U.S. Army Combatives program Creator
Matt Larsen uses a
chokehold on an opponent in hand-to-hand combat training.
(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 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
- RBSD (Reality Based Self Defense)
