Can You Really Knock Someone Out Harmlessly, Like in the Movies?

[@TodayIFoundOut]

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[@bnigh5495]

FYI, If you live in Utah, USA you can only buy alcohol higher then 5% by volume at a Utah State Liquor Store. It is illegal to have Alcohol of any strength to be shipped to you directly in the US Mail or any parcel delivery service. In fact, I work at a store that sells beer. However, it is illegal for me to transfer any beer to my other store that also sells beer in my car. Only the licensed distributor is allowed to delivery it by Utah law. Brightcellars can't ship or deliver it.

[@foxmeisteruk]

So, Bright Cellars is US only… that was a waste of time.

[@darylcheshire1618]

Blows to the head are not good but you can drink lots of wine.

[@majormojo9830]

Doesn't work!

[@McKevittS]

You win. I bought the wine box

[@mawnkey]

As I was told by a former military shooting instructor: Disabling the fragile human body is incredibly easy. Disabling the fragile human body immediately and without significant harm or death is nearly impossible.

[@richardhart9204]

That's why Worf stopped playing soccer with us.

[@digitalnomad9985]

The (much maligned) sleeper hold is the safest, but it's not fast.

[@JeffReeves]

@@digitalnomad9985 Not fast? I've put people unconscious in under 15 seconds at times. If you got the hold in tight they are going to sleep in no less than 30 seconds. People's brains can't go too long without a steady supply of oxygen via their blood.

[@eggsngritstn]

The carotid artery blow is a favorite of military trainers. The "throat punch" also hurts like hell, so it's certainly effective.

[@scotttoccs03]

@@JeffReeves Try 5 seconds with a tight strangle.

[@geodkyt]

You don't pay your anesthesiologist to knock you out for surgery - you pay your anesthesiologist to *wake you up afterwards* . It's a finer line between "unconscious" and "brain damaged" or "dead" than most people realize.

[@jamesengland7461]

Yep. My mother in law used to work in a nursing home. Young guy was in there in a coma after surgery after a motorcycle accident. Simply never came out of anesthesia- until 2 years later, in the nursing home!

[@Yupppi]

Tbh I pay them not to feel pain. And of course for being legitimately drugged.

[@caleblarsen5490]

My aunt was an anesthesiologist, and I can confirm the OP's statement.

[@billyalarie929]

Speak for yourself, buddy. My insurance pays them to blast me off to the FUCKING M O O N

[@marccuypers2439]

I'm sure you make an excellent point, however I - a non native English speaker - am too busy trying to pronounce "anesthesiologist" properly to make remarks about your comment.

[@pamelamays4186]

You left one method out: the Vulcan neck pinch. Silent and effective.

[@PatrickRyan147]

Good call. Apparently, it works in real life too.

[@averylee4302]

It takes more grip strength than the vast majority of people possess to actually knock someone out.

[@Epoch11]

Sadly you need to be a Vulcan in order to apply this particular technique or a half Vulcan in the case of Mr Spock.

[@averylee4302]

@John Ashtone the blood choke is on the jugular, the vulkan neck pinch is on the Vegas nerve. It would work to knock someone out for a few minutes, but you'd need to be as strong as Thor Bjornsson to actually make it work, and they would probably get a chance to scream in agony before they went out.

[@michaelgallagher3640]

@John Ashtone ...Completely different, 2 finger pinch vs. a choke hold....Live long and prosper.🖖

[@bhgtree]

Hero goes up to villain: "Excuse me, I want to knock you out safely, could you please tell me your age, weight, height, are you taking any drugs recreational or medicinal and your medical history. Thanks."

[@craigh5236]

Batman definitely has a body count

[@johnnyshanksalot8358]

Narcan.

[@marycollette-callahan9455]

Hahaha that’s flipping hysterical!!!!!

[@R2Bl3nd]

That would make a great comedy sketch, a villain who also abides by health and safety regulations. Mitchell and Webb did something kind of like this, in a sketch where a villain hired a contractor who refused to do anything that wasn't up to code, so he put warning signs, lights and alarms around a trap door.

[@Mario_Angel_Medina]

@@craigh5236 and DC Comic's Sandman must have an even bigger one (not the Neil Gaiman one, the other one)

[@hennemant]

Pump action shotguns in movies. Character A points shotgun at Character B. Character B says something vexing causing Character A to rack said shotgun to establish his seriousness whilst no unspent shell hits the ground. Character B: so wait, you were pointing an unloaded shotgun at me in which I could have made a quick move instead of listening to an awful monolog?

[@stevenscott2136]

Firefly episode "Janestown". Bad guy fires pump shotgun in air while dragging Simon with other hand. Shotgun is now useless until pumped, but at least 3 combat-experienced characters don't seem to notice this.

[@milankovacevic1483]

My favorite movie bs. Spot on ;)

[@pkobalt]

@@stevenscott2136 firefly has a fully automatic revolver so a semi auto that looks like a pump wouldn't surprise me.

[@Illlium]

To be fair that's how you'd want to do it if your aim is to compel someone to do something, if you wanted to kill you'd just shoot straight away.

[@kellywright540]

The worst one I have seen was a group of movie law enforcement officers kicking in the door of a drug house. Bad guys are shot and go down and our hero keeps advancing through the house. Our hero along with another good guy gets to the last room, good guy and bad guy trade shots, good guy goes down, our hero points his shotgun at the last remaining bad guy, racks the slide and yells, "Drop it a$$hole." Guys shooting left and right, people getting shot and our hero doesn't even have a round in the chamber???? 🤦‍♀️

[@MystLunarabne]

This is why Batman breaks bones, even when they wake up they're not gonna be moving much.

[@BorderlineBinge]

Also you won't be moving if you get exploded by the batmobile. I've never understood how guns are off limits but rocket launchers seem to be just fine, but everyone's got a line.

[@Gojiro7]

@@BorderlineBinge note, that the batmobile blowing shit up and gunning down things is really only a product of Movie, animated, and video game versions of batman, where they need more actiony stuff happening then a guy throwing some punches, in the comics the Batmobile isn't really a rocket powered tank like it is elsewhere.

[@thenetherone1597]

By batmans own standards, most iterations of the riddler obey his no kill rule "I cant push you into this vat of acid, but i dont have to save you" Wouldn't hold up in court

[@jamesbonn2394]

@@Gojiro7 in the comics batman has shot people and has run them over with pavement flatteners or whatever they are called. batmans no killing rule was more of a guideline until the bronze age of comics

[@stevenscott2136]

In the Arkham games, even Batman's punch and chokehold knockouts are so quick and long-lasting that severe brain damage is almost certain.

[@brianmoore6490]

In my organic chemistry lab class another student took the ether out of the ventilation hood area, which is not advised, and then they forgot to put the top back on the bottle. 20 min later the entire class was wasted and laughing uncontrollably. Hazmat crews were then called in and class was cancelled. Best day in organic chemistry ever!!!!!

[@jean-sebastienmatte2358]

Ether as a distinctive and noxious smell, nobody smelt the air and went "smells like fucking ether here"? Also you guys must have had massive headaches, just a whif of ether is enough for me to feel the "pressure" of a headache start to form.

