This tradition has no historical connection to actual battlefields; its roots are found within the shadowy alleyways and cramped dungeons where the only way to "win" would be to follow the rule of survival; "If they can't stand, they can't fight. If they can't breath, they can't fight. If they can't see, they can't fight"
As such, this is a legacy of those that removed the will and power of those they opposed; as well as duelists whose focus was on disabling strikes rather than killing strikes.
Thus, suppression has become a philosophy of control through fear, through pain, and through removing an individual's choices.