UNARMED OFFENCE - PART ONE

by Captain Rex Applegate

The Chinese, a people who invented gunpowder and the compass were also the first to develop a technique of unarmed combat. Chinese monks, to protect themselves against robber bands and nomad tribes, are said to have originated and developed man's first system of unarmed defence and offence. It was a system which has remained basically unchanged.

1. A knee kick to the crotch throws the body forward for a heel-of-the-hand blow to the jaw.

2. A heel-of-the-hand jab to the jaw plus the trip is effective.

3. The kick at the side of the knee will cause a fracture or dislocation.

4. A kick to the back of the knee will throw a man off balance, causing him to topple backwards.

The Japanese, soon after the twelfth century, came interested in this type of combat and, adopting Chinese ideas, began the development of their jiu-jitsu technique. They gave to jiu-jitsu a mythological background and developed a form of religion based on the application of its principles. Before 1900 many variations of jiu-jitsu were taught. Then a professor named Kano established a school for the purpose of studying and applying this method of unarmed combat. The new system was called judo. At present judo, which has peen given an aura of mysticism, is used in body building to develop an offensive spirit. It is a part of every Jap soldier's basic training.

In the early 1920s a branch of the group using judo established itself in New York City and spread throughout larger cities in the United States. It was practiced principally by Orientals and did not gain much popularity among Americans because, as in all things Oriental it involved a tedious amount of practice and a great deal of patience. In later years, certain instructors set up schools and sought wealthy young men as pupils.

The pupil was told that he was being introduced to an age-old secret method of combat, which had come down through centuries of Japanese history, and he was then initiated into some of its basic fundamentals. As time went on and he grew more interested, he was told that for an additional sum he could learn more holds and tricks. It was a lucrative racket.

Between the last war and the present, a number of books were written by experts in judo, jiu-jitsu, and unarmed combat technique. All of them have stressed defense as their sole purpose. Indeed, the new Army Field Manual on this type of combat, dated June 30, 1942, is called Unarmed Defense for the American Soldier. Instruction given in the past to police and other law enforcement men have all stressed self defense and restraint as the background of unarmed combat.

Throughout the country today numerous articles are being written for publication in magazines and news-papers, and illustrations are being printed in the rotogravure sections of leading dailies of so-called "rough stuff" and underhand tactics. Throughout our armed forces various schools of instruction and courses are being given by individuals who are qualified along orthodox lines and in many cases have had experience in ordinary police or other restraining types of manhandling. But no one has yet outlined a uniform system of instruction or a constructive training course for unarmed fighting with the grandstand and non-practical methods eliminated. Moreover the Army needs a manual on "Unarmed Offense" as well as one on unarmed defense. All unarmed combat should be taught on the theory that it is useful to a man only after he has lost his weapons.

The kick to the front of the knee should be delivered with full force either directly to the knee cap or a few inches below it.

The knife is the ideal weapon for close work. Its use should be encouraged and adopted by all units of our armed forces because of its deadly and silent effectiveness, the confidence it gives a man skilled in its use, and the psychological effect of a bright blade upon an opponent.

Much of the close combat being taught our troops today is ineffective and impractical. This is because we do not teach a system that is simple, one that a man can execute with great speed and practice intensively until he instinctively reacts with the few blows, kicks and releases that are necessary. Then too, many of the tricks taught our men are neither practical from the standpoint of their quickness of application, nor feasible as a means of finishing an opponent permanently. They are useful only as a means of restraint. Too many instructors teach a system that implies that an opponent will remain completely passive, enabling the student to apply any hold.

You can't engage in unarmed combat without getting hurt. That is true despite the popular impression that such methods of combat provide fool-proof ways of subduing an opponent without personal risk.