[@brianmoore6490]

@@jean-sebastienmatte2358 Ether was being used by everyone, so the smell wasn't noticed until it was too late and we were all walking sideways. And yes, headache was worse than a really bad hangover!

[@brianmoore6490]

@@jean-sebastienmatte2358 We were also using several other heavy solvents like acetone, toluene and xylene too, so the lab just stunk of chemicals...hard to pick one out. Also was a first year organic lab, so we had a lot of careless students spilling all kinds of shit. The lab TA was also mentally disabled to some extent (not kidding).

[@jean-sebastienmatte2358]

@@brianmoore6490 Lol wut, mentaly disabled lab TA? Sounds like a story there, man.

[@brianmoore6490]

@@jean-sebastienmatte2358 First day of lab, we were all looking at each other like this is a joke right. Where's the hidden camera..... unfortunately there was no camera. Just us trying to figure out what to do each lab, because he couldn't explain it.....NC State University!

[@TheZackofSpades]

Just throwing out a RIP Adam West. Thanks in large part to his acting chops, he made an unapologetically goofy series iconic. I’ll always be a fan.

[@MiniMotoAlliance]

You didn't discuss why boxing doesnt allow strikes inside the "mohawk" zone. The reason for that is a solid strike to the spine where it meets the skill will definitely hit your off switch but can also kill you. Strikes the the back of the head are too risky to the fighters health and boxers have died from illegal strikes. There are countless examples of illegal strikes in boxing that dropped the fighter and DQ'ed the boxer that did it.

[@WolfgangDoW]

Boxing was so much safer before they used gloves

[@tedrex8959]

I've seen a very small female black belt in karate knock out a muay thai champion that way with an elbow. I don't think he ever quite lived it down.....

[@DCUOxDestro]

Check Terrell Williams vs Prichard Colón out. Saddest case in boxing I've seen, Williams repeatedly striked the back of Colons head causing permanent brain damage.

[@olipritchard8151]

@@WolfgangDoW the gloves are there to protect my hands, not their heads.

[@grimd8788]

@@olipritchard8151 makes sense. There doesn't seem to be much in the heads of boxers worth protecting.

[@jessn.2665]

Yeah if you black out after hitting your head it’s an automatic concussion.

[@alaingraham]

I think I got concussion when I went to tesco and blacked out and my body stopped funtioning for a second.

[@WolfgangDoW]

@@alaingraham did you faint or something?

[@WolfgangDoW]

I've had tons of head injuries and concussions, they are not fun

[@jmchez]

While skiing, I fell and hit my head on a patch of hard ice. I opened my eyes immediately but could not see at all for 4 to 5 seconds. I was in a full on panic for those few seconds. Meanwhile, I heard people on the lift chairs applauding my spectacular wipe out.

[@jeffm2787]

Having had a concussion and amnesia I can say it's something I don't wish on anyone. I literally don't remember people from my past. It's like a block of memory was erased forever.

[@MG-hz7wi]

When I was a young adult I was knocked out by a punch to the jaw, courtesy of a mentally ill homeless man as I walked down Hollywood boulevard. I woke up on the ground almost immediately after falling, but felt no pain. I also thought it was november. It was may. I had lost 6 months and did not recognize the person standing next to me, who was my boyfriend. He tried to get me to the hospital as quickly as possible. By the time we reached the street we lived on, I remembered where my car was parked and what kind of car I had. As we drove toward the hospital, I began remembering bits and pieces of my life like flashes or jigsaw puzzle pieces. By the time we got to the hospital I'd recovered all my memory, which probably took less than 20 minutes. This being America, I didn't go into the hospital because I had no insurance. I'm not exactly certain what kind of damage was done. You can't imagine that what a weird experience it is to close your eyes and open them 6 months later

[@MG-hz7wi]

California rocks, if you grew up there so you have friends from childhood. Within a couple of hours, I can be at the desert, mountains, abandoned coal mines, and from where I live I can hike to waterfalls in less than an hour and be at the beach in 5 minutes. I taught my kids about every single kind of wildlife we have down here, all the lizards snakes etc we've seen every single form of wildlife that lives here including bears and mountain lions. It kind of rocks being able to hit almost any kind of climate in half a day. Oh, forgot the otters and the elephant seals too

[@OffRampTourist]

Wow. Hard to imagine how weird that must have been for you.

[@dolebiscuit]

Hollywood is extremely trashy.

[@devindiaz1085]

Oof. I mean. That's horrible. But also pretty interesting effect. I bet there's a lot of neuroscientists that would've wanted to get a look at you. Too bad you'd have to pay them tens of thousands to do it instead of the other way around. Wow America is depressing.

[@geoswan4984]

Wow. US health care. Your sad story is shocking to non-Americans as in every other industrialized nation it is inconceivable that a lack of private medical insurance would prevent you receiving medical care you clearly required.

[@johnrichardallen4470]

Just for curiosity, the drugs used in drinks to knock out someone, here in Brasil, are called "Good Night Cinderella", which makes absolutey no sense because the tale in which the princess sleeps is Sleeping Beauty.

[@NX-gw7wg]

You're probably thinking of something called Scopolamine or sometimes called "The Devil's Breath" it's more common in South American countries but it might just go by a different name in Brazil.

[@sergeantpeppers8858]

@@NX-gw7wg I believe JRA is talking about Cinderella having a bad step mother and step sisters, her Fairy God Mother showing up, going to the ball, losing her shoe and finally getting her prince charming as opposed to Sleeping Beauty who pricks her finger on something (flax or spinning needle depending on the version) then falling into a coma and awakened by a kiss from a prince charming. Why call a drug to make someone lose consciousness "Cinderella"? That kind of drug should be called "Sleeping Beauty". Even Snow White went into a coma after being drugged. But Cinderella NEVER loses consciousness.

[@Raizan-IO]

Duration maybe? Sleeping beauty was supposed to be on an eternal slumber, same for Snow White (although I recall she was going to die if not saved on time). Cinderella becomes a princess until midnight, hence the effect is likely reversible, non deadly (minus overdose), and she becomes something else though not likely a "princess". The real bottom line to me is that a "cute name" tries to make the drug seem better than it is. Drugging someone else or forcing someone else is just pathetic.

[@changer_of_ways_999]

É sem lógica. Sei la porque é Cinderela.

[@johnrichardallen4470]

@@changer_of_ways_999 também não faço a menor ideia. Quem foi que inventou esse nome?

[@tomshepherd4901]

"If you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk" -Eli Wallack, "The Good the Bad and the Ugly"

[@lawrenceparker1523]

One of my favorite movies, lost count on how many times i have watched it.

[@williamberry4597]

Words of wisdom right there.

[@stevenborgogna]

"But if you miss you had better miss very well. Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco."

[@sschmidtevalue]

Yeah, I hate the villians that explain before they try to kill you. I'm pretty sure that real life bad guys just shoot.

