Secret Bone Breaking - Oh My!

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Sigh! Sometimes I wonder just how gullible humans are and don’t for a second assume I don’t include myself in that inquiry because although rare, I do fall for such things from time to time because of our human nature to compliance triggers (see/read the psych of influence book for this one). Before I get into the concept of bone breaking techniques lets do some inquiries on bone-breaking in general.

“The amount of force required to break a human bone varies depending on which bone and its density. On average, the human femur requires 1,700 pounds per square inch to be cleanly broken, while a weaker bone, such as the clavicle, takes considerably less force to break. … Many factors influence how easily a bone is broken. The density of the bone and the force being put on it must both be calculated. If the force is concentrated to a single point, it is easier to break a bone. A bone with higher density requires a higher amount of PSI to break.”

“For a strong bone, such as a femur, it could take as much as 160 pounds of pressure to cause a fracture. This number can vary depending on different factors. Some of the factors include a person's age, how healthy he or she is, how strong a person's bones are, and how physically active he or she is.”

According to some medical sources fractures occur due to high force impacts or stress. The question of causing bone fractures in the dynamics of violence, combat and fighting are iffy at best and often tested by groups and organizations who benefit from such findings so agenda’s are involved skewing those research results accordingly.

Some information regarding most bone fractures, i.e., they are most often caused by falls and accidents. The less obvious type of fracture one can endure are stress fractures that result from repetitive movements such as running improperly. Where this article may lead us is that a ‘crack (not only a break)’ in bones are also known as fractures, the breaks I consider a part of this article are what the medical profession call ‘clean breaks’ that don’t damage surrounding tissue or tear through the skin often referred to as simple fractures. 

“Most human bones are surprisingly strong and can generally stand up to fairly strong impacts or forces. However, if that force is too powerful, or there is something wrong with the bone, it can fracture.”

“Stress fractures, which result from repeated stresses and strains, commonly found among professional sports people, are also common causes of fractures.”

This should be enough about breaking bones to go on with the articles topic, “Secret Bone Breaking” in karate or martial disciplines. I recently read an article about how a karate-ka was teaching the secret bone breaking ability found in kata bunkai. Here is my take on it:

• The use of the phrase ‘secret bone breaking’ is merely a sales tactic, a compliance strategy to trigger certain influence principles to get people to sign up for the program that teaches this secret for self-defense. 
• In truth, even if the kata bunkai technique is actually and originally meant to break bones it is not the actual fracture but more a stress fracture that may, stressing the term ‘may’, lead to validation of this phrase in karate.
• Bones alone are extremely tough and resilient then adding in health, fitness, musculature, structure, alignments the combination of tendons, cartilage, and bone combinations; then add in the movement involved in the dynamics of fighting or defense/offensive chaotic situations; then the dynamics of adrenal stress-induced conditions that add to the ability of the body to endure stresses that might lead to breaks or fractures you have a ever changing situation where the likelihood of all those factors being in alignment that would allow for a bone break are, in my humble opinion, virtually impossible. 
• If a bone is broken it will likely come from the result of a technique that causes the person to fall and cause a fracture, not because of some manipulation of the body. 
• Even tho many will profess that some MMA like compliance/manipulation techniques when applied will result in broken bones even those are questionable in a non-sport controlled situation such as an attack and even in the social monkey dance more often encountered in sport bars, etc.
• In most attacks, there is not time to find the optimal situation that will allow one to implement their secret bone breaking technique. The skills and experience levels necessary to achieve such goals especially under the influence of surprise, the flurry of the attack, the loss of balance often involved and then overcoming the effects of the chemical dump, the adrenal flood, leaves little room even for the most practiced and experienced dojo training possible to break bones expect in controlled situations and fighting along with defense is not controlled but chaos. 

Yes, there may actually be bone breaking techniques and if they are being taught then they are NOT secret, just not as yet taught and that does not make them secret. Having, knowing and using bone breaking abilities require a lot of luck and more experience of reality than one often can achieve even with ongoing, continuous and dedicated training and practice.

Even those professionals who work and live in conflict and violent professions will admit that even little or more experience still has to make the leap across the chasm created by the adrenal effects of violence, etc. 

In closing, just knowing that say 25 lbs of pressure will break a bone does NOT mean that you can break a bone with any technique and in those cases where it does happen, is that when some predatory attack occurs and you are able to swiftly turn on your MMA compliance and control skills to overextend some body part to break a bone? Or, are you actually tearing ligaments, etc.? 

It is easy to get caught up in things where reality vs. drama-driven things mislead into believing there is some secret bone breaking bunkai that is often un-provable unless experienced in a true attack. I believe even professionals who may have broken bones will say that it may be possible one time and even if the next time all factors are the same and equal it may not work.

Last and important, if you extend beyond a control technique to break a bone, even if lucky to make it work, will that breaking be perceived by authorities as appropriate levels of force in self-defense? I mean, if I am amble to apply a technique that controls my adversary would going to the next level of breaking bones be justified? 

Here is my defense against such secret bunkai, movement. Movement, continuous movement often prevents an adversary from ‘setting up’ the secret bone breaking technique. Using the sensory system of tactile sensitivity any contact with an adversary should trigger some movement for the bodies armor, natural nature given armor, involves movement. Not the move-stop-set-move type you see in kata and are taught in self-defense but more the continuos movement taught is systems like ju-jitsu, etc.

Some things to think about!

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)