A man in combat for his life quickly reverts to the animal. He may be lucid when he begins and if well trained he will automatically plan his offense. But after a few seconds, and especially after he has been hit hard and hurt by his opponent, his combat becomes instinctive. For that reason a simple type of instruction with a great deal of emphasis on the few elementary methods which can be easily and instinctively used is necessary. The trimmings are soon forgotten in a hand-to-hand encounter for life or death.

Although the style of fighting which involves kicking a man when he is down, gouging out his eyes, and kicking him in the testicles does not appeal to the average American, we must forget the Marquise of Queensberry and his often violated rules of sportsman like combat when dealing with our Jap and Nazi enemies.

Ruthlessness is what we seek. It is best defined by two words: speed and brutality. In this type of fighting it does not matter much what is done so long as it is done fast and energetically. Surprise and speed are the two elements of success. This applies as much to the individual as it does to the strategy of armies. Attack is always the aim and it should be carried out so that each blow is the means to, or ends in a fatality. Each attack is also a defense.

Books on this subject illustrate many effective releases from grips around the waist, under the arms, and other encumbering holds. But their proponents have also lost sight of the fact that although these holds and releases are effective in the isolated cases of a few highly trained and experienced men, no one but an absolute fool would ever allow a man to apply them while his arms were free and his own animal fighting instincts were aroused.

Unarmed combat training teaches a man to fight and kill without the use of firearms, knives, or other lethal weapons. It is for use only when these weapons have been lost — and they never should be — or when the use of firearms is undesirable for fear of raising an alarm.

All of us have been taught the rudiments of boxing under the Queensberry rules. These rules list the principal targets which the boxer is not trained to defend. It is a foul blow to hit them. But we are at war. Our aim is to kill our enemies as quickly as possible. We have to forget every one of these rules and use the so called foul methods. In this way you can kill quickly. You can hit your opponent where he is weakest. Since courses of instruction of this type are to teach us to kill, the practice and methods are dangerous and we must have the right kind of instruction and supervision.

The principles of unarmed combat are largely those of judo, various other styles of wrestling, boxing, Chinese boxing and self-defense devices, and rough-and-tumble tactics. The importance of this type of combat is not alone in the offensive skill its students acquire, but also in the fact that any man, regardless of size or physique, once well trained has a supreme self-confidence in himself and his fighting ability. It is a self-confidence that cannot be achieved in any other way. A book on unarmed combat, no matter how well illustrated or clearly explained, will not develop a trained fighter.

It takes actual demonstrations by an instructor and supervised practice with other students. It is best to pair off smaller men with much larger men in practice, it is the only way in which a small man can gain confidence in his fighting ability, because no matter how many times he sees these offensive techniques demonstrated by larger men, he will never have confidence in their use for himself. He will always sub-consciously feel that "that's all right for those big guys, but how about me?"

Any hold should be regarded as a means of getting a man into a position where it will be easier to kill him, and not as a means to keep him captive. The whole idea of releasing yourself from a hold or in applying one is to enable you to kill. Breaking a hold is the beginning of the attack. This same emphasis should be placed on all disarming techniques.

One of the basic fundamentals of unarmed body combat which must be firmly ingrained in a pupil from the very start is body balance. The man whose body is not perfectly balanced cannot utilize his whole strength. And his lack of balance will be used against him by his opponent. The use of balance, as well as the use of the opponent's weight and strength when he is unbalanced, is one of the basic fundamentals of jiu-jitsu. Body balance is easy. It depends entirely on the position of feet. If you keep your feet the same distance apart as the width of the shoulders, you'll have balance. Consequently, your feet must never be stretched wide apart or placed close together. It is best to keep your knees slightly bent and your arms hanging loosely at the sides.

In vital combat the condition of physical balance can only be sustained by keeping mental balance. The first thing to do on the offensive is to weaken your opponent's balance mentally and physically. Anything you can do to shake his mental processes may be the deciding factor. Yells, screams, grimaces, groans, and so on, are all important.

Follow up the kick to the front of the knee by letting the foot slide down the shin to the top of the enemy's foot and then crush the small bones by stepping hard on them.