[@2011littlejohn1]

Eli Wallach as Calvera ''But how will I feed my men for the winter.?' Yul Bryner as Chris, ''Solving your problems is not our line.'' Steve McQueen as Vin ''We deal in lead friend.'' Then holy hell erupts. :) One of the most stylish westerns of all time.

[@L8rCloud]

Doctor: "Hows' the patient doing? Nurse: "He is currently stable....He died last night" Doctor: "Call me if his condition changes"

[@mortisCZ]

MUDr. V. Frankenstein. Great surgeon, terrible psychiatrist.

[@swolff1234]

Underrated comment of the year

[@ASHERUISE]

*loads shotgun* "Call me if his condition changes"

[@jennagibb9723]

I suffered a concussion falling down stairs about 5 yrs ago. I've been disabled with post concussion syndrome since. There are so many types of injuries in movies that would cause severe harm or death that the characters just walk away from. Drives me nuts!! Really appreciated this video.

[@Babyclownn]

Today your anesthesiologist will be Jean-Claude Van Damme

[@old-fashionedcoughypot]

Better than Bill Cosby...

[@stefanmuntean5289]

@@old-fashionedcoughypot rrrr yea cant argue this

[@joelellis7035]

I prefer Chuck Norris.

[@jacrispiejackson69]

You can’t hit the head and shake the brain in a “safe” way

[@pinkgoergefloyd8340]

*James Bond wakes up tied to a chair* Villain - “Hello Mr. Bond” Bond - “HAIII DERRRRR, MA BREIN PHILS FUNNE”

[@Chris.Pontius]

MY BRAIN IS BOND, JAMES BLUNT

[@slake9727]

To be fair, that's pretty much how Connery would have said it.

[@Heartwing37]

Great name and excellent comment!

[@Heartwing37]

@@slake9727 brilliant….

[@daniellind9081]

I read this in forest gump voice

[@TheLacedaemonian300]

There is also the movie depiction of getting shot and instantly dying, same goes for stabbing and strangling taking seconds. It's usually not anything like an instant death. Not that I would know anything about these things.

[@stevenscott2136]

My favorite is the thrown knife that sticks about 2 inches in the chest, causing instant death.

[@julietfischer5056]

Get shot or stabbed in the right place and death follows quickly. Strangulation/asphyxiation takes several minutes.

[@mp40submachinegun81]

This is my biggest hate about almost every movie. Ive shot deer directly in the heart and had them run a over a kilometer before falling down.

[@ExestentialCrisis]

Don't write down your crimes. ;)

[@JeffReeves]

@@julietfischer5056 I can render a person unconscious from a rear naked choke in less than 30 seconds. If I held that choke for about another 60 seconds after that they'd be dead or severely brain damaged. Stabbing and shooting requires hitting the right spots (major artery, heart, lung, brain) to cause death within that same time frame.

[@ferengiprofiteer9145]

In high school football, I experienced seeing a "lightning flash" at times when hitting or getting hit. As near as I can tell, it didn't result in any drain bramage.

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

As near as I can tell, it did.

[@rickradix7464]

Have a friend who experienced the same effect and he came to find out that one of his retinas was detaching.

[@ferengiprofiteer9145]

@John Barber LOL! It wasn't a quote. It's just the best I could do.🤠👍

[@BigMobe]

Same here but mostly in fights and accidents. I doubt I have drain bamage though

[@Reddotzebra]

Flashing lights are usually a sign of something directly affecting the eyes and not the brain though.

[@hullinstruments]

I passed out one time and busted open my head after sniffing an old vintage jar of aftershave that had “ fermented“… I guess the old aftershave had gone through some kind of weird chemical change. It hadn’t been opened in about 30 years, I took the top off and took a small smell and literally collapsed and slammed my head on the concrete floor. But the worst part was getting that shit all over me when I fell 😂 So they need to get a hold of that aftershave manufacturer… I’m sure there are plenty of bad gguys who would pay good money for that stuff 😂

[@nozecone]

I'll bet you smelled real nice, though ... !

[@diyeana]

@@nozecone like fermented mint! Yum!

[@-Nick-T]

was it one of those car shaped ones?

[@hullinstruments]

@@-Nick-T that’s hilarious you would ask that… I don’t quite remember what shape it was…. It might have been a violin shape…. or a handgun like an the cowboy revolvers. But I do remember there were a bunch of bottles sitting next to it that were shaped like old cars 😂

[@-Nick-T]

@@hullinstruments my great grama had about 100 of the car types, all different cars. when i popped one open it burned my eyes! ended up selling each one on ebay for a very impressive amount. the empty ones were not nearly as valuable.

[@mred8002]

Thank you for this piece! I spend a great deal of time in ERs in my younger days, and had to dispel this notion on several occasions. “Why is Jack acting so goofy? He was just knocked out a few minutes!” As I ordered CT scans and MRIs to evaluate the true damage. And, no, he can’t ever play football again.

[@ricdavid]

Every fan of "Archer" knows that getting knocked unconscious is Super Bad For You.

[@MrBiggles53]

And how important it is to keep track of the number of bullets fired. And phrasing!

[@notcherbane3218]

I have been a fan of detective stories and westerns and some of my favorite authors and stories involve hitting the main character over the head and knocking him out and it's some TV series that seems the character is knocked out at least once or twice every episode and believe me while I've never been knocked out by an object I've hit my head a couple of times so hard I saw stars as they say and if this happened repeatedly to the same person they would not becoming conscious and be able to do any type of activity for quite some time many people who have received brain damage have been reported to be dizzy nauseated and Delirious that doesn't seem to fit into The Narrative of some of these fictional stories

[@paulyguitary7651]

As is firing guns in enclosed locations #mwop

[@nickamalfitano3613]

@@paulyguitary7651 yes, tinnitus.

[@patrickstewart3446]

Super bad!

[@oddtail_tiger]

A good rule of thumb is that a person who's been knocked out should wake up roughly in the same time frame as a person who simply fainted (be it due to stress or exhaustion). And that's mostly because fainting happens for somewhat similar reasons - to momentarily save resources in an "emergency". And this ends almost immediately if there's no internal bleeding, serious oxygen deprivation or structural damage to brain tissue itself. All of which are Very Bad News in almost all cases. After all, it takes only a few minutes to die as a result of drowning - the brain has very little leeway for being oxygen starved. Also, since the video mentions boxing - note that it's impossible to have a long boxing career without accumulating very serious brain damage over time, even from minor injuries and concussions one recovers from.

[@mursuhillo242]

Elaborate drowning. In cases involving frigid water, the state of clinical death can be extended to tens of minutes without any serious brain damage. Emphasis on frigid.

[@oddtail_tiger]

@@mursuhillo242 I stand corrected (I didn't know about frigid water drowning being different), but the general point remains that the brain needs a steady supply of oxygen and tends to do very badly without it.

