remembered hair line) anywhere lower than your opponents hairline and they will go down.
Nose and chin are best, any where else will do.
The action you need is the same as heading a football.
THe only problem with it is it requires commitment on your part. If you go at it half hearted it won’t work.
It’s he best form of self defense known to mankind.
Joe, I too did the “2 Minute Google” (why does that sound like a dance?) using the search terms “hardest” and “bone” (I was mildly surprised that I didn’t get a lot of porn site links) and out of the relevant hits on the first two pages all but one listed the temporal bone. One lone site listed the jawbone. It could be jawbone was listed as it connects approximately where the temporal bones are. It could also be confused with the “jaws have the strongest muscles” fact that I’ve heard many times.
That’s true. But to be fair, the question was in regards to a rough character who is about to demolish you. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
And a hit to the throat will most definitely end a fight, no matter how big or how tough your opponent is.
The reason a headbutt strices so hard is that, properly done, you’ve got not only neck muscles, but back muscles involved too. It’s a fairly short strike, with lots of leverage, strength and body mass all being delivered through one or two square inches of hard bone. It doesn’t work well on soft tissue, there’s no follow-through. But on a relatively hard surface, like a skull, it can deliver a lot of energy in an instant.
I’ve done it a time or two, and it’s devestating to someone unprepared. OTOH, if both parties are trying it at the same time, you’ll both wind-up on yer asses.
An attack to the gonads is almost never an effective strike. Most men greatly fear just such an attack, and are quite good at reflexively protecting that area. On the other hand, for the same reason, a strike to the genitals can make a very effective feint. Just make sure to follow it up with something else (eyes or throat, as Joe_Cool mentions, or often the back of the head or neck).
There was a video clip I saw on one of those “unbelievable” clip shows that showed a high school wrestler head butt the ref after a call he didn’t agree with. The ref went down like he had been shot, and stayed down. The voice over stated that the ref suffered severe head trauma as a result. The wrestler was fine. The most amazing part was that the kid who head butted didn’t appear to move all that much. Just a quick, short strike.
So, I would tend side with the people who claim that it is an effective weapon.
Being the refined Southern Belle I am :rollseyes:, I’ve headbutted a few times. If you don’t do it properly, you’ll wind up on your ass and your opponent will point, laugh, and then beat you to a pulp.
No one stressed how important it is to use the muscles in your back more than your neck. ThoughTranquilis did mention it. Bend slightly at the waist, and you’ll have a lot more power. And definitely Do Not strike with your brow ridge. Lots and lots of pain.
Back when I was doing Martial Arts demonstrations, one of my stunts was breaking boards with my head.
Good fun.
To date I have never really head-butted another person with REAL intent (wrestling around and such, saw the shot, took it with some restraint) mostly because I’m worried about messing up my already incredibly bad teeth.
When I have done it playing around, I have usually ended the match, right then. Nice shot, if you can do it.
I’m mildly surprised to see some of the posters I admire for their intellect recount episodes of headbutting. Don’t think, mind you, that I find that disagreeable.
My consideration on the subject would be that in addition to the extreme pain inflicted by such a manuver, the absolute shock that someone just used his noggin to incapacitate you would yield some value as well.
I’ve never been an instigator or the target of a headbutt but I’d imagine the result would be both physical and psychological in nature.
And I’d certainly agree that the most effective flex would come from the waist, not the neck. Use the neck to aim, the waist for power.
It works very effectively. To those that think that the damage would be equal to both parties, the laws of physics say otherwise. Just like in football, if you hit the other guy harder than he hits you, he gets the pain.
The “laws of physics” say no such thing. Check out Newton’s Third Law of Motion" some time.
Here’s a hint: you cannot exert more force on an object than it exerts back on you. It is not possible for “you to hit the other guy harder than he hits you.”
The headbutt is delivered only in the closest quarters. Too close to really wind up and deliver a decent punch or kick. Here’s how to do it…
-Ideally, grab opponent’s head by the ears (or cheeks or hair). You CAN do it without grabbing his head, but you risk him turning his head so that it hurts you more. Be carfeul at this point because his two hands could be ANYWHERE… especially grabbing for YOUR nads!
-Tuck your chin in. Clench your teeth. Stiffen your neck.
-Strike with the point on the top of your forehead (it’s directly above your nose, about four finger-widths from the point directly between your eyes.) Find this point BEFORE you get into a tangle.
-Strike AT the opponent’s nose with a downward motion. This will cause great pain to your opponent and force him to close his eyes.
-Grab the back of his head with your non-dominant hand and use the heel of your dominant to smash your opponent’s nose flat against his face.
-If you’ve done these two strikes properly, you’ve easily bloodied his nose and possibly broken it. It’s gonna take him a few seconds to get his bearings and figure out what happened. You’ve probably taken the fight out of him.
-If it’s safe to do so (that is, if his friends aren’t gonna kick YOUR ass), gloat.
-If not - SPLIT.
My own theory as to why nutting works has to do with the body’s readiness for impact. As anyone who has parachute jumped can tell you the force with which you land is equivalent to jumping down three feet (depending on the type of chute et.) but that you can easily break your legs unless you are used to judging the fall. When we perceive an impact our bodies judge it and prepare for it. That’s why successful nuttings are usually a surprise.