Combat Fighting Training
When sailors, airmen, soldiers and marines are trained for combat, they are trained in the full spectrum of war-fighting skills. This includes combat fighting between individuals that may have no weapons, which is always possible in a situation where ammunition has run out or stealth requires the use of silent methods. Usually only the combat trained members of the armed forces of different nations receive hand-to-hand combat training, otherwise known as martial arts training.
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History
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Many nations have an ancient history of hand-to-hand fighting before the advent of projectile weapons, each with their own style and traditions. Greek wrestling, European and American boxing and the various martial arts of Asia were all combined during the early 20th century to create a system of effective fighting techniques for military use. W.E. Fairbairn pioneered military combat fighting and developed a method of training commandos how to fight viciously when presented with a close combat situation. Most military combat fighting training stems from W.E. Fairbairn's groundbreaking efforts.
Significance
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The development of combat fighting that utilizes methods from various fighting arts around the world is part of a general trend in martial arts today that happened only briefly in military organizations. In the quest to form a complete yet flexible style of combat fighting, training programs had to keep an open mind and borrow techniques from different martial disciplines around the world. However, these fighting systems were overly simplified compared to modern mixed martial arts. The employment of brutal, no nonsense fighting styles by the armed forces of nations such as France, Israel, China, Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States has begun to include mixed martial arts instruction.
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Combat Fighting Training
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Combat fighting training involves the instruction of several levels of fighting. Basic ground fighting techniques are taught before moving on to more advanced ground fighting followed by take downs, throws and striking. Once advanced fighting techniques are mastered, combat fighting training moves on to weapons training. This involves using a knife and a fixed bayonet and defending against a knife or fixed bayonet when unarmed. For more information on combat fighting techniques, check out the Resources section to find a link to the U.S. Army Combatives Training Manual.
Combat Fighting Instruction
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Instructors train soldiers in ratios of no more than 20 students per each instructor, with soldiers paired up for practical application of the skills they are learning. No less than eight feet apart, pairs of soldiers go through each fighting technique following demonstration by the instructor and his partner. Each technique is done repeatedly under the observation of the instructor until they are satisfied with each students mastery of a technique.
Considerations About Safety
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To keep training methods positive and safe, there are certain precautions that must be taken as well as specific instructions that each student must understand. All students must be aware of tap out signals that will be used while learning choke holds to ensure they do not hurt their sparing partner. In addition, soldiers must be instructed to keep their fingers out of trigger guards when they will be disarmed by a sparing partner. All knives and bayonet training must be done with scabbards still on the blades for safety.
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References
- Livescience.com: The History of Human Aggression
- Vrazvedka.ru: Get Tough: How to Win in Hand to Hand Fighting
- Selfdefenseresource.com: COMBATIVES MANUAL OF THE U.S. ARMY: FM 3-25.150
- Selfdefenseresource.com: COMBATIVES MANUAL OF THE U.S. ARMY: Chapter 2: Training
- Armytimes.com: Combatives Program Wrestles Toward Permanency
Resources
- Photo Credit combat image by Vasiliy Koval from Fotolia.com