[@mursuhillo242]

@@oddtail_tiger yeah it's not so much about the water being cold, but how cold your cells get. Lower temperatures equal lower cellular metabolism, equaling longer survivable oxygen deprivation

[@ascrassin]

Thing to note about boxing and that apply to all combat sport that use padding. The pads protect against cut and pain but do practically nothing against blunt damage(they only diffuse it on a larger surface and in that case it doesn't help) it could even be argued that it encourage fighters to hit harder(less chance of self injuries) making sport like bare knuckle boxing potentially less deadly if well encadred(less invisible injuries)

[@oddtail_tiger]

@@ascrassin yes, the transition from bare-knuckle boxing to weaing gloves is an example of making things *seem* less harsh being prioritised over actual safety.

[@techman2553]

You can pretty reliably render someone unconscious with a 12 hour work day. It takes a little while for the effects to kick in, but it almost always results in unconsciousness and the victim is out for hours. Repeated applications can leave the victim disorientated for a while, but excessive use will lead to serious health problems.

[@Gojiro7]

I wasn't expecting this video to say "Judo Chop to the back of the neck actually does work" the most cartoonish way to knock someone out apparently is not only grounded in reality, but actually does work as intended (if less effectively then in movies)....well, Today I certainly did find out XD

[@hydrolito]

Karate chop, Judo is grappling similar to Jiu Jitsu although not identical.

[@HO-bndk]

@@hydrolito An "edge of the hand blow," then. They're all the same no matter what they're called.

[@JeffReeves]

There's a few funny videos of bored military dudes doing it to each other on KZbin

[@Bigmyoun1]

Thanks a lot. Now I have to figure out a new way to infiltrate my enemies lair.

[@Bigmyoun1]

Make the guard a glass of warm milk and read him a story. It worked for me when I was six.

[@Cysubtor_8vb]

These film tropes that make light of being forcibly knocked unconscious has lead to some weird logic in some self-defense debates.

[@kurtsnyder4752]

And some weird x rated videos.

[@changer_of_ways_999]

Yes. Unfortunately, cinema and Hollywood in general has way too much of an impact on the real world. One common trope that is extremely dangerous is firing a gun up into the air. That bullet will eventually come back down in who knows where and stray bullets have been known to kill innocent bystanders. Guns are not taken seriously by people who have never used them. Even Biden suggested cops should just shoot bad guys in the leg, as if aiming is that easy. And even if it was, even a shot in the leg could prove fatal anyways. And missing the criminal could, again, hit something or someone else. Just assume anytime you point a gun at someone, they will die. Unfortunately, as this video points out, non-lethal incapacitation is incredibly difficult to pull off and often saving people from attackers will very likely risk the life of the attacker. So don't assault people if you want to live or stay out of jail. Because your assault could easily become a murder charge.

[@andrewp8284]

@@changer_of_ways_999 didn’t Biden also recommend shooting a shotgun into the air years ago as a warning shot (violating various state laws if not other laws)….?

[@alisaurus4224]

The movie Knight & Day has the two leads knock each other out with nearly every method mentioned here about 12 times over the course of the film. I couldn’t get over how very dead they would both be

[@timkramar9729]

Alive is always preferable to dead.

[@WTH1812]

Vastly overlooked but 100% affective with almost zero side effects are economics textbooks reading assignments and valedictorian speeches

[@docwil2541]

You left out the common peroneal nerve. No risk of brain damage or death. It will at a minimum take them out of the fight with a good chance of overwhelming the nervous system producing unconscious. PPCT Inst is such a fun class to take. You really get to feel the joy. I rank it right up there with getting OCed and Tazed every 2 years.

[@kmech3rd]

Until I actually looked this up, I thought your spelling was off and you were proposing kicking someone in the "taint". That's pretty cool. I will remember this protip. Thx!

[@KenVic02]

I've thought for some time now that you have to yell "Judo Chop!" at the same time you strike. Works for Austin Powers 100% of the time.

[@HO-bndk]

But, be careful, it won't work if you shout "ninjy chop" by mistake whilst delivering a "judy chop".

[@valiroime]

Did not work for Colonel Crittendon in Hogan’s Heros.

[@darrel7493]

In almost every stealth game, you have the option to kill or knock out the goons. When you knock out a goon he just falls down. When you kill one they scream and send out an alert. It would give these games a much more moral dilemma, if knocking people out was actually the harder route.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

IIRc In the Styx series of stealth games chocking someone out takes longer than killing them.

[@cdogthehedgehog6923]

Ever heard of the Hitman series? Literally the whole game can be played stealthy and non lethal (aside from your targets), but it is the much harder option.

[@bagofsteel9152]

It is easier to kill than knock out in Metal Gear Solid V. It's more fun to stun though.

[@MC-Racing]

5:50 death can even be fatal!

[@BBulletin]

We really do need to develop a cure for that!

[@WolfgangDoW]

Life is a terminal sexually transmitted disease

[@megaflamer]

this is one of my pet peeves with otherwise realistic books and films. Takes me right out of the suspension of disbelief when everyone is performing what would be lethal strikes to the head and all it does is knock the victim out.

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

Exactly! I'm a Pre-Vet major so I'm probably more nitpicky about medical stuff than most people, but sometimes it's completely ridiculous - especially if the character is somehow unconscious for over a day, then wakes up totally fine! O_O

[@ridesq]

It really bothers me when the person is knocked out with a square rifle butt to the face, as if that wouldn’t cave their whole face in.

[@megaflamer]

@@ridesq agreed

[@miltonpound763]

I have just become infinitely more annoying when watching movies. Thanks Simon!

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

I've been knocked unconscious or semi-conscious several times. Twice from collisions playing street football. Once in a fall. Once in a car accident. None were harmless. No concussion is.

[@RevanXIII]

Enjoy your early onset dementia

[@notcherbane3218]

During karate sparring matches I was nearly knocked out twice by Kicks to the head so a single strike can knock you out

[@notcherbane3218]

And I know for a fact striking across the neck at the proper angle can also cause unconsciousness is the neck not the shoulders

[@notcherbane3218]

Never heard it referred to as the Carotid strike but he's fairly accurate in that

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

I think the point isn't, can a single blow knock one out. Obviously, it can. But HARMLESS? No, you don't just wake up, shake your head, and go about your business like James Bond in Goldfinger. You've just had your soft, squishy brain bounced around the inside of your skull. You can have brain damage both short-term and long-term. NFL players almost all have CTE from repeated concussions. Boxers get "punchy". Kayos are no joke!

[@Tymbus]

A colleague who had retired from the army demonstrated knocking fellow academics out with pressure to the carotid artery . I'm glad I missed out on that experience.

[@elidames6889]

@Eddie Hitler yep 😆. Good times.

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

I’ve been knocked out twice. Both as a kid. Once, I was kneed in the cheek playing sandlot American football. I was out for more than a minute and woke up while my friends were pulling on my arms with my head lolling around. I was blind with stars for a few hours. My friend drove me home on his bike with me sitting blind on the handlebars while he kept turning back and forth while laughing. What a friend. The second time was a slip on concrete. Both resulted in an excruciating headache for a day.

