There is an urban legend, or a martial arts myth, that never seems to go away. Even though some of us write about it being an urban myth or legend, it still appears in various guises in different novels, movies, and television shows. I even remember it being told in one of the most recent martial arts documentary shows with two martial artists traveling the world to experience the martial arts of many cultures. (There were two programs of this type, I like both, and I forget that one was added to the dissemination of the myth).
So what myth am I talking about? The famous legend that if you hit someone on the nose hard enough, you will drive the bones of the nose into the brain and kill the person. Sometimes it is said with a punch, others like to say that you use the crush of the heel of the palm to push the bones towards the brain. I have also seen it said that you should use an upward directed strike to get the maximum effect and to make sure the bones go up to the brain. Another version requires two hits, the first hit to your opponent’s nose is to break the bones and the second hit to bring the bones to the brain.
Regardless of how it is described, the end result is always that the bones of the nose enter the brain and cause the death of the person at the end of such a devastating technique. Unfortunately, it is a myth and it is not possible for a blow to the nose to drive bone fragments to the brain. The nose contains primarily cartilage, not bone, and there is no direct way for this cartilage, or any small nasal bone that is fractured into pieces by blunt trauma, to penetrate the brain. It just can’t happen.
So what perpetuates this martial myth? It may be the fact that any hit hard enough to the head can be fatal. This does not have to be on the nose, but anywhere on the head. This is one of the reasons martial artists are instructed to protect their head at all costs when falling and receiving a blow. The brain is located in the head and bone material does not need to enter the brain to cause serious damage and even death. Any strong enough blow to the head can cause brain damage and death, and it varies from individual to individual as to what makes a strong enough blow strong enough.
So next time you hear the martial myth of driving the bones of the nose into the brain, remember that it is not the bones that enter the brain that cause death, but the fact that any significant blow can cause serious consequences to the beaten person. .
