Unarmed Combat: Hand-to-Hand Fighting Skills from the World's Most Elite Military Units

INTRODUCTION

Special forces are renowned for getting the job done fast and efficiently. This often requires the sudden and overwhelming application of violence, giving the enemy no chance to respond. The same tactics are used in special forces unarmed combat systems, which emphasize quick, simple and deadly responses to whatever threat may present itself.

Special forces soldiers are normally armed when carrying out their missions, enabling them to deal with opposition quickly and effectively. However, some circumstances require a more personal approach to combat. Weapons can jam or be dropped, sentries must be eliminated quietly, or a disarmed soldier may need to escape from his captors.

If a special forces soldier has to resort to unarmed combat, something has usually gone wrong. His personal weapon, sidearm, knife, grenades, entrenching tool and various heavy objects among his kit that could be used as improvised weapons are all either inaccessible or else he has been caught unprepared. In such a situation, the most useful tools in the soldier’s armoury are his aggression, self-confidence and will to win. These are the weapons he carries with him everywhere.

Most of us will never be required to search a building for terrorists or to rescue hostages from gunmen, but ordinary people do find themselves in danger. The circumstances may be less extreme, but the threat is no less real. An effective response can literally save your life.

Assault team

This heavily armed special forces team carries a range of weaponry, but none of it is any use unless directed with skill, courage and determination.

Special Forces Combat Techniques

Most people do not have the time to undertake lengthy combat training and to find out what works and what does not. Fortunately, the techniques employed by special forces troops have been pressure-tested under the most difficult conditions possible. If a technique works for a wounded soldier outnumbered four to one by armed men, in the dark and in the midst of a gunfight … it will work anywhere.

There are no real ‘secret combat techniques’ used by special forces troops. What there is, is a tried and tested body of technique which is both simple and deadly, coupled with determination to survive and win.

Special forces in action

Sudden assaults from an unexpected direction are the hallmark of special forces operations. Once the attack begins, relentless aggressive action

overcomes all resistance.

Chin jab

The upward palm shot to the jaw, or ‘chin jab’, was taught to World War II commandos. It is an extremely effective strike producing a fast knockout.

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‘Know your enemy’ is a profound military maxim. It also applies to self-defence.

The Threat

Akey element in military planning is to make an assessment of the threat likely to be faced. This permits the correct equipment to be issued and a suitable plan to be put in place. For example, a team assaulting an oil rig seized by gunmen would not expect to encounter armoured vehicles and can probably dispense with antitank weapons. Combat will likely be at close quarters where sub-machine guns and shotguns are more useful than sniper rifles. No special forces team would ever be committed without at least some understanding of the threat to be faced.

The same philosophy applies to self-defence. In order to defend yourself effectively you need to understand the nature of the threat as it really is, rather than relying on an impression gained from movies and headlines. What sort of threat are you likely to face? What will an aggressor actually try to do? What are the odds of being faced with a weapon or a gang?

FALSE IMPRESSIONS

It may seem from a cursory look at the news that the streets are a battleground, a deadly arena of fists, guns and knives. In fact armed attacks are not at all common, though they are serious enough to merit attention when they do happen. Lesser levels of violent assault are more frequent, but even these are not as likely as many people think.

Extreme threats

Generally it is better to surrender property than to tackle weapons, but if you think you are going to be harmed anyway, fighting is your only option.

Be aware!

Most robberies and many assaults are opportunistic. Distractions such as phones and music can make you vulnerable

The perception of constant street violence derives mainly from the fact that it gets reported while its absence does not. Headlines like ‘nobody got stabbed today’ would not sell a lot of newspapers, so we are told about incidents that do happen and never hear about the millions of people who go about their business unharmed. To illustrate that, look at this page. The words stand out but there is a lot more white space between and around them. You do not notice it because it is not brought to your attention. So it is with violence – a lot more people do not encounter violence than do. That said, if it happens to you then it does not matter how uncommon it is.