[@Kwastaken]

This comment actually made me really miss being a kid…wtf is wrong with me lol

[@johnnyshanksalot8358]

I have 2 as a little kid, one at 17. The first 2 were from getting the wind knocked out of me (accidents not fights), rolling around trying unsuccessfully to inhale and then blacking out, the 3rd from a kick but even then, it wasn't instant, I was awake for a few seconds before the lights went out. I've definitely seen instant knock outs, though, they are a thing, just fluky.

[@johnnyshanksalot8358]

I have 2 as a little kid, one at 17. The first 2 were from getting the wind knocked out of me (accidents not fights), rolling around trying unsuccessfully to inhale and then blacking out, the 3rd from a kick but even then, it wasn't instant, I was awake for a few seconds before the lights went out. I've definitely seen instant knock outs, though, they are a thing, just fluky.

[@jmchez]

While skiing , I fell and hit my head on a patch of hard ice. I opened my eyes immediately but could not see at all for 4 to five seconds. I was in a full on panic for those few seconds. Meanwhile, I heard people on the lift chairs applauding my spectacular wipe out.

[@mp40submachinegun81]

Man ive been knocked out 5 or 6 times, twice playing hockey once from being hit directly on the head the other from hitting a guy awkwardly. Got trampled by a cow and had a collapsed lung and 8 broken ribs when i was 14. Then a couple fights in highschool.

[@PMcDFPV]

I thought you only told criminals how to commit crimes on The Casual Criminalist :D

[@rmsgrey]

There's a reason why a number of fictional characters use fictional anaesthetics that come with a much wider range between ineffective and potentially lethal doses rather than real chemicals.

[@digitalnomad9985]

Maxwell Smart "Fortunately I have with small doses built up a resistance to ... that's the new stuff" [collapses],

[@havanadaurcy1321]

Question: Can being thrown down stairs after being knocked out kill you in real life?

[@rmsgrey]

@@havanadaurcy1321 Probably - falling down stairs without being knocked out first can kill you, and being knocked out can kill you, so combining the two can probably also kill you. It's possible that being totally limp (due to being unconscious) while falling down the stairs will offer some protection, but probably not enough to make you completely safe.

[@audreymuzingo933]

OMG THANK YOU for doing this subject! I have thought a million times how fully knocking someone out without killing them would HAVE to require an extensive amount of knowledge and training, plus luck to boot.

[@MrBiggles53]

It helps if you say, “Judo chop!” while knocking them out. Pretty sure that’s the safe and sure way.

[@azrasashima3733]

or sharks with fricken lasers on their heads, because every animal deserves a hot meal.

[@loke6664]

It is even more preposterous how quickly someone recovers after being knocked out. I was knocked out 5 minutes as a kid when another kid pushed me as a joke. I spent 24 hours in the hospital feeling like crap and it took me another 2 days before I felt normal again. Heck, I fell of a roof a few years, a fall of 3 meters on relatively soft ground and I never lost my conscientious or got anything more then a few scratches but I still felt awful for a week and I can tell you that any parkour and shootouts would have been out of the question after that (well, I would have tried to shoot someone trying to kill me but I have a feeling my aim would be terrible). You could argue that I am just a wuss but I have a rather high pain tolerance and getting a real concussion makes even an elite soldier far less effective for at least 24 hours. I don't mind it in Adam West's Batman though, with super villains I don't think a knockout gas that actually works that way is ridiculous, even if you ignore that the show was more of a comedy then a serious action show. When you add in super powers something that exists but works less well in reality is hardly a big deal. It is in shows that pretend they are realistic it get stupid.

[@davidhawley1132]

When I was in elementary school, some of the boys played a game in which one would hyperventilate for a few seconds, and then another would compress his lungs in a hug from behind until he lost conciousness. Vivid 'dreams' ensued. I don't remember how long it took or how long the effects lasted. I was on the receiving end once.

[@loke6664]

@@davidhawley1132 That sounds like a terrible idea, starving the brain of oxygen can't be healthy, It is bad when magic mushrooms sounds like a better idea. But well, I been a kid too and kids do stupid s#it. Sniffing glue have a similar effect, starving the brain of oxygen too.

[@TrueLimeyhoney]

I’ve been knocked out once before, for maybe a second or less considering not many noticed I even got knocked out. Luckily the match ended anyway since the thing that knocked me out was illegal. First thing I tried to do was stand up, which I couldn’t do. Then the paramedics held me down and told me to not bother trying to get up. Went through testing. Diagnosed with a concussion because my eyes had a really delayed reaction to their flashlight. Only memory loss was that match. I remember the match beginning then I was on the ground with a whistle blowing in my ear.

[@MindinViolet]

A concussion can temporarily disable anyone. Being affected by one is not a sign of weakness. It is just how the human body works.

[@geoswan4984]

​ @Loke 666 ... wrt staring the brain of Oxygen... There is a former doctor named Melvin Morse. Oprah interviewed him after he wrote an inspirational book based on the experiences of children who had "died" and come back from the dead. He lost his license when a neighbor phoned 911 after seeing his brutal treatment of his 11 year old adopted daughter. The girl told Police that he routinely used to Waterboard her - hold her head underwater. He had told her that she wouldn't experience brain damage until her brain had been deprived of Oxygen for more than five minutes. She described how terrified she was, as she watched the clock, from underwater, as she worried that he would get distracted, and lose track of time. Wait, it gets worse. He had no children of his own. There was a son he had adopted, who he liked a lot more than this girl, and he was angry at her because that child had been removed from the home after she had told someone he was sexually assaulting her. Some members of the press asked whether the near death experiences the children he wrote about had gone through had been induced by him - not accidents. Yes, I have a google news alert on waterboarding. Around the time that news alert told me about Morse it told me about two different incidents where US soldiers, who had recently returned from warzones, and had been away so long the restraining orders their estranged spouses had against them had expired, had been caught waterboarding their own children.

[@caroleanderson4020]

That's what I thought. I've never been able to suspend my disbelief in scenes where someone is easily knocked out but not seriously injured by it.

[@MisterRorschach90]

I have only done it one time. Like he said with a swinging punch. I was very young and the neighborhood bully cursed at my mom, and then repeated himself when we said not to talk like that to my mom. He was only out for 30-45 seconds. He got up and ran away cursing and screaming. My mom started to scold me, but then laughed and we went inside.

[@allanshpeley4284]

Smashed like button. Simon: you owe me a new keyboard.

[@lestranged]

In the movies, any injection, dart, or oral drug works instantly. Event injections into muscles, not into a vein. Also every punch sounds like a sharp handclap rather than a sickening thud with optional crunching as the bones in your hand break.

[@pouch2598]

Been saying this for years! I’m a firefighter/paramedic, and know that many of the Hollywood tropes are wildly inaccurate. As mentioned, all of these medications are prescribed by (at very least) a persons weight. As well, striking a person on the head is more likely to cause profuse bleeding than anything else; sufficiently powerful blows to the back of the head will just as likely kill, or at least cause a critical brain injury. One other trope displayed in old movies that doesn’t exist is the idea that women frequently faint. Most people who do faint--usually older people like myself--do so from a sudden drop in blood pressure, either due to blood volume decrease, or poor baro-regulation (I.e. bending over, then standing up real fast). Even then, as soon as blood pressure normalizes the effects go away. *Blood sugar levels are another matter.

