History Main / PercussiveShutdown

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': During a particularly tense two-parter episode, Castle and Beckett have been chasing a group of domestic terrorists attempting to set off a dirty bomb in town. Eventually, they do find the bomb, but with only seconds left on the timer.... With no time to pick a wire to cut, Castle just yanks all of them at once... this works.

->''If in doubt, break it.''

* In ''Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown'', Rosa Cosette d'Elise shuts down a freaking ''space elevator'' (the [=ISEV=], to be exact) by smashing up a set of transmitters on the top of its windbreak, also disabling the [[ForceField Active Protection System]] of Arsenal Bird ''Justice'' in the process.

** Later in the Season 4 finale he nearly shoots the FTL Ion Reactor that's about to send The Astraeis (with unplanned passenger Allison on board) to an unknown location, he then "thinks better" and instead beats it with a pipe. It manages to shut down the batteries but too late to stop the launch. (Moral of the story: Jack doesn't like it when technology [[BerserkButton threatens his loved ones]].)

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* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/GoingPostal'', the Mail Sorting Engine (which, due to its creator being infamous for making AchievementsInIgnorance, had a central flywheel with Pi being exactly 3 instead of 3-and-a-bit), is a RealityBreakingParadox which continues spitting out letters from alternate universes even after being turned off. [[spoiler:Until a Post Office employee grabs a crowbat and begins beating the machine with it until it finally stops spitting out letters.]]

[[folder:Films -- Anilation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'': The emotions Anger, Disgust, and Fear have realised that giving Riley the idea to run away was a mistake, and are trying desperately to correct the mistake by removing the idea bulb. But it proves to be unmovable. So they try smashing it. [[SubvertedTrope But it also proves unbreakable]].

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1489409936098212200

[[quoteright:300:[[BatterUp https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baseballbat_8.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Also available in {{golf club|bing}}, {{crowbar|combatant}}, [[DropTheHammer sledge hammer]], {{sawed|off shotgun}}[[ShotgunsAreJustBetter -off shotgun]], [[CoolSword sword]], [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]], [[MacrossMissileMassacre warhead]], and StickyBomb varieties.]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Generally speaking, almost any mechanical device can be stopped by hitting it hard enough, by virtue of damaging it to the point of inoperability. This is of course not recommended if you plan on using the device again.
* This is actually the "emergency shutdown method" for an (unarmed) nuclear weapon. Nukes require pretty specific conditions to detonate with their full destructive potential; shooting it or blowing it up will actually disable the weapon. At worst you'll create a "dirty bomb", which will irradiate the nearby surroundings, but that's still preferable to a full-on nuclear explosion.
* This works for many conventional explosive devices as well: Unless they've been rigged with secondary triggers or other anti-handling devices (or had to use a HairTriggerExplosive due to the bombmaker(s) not being able to get ahold of anything safer), smashing the timer to bits with a well-placed .50 calibre bullet will stop them cold.
* Hitting a PC hard enough can cause it to shutdown or reboot by making the HHD's read head skip. Which triggers OS failsafes. [[DoNotTryThisAtHome Not advisable]] as this can result in lost or damaged sectors and/or data, or in extreme cases damage the read head rendering the HDD useless; if the computer can't be shut down by holding down the power button, the (much) better option is to simply CutTheJuice.
* This is a fairly common but little talked about issue with people on the spectrum. Even for those without disabilities, it is well worth investing in knowledge of why some have a FreakOut. For someone who does, say someone with autism and is overwhelmed the physical pain they may do to themselves is a means of shutting off the mental and emotional turmoil they are going through.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''Anime/ACertainScientificRailgun'' employs this in episode 24. After trying and failing to properly shut down the Capacity Down machine that was keeping her Esper friends from being able to even move, Saten switches plans and smashes it to pieces with her baseball bat.

[[folder:Fanworks]]

[[folder:Films]]
* {{Subverted}} in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. When Tony first encounters the portal generator, the first thing he tries is blasting it with his repulsors. This does absolutely no damage to the device; it does however create a shockwave that knocks Selvig back to his senses, giving Selvig an opportunity to explain how the generator can be de-activated.

