Black Medicine Anthology Read online

  Table of Contents

  The Dark Art Of Death (Black Medicine S.) by N. Mashiro

  Foreword

  Introduction

  Vital Points of the Head

  Vital Points of the Neck and Throat

  Vital Points of the Upper Trunk

  Vital Points of the Lower Trunk

  Vital Points of the Hand and Arm

  Vital Points of the Leg and Foot

  Vital Points of Pistol Shooting

  Further Reading

  Black Medicine, Vol. II: Weapons At Hand: 2 (Black Medicine) by N. Mashiro

  Introduction

  The Striking Points

  Striking Points of the Head

  Striking Points of the Arms & Hands

  Striking Points of the Torso

  Striking Points of the Leg & Foot

  Makeshift Weapons

  Black Medicine, Vol. III: Low Blows (Black Medicine): 3 by N. Mashiro

  Introduction

  1. Fistfighting

  2. Wrist Releases

  3. Escapes from Chokes & Lapel Grips

  4. Escapes from Headlocks

  5. Defense from the Ground

  6. Escapes from an Unfriendly Embrace

  7. Attacks from the Rear

  8. Defending Against Knives & Clubs

  Black Medicine, Vol. IV: Equalizers: 4 (Black Medicine) by N. Mashiro

  Introduction

  1 When There Is No Weapon

  2 Pens and Small Sticks

  3 Spray Weapons

  4 Electric Shock Weapons

  5 Telephones

  6 Clubs

  7 Flails and Chains

  8 Shields

  9 Staffs and Spears

  10 Light Knives

  11 Heavy Knives

  12 Throwing Knives

  13 Swords

  14 Hatchets

  15 Pistols

  16 Shotguns

  17 Rifles

  18 Tactics

  WARNING

  The information and techniques presented herein are extremely dangerous and could result in serious injury or death. The author, publisher, and distributors of this book disclaim any liability from any damage or injuries of any type that a reader or user of information contained within this book may incur from the use of said information. This book is for academic study only.

  by

  N. Mashiro, Ph.D.

  Foreword ................................... 7

  Introduction ................................ 9

  Vital Points of the Head ..................... 13

  Vital Points of the Neck and Throat .......... 25

  Vital Points of the Upper Trunk .............. 41

  Vital Points of the Lower Trunk .............. 49

  Vital Points of the Hand and Arm ............ 57

  Vital Points of the Leg and Foot ............. 73

  Vital Points of Pistol Shooting ............... 83

  Further Reading ............................ 91

  The title Black Medicine is a word play on "black magic." Just as white magic does good, and black magic specializes in evil, there is a white medicine which cures and a black kind of medical and anatomical knowledge that is used to produce injuries and death. Black medicine is the study of the "vital points" of human anatomy for the purpose of disrupting the structure and physiology of the body in the most rapid and deadly manner possible.

  This manual is devoted to the discussion of one hundred and seventy parts of the human body where a minimum amount of force will produce a maximum impact on a person's ability to fight. The study of these vital points is basic to all branches of the martial arts. This particular discussion is oriented toward the karate or self-defense student, the police officer, and the military combat specialist to whom a thorough grounding in the details of human anatomy may make a life-or-death difference someday.

  There are several reasons for studying the vital points of the body. Self-defense students, because they expect to use their skills only against high odds (or not at all), need every advantage they can get. Karateists, with their highly developed power and accuracy, can obtain amazing results by utilizing the vital points as targets and therefore have a responsibility to be familiar with these weak points of the body if only to avoid injuring their friends during practice sessions. Law officers have a serious responsibility to study the vital points carefully because such knowledge makes a small amount of force go a long way, minimizing cries of "police brutality" and increasing an officer's chances of survival in the street. Members of the armed forces, remembering some of the lessons of Viet Nam, study the vital areas as a kind of close-quarters insurance. After all, the M-16 doesn't always fire when you want it to....

  There will be some people who will suggest that the macabre material in this manual should not be made public because of the use to which is might be put by criminals. My reply is that they already know ... from cruel and gruesome experience. It is the rest of us who are morally restrained from acquiring firsthand knowledge who need instructions. To those of you who read this manual with a sense of shock, horror, and rising nausea I dedicate this book. Someday it may save one of your lives.

  N. Mashiro

  May 1978

  Power of blows: A few words of introduction are in order, particularly for those readers who are not very familiar with the martial arts. Although many of the vital points listed in this manual would obviously be effective when attacked by anyone, there are others which only a highly trained martial artist can use. The reader will note that occasionally a vital point is designated for "an extremely powerful blow." This refers to the punch, chop or kick of a black belt who can break three one-inch boards with a punch, or crack a brick with the side of his hand. The author has occasionally amused his friends by neatly slicing coconuts in two with the "knife edge" of his hand, and he has no doubts about what would happen if he applied the same blow to the side of someone's head. If you do not have the ability to deliver such attacks you should either restrict yourself to the targets which require less power or learn to use hand-held weapons.