[@stevenscott2136]

I think fainting was trendy in Victorian high-society as a way to display how feminine you were (not like all those lowborn farmer's wives who could be kicked by a horse without slowing down). I imagine it was their equivalent to dyeing one's hair blonde and taking selfies.

[@AtheistEdge]

Getting knocked out cold is actually a very peaceful feeling. It's the waking up part that sucks.

[@mursuhillo242]

Could it be that those who experienced such traumas simply _can't remember_ it?

[@BBulletin]

Just like "It's not the falls that hurts you, it's the sudden stop at the end."

[@billyalarie929]

So don’t let me wake up then Problem solved 🤷‍♂️

[@AtheistEdge]

@@mursuhillo242 I remember every time. One was live on ESPN and my parents were watching 😆

[@mp40submachinegun81]

My wife seems to like it 🤷‍♂️

[@delusionalfusional8409]

Simon: “Death is a long term health effect, and I would say definitely permanent.” Undead: “and I took that personally”

[@EzekiesAcheron]

Immortals: "Lmao imagine dying."

[@devindiaz1085]

My Skyrim necromancer has entered the chat

[@unarmedyeti8994]

I thought you were gonna say "Indeed studies have found that almost all dead people remain dead"

[@pandemik0]

Mild concussions that don't knock you out can leave you recovering for months afterwards.

[@ravenhill_the_guvnor-1968]

i remember the A team on tv, they used to knock mr t out on a regular basis. lol

[@stevenscott2136]

Explains why he thought that haircut was a good idea.

[@josephhuggins5394]

@@stevenscott2136 you just jealous you cant rock a mohawk like Mr.T

[@changer_of_ways_999]

I pity the fool that wrote the script.

[@Ronirvan]

Simon, have your even considered making Audio Book readings? Many people don't have much time to ready an actual good book, but they have a lot of time to listen to it during their day trips.

[@jmchez]

This reminds me of two stories from the 1980's and 90's. In the first, some Utah teenage criminals were ordered to attend an outdoors training program as part of their rehabilitation. When trying to escape they decided to knockout their chaperone with a blow to the back of the head. When they were recaptured, they complained that it didn't work out like in the movies; their victim just kept screaming, "Ouch! Stop!" but would not pass out. In a decidedly less funny story, an argument in New York City escalated and one guy who knew karate, gave the other a flying kick to the head. The victim died and the aggressor spent the next 30 years in jail.

[@MrVvulf]

There was a movie in the early 1980s where some friends tried to rob a drug lord's villa. When they encountered guard they kept trying to knock him out but it wasn't working and he yelled every time they hit him. Finally he just fell down and pretended to be knocked out so they'd quit hitting him.

[@steves_thoughts]

Can confirm, the carotid nerve bundle strike, does work. Other unmentioned dangers (if not perfectly performed) may include: spinal dislocation resulting in paralysis or death, or rupture of carotid artery resulting in death.

[@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958]

They gave me chloral hydrate at a hospital for an EEG test. I apologized for not being able to sleep and everyone laughed. They said I was out almost immediately. They had me stay awake all night before the first part of the EEG, so that probably helped.

[@michaelpettersson4919]

I had a minor surgery once and I remember waking up, not the falling asleep part.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

@@michaelpettersson4919 I remember the surgeon mumbling something about not finding his glasses, and that he would just do the surgery without them. I think that was a joke. I hope that was a joke.

[@dingusdingus2152]

When my brother and I were little kids he had a stamp collection and there were certain stamps which were sought after because the paper they were printed on had something called 'watermarks' embossed into it. In order to detect these watermarks the stamp was held with a tweezers and swished around in a chloroform bath briefly. I remember occasions when he had to replenish his supply of chloroform (it came in small glass bottles) and I tagged along with him on trips to the corner pharmacy where he bought it. They sold bottles of chloroform no questions asked to little kids back in those days (the 60s). Probably don't do that anymore...

[@alaingraham]

Neurons: Did you turn it off and then on again? Brain procceeds to do so and then; Neurons: Umm brain, you still there? Body proceeds to end itself. Brain wakes up Neurons: Thank god, I thought you died. Brain is partly damaggggggggg.... d

[@i-love-space390]

As a child in the 60's I used to watch all kinds of action heroes and detectives like Mannix get hit over the head and knocked out, only to fight their way free when they woke up. It was highly traumatic for me when Glen Campbell's character in "True Grit" actually DIED after being hit over the head with a rock. I simply could not understand how that could happen after watching so much TV with their less realistic presentation. Thanks for the great research. It will make me even more appreciative of my anesthesiologist...

[@Valhaluke]

New shirt "Death, its probably permanent."

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

This is a huge pet peeve of mine. If someone's unconscious for more than 5 minutes, that's generally a sign that SOMETHING IS HORRIBLY WRONG! It doesn't even take that long to look up... That's why in my own writing on the rare occasions someone is knocked out, they're not in very good shape when they come to (unless they passed out due to fear or pain, which can occur without the brain having any issues.) And even then they come to before the 5 minute danger mark, except one unfortunate elf who was out for almost ten minutes and had some permanent brain damage as a result. Worst case of this in fiction that stands out to me the most was a fantasy novel I read where a guy got clubbed by an orc (which by all rights should've easily smashed in his skull then and there.) He was unconscious for almost an hour while his friends hauled him around, then regained consciousness for a little while but was completely incoherent and inexplicably running a fever. What does a fever have to do with anything? I don't know either; maybe he bruises a region involved in temperature regulation, or got bit by a mosquito or something. Then the only character with any medical knowledge finally examined him and concluded that his brain was swelling. At this point I sat there thinking, "Isn't someone going to do something? Cast a healing spell? Nonexistent anti-inflammatory herb that can breech the blood-brain barrier? Trepenation? SOMETHING?!" But no, they just put a cool towel on his head and left him in a corner, coming in and out of consciousness, and still completely incoherent and confused. For hours. Then the NEXT WEEK the guy was out hunting with his friends COMPLETELY FINE. You do not go from comatose a delirious with a swollen brain and no treatment to 'fine' in a week. That's not how brains work... o_o

[@Psiberzerker]

You could devote a whole channel to "Non-lethal" tropes from the movies, and the bloodless instakills... Maybe start with the choke-out that only takes a few seconds, and doesn't do any damage. There are choke-outs that can work that quickly, but not Safe ones. The problem is that our heros don't want to look like Murderers, or they don't want to dwell on that. So, the faceless Storm Troopers (They're skeletons, you can see that now, right?) fall over dead, maybe with a Wilhelm Scream, and that's about it. The Hero, or the sidekick takes a while to bleed out, so they can make a heroic speech, or something, but the truth is murder, and assault aren't heroic. Even if they're "Badguys." It's almost never Self Defense. If you show up at their compound with a car full of guns, and a prototype 4 shot LAW (That they only fired the right way around once, by "Accident") you can't really claim "Self Defense."