THE LIKELY THREAT

As a rule, civilians are most likely to face an unarmed threat. This does not mean the level of threat is trivial – anyone is capable of killing with their bare hands if they try hard enough, and being kicked while helpless on the ground can result in death or permanent injury. Attacks with weapons are less common. When they do occur they tend to involve small, easily carried and concealed weapons, such as knives, or items that can be quickly picked up and used, such as glasses and bottles.

Blunt-instrument attacks are generally more premeditated, as the weapon has to be carried openly if it is large enough to be any use. Other weapons such as chains and samurai swords are quite rare. As to firearms, in Britain at least attacks are still relatively rare.

There are two likely forms an attack might take. The first is a sudden assault with no warning. This is almost always premeditated, and the aggressor might use deception or stealth to get close enough to attack. The other sort of assault gives you more warning, but there are other problems associated with it. This is an escalating confrontation that becomes violent.

Surprise Attack

Surprise attacks are very hard to deal with. Not just because you can be taken out by the first blow, but also because psychologically it is very hard to get into a combative mindset while you are shocked and hurt. Military training teaches troops to switch on their aggression instantly, and good self-defence training does too. In both cases the aggression is controlled and directed; there is no point in firing or flailing wildly.

However, it is better not to be caught by surprise if at all possible. Stealthy attackers can be somewhat countered by:

•  Staying in lit areas.

•  Not walking close by blind spots such as corners.

•  Not allowing yourself to be distracted by music or your phone.

Deceptive attackers often use distraction techniques such as asking you the time or for cigarettes. This allows them to get close enough to launch their attack without warning. If at all possible, you should not allow anyone you do not trust within arm’s reach.

Knife threat

Any armed threat is extremely serious. It may be better to surrender property than to tackle a weapon, but be aware that some attackers will hurt you even after being given what they want.

Confrontation

Confrontations erupt over all kinds of things, especially where alcohol is involved. Most do not lead to violence, and of those that do, many could have been prevented. The key is to remain calm and not allow yourself to be drawn into an escalating confrontation, and never to allow anyone to get close to you while they are in an aggressive, confrontational state.

The usual pattern for a confrontation is for it to begin with an exchange of words which become more abusive, aggressive and threatening. This is often accompanied by arm-waving and ‘posturing’, along with violence against objects. An individual who mouths off, inviting you to ‘come here if you think you’re hard enough’ while remaining out of reach or backing away generally does not want to fight. Unless you say something that pricks his ego enough that he just has to attack you, he will normally satisfy himself with a barrage of insults and go off to tell his mates he won. That is not very pleasant but it is a better outcome than a fight.

Escalation

Sometimes, but not always, a confrontation escalates. Someone who starts getting closer and pushing or grabbing you is a very serious threat. He will probably keep on escalating the situation until something makes him stop – something you do or perhaps an outside intervention – or until he gets what he wants. You might be lucky; he might just want to rag you about a bit to show how tough he is. But you cannot predict how much violence he wants to do to you, so hoping for the best is not a great strategy.

Some confrontations go straight to blows of course. There is no set pattern that must be observed. Likewise, the assailant may be satisfied with hitting you a couple of times, but equally he might be willing to stamp on your head while you are helpless on the ground. Bystanders might also join in – it can and does happen. The point is that once a confrontation becomes physical you have no way to know how bad it is going to get, and the outcome of even an unarmed attack can be life-changing or even life-ending.

Wrist grab

Wrist grabs are normally a factor in domestic situations or arguments rather than full-blown fights. All the same, you must yank yourself free immediately in case the aggressor decides to follow up with a blow.

Open hand threat

Posturing with splayed hands is a classic sign of aggression. The woman cannot say for sure whether the man is about to become violent. She has adopted a ‘fence’ posture to keep him at a distance.

Real Fights

Whilst almost anything can happen in a fight, an analysis of vast numbers of altercations shows that the same things tend to come out over and over again, whilst others rarely happen at all. Most situations involve at least some ‘posturing’ and threats, which we term the open-hand threat. Once matters get past this stage, physical violence ensues.