  Speed of blows: A second factor which seems almost incredible to those not involved in the martial arts is the speed with which blows can be delivered by a trained fighter. Even a mediocre karateist can stand with his hands at his sides and without warning deliver an incapacitating punch to his opponent's groin in 1/25 of a second. Flurries of punches to the face and body can be generated at upwards of six punches per second. There are even a few gifted individuals who can get off six kicks in one second!

  Hand-held weapons: The weapons referred to at various places within the text are the pistol, hatchet, machete, bowie knife, stilletto, bayonet, ice pick, nightstick and yawara stick. Most of these are self-explanatory. The bayonet is presumed to be fixed on the end of a rifle. The yawara stick, for the uninitiated, is a short rod about the size of a ballpoint pen which is clenched in the fist with both ends protruding.

  General comments: Basically, the goal of attacking the vital points is to make the opponent stop what he is doing. You attack his vital points to force him to stop trying to injure you - stop choking you - stop holding you - stop raping you - or stop hurting someone else. There are three general ways to accomplish this:

  (1) Make him lose his concentration. If he stops thinking about hitting you he will stop trying to hit you.

  (2) Interfere with his control over his body. If he has a bruised nerve in his arm and cannot forma fist, he can't hit you.

  (3) Destroy the integrity of his body. If his forearm is broken, he won't try to hit you whether he can form a fist or not!

  If the thing the enemy must stop doing is "stop living," which will be the case for some readers, th
ere are again three ways to accomplish the end:

  (1) Destroy the central nervous system. Damage to the brain, brain stem, or spinal cord is usually fatal and always incapacitating.

  (2) Destroy or interfere with circulation. Draining the circulatory system of blood is an indirect attack on the brain, as is closing off the carotid arteries. Injuring the heart is another approach.

  (3) Interfere with breathing. Either strangulation or injury to the lungs, filling them with blood, is effective.

  The reader should be aware that the terms "fatal" and "lethal" have a special meaning in some military manuals. In the military context a knock-out blow is "fatal" because it makes the enemy helpless under circumstances where the victor could not afford to show any mercy. Under such circumstances, the difference between being helpless and being dead is just a matter of seconds. In this manual these words are employed in their conventional meanings.

  One of the most important lessons which a study of the vital areas reveals is that there are vulnerable targets almost everywhere on the body. If any part of your opponent is close enough to strike, you can hurt him, (Figure 1).

  This discussion is oriented toward the adult male body. The targets are 99% similar in the female. The difference lies in that the breasts are much more sensitive to injury in the female, and of course a woman has no testicles. In addition, the bones of the female are smaller and lighter than those of the male, and are easier to break.

  Figure 1

  The diagrams were prepared under the assumption that the reader would not need any help finding his eyeball, nose, lip, fingers, testicles, etc. Therefore, most of the illustrations concentrate on the vital points which are harder to locate. In the event that both the text and the illustrations fail to convey a clear description of the location of the target, the reader is advised to consult a standard medical anatomy text such as Gray's Anatomy.

  Figure 1 is a general diagram of all the vital points covered by this manual. By carefully reading the description in each paragraph of the text, you should have no difficulty locating the appropriate point on the diagram. Figure 1 has been left without identifying labels partly for clarity, and partly so that copies of the diagram may be used as examination sheets in self-defense and karate classes.

  Notice that although the concentration of vital points in the head and neck Is very high, the overall distribution is fairly even throughout the body. It Is Important to know this, because it means that if any part of the opponent Is within reach, you can hurt him.

  FIGURE 1

  Hair: There are several releases and throws which depend on tearing or pulling at an opponent's hair. The pain can be used as a distraction, or a grip on the hair may be used to control the motion of the head. An example would be to grasp the opponent's hair with both hands and pull his head down sharply into your rising knee.

  Bregma: The point near the top of the skull where the frontal and parietal bones meet. A violent, hammer-like blow from a fist dislocates the frontal bone, causing severe damage to the motor areas of the brain which lie immediately beneath. There is a ranger trick involving hitting a sentry over the head with his own helmet which uses this striking point, (Figure 2).

  Coronal suture: The posterior edge of the frontal bone, passing from the temples diagonally up to the bregma; the joint between the frontal bone and each parietal bone. Strictly speaking this includes the bregma, and the mechanism of injury is much the same, except that the lateral aspects of the coronal suture are vulnerable to a blow from the side such as a karate chop or a blow from a nightstick, (Figure 2).

  Temporal bone: The side of the skull above and around the ear is fairly thick and not a very good target. Most people have an instinctive tendency to strike this region, however, if they are called on to use a club or nightstick. There is some evidence that this is an innate behavior pattern over a million years old, and self-defense students have to learn to overcome the impulse. There are much better places to apply a nightstick if necessary. On the other hand, a hatchet can make quite an impression on the temporal bone, (Figure 2).