[@Enuchful]

"There are choke-outs that can work that quickly, but not Safe ones." Huh? Blood chokes (as opposed to air chokes) work very quickly, ~10 seconds or less if done tightly. They're also very safe (compared to accidentally damaging a windpipe, say; cardiac arrest or an embolism is possible but they're rare horror stories, and any grapple, lock, or strike comes with health risks) and, frankly, comfortable enough that many overeager grapplers wind up unconscious before tapping out from them. It does take a good amount of experience and individual positioning to avoid accidentally choking their windpipe at the same time, though. Although as Simon explained, they're usually not out for more than 30 seconds or so. Maybe longer if you continued the choke a little longer after the knock out.

[@Psiberzerker]

@@Enuchful Right. Constricting the blood supply to, and from the brain is what you consider "Safe," is it? Maybe check that again when you get your EMT. I've picked up lots of people who practiced such "Safe" choke techniques on each other. This is 2nd semester emergency medical stuff here. Literally right after First Aid. So no, you're wrong, your sensei lied to you.

[@Psiberzerker]

Exactly how much tensile pressure (Assuming there's no torsion, because the choke is performed perfectly, and your victim isn't struggling any.) Is "Safe" for cervical vertebrae? Since you appear to be the expert here, doctor. Try not to give anyone medical knowledge that can do lasting harm. Okay?

[@Enuchful]

@@Psiberzerker Um, OK. I've literally done martial arts (BJJ specifically) where chokes are just the go-to option. I never said it was as safe as drinking water, merely that a blood choke from a trained practitioner is exceedingly unlikely to cause lasting damage; it happens all the time in gyms, and it's not even as traumatic as, say, boxing KOs, which are also largely safe except when accumulated over a career. But in the end, if you think that that the *vertebrae themselves* (or any part of the spine) are what's likely to be damaged from a botched/unlucky torqueless choke such as a sleeper hold/rear naked choke, well, it's obvious you're speaking from no place of expertise, paramedic or otherwise.

[@Psiberzerker]

@@Enuchful www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4555620/ That was just 8 tournaments, in case you don't want to read the actual data. "Unlikely," except there's thousands of MMA dojos out there, just in the US. How many viewers does this channel have? Again, "No torsion" unless the victim struggles. You know what the body does when you deprive the brain of oxygen? Look up Tonic Clonic. Just because you've never seen it happen, personally doesn't mean that it doesn't happen, every day. Are we assuming that it's only practiced by trained practitioner? Okay, how many are injured in training? Most of the ones I've personally treated weren't in Dojos. They were in living rooms, and back yards because they saw it on TV, or the internet. There is no safe way to strangle someone.

[@wrightmf]

"knock someone out harmlessly" is the same as "artificial gravity on spaceships" and "habitats on other planets speak english." That is, necessary for doing a movie. As mentioned can't have our hero indiscriminately kill all bad guys, very difficult to do a full space drama in zero g, and need to have everyone speak the same language simply to keep the movie plot moving.

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

I've always assumed that, like the instantly recoverable bullet in the leg or shoulder, was complete nonsense, in the case of the sudden blow.

[@JeffReeves]

Your assumptions are correct. Unless absolutely necessary, most of the time bullets are left where they are and will eventually work their way out of the body in time (months and sometimes years). Sudden knockout blows do work, but there's always a great chance at lasting brain damage and even the potential for death (seen that a few times when people have had their head bounce off of hard ground when falling unconscious from a blow).

[@neilkurzman4907]

@@JeffReeves The determination about whether to remove a bullet, or bullet fragments has to do with where the bullets are in the body and the risk of removing them. Or are you claiming that a bullet in an arm or leg would be left there and will eventually pop out?

[@Reddotzebra]

@@neilkurzman4907 They will usually pop out in some manner, the determination has more to do with how much damage it would do if you left it there. In order to remove a bullet or bullet fragments from certain types of tissue you would have to filet the entire area looking for bits. This is apparently why getting shot in the ass is surprisingly dangerous.

[@neilkurzman4907]

@@Reddotzebra And that’s why Doctor spend a lot of time in training. To decide what to leave, and what to take.

[@valiroime]

“Must have been the wind”

[@natebowman7593]

This channel definitely did it's research. I got head butted years ago by an Alpaca just above my right orbital socket, for about 5 minutes I was conscious, then I went unconscious for roughly 5 minutes, waking up in between that state of blackout 2 or 3 times while not being able to move my limbs at all. I couldn't drink or eat anything cold for 3 months without giving myself a terrible migraine.

[@trainknut]

Screenwriters: "Just bonk him on the head, he'll wake up later" Brain Surgeons: _Cringing infinitely_

[@cloud5buster]

"...a more elaborate exotic death involving giants lasers or a tankful of sharks or..." Would you settle for ill-tempered mutant sea bass?

[@vustvaleo8068]

"can you hear me Snake? Snake?! SNAAAAAAAKE!!!" * GAME OVER *

[@voshadxgathic]

Probably wasn't safe, but I was briefly knocked out by a Soccer ball. I was a defenseman, opposing goalie kicked it through the air, I ran forward and headbutted it. Literal head-on collision. Apparently I'd scored, but I was out for a solid minute.

[@Reddotzebra]

The one exception to this I've found so far is in a particular book where the hero manages to mess with the air mixture that a pair of guards are breathing, subtly lowering oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide content until they both pass out after a few minutes. Since he immediately returns the local atmosphere to normal afterwards I was prepared to call BS on the whole thing and even wrote a note in the margin about it, but the author had actually done his research and the hero is interrupted by two groggy but very angry guards soon after.

[@UteChewb]

I saw a demo of such a thing once on a documentary series. The guy who was a scientist gradually reduced the O2 and increased CO2 while trying to talk and draw. He gradually got worse but didn't realise it, then collapsed, at which time the crew stepped in and took the mask off. He said right up until he passed out that he didn't think anything was wrong. I'd say this strategy would work.

[@Hawk1966]

I remember a video of the early days of studies on bears at Yellowstone, they tranqued one bear, got out of their truck and went to collect samples from the animal. It woke up as they were working on it. The scientists raced for and made it to the truck. The bear charged and easily 10-15 feet from the truck tucked his head down and his feet came off the ground. He put a gigantic dent in the door of the truck rocking it heavily, then wandered off shaking his head.

[@Hawk1966]

Okay, I had it a little wrong, been a while since I saw it. . . still hysterical: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4Kmi4xsmrqKjKM

[@rhiannongarl-nabarro2953]

Or a tank full of sharks with lasers on their frickin heads

[@OkieOtaku]

I got into a MAJOR severe bicycle accident a little over a month ago, I lost consciousness for about an hour. That being said, while I was unconscious for about an hour, I had "came to" several times for short moments during that time. I also have a very vivid memory of the moment leading up to it, and every time I had came to. Initially came to not long after, and was told EMS was being called. Came to again shortly after they arrived, again in the ambulance, again as I was being unloaded at the hospital, and a couple times more at the hospital before I finally came to and stayed alert. Apparently that entire time, there was no concern about going out and staying that way. If you know what I mean

[@r2doucebag595]

Handler: Remember agent this is a stealth mission. My character: Roger that in and out like a ghost. Me: Makes my character start blasting with the shotgun. My logic: There are no witnesses if everyone is dead.

