Knockout (sport)
A knockout ( knockout ) of the opponent is an opportunity to win some martial arts such as boxing , mixed martial arts and the full contact variants of kickboxing , karate and taekwondo . Mostly there is a knockout if the opponent is incapacitated. The exact definition depends on the sport and the regulations.
The term comes from boxing. It is derived from the English verb to knock out (of time) , literally translated: " to knock someone out (of time) ". A boxer is k. o. if after a knockdown he is no longer able to continue fighting within a specified period of time, so that the referee breaks off the fight.
Boxing
knockout
A knockout (knockout) is when a stricken fighter is not in the physical or psychological condition to resume the fight after a period of rest granted to him (usually 10 seconds). In the classic knockout, the knocked down fighter does not manage to stand safely on his feet again after the prescribed time, whereupon he is counted by the referee. In some cases, a fighter can be counted in or out while standing. The rules differ in detail between amateur boxing and professional boxing.
The decision as to whether a fighter is incapable of fighting is usually at the discretion of the referee or a ring doctor .
Technical knockout
A technical knockout (TKO) is when a fighter is removed from the fight by the referee without counting. This can be the case, for example, if the referee no longer allows a struggling fighter a possible rest because, in his opinion, this is no longer sufficient for a necessary regeneration. As a rule, the externally most devastating knockouts are rated as a technical knockout . The following are also rated as technical knockouts :
- the abandonment of a fighter because of clear inferiority (failure to start the next round, the supervisor throwing in the towel, etc.),
- the removal of a fighter for injury,
- a fighter counting three times within a round (used by some associations in boxing).
In order to prevent lasting health impairments of the athlete, the referee is forced by this rule to remove externally ailing fighters from the fight without counting - regardless of the severity of their impairment.
Mixed martial arts
Since in mixed martial arts a fight is not interrupted when a fighter goes down, the distinction between knockout and technical knockout is slightly different. A fight is only counted as a knockout if the opponent is knocked unconscious by allowed blows or kicks. All other reasons for the end of a fight (injury, termination by the referee or abandonment) lead to a rating as a technical knockout (TKO).
physiology
Emergence
The basis for the physiological development of the knockout are usually blows or kicks in the head area and especially in the lower jaw and neck area. When certain neck, head or jaw hits are hit, sudden strong external pressure acts on the carotid sinus in the front of the neck under the jaw joints. This triggers the carotid sinus reflex , which causes a sudden drop in blood pressure in the brain. The brain does not get enough blood and therefore too little oxygen and glucose ; The result is powerlessness and unconsciousness .
If the lower jaw is hit, it is compressed in the joint in the direction of the neck and thus presses directly on the baroreceptors of the carotid sinus. When the head is twisted, lifted or pressed down, pressure is exerted on the baroreceptors through torsion , stretching or compression of the cervical muscle cords (similar to wringing out, pulling or squeezing a damp cloth, whereby the water is expelled by torsional pressure ).
Possible consequences
Most injuries in a knockout occur when the fighter in question hits the ground uncontrollably with his head or is repeatedly hit hard in the head by blows. This can cause disorders in the cerebrum , in particular concussions , in extreme cases serious injuries such as cerebral haemorrhage , as well as long-term sequelae such as boxer dementia . The danger of knockout punches is also shown by the fact that a high number of head hits is one of the risk factors for a fatal outcome in the boxing match.
A survey of 632 Japanese professional boxers showed that almost half of the athletes suffered from persistent symptoms on the day after a knockout, for example headache, tinnitus , forgetfulness, hearing impairment, dizziness, nausea and gait disorders. About 10% of the respondents stated that they constantly suffer from such complaints. Cognitive deficits last measurably longer than the subjectively perceived complaints, including poor performance in arithmetic tasks, multiple-choice exams and reaction tests. Services in the area of information processing, language and memory are sometimes reduced for a few days, sometimes for a month after the knockout (this does not apply to every individual boxer, but in terms of statistical analysis).
Professional boxers have suffered many hard head hits and repeated knockout hits over the course of a long career. Around 10–20% of them later suffer from chronic neuropsychiatric secondary diseases (which are not only due to the knockout blows, but also to the numerous traumatic brain injuries ). Serious damage and symptoms can occur in three areas:
- Motor skills ( tremor , dysarthria , Parkinson's symptoms, ataxia , spasticity )
- Cognition (slow thinking, impaired memory, dementia )
- Experience and behavior (depression, irritability, aggressiveness, crime, addictive behavior)
In a review on the dangers of boxing, which was published in Deutsches Ärzteblatt in 2010 , the authors advocated the integration of neuropsychological test procedures into sports medical examinations of boxers and the development of criteria that enable ring physicians to recognize acute dangers in boxing matches earlier. They pointed out that the World Medical Association had spoken out in favor of a general ban on boxing in 2005 and the British Medical Association protested in 2007 against the first staging of mixed martial arts fights in Great Britain. A better protection of professional boxers is possible if the precautions that apply to amateur boxers, such as mandatory head protection, are also prescribed for professional sport, although this would make the fights less attractive.
Figurative meaning of "K. O."
From "K. o. "(noun) or" k. o. ”(adjective) one speaks not only in martial arts, but in a figurative sense also in other sports and in other areas. Examples:
- In many sports tournaments are decided in a knockout system .
- Knockout drops are drugs that criminals use to stun a victim unnoticed.
- Colloquially, “k. o. ”- or also“ slain ”- as much as“ completely exhausted ”.
- So-called homicide arguments are also referred to as "knockout arguments".
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Duden online: Knock-out, Knockout and K. o. (Noun)
- ↑ Duden online: knock-out, knockout and ko (adjective)
- ↑ Duden online: Origin of knock-out
- ↑ a b §32 decisions. In: Competition regulations of the German Boxing Association. Retrieved April 16, 2016 .
- ^ Uniform Rules of Boxing. In: Association of Boxing Commision. August 25, 2001, accessed April 16, 2016 .
- ↑ 17. Types of Contest Results. In: UFC Rules and Regulations. Retrieved April 16, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c d boxing - acute complications and long-term consequences. In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt. German Medical Association, 2010, accessed on April 16, 2016 .
- ↑ Allan J. Ryan: Intracranial injuries resulting from boxing . Clinics in Sports Medicine 1998; 17 (1): 155-168.
- ↑ Duden online: meanings of ko , see synonyms there
- ↑ Example: Better to avoid co-arguments, Abendblatt.de, September 9, 2015.