Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH
or H2H) is a generic term often referring to weaponless fighting
conducted from a military based point of view. This distinguishes
it from
combat sport. The phrase
"hand-to-hand" indicates unarmed combat but often allows for the
consideration of weapons usage and implementation.
Close combat is the common term for
combat within close range. It may include
lethal and nonlethal methods across a "spectrum of violence" or
within a "
continuum of
force" as established by
rules
of engagement. Unarmed close combat is sometimes called
combatives. Close combat with weapons may
be called
close quarter battle at the squad
level.
Current NATO
terminology
is to use MOUT for
higher-level strategic and tactical considerations of urban warfare or MOOTW for "military
operations other than war" such as peacekeeping or disaster relief.
Combatives is a term used to describe
various
hybrid martial arts,
which incorporate techniques from several different
martial arts and
combat
sports.
Definitions
As defined by U.S. Army
FM 3-25.150 Combatives:
- 1-1. Hand-to-hand combat- Hand-to-hand combat is an engagement
between two or more persons with or without hand-held weapons such
as knives, sticks, or projectile weapons within the range of
physical contact.
- 1-2. Combatives- Combatives are the techniques and tactics
useful to Soldiers involved in Hand-to-hand combat. Proficiency in
Combatives is one of the fundamental building blocks for training
the modern Soldier.
History
Close combat is the most ancient form of fighting known. A majority
of cultures have their own particular histories related to close
combat, and their own methods of practice. There are many varieties
within the
martial arts, including
boxing and
wrestling. Other variations include the
gladiator spectacles of ancient Rome and
medieval tournament events such as
jousting.
Military organizations have always taught
some sort of unarmed combat for conditioning and as a supplement to
armed combat.
Soldiers in China
were trained
in unarmed combat as early as the Zhou
Dynasty (1022 BC to 256 BC).
Despite major technological changes such as the use of gunpowder in
the
Napoleonic wars, the machine gun
in the
Russo-Japanese War and the
trench warfare of
World War I, hand-to-hand fighting methods such
as
bayonet remained common in modern
military training, though the importance of formal training
declined after 1918. During the
Second
World War, bayonet fighting was often not taught at all among
the major combatants; German rifles by 1944 were even being
produced without
bayonet lugs.
Sometimes called
close combat,
Close Quarters Combat, or
CQC, World War II era American combatives were
largely codified by
William Ewart
Fairbairn and
Eric Anthony Sykes.
Also known for their eponymous
Fairbairn-Sykes fighting
knife, Fairbairn and Sykes had worked in the
Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) and helped teach
the
British armed forces
[112097] a quick and effective and simple technique
for fighting with or without weapons in
melee
situations. Similar training was provided to British
Commandos, the
Devil's
Brigade,
OSS,
U.S. Army Rangers and
Marine Raiders. Fairbairn at one point called
this system
Defendu and published on it, as
did his American colleague
Rex
Applegate. Fairbairn often referred to the technique as "gutter
fighting," a term which Applegate used, along with "the Fairbairn
system." In practice, such military systems are the fruit of dozens
and even hundreds of dedicated instructors and personnel, known and
unknown.
Other combatives systems having their origins in the modern
military include Chinese
Sanshou, Soviet
sambo and
Rukopaschnij Boj , Israeli
Kapap and
Krav Maga.
The prevalence and style of combatives training often changes based
on perceived need, and even in times of peace,
special forces and
commando units tend to place higher emphasis on
close combat than most personnel, as will
paramilitary units such as police
SWAT teams.
De-emphasized in major militaries after
World War II,
insurgency conflicts such as the
Vietnam War,
low intensity conflict and
urban warfare tend to encourage more attention
to combatives. The general discipline of close-proximity fighting
with weapons is often called
Close Quarters
Battle (
CQB) at the platoon or squad level, or
Military Operations on Urban Terrain
(
MOUT) at higher tactical levels.
The current
Marine
Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) replaced the
Marine Corps LINE combat
system in 2002. Every Marine keeps a record book that records
their training, There is a colored belt system similar to many
Asian martial arts and advancement in MCMAP is not a requirement
for promotions. Also in 2002, the
U.S. Army
adopted the Modern Army
Combatives (MAC) program developed by Matt Larsen who was a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, with the
publishing of US Army field manual (FM 3-25.150) and the
establishment of the US Army
Combatives School at Ft Benning
, Georgia. MAC draws from systems such as
Brazilian Jiujitsu,
Muay
Thai and
Kali which could be
trained "live" and can be fully integrated into current Close
Quarters Battle tactics and training methods. As of April 2008, for
the first time in US Army history, soldiers who graduate from an
official Army course can earn an MOS identifier, H3B and H4B for
level III and IV MACP certification respectively.
The
US Air Force adopted MAC as its
hand-to-hand combat system in early 2008.
Military instructors
At the
Royal
Military College of Canada
in Kingston, Ontario
officer cadets in first year take an introduction
to Unarmed Combat course. In third year, courses are offered
in Unarmed Combat (Grappling), Unarmed Combat (Kicking) and Unarmed
Combat (Hands). Unarmed Combat (Grappling) covers the response to
various attacks and situations and ground fighting. The Unarmed
Combat (Kicking) course covers kicking distance, kicking targets,
the use of front and rear kicks and mobility. The Unarmed Combat
(Hands) course covers hand distance and targets, and the use of
single and multiple strikes with the hands.
Military instructors and Civilian instructors
Most civilian instructors in hand-to-hand combat train
police,
martial artists or
combat sport athletes, but some may
train civilians for private self-defense.
Former military instructors
Frank Cucci former military (US SEAL) -Leonard C Holifield former
military (US ARMY) -Raffaelli Snackers former military (FFL)
-
Moni Aizik former military (IDF ISRAEL
ARMY) -Avi Nardia former military (IDF-YAMAM ISRAEL UNIT) -Vladimir
Vasiliev former military (Russian Elite UNIT) -
The very things which make
combatives well-adapted
for military training (simplicity, ease of use, modest physical
demands) also make it suitable in many ways for civilian
self-defense. The world's military forces train thousands of
combatives instructors every year. Frequently emphasizing their
law-enforcement, corrections or military background, many
combatives instructors also offer training to law enforcement
agencies, the military, private individuals,
security guards or
companies.
Regulated in the
United
States
much as private tutors, health
clubs, private gun
shops or private security
agencies, some combatives systems are expanding into other markets
and niches worldwide.
See also
References
Further reading
- Close Combat (MCRP 3-02B), USMC, February 1999.
Commercial ISBN 1-58160-073-9
- Get Tough! by William
E. Fairbairn, 1942. Details
basic commando techniques. Reprint ISBN
0-87364-002-0
- Kill or Get Killed by Rex
Applegate, 1943. Widely redistributed within the USMC from 1991 as FMFRP 12-80.
ISBN 0-87364-084-5
- In Search of the Warrior Spirit: Teaching Awareness
Disciplines to the Green Berets by Richard Strozzi-Heckler.
3rd edition ISBN 1-55643-425-1
- Fleet Marine Force Manual (FMFM) 0-7, Close Combat,
USMC, July 1993.
- Combatives : FM 3-25.150 Commercial reprint of 2002
U.S. Army manual incorporates Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. ISBN
1-58160-448-3
External links
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