Busting the ball myths (part one) - a bag of pain

I have been quite busy lately and had no time to write new posts. However, I found some time this week and today I continue with a series of posts in which I would like to look more closely at some of the myths and misconceptions often perpetrated in the self defense and martial arts community, and particularly those related to the testicles as a target. In one of my earlier entries, I already touched upon some of those controversial issues, but recently I realized some topics require more attention and a deeper discussion.

First, I would like to note that this ‘debunking’ will be backed by some extensive and thorough research in this area done by Linda and partially also by me. So, most of the information I will present in these posts is well supported by scientific data, not just anecdotal evidence, or someone’s opinion.

The first myth I would like to discuss in this series is that any hits to the testicles are not that painful, the effect is always exaggerated in the movies, it can be shrugged off easily and, in the end, it will just make him angry, and therefore is better to aim for…

The roots of these claims are often deeply embedded in denialism of the existence of any male weak spot stemming from the male gender self-indulged assertion of dominance and physical superiority. When I became more interested in female self defense I soon realized men are much more comfortable in exposing and presenting pressure points shared between female and male bodies (e.g. eyes, knees) but subconsciously avoid highlighting any male-specific target area. This could be because of their qualms to expose their own vulnerability or simply this topic, in general, creates some kind of natural embarrassment or awkwardness for a man. For this reason, it is always better to have a lead female self-defense instructor and male assistants as model attackers. Although extremely interesting, I don’t want to discuss the roots of this myth in this post further and leave it for later, so back to the main point of this post.

Many of you would maybe ask why this topic is so important. Well, the purpose of physical self-defense is to eliminate the ability of an attacker to continue his attack either by causing him intensive pain and/or shutting down his vital functions (breathing, seeing) and/or his ability to move (e.g. by breaking his knee) or via a psychological effect resulting in defusing the escalated situation or preventing further aggression. Well executed attacks on testicles generate not only sharp pain and physical ‘shut down’ but also affect the mental state of an attacker. So any defensive technique that with a little effort, skills or strength would result in these effects is a preferred defense maneuver of any woman, regardless of her physical capabilities. So are testicles indeed so sensitive, do they hurt so much if hit or is it just an exaggeration of the moviemakers or wishful thinking of female self defense instructors?

To understand the best would be to start with the anatomy and physiology of the testicles. Testes are glands of inner secretion that during the human evolution appeared outside the male body pouched in the scrotum (not all males in the animal kingdom have testicles in the same awkward position). So if for instance ovaries were positioned in some funny floppy skin sacks on the body, one can be pretty sure they would be a super-sensitive target as well, but luckily for us women it did not happen😊. 

Testes are covered by thousands of pain receptors and nerve endings. Their purpose is to signal the owner the danger of damage to these two vital organs. And they can be damaged easily because they hang outside and are not covered by any bones or a strong layer of muscles. Men often report so-called referred pain, especially in the stomach area. This is because during development testicles descend from the abdominal cavity to the scrotum but remain connected via the spermatic plexus with the whole sympathetic nervous system. I am a woman so I cannot describe the testicular pain. Some compare the intensity to childbirth, but I have not delivered a baby yet so again I cannot tell. The best is to listen/read about it from guys themselves.

This website collected accounts of 15 young men who describe what they feel when being hit in the testicles. Some descriptions are quite metaphoric but quite telling 😊 they all report gut-wrenching pain they do not want to experience again.

This excellent blog from Allison Gibbons and this educational video from a urologist Dr. Rena Malik describes in detail the medical details of the testicular pain response, and why there is such a plethora of physiological effects and trauma on the male.

Even the toughest MMA fighters are not 

immune to the testicular pain 

However, the best evidence is to see the man’s reaction for real, and such a unique opportunity is provided by MMA matches. Neither I nor Tom is a big fan of this type of entertainment but researching groin shots always refer you to numerous videos of mishaps in MMA fights. Linda also recommended watching these videos to get an idea. I guess the very wild nature of the fighting style inevitably results in occasional accidental (or nonaccidental?) hits to the testicles usually by a foot or knee. Here is one of the compilations on Youtube. Many of those strikes do not even seem to be that powerful, yet they act as an instant fight stopper, and I guess those fighters are tough men, high on adrenaline and used to pain. Sometimes it seems a good kick or knee to the testicles just accelerates the gravitational force around the man and he drops down immediately like a sack of potatoes.

From these examples, one can see that the immediate reaction of a man is to bend over, fall on the floor, and assign a fetal position. Medical records report systemic effects on the body such as all-consuming pain in different body parts, nausea, convulsing, drowsiness, sweating, and increased heart rate. Vomiting and passing out is not uncommon after more serious impacts or techniques. In some cases, the attack on testicles can trigger a neurogenic shock and even death. But this rather happens in men with serious heart issues. Notably, men with hurt testicles are usually unable to continue with any sexual activities which is a side effect especially important during a rape attempt.  

Try an experiment with flicking a ball.

Logically pain intensity correlates with the intensity of the technique used. I already mentioned fire quenchers such as groin slap, which serve as a milder reminder of his wrongdoing till determined counterattacks during rape/murder attempts such as GTP which can lead to serious permanent damage - testicular rupture or torsion.

I know that many of the male readers will be upset, but if you still have doubts try an experiment for yourself.  If you have a boyfriend or husband and you are dealing with his naked lovemaking tools (e.g. during oral sex) try to flick his testicles very gently with your fingers (note I say gently!) and watch his reaction. I guarantee he will feel it and react to it. But don’t worry, the pain should dissipate completely in a couple of minutes and you can continue with lovemaking. I know what I am talking about as I tried that on Tom. He still thinks it was an accident though😊. Now imagine what a serious defensive technique would do to a man.

Admittedly, some men are naturally less prone to these effects, and it is possible that some of such instances might actually add to the myth, but this is a minority. Interestingly, Shaolin monks often condition themselves and ‘harden’ their testicles. Think, they would not do it if testicles were not their vulnerable spot! But it is highly unlikely you are going to encounter a Shaolin monk outside Asia 😊.  

As with other techniques, nothing is bulletproof, and as I said numerous times the techniques have to be taught properly and executed properly, without hesitation and telegraphing. However, it is extremely empowering and revealing to get knowledge about the sensitivity of testicles and the option we have when defending ourselves. It constitutes one of the pillars of effective female self defense training, but unfortunately, it is still often ignored or shrouded in myths. I am glad it was not the case having Linda as our self defense guru.