* In ''Film/StarTrek2009'', this gets double-subverted - the heroes were planning to sabotage the giant laser drill with explosive charges, but made the mistake of letting the RedShirt carry them. For a moment it looks like they'll have to use their brains...until Kirk grabs a couple of guns dropped by mooks who don't need them anymore and Kirk and Sulu simply open up on the drill at point-blank range. It gets lampshaded in the novelization.
-->'''Kirk''': I found the off switch!
* Inverted in Film/WeirdScience. When Gary attempts to shut down his MagicalComputer with a [[BatterUp baseball bat]] after it connects with a government mainframe [[LightningCanDoAnything during a lightning strike]], the bat breaks instead of the machine.

-->'''G'Kar''': That hurt.\\
'''Na'Toth''': Ambassador, it was the only way to disable the pain-givers. I had to hit them as ''hard'' as possible, as ''often'' as possible and still make it appear as though I were beating you into another incarnation.
-->'''G'Kar''': And you didn't [[PercussiveTherapy enjoy it in the least?]]
-->'''Na'Toth''': I didn't say that.

** In the episode ''H.O.U.S.E Rules'' he takes his prized signed baseball bat to the nuclear generator that powers the smarthouse when it threatens to vaporize Zoe with a laser. He doesn't so much as crack the generator's housing.

--> '''Teisel:''' (Looks at one of the pylons) Hey Tron! How do you turn this thing off?!
--> '''Tron:''' Oh? This? Like this! (Gives it a hard kick)

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' Agatha deals with the "Lion", a device designed to permanently shut off her sentient castle, by smashing a large portion on top with a crowbar. She later revives the Lion by modifying the remains a bit when the castle's broken condition means it is trying to prevent her from getting treatment for a fatal illness in its attempt to keep her alive as she "just broke the big flashy bits."

[[quoteright:300:[[BatterUp https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baseballbat_percussiveshutdown.png]]]]

** In order to the prevent [[Recap/FairyTailGrandMagicGamesArc the destruction of Fiore by rampaging dragons]], Lucy resolves to destroy the Eclipse gate, [[TimeyWimeyBall erasing its existence in the future and thereby preventing Future Rogue from coming back from seven years in the future and opening the gate in the present]].

* {{Subverted}} in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. When Tony first encounters the portal generator, the first thing he tries is blasting it with his repulsors. This does absolutely no damage to the device; it does however create a shockwave which knocks Selvig back to his senses, giving Selvig an opportunity to explain how the generator can be de-activated.
* ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'': The emotions Anger, Disgust and Fear have realised that giving Riley the idea to run away was a mistake, and are trying desperately to correct the mistake by removing the idea bulb. But it proves to be unmovable. So they try smashing it. [[SubvertedTrope But it also proves unbreakable]].

** Later in the Season 4 finale he nearly shoots the FTL Ion Reactor that's about to send The Astraeis (with unplanned passenger Allison on board) to an unknown location, he then "thinks better" and instead beats it with a pipe. It manages to shutdown the batteries but too late to stop the launch. (Moral of the story: Jack doesn't like it when technology [[BerserkButton threatens his loved ones]].)

* This is a fairly common but little talked about issue with people on the spectrum. Even for those without disabilities it is well worth investing in knowledge of why some have a FreakOut. For someone who does, say someone with autism and is overwhelmed the physical pain they may do to themselves is a means of shutting off the mental and emotional turmoil they are going through.

-->'''G'Kar''': ''That hurt.''\\
'''Na'Toth''': ''Ambassador, it was the only way to disable the pain-givers. I had to hit them as ''hard'' as possible, as ''often'' as possible and still make it appear as though I were beating you into another incarnation.''
-->'''G'Kar''': ''And you didn't [[PercussiveTherapy enjoy it in the least?]]''
-->'''Na'Toth''': ''I didn't say that.''

* Happens on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' "Kill Screen when Team Gibbs has to shut down a supercomputer that can breach the [=DoD=]'s firewalls and erase all of their data, and [[RaceAgainstTheClock it has a timer counting down to when the breach will occur]]. [=McGee=]'s computer skills aren't fast enough to shut it down electronically in time, and cutting the power source does nothing to stop it, so Gibbs [[CuttingTheKnot pulls out his gun and shoots the computer to death mere seconds before the breach can happen]].