By far the most common gambit in a street fight is the big swinging punch with the strong hand. Over 80 per cent of injuries resulting from street violence are caused by blows to the head. Grabbing and wrestling are also common. Real fights never look like a Kung-Fu movie; they are a desperate blur of aggression and brutality. You must be prepared for this reality if you want to survive.

TIP:

STREET FIGHT FACTS

• Most aggressors will simply wade forward swinging, and grab once they get close enough. Even people with some training are prone to behave like this under the stress of combat.

• Complex strategies are uncommon and do not work very well. Fights are not chess games where moves and subtle countermoves are played out. Simple movements performed with confidence and aggression work best.

• Distance tends to decrease rapidly. It is instinctive to close with an opponent, so unless there is a conscious decision to keep the range open, e.g. to use superior boxing skills, most fights close in fast, at which point grabbing and grappling takes place.

• Going to the ground is common in fights that go on for any length of time, often because the combatants simply fall over something or each other. However, by the time most fights reach the ground someone is winning and what happens on the ground is often a beating rather than a fight. It is relatively rare for a fight to go to the ground while both combatants still have a decent chance to win.

Facing Aggression

Fortunately, most of the people who start fights are not very skilled. They rely mainly on picking fights with people they think they can beat (or restricting themselves to posturing and threats if they are not sure) and using sheer aggression to defeat their victim. This can work very well, since most ordinary people are unused to raw aggression.

Aggressive body language

We recognize aggressive body language instinctively. Snarling, shouting, ‘pecking’ the head forward and so forth are all part of ‘posturing’ intended to cause fear and intimidation.

As a result, most ‘fights’ are not really fights at all. What they are, is someone picking a victim, establishing dominance by posturing and threats, and then unloading a barrage of blows once they are sure the fight can be won. More than anything else, good training must teach the student to overcome their fear and react intelligently and effectively. Without this, you are beaten before the fight has started.

MARTIAL ARTS VS UNARMED COMBAT AND SELF-DEFENCE

There is a difference between unarmed combat and self-defence. Unarmed combat is all about killing or incapacitating an opponent as quickly as possible. For a soldier on a mission, that is exactly what is needed. However, for civilians there are other considerations, most notably laws governing the use of force against other people. There are circumstances when a civilian is entitled to injure or even kill a person, but in order to avoid legal trouble the use of force must be appropriate to the circumstances. Thus, while unarmed combat skills can be used for self-defence, not all unarmed combat is self-defence as such.

TIP:

COMMON ATTACKS

• Big swinging punches are the commonest attack by far. Usually the first attack comes from the strong hand – the right in most people.

• Jabs and other lead-hand punches are very uncommon. An aggressor might swing right-left-right, but is very unlikely to open with a lead-hand shot.

• Kicks are normally used against downed opponents but are occasionally directed at the legs and lower body. High kicks, and any sort of trained martial arts kicks, are very rare in real fights.

• Knee strikes sometimes follow a grab. This is an instinctive movement and is thus fairly common where a fight has become a wrestling match.

• One-handed grabs are common. The usual pattern is to grab clothing with the weak hand and hit with the strong one. Grabs with the strong hand are normally used to exert dominance in domestic violence situations. They are not common in fights.

• Two-handed grabs may be used to exert dominance or to set up for a headbutt.

Idiotically high kicks

This sort of thing is incredibly rare in the real world, for the very good reason that it does not work. Kick low if you kick at all.

Any responsible instructor will ensure that his students understand the relevant law governing self-defence, just as military instructors ensure that troops understand when it is acceptable to use their weapons or unarmed combat skills, and when it is not.

Martial Arts

A great variety of martial arts and self-defence training is available for anyone who cares to look. However, care should be taken when selecting a class. Almost any martial arts instructor will say that their art is excellent for self-defence, and in some cases they are correct. However, most martial arts contain a large amount of material that is not really useful to someone looking for pure self-defence. Some teach ‘self-defence’ techniques that simply will not work and might get the user killed or seriously injured.

The commonest reason for this