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Eye-gouging is the act of pressing or tearing the
eye
An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system.
In higher organisms, the ey ...
using the fingers or instruments. Eye-gouging involves a very high risk of
eye injury, such as eye loss or blindness.
Eye-gouging as a fighting style was once
a popular form of sport fighting in the
back-country United States, primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Eye-gouging is prohibited in modern sports. It is a serious offense in rugby football codes where it occurs rarely. It is prohibited in
combat sports
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent (''knocko ...
, but some
self-defense
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...
systems teach it. Training in eye-gouging can involve extensive
grappling
Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds.
Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat. Shou ...
training to establish control, the eye-gouging itself being practiced with the opponent wearing eye protection such as swimming goggles.
Yuki Nakai
Yuki Nakai (born 18 August 1970, ) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist. He currently teaches Shootfighting and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and is the president of the Japanese Confederation of Jiu-Jitsu.
He competed in Shooto, an early MMA ...
went on to win a bout in the
Vale Tudo Japan 1995 tournament after his opponent,
Gerard Gordeau, performed an illegal gouge that
blinded him in his right eye.
See also
*
Enucleation of the eye
Enucleation is the removal of the eye that leaves the eye muscles and remaining orbital contents intact. This type of ocular surgery is indicated for a number of ocular tumors, in eyes that have sustained severe trauma, and in eyes that are oth ...
*
Eye for an eye
"An eye for an eye" (, ) is a commandment found in the Book of Exodus 21:23–27 expressing the principle of reciprocal justice measure for measure. The earliest known use of the principle appears in the Code of Hammurabi, which predates the wr ...
*
Eye poke
*
List of rugby union players banned for eye gouging
*
Gouging (fighting style)
*
Phantom eye syndrome
References
Further reading
* United States Marine Corps (1999). ''USMC MCRP 3-02B Close Combat''. Department of the Navy. .
* Zorbas, Vagelis
Kino Mutai: The Art of Biting and Eye Gouging ''www.fullcombat.com''. URL last accessed January 7, 2006.
External links
Human eye
Grappling
Martial arts techniques
Violence
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