The Liver Punch Knockout

While I still prefer the palm heel strike over the closed fist, I have come to appreciate the superiority of the close fist when it comes to blows to the torso. In today's post, I want you to consider knockout by a punch to the liver.

Although the narration comes from the perspective of biological evolution rather than creative design, the following video provides an excellent explanation of how and why a blow to the liver can incapacitate or even cause unconsciousness.

CAUTION: (You may want to skip this one if anatomically correct illustrations violate your viewing code.)

WWII Ace Pilot -- WOW!

A skilled warrior whose record just makes me say, "WOW!" Thanks to my barber for this link.

Find out how shooting down a U.S. plane did not blemish record, but increased his status as a hero.

The Khukuri as Tool as Well as a Weapon, 2

In my last post, I showed how I have come to appreciate another aspect of my favorite khukuri in shaping wood. In Nepal, home of the famed Gurkha warriors, the curved blade also serves primarily as an agricultural implement suited to many uses. It also makes a fearsome weapon.

My barber sent me the link to the following video which shows elite Gurkha troops learning the deadlier side of a familiar tool.

The Khukuri as a Tool, as Well as a Weapon

When Laura broke the handle on her favorite garden tool -- Grampa's Weeder -- it fell to me to fix it. Rather than buy a new handle, I decided to re-taper the end of the existing handle. This involved turning it slowly while evenly removing fine shavings all the way around.

 Of course, I immediately saw this as an opportunity to develop new skills with my favorite khukuri. I shaved the the handle with the inner curve, the sharpest part of the blade -- the forward portion is for chopping. It surprised me how much fine control is possible with such a large blade. I used my Swiss Army Knife for smooth and dress the work.

Here is how it looked when about 3/4 done:

 

The project proceeded slowly and painstakingly, but it pleased me to see how straight and uniform the taper turned out.

Now, the time I spent to do that was way out of proportion to the cost of a new handle, and I have a backlog of projects I need to work on, but the payoff came in the time I got to spend with a favorite blade, testing its limits, and developing a new skill. Here, I follow the Nepalese who for centuries have used the khukuri as an all-around tool, and because its use became second nature, they naturally carried it with them to war.

In the next post, you will see young Gurkha soldiers training to use a familiar tool as a weapon of war.