In this introduction to The Medical Implications of Combat Tai Chi Chuan Techniques, Investigating Blunt Force Trauma I have briefly covered three combat Tai Chi Chuan blunt force trauma techniques; the bone break, the eye “gouge," and the throat crush. I consider bone breaks the least effective of these three techniques because they are unpredictable, and I will cover the application of extreme hyperextension to the joint complex involving traction, torque, and shearing forces directed at joints in a future article. I will also cover blunt force trauma leading to organ damage, haemorrhage, rupture, and failure in a future article as well. The martial arts were originally created to be violent, to maim, and to kill. The techniques, movements, postures and principles of Tai Chi Chuan were designed to accomplish the same objectives and the early practice of Tai Chi Chuan was commonly associated with martial chi kung, Chin Na, and various hand, foot, and body conditioning exercises. It was later in the historical development of Tai Chi Chuan (by the third and fourth generations of the Yang system) that Tai Chi Chuan began to be practiced as a “health” exercise and became less and less an effective martial art. Our schools’ approach to combat Tai Chi Chuan is an attempt to restore the martial roots and practices of Tai Chi Chuan as was intended by its original founders. References: 1. Incidence and mechanism of injury of clavicle fractures in the NEISS database: Athletic and non-athletic injuries, Steven F. DeFroda, Nicholas Lemme, Justin Kleiner, Joseph Gil, Brett D. Owens Journal of Clinical Orthpaedics and Trauma, Elsevier, September–October 2019 2. Etiology and incidence of zygomatic fracture: a retrospective study related to a series of 642 patients, Ungari C, Filiaci F, Riccardi E, Rinna C, Iannetti G. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 2012 Oct;16(11):1559- 1562. 3. Fractured Larynx: Classification, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Reviewed By: Pramod Kerkar, M.D., FFARCSI, DA, https://www.epainassist.com/face-mouth-throat/fractured-larynx
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