[@Illlium]

"Nobody will notice if there's nobody left to notice"

[@KT-pv3kl]

Hitman logic XD

[@danm3570]

Missed the most effective method. A kick in the family jewels

[@misterflibble6601]

I suppose this means hitting someone with amnesia on the head won't restore their memory either?

[@julietfischer5056]

That never works. It's purely for comic effect.

[@changer_of_ways_999]

Or clear up their mind control thing. That scene with Hawkeye in Avengers is still dumb.

[@foxtrotunit1269]

Fantastic video. On a topic I didn't even know I needed lol. Very interesting. Would like to see a video on how much Hollywood makes us believe that *silencers* are actually silent :) Big difference between a silenced .22LR and "silenced" full power .308 Winchester (but also a sub-sonic, silenced .308 Win is actually surprisingly quiet-ish)

[@christopheranderson8311]

Hit a computer hard enough for it to turn off and see if it works alright again.

[@wendychavez5348]

My knockout happened at highway speed, when my head shattered a falling windshield after a head-on collision. My coma lasted 2 weeks or longer, and if I hadn't emerged on the day that I did they would have drilled a small hole in my skull to release pressure from my swollen brain. At least, that's what I remember being told, though me family recently denied ever saying anything like that. Clearly there are memory issues related to the brain trauma.

[@LordHolley]

No, not harmlessly

[@Oscar-gq4ro]

Imagine having to do something after waking up with a traumatic brain injury. I've had several, they take awhile to recover from and you're never really 100% again. I used to be pretty frigging smart.

[@tremorsfan]

I remember a movie where a character hits another character on the head with a fire poker. I wanted him to just say "Ow, that really hurt".

[@jmchez]

That's exactly what some teenage criminals, in a news story, complained about. Their victim just kept saying, "Ouch! Stop hitting me!" but would not pass out. The thugs told the authorities that the movies lied.

[@richardhart9204]

@@jmchez Indeed, to incapacitate a person with a fire poker, you'd pretty much have to kill them - no half measures to be found there.

[@julietfischer5056]

@@jmchez - You have to get lucky, and most people aren't lucky.

[@vixenrevitup]

Yes, don’t mess with the Glossopharyngeal nerve! I have Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia as a result of an ear infection that travelled to my brain despite heavy doses of antibiotics. The pain this condition causes can lead to suicide. There is a reason why it and it’s far more common cousin condition, Trigeminal Neuralgia, are called suicide diseases. The Glossopharyngeal nerve by itself isn’t the reason why people can suffer sudden cardiac arrest. Typically there has to be interplay between the nerve and the Vagus nerve. Awesome video, as always!

[@robertt9342]

Apparently, concussions can result in cavitation in the fluid surrounding the brain. Take a look at what cavitation does to steel, makes me wonder what it would do to your brain.

[@randallpetroelje3913]

Thanks for your show. The “glass jaw” effect does apply. Yes definitely the back of the head and also the front of a jar or one of the weakest points in the human skull anatomy. I’ve been punched there many times in what they call UKO is a pressure point along the side of the the neck can also ring your bell. The back of the head has no protection and yeah it will bring up some very fuzzy memories.

[@stalker42]

I didn't even get into the actual meat of the video and I'm already laughing at his pronunciation of "bonus" at 1:14.

[@Psychetwo]

I'm curious how all Hollywood movies all use the same unrealistic elements. The movie knock outs, the movie gun silencer, the crawling through vents. Why do all movies all use the same thing? It would be nice to see something different from time to time. Like I'm not asking them to be realistic, but just want them to be more creative and original rather than just copying each other.

[@Mr2BonClay]

Yes finally useful stuff

[@3DJapan]

I had nitrous at the dentist once and made an observation. I could feel the pain and even remembered how it felt later, it's just that at the time I didn't care. Like "oh that's pain. OK whatever, on with my other thoughts".

[@sakariaskarlsson634]

Listen, a knock out is when your brain takes such a beating it just goes blank for a while, there is no way to do that harmlessly, like it might as well kill the person. Also like a boxing knock out is very rarely a real knockout, its just that one of the fighters is in such pain they literally cant get up.

[@JeffReeves]

Wow, both of these points are incredibly wrong

[@Enuchful]

Some means are safer than others, if you just want a minute or less of unconsciousness. Anything over a minute or two, as far as I'm aware, is carefully calculated anesthesia, or severe brain damage.

[@1guncrazy1]

When I was was in Military Police training, I learned about hand to hand tactics to disable attackers. One, called the Brachial Stun, proved to be VERY effective. While waiting for the bus to the schoolhouse, I got a hard blow from behind and it was lights out. I had remained on my feet but had stumbled into the street with no memory of having gotten there

[@RobiePAX]

It's fascinating that this "safe knock out" trope is literally everywhere. Movies, cartoons, especially video games (it's like a core gameplay mechanic), anime. If aliens would ever check out our media, they would probably think its a genuine way to safely knock a human out.

[@spamletspamley672]

I once got knocked out briefly from quite a light glancing blow from an elbow when I was trying to break up a fight. I was amazed at how easily I folded up. I got right back up again, but it taught me that there's more to fighting than having strong arms and hoping for the best!

[@misterflibble6601]

So Hollywood portrayals are nothing like real life?Whodda thunkit?

[@junkmalme]

Talking about how long a knock out happens, I'm reminded of the many videos online showing people ride a slingshot ride. One may observe the person blacking out and coming to multiple times during about 2 minutes.

[@OnlineAdjunct]

Fighter pilots are known to experience blackouts when a high-speed turn temporarily deprives their brains of oxygen. I have also heard of red outs when their brains get too much blood. Although they apparently recover within a few seconds, I wonder how much long-term damage occurs.

[@junkmalme]

@@OnlineAdjunct I was under the impression that blackouts aren't very common anymore with the addition of compression elements in their flight suits in the 90s

[@BeckyEnchanted]

Good morning, good afternoon and good night Simon

[@michaelodonnell7748]

One thing that is lost in the description here is, just like falling out of a window, it is not the fall that one should be fearful of; it's the sudden stop at the end. When you strike someone on the chin from the side (and please test this on yourselves by seeing how far you can move your head), the neck only turns so far laterally and then it can turn no further, abruptly. This is when one's brain, in its fluid protection, is smacked against the inside of one's skull. Same thing with an uppercut. One's head can only go up so far until the neck cannot go any further. This is why you see "flash" knockouts early in fights when the boxers are still very tense and not "taking" the force of punches and turning away from the contact to avoid concussions.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Q: Can you really knock someone out harmlessly like in the movies? A: Wanna try it?

[@Reddotzebra]

"Mom said curiosity is what killed the cat, but I was always pretty sure it was a school bus..."