While competition Judo rules prohibit striking, the governing body for Judo, the Kodokan, does recognize six kicks and 17 strikes with the arm, including multiple chops.
In the 1950s, karate schools were nearly non existent, but Judo dojo were proliferating. Thus in the public eye “Judo” became a catch all term for Asian martial arts.
For example, the “Judo Chop” was the signature move of pro wrestler Mr. Moto (real name McRonald Kamaka). The campy Austin Powers made amusing use of the term (:38 mark). And the move appeared repeatedly in the beloved Peanuts comic strip.
In time it became a joke. But it works.
The technical term for it is a Brachial Stun. It is the reason one of the primary targets in Muay Thai is a high kick to the side of the neck.
A previous version of the U.S. Army Field Manual on combatives (FM 21-150) describes it ably.
A sharp blow to the side of the neck causes unconsciousness by shock to the carotid artery, jugular vein, and vagus nerve. For maximum effect, the blow should be focused below and slightly in front of the ear. A less powerful blow causes involuntary muscle spasms and intense pain. The side of the neck is one of the best targets to use to drop an opponent immediately or to disable him temporarily to finish him later.
Dorks will claim that the chop can be lethal, and thus should only be used in life threatening circumstances. These dorks will also tell you that the nose can be broken, and then driven into the brain.
The experience of combat sports is such that everyone knows that is nonsense. Almost everyone in combat sports has had their nose broken. It has happened to hundreds of millions of people. Deaths to date are zero.
The same thing is true to blows to the side of the neck. On any given day in either Lumpini or Ratchadamnoen, someone will get KOed by a kick to the neck. No one died. And that is a shin bone, far harder than the edge of the hand.
However, any number of cases illustrate that being knocked out from standing can be lethal from the head hitting the floor. So a demonstration like the one above is not safe, or even rational, not so much from the blow itself, but because if you hit your head on something sold as your limp body drops whip-like to the ground, it can cause death.
