After watching season two of “The Walking Dead” and the new “Resident Evil – Retribution” I couldn’t help but notice the characters’ propensity for head shots.  I’m pretty good with a gun, but in the heat of the moment, with adrenaline pumping, there might be a chance I would miss.  This got me to thinking about other strategies when dealing with the undead.

When facing a horde of zombies,  sometimes you do not have the luxury of taking careful aim for good shots to the head.  It may be more effective to disable as many zombies as possible to provide you time to escape.  And while a well aimed head shot will certainly end a zombie’s miserable existence, a shot to the pelvic region would shatter a hip or a femur and render the zombie immobile.  Even in cases where a zombie virus would instill superhuman strength it is necessary for the bone to provide strength and stability to the walking motion.  Even an enhanced muscle would not be able to compensate for shattered bone, thus preventing the zombie from maintaining quick pace.

The pelvic area also presents a larger target that is much more stable than a head wobbling back and forth, and similar to a head shot, hitting the pelvic region or leg bone is effective from any angle.  We have all seen the shambling zombies with a twisted foot dragging behind them.  But I have never seen a zombie that can hop on one leg; they are just not that coordinated.  A zombie pulling itself along the ground with its hands would be easy prey for a compadre with a shovel or other melee weapon.

Another advantage to having a partially mobile zombie is that it may trip subsequent zombies that are out for your brains.  A living zombie lying on the ground will continue to claw at its surroundings in an attempt to move, thus further entangling its arms in with the legs of the surrounding hoard.  As a fat man, this could be the difference between being able to outrun a horde and dying horribly while being eaten alive.