  Sphenoid bone: The sphenoid bone is a small patch of bone on the side of the head about an inch back from the eye. A relatively thin bone, it is the only bone of the brain case which is concave inward, making it structurally weak. A potentially lethal target, the sphenoid bone can be attacked by a variety of blows, and is very vulnerable to a yawara stick or ice pick, (Figures 2 and 3).

  Temporal artery: A knife slash to the side of the head over the sphenoid bone can sever the temporal artery. This is a serious injury if the bleeding is not attended to within a minute or so. The copious amount of blood spurting from the wound and running down the opponent's face may unnerve him completely, especially if the blood runs into his eyes.

  Figure 2

  Figure 2 is a diagram of the head, throat, and part of the upper shoulder. The location of the letters on the drawing represents the location of the point to strike. The reader should realize that many structures have been left out of this diagram for purposes of clarity, particularly in the region of the throat.

  a. Bregma

  b. Coronal suture

  c. Temporal bone (the large bone above it is the parietal bone)

  d. Sphenoid bone

  e. Orbital bones (the entire area around the eye)

  f. Glabella

  g. Nasal bones

  h. Nose

  i. Philtrum (or intermaxillary suture)

  J. Mouth (just below the lower gum line)

  k. Mandible

  1. Point of chin

  m. Occipital bone

  n. Vertebral artery (note rings of bone)

  o. Carotid sinus (in the carotid artery. Note the position of this point relative to the angle of the jaw and the level of the thyroid cartilage. The vagus nerve and the jugular vein run parallel to this artery, between it and the skin.)

  p. Thyroid cartilage

  q. Trachea

  r. 3rd intervertebral space

  s. Brachial plexus

  t. Subclavian artery (behind collar bone)

  FIGURE 2

  Orbital bones: The circular ridge of bone around the eye socket. A solid punch to these bones will communicate its force directly to the frontal lobes of the brain. Loss of consciousness can result, (Figure 2).

  Eyeball: The layer of bone behind the eyeball which separates the eye from the brain is paper-thin, and the brain case can be penetrated at this point by a knife, pencil, or even stiffened fingers. In general, any finger poke or foreign substance in the eye will serve to distract and temporarily blind one's opponent at the very least. Permanent blindness is also quite possible, (Figures 4 and 5).

  Glabella: This is the lethal striking point which is frequently mis-identified as "the bridge of the nose." The correct target is about half an inch above the bridge of the nose, directly between the eyebrows. A heavy blow here communicates directly to the frontal lobes of the brain, causing concussion, unconsciousness and possibly death. Originally, this target was used only by skilled karate fighters due to the amount of power required to be effective, but modern military training manuals simply suggest delivering the blow with the butt of a rifle. Times have changed, (Figure 2).

  Bridge of the nose: The thin nasal bones, directly between the eyes, can be easily shattered by a punch, chop or glancing club blow. It is not a serious injury, but can be very painful and releases copious amounts of blood which can interfere with breathing. It can also produce permanent disfigurement, (Figure 2).

  Nose: The nose is heavily loaded with nerves, due to its sensory function. A light slap to the nose will cause no serious damage but will produce stunning pain, and temporary blindness due to watering of the eyes. The nose is a particularly good target because of its prominence. It can be struck equally well from five directions (left, right, above, below, straight in), and its position in the center of the face makes it a good target for a blow delivered with the back of the head against an opponent who is trying to p
in one's arms from behind, (Figure 2).

  Nostrils: Jamming your finger up to the second knuckle into your opponent's nostril is a sure way to distract him and make him let go of you. For maximum effect bend your finger into a hook before yanking it back out! (Figures 2 and 5).

  Figure 3

  The yawara stick strike to the sphenoid bone (temple). Almost any small rod-shaped object can be used as a yawara stick.

  Figure 4

  An extremely effective attack is to spray deodorant, insecticide, oven cleaner, hair spray or paint into an opponent's eyes, blinding him.

  Philtrum or Intermaxillary suture: This is the upper lip just above the gum line, or about one quarter inch below the nose. A blow at this point commonly results in broken upper teeth, possibly some disruption of the nasal bones, and concussion to the brain since the upper jaw bones (maxilla) are firmly attached to the brain case. Less frequently a powerful karate punch to this point can generate shearing forces strong enough to fracture the dens, a small finger of bone which helps keeps the skull in place on top of the vertebral column. Trauma to the brain stem causes instant death, (Figure 2).

  Lower lip: By twisting the lower lip between the thumb and index finger, twisting it through a half turn and pulling roughly you can make a drunk follow you anywhere. (Make sure he's drunk first!)

  Mouth: Taken here to mean the point in the center of the mandible about one half inch below the lower lip (i.e., the gum line of the lower incisors). A blow here will cut the lip against the teeth or break off the lower teeth altogether, with the shock of impact being carried to the balancing organs in the inner ear through the mandible itself. Fossil evidence in vertebrate paleontology shows that the three tiny bones of the ear mechanism were once part of the mandible, hence the close relationship between the jaw and the ear. The shock to the ear disrupts balance and results in disorientation, dizziness, or unconsciousness, (Figure 2).