Caution: The contents of this article are for education purposes only. The principles described are extremely dangerous and are for military close combat training and operations only. Their application applies solely to the military.
True European military combative systems show commonality in skills and principles throughout all phases and levels of training. The very important basic skills are taught to entry level exponents and are the vital fundamentals to all close combat employments unarmed, armed and for all roles. A skill is only as effective as the exponent that employs it and their ability to assess, decide and execute the correct and primary option to achieve the required objective and employ it with all the required essential elements.
The factor of confusion and situational changes that include a wide range of enemy related actions, terrain and employment obstacles and even advantages that may present themselves during employment.
A system that has commonality will provide as covered previously in the close combat files the facility to fast map on the move and employ the required contingency options. While correct and battle proven combative programs are made up of skills that are the safest, quickest, quietest and most battle proven options so are the primary skills employment contingency options.
The contingency options must have commonality with the primary executed options and be a simple natural progression under entry, offensive or counter offensive employments, either on the move or from stationary. The contingency options begin with the decision making phase after assessment and immediately prior to the execution phase. The initial stance and guard position if the element of surprise is lost and your identity or intention has been discovered is the first contingency option. The entry to the required execution range must incorporate emergency contingency options if while stalking into range the attacker becomes the attacked.
This also includes pre-employment stationary contingency options prior to the stalking into execution range. If the element of surprise can be maintained prior to the execution phase, a neutral stance would be employed and generally the execution phase of an unarmed offensive assault would incorporate a front on to side on guard position change to increase the velocity of the assault by incorporating a pivoting and forward driving manoeuvre. This manoeuvre also provides the highest levels of safety during the final execution phase by presenting the least personal target area from side on that is far more easily guarded than a front stance. This is very important on final entry where your enemy could counter engage you and increase the velocity of his attack by the collision factor of two colliding forces.
The contingency options from the stationary assessment position must provide the means to combat unarmed entry attack by evasive or stationary counter offensive methods. Other contingencies options required at the pre employment stage that need to be included are the following for battlefield or urban close combat or self-protection:
- The arrival of multiple assailants
- The producing of edged or bludgeon type weapons
- A canine included threat
- Firearms
- Missile or flexible type weapons
- Vehicle threats
- Improvised weapons threats
- Terrain related dangers, advantages and disadvantages
The previous factors or possible changes in threat should have been covered correctly in your military close combat contingency phases of training.
Once your stalking into range phase has commenced especially at close quarters you need to have a contingency option available to stop an attack on you – the attacker as previously covered. Because of the close range and time required to halt the stalking phase and employ an evasion manoeuvre is not that likely, a stationary means is the requirement for such a situation. This stationary contingency must employ target reduction, high levels of stability and the employment of the most effective unarmed option – your combat boot.
The stationary counter kick as it is termed in military close combat, must always be executed with the lead boot, the closest leg to the attacking enemy, thus removing the closest exposed target and utilizing it as a weapon.
Having the stalking entry contingency at the ready will increase ones confidence to stalk into extremely close range.
The effectiveness of unarmed offensive assaults comes down to in a covert application surprise and deadly takeouts and where there is no element of surprise, the employment of unarmed offensive assault set up dirty tricks or distractions.
Post initial unarmed assault Phase One, the enemy should be put down and finished with the combat boots and never the fists if the primary objective of a takeout after decentralization is the required objective.
Should the initial assault fail because your enemy has moved back off the target line you must continue and increase the unnamed assault correcting your position to ensure that you remain in line with your enemy (zeroing). The terminology given to these previous contingencies is continuance and recentering respectively.
Close range continuance refers to employing strikes with the hands and forearms and elbows. Long-range continuance translates to employing combat kicks.
Recentering can be performed from both a front or side guard; which ever is the closest and quickest. Recentering is an offensive action that reduces the risk of ones enemy having time to recover and gain ground. It incorporates offensive recentering manoeuvres and stationary attack combinations to target the enemy's vulnerable vital targets that destroy or impair life support systems, human senses or the ability to remain upright.
These stationary attack combinations are designed to ravage ones enemy, destroying exposed targets and not targeting defended targets. Stationary attack combinations are not only employed after recentering an evasive enemy but also post initial offensive assault where you end up toe-to-toe with your enemy and are presented with a smorgasbord of targets for destroying.
The next offensive assault contingency is enemy containment by securing the head or arms or a combination of both. Phase One close combat is clear that in combat that if you are grappling, you are employing tactically incorrect options due to the dangers of weapons, hard and uneven terrain and the fact that you must always presume that your enemy is stronger, bigger and more skilled than yourself.
Bearing this in mind no combat smart and ready combatant would entertain grappling with an armed guerrilla on a rocky wooded surface or in a water combat situation.
The exception to the rule is at the toe-to-toe range when injured and recovery time is required or to shutdown a strong striker immediately prior to employing continued offensive actions.
Close quarter containment also incorporates where applicable securing belts, belt order and any component of battle attire. Counter offensive assault contingencies begin with the primary consideration of controlling distance. This requires you to break distance from your enemy and maintain a priority minimum gap of not less than two metres.
The first contingency after creating a reactionary gap is to maintain it by edging back in relation to your enemies stalking. This edging back should be primarily back or to your enemies less dominant lead leg side. The primary counter offensive assault option is to evade your enemy's attack when he is beyond the point of no return.
The primary evasion is diagonally forward sidestep creating a black spot or point in time where your enemy loses sight of you, bypassing you as you evade diagonally forward and having his back to you. From this vulnerable position post evasion, the immediate assessment for exposed bodily targets phase is conducted and skills to destroy those targest are employed.
The counter offensive manoeuvre employed if you are attacked from very close range or at high speed. The parry is to evade diagonally to your rear off of the confrontation line and then assess and execute the best counter offensive skills for the range and available targets.
The next counter offensive contingency is to counter continued stalking, breeching your reactionary gap or where you are running out of space to your rear flanks. Under this threat you must attack your attacker with a high distraction or fake action immediately followed by a low leg stamp incapacitation kick.
An added advantage of employing this contingency is that your enemy is on the front foot and avoiding your forward attack, the attacker distraction and assault is difficult. From stationary the employed contingency option to combat an attack when there is no time for breaking distance or evading is to employ a stationary counter kick with your forward boot in relation to your attacker from a crouched guarded position.
Finally by immediately when you find yourself in a threat situation, assessing your immediate environment you can identify potential improvised weapons that you could employ or could be used against you.
Environmental obstacles can be used to your advantage as a barrier between you and your enemy and debris can be used for distractions or other objects can be used as weapons for offence, defence or disarming.
Interested in Close Combat Training? Todd Group Depots are located throughout New Zealand and at various overseas locations.
For more information on Todd System of Close Combat see the following books, dvds and cds:
- Close Combat Books
The Do's and Don'ts of Close Combat – Tactical C&R – Control and Restraint – No Nonsense Self Defence – Military Close Combat Systems Phase One – Combative Masters Of The 20th Century - Close Combat DVDs
Self Defence of the Elite – 80 Years of Combative Excellence – Primary Option Control & Restraint – Military Unarmed Combat – Phase 1 - Close Combat CDs
Technique To Command – Combative Code of Conduct
