BFT

BFT --- blunt force trauma.

Frank sent this link over to me yesterday...

I watched it a few times and then had a serious think about it.  I suggest you do, too.

Here's what I came away with:

• As we have seen in class, the lower torso BFT is a serious show stopper
• It doesn't take much to put someone down, potentially permanently
• Condition has relatively little bearing on the damage you take from a serious shot here
• With great power comes great responsibility (thanks David)

We go after this area in class a lot, not just with hooks to the body but also with elbows/knees/kicking/weapons and I constantly tell you about the potential implication of liver/spleen/kidney hits for ending fights or even ending lives.

These targets are NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY.  All are potentially lethal hits.

In the video clip, the author advocates breaking the ribs/disconnecting cartilage and trying to cause blunt trauma leading to Hypovolemic shock and potentially contusions/laceration to the underlying organs.

In a life or death situation, choose life.

In anything less, choose life.

This is not a game and you do not want to carry the guilt, let alone the legal/civil responsibility for permanently injuring or killing someone unless lethal force is really the only option left.

These are not rational responses to being pushed by a drunk Mongolian in a bar in Roppongi, even if he rips a belt loop off of your best suit.  Severity of force must always be appropriate to the severity of the situation.  Not more. Not less.

APPROPRIATE.

As martial artists we MUST hold ourselves to a higher ethical standard; a higher moral standard.  We know from our training how frail the body can be; how strong the body can be.  We know how weak the spirit can be; how strong the spirit can be.

We know better.

Especially in Kali Majapahit, we are obliged to always be on the right side of the law, and to uphold our oath to preserve and treasure all life as precious.  This is not arbitrary.

Given no choice, you should end fights as quickly, efficiently and directly as necessary.  This should be done with no more hostility than we would direct at an appliance we unplug.  However, and this is important, we should strive to never find ourselves in a situation that leaves us no other options but to cause grievous bodily harm.

The dead get off very easy compared to living years (possibly forever) spent in prison or a suffering through a crippling lawsuit from survivors or at the very least a lifetime of guilt over taking a life that did not necessarily need to be taken.

I feel revulsion toward someone who can portray doing such damage to another human being as being "the objective", when we know in our hearts our objective should never be to cause pain or injury to any other living thing.  LIFE IS NOT A VIDEO GAME.

Many things, once done, cannot be undone.

Choose Life Always.

Peace Out.