Where on the throat would you have to hit so your opponent would be gasping for air?

Question

I'm writing a story and I would like it to be accurate.

Answer 1

Hitting high on the throat (say, adam's apple height) and *lightly* will shock the phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm. The effect is that first, for a few seconds, the poor fellow can't breathe at all; he just stands there gaping like a fish. Then, when the nerve recovers from the trauma and begins transmitting signals again, he starts gasping for breath. He hasn't been without air for long enough to be a serious threat; anyone could hold their breath for that long. But the surprise of suddenly being totally unable to breathe is more than a little unnerving.
The problem with that blow is that it's so darned tricky. Too soft and you get no effect at all; too hard and you crush the trachea, and he dies without an immediate tracheotomy. One way of hedging the bet is to hit pretty hard, but with the softest possible part of the hand, the thumb web. (Hold the hand palm down, fingers together and thumb extended at a 90-degree angle. Hit with the webbing between forefinger and thumb, as if you were going to grab him by the throat.) (DON'T try this one out on your own; too much risk of doing permanent damage.)

The other possibility would be to hit further down, in the suprasternal notch (the little cavity at the base of the throat, just above the sternum). The airway is more elastic here, and better protected, so it won't collapse from the impact. You could use the thumb web here as well, but a poke often works better, especially if you're starting from very close. You can try this on yourself safely to get a sense for what it's like -- put a finger into the hollow of your throat, and push in and down, as though to touch your back between the shoulder blades. Push quickly and firmly, and try to penetrate 1.5 -2". As you will discover, the immediate effect is coughing and choking, then (depending on the severity of the reaction) perhaps some gasping for air as you recover. Go ahead and try it, as long as you don't have long fingernails -- you won't hurt yourself.
Good luck with your story.

Answer 2

The suprasternal notch- also called the tracheal notch- is that sort of hollow below the Adam's Apple and the collarbones. That is the place you want. ANY strike to the throat will cause a person to gasp for breath and may crush the cartilage of the Adam's Apple or of the airway itself. As people have said above, it is also very possible to leave someone gasping for breath by hitting the chest at the very end of the breastbone or sternum on that little bone called the xyphoid process. The area is called the solar plexus if you don't want to get TOO involved in the description. This is also very dangerous as that little bone can break off and do internal damage. However, if you want it to be realistic without being WAY too dangerous, a good shot to the solar plexus will certainly knock the wind out of you and you should consider that over a shot to the throat which could KILL you easily.
Hope this helps...
Sensei Cox

Answer 3

the "Adams Apple" is a good place to hit, but the problem there lies in the fact that you could accidentally dislodge it along with their windpipe (trachea) and they could choke to death from the lack of air and aspyxiation. it could also cause the collapse of the trachea, but it's more likely to cause it to dislodge, cutting of the airway.

just beneath that though is where it is softer right between where the collar bones meet. The skin and tissue in this area is much softer and much easier to to get a better reaction with a lesser possibility of the aforementioned happening.

it also depends on WHAT strike you use as opposed to WHERE to strike.

a punch is good, but it absorbs too much impact area, and can also cause the aforementioned result, this is also true with a palm strike.

but using a ridgehand (inside edge of the hand), or a knife hand (outer edge of the hand), or even a spearhand can give you a better and safer result. the first two mentioned here are used much like a closeline you see in WWE professional Wrestling and requires very little effort to use for efficacy.

the spearhand however, requires good timing and strong fingers, as well as spot on accuracy of the strike.

but the safest strike that will cause the opponent to gasp to regain the air in their lungs is to strike just below the breast bone and a couple of inches above the Navel or belly button where the diaphragm is located, the impact will force the air out of the opponents lungs and would require a minute or two to catch their breath

Answer 4

Using a ridgefist strike or half-fist punch, focus the strike on the trachea at or just below the Adam's Apple. This would cause a sudden shock to the point of attack and swell the windpipe enough to leave your opponent gasping for air. Hit it hard enough and you would cause a tracheal collapse, leading to death if a tracheotomy were not performed.

Answer 5

why don't you use a finger, pen, pencil poke just above and to the center of where the clavicle meet? If someones airway is blocked above this area, you may punture this area mentioned, and place a pen shell (must be straw-like, but stronger than a straw, for air passage) The skin will actually close around the shell and allow the person to breathe. That is the area, and answer to your question.

Answer 6

Well if you mean by knocking the wind out of someone, probably right on the trachea. But you can do this even with a hard hit to the chest, too. A hard enough hit to the trachea may cause enough damage to leave someone gasping, but they may die afterwards if the damage is too great.

Answer 7

If you want to knock the air out of someone, strike them super hard in the solarplexis/diaphram. This will push all of the air out of the lungs.

As for the throat: you'd want to strike the soft area at the base of the throat near the collarbones. Strike inward, press in, and down or up at the same time. Your choice.

Answer 8

A tiger's mouth strike to anywhere on the trachea will leave anyone gasping, but to do permanent damage, you'd have to place a certain strike to the cricoid cartilage.

Answer 9

you would strike the Adam's`s apple,this can cause the throat to swell cutting of the air supply.

Answer 10

on what they call the "adams apple" but its not a place to hit becuase you can kill a person instantly