A push or pull applied to his shoulders or other part of his body weakens and breaks your opponent's body balance. Once off balance, he can't use his offensive powers or his strength to any great extent. For this reason a man who attacks first and throws his opponent off balance has a decided advantage, regardless of difference in size and weight. In this type of combat we have to hit, chop, thrust, poke, or kick vital points of the opponent with the fist, the elbow, the knee, the toe or heel, and the edge or palm of the hand.

All types of hand-to-hand combat which demand set positions for the attacker and his opponent are useless when you find yourself in actual combat. The solution for those who have been students of this type of fighting is months and years of practice so that they react instinctively to the set positions of their opponent. For those without experience a type of combat which does not depend upon any certain stance or position to get results must be taught. We must learn "where" and "how" to hit, from all positions. To acquire skill in striking, poking, and kicking takes intensive practice with the aid of dummies in a few basic holds and blows dealing with the edge of the hand, chin jab, and kicks. All of them can easily be mastered by any man regardless of his size or strength. Some of the releases and offensive tactics will certainly not be as easy for a small man as for a larger man. With few exceptions, everything in this article is a tried and tested means of attack and was selected because it belongs to a simple, deadly system of fighting.

A man's body is made up of many parts. Some are soft, some are hard, some bend, and some do not; in some places nerves are near the surface. The following are a few of the points of a man's anatomy most vulnerable to attack.

The crotch. The testicles are the most vulnerable and sensitive part of a man's body. A foot or hand blow-delivered in the crotch will knock the strongest man senseless or disable him to the point where he is easily finished off by a much weaker man. The strongest holds can be broken at any time by grasping an opponent's testicles and pulling and twisting them.

The chin. The time-honored American punch to the jaw is hard to beat. Delivered by a skilled boxer it puts a man down for the count. The force of the blow on the point of the chin causes a concussion that results in the knockout. The same thing can be obtained by a blow from the heel of the hand. This blow packs a terrific wallop, and is much easier for the inexperienced to deliver. Further, it has more of an element of surprise, and can be used for shorter starting distance.

The windpipe. A blow with the edge of the hand across the edge of the windpipe causes temporary if not permanent blackout. The blow has the same effect as the crushing of a piece of copper tubing with a sharp-edged instrument. Blows on the side of the throat and on the large cords at the back of the neck will cause dislocation, concussion, and very often a break. Very few bodies can stand up to edge-of'-the-hand blows on these spots, the only exceptions being those persons who have exceptionally well-muscled necks; wrestlers for example. The effects of a blow on the windpipe can be easily demonstrated by having someone place his thumb in the small hollow at the base of your throat and press gently.

The bridge of the nose. An edge-of-the-hand blow at the point where the nose joins the bony structure of the brow causes a crushing of the most fragile part of the bony structure and brings unconsciousness and possible death from cerebral hemorrhage.

The kidneys and small of the hack. Any physiology book will tell you that the main muscle cords and nerves of the body branch out from the base of the spine at a point close to the surface. In this area, a sharp sudden blow has a great stunning effect. The entire section across the back about six inches above the base of the spine, including the right and left kidneys, is sensitive to this form of attack.

End of the spine. A blow with the edge of the hand on the end of the spinal column will often result in unconsciousness especially if an individual is stooping over. Although it is not always certain, it is often easy to give this blow when locked in combat and grappling with an opponent.

The nose. A blow with the edge of the hand directed underneath the nose in an upward direction toward the forehead causes a crushing of the frontal bones, unconsciousness, and cerebral hemorrhage.

The navel mid solar plexus. One inch below the navel is another vulnerable spot which, if hit by a finger jab or other sharp blow, will cause unconsciousness. However, it is not easy to find this spot. It must not be confused with a blow to the solar plexus which is delivered above the navel in and up under the rib structure.

The knees. Because of their hinge type of structure the knees are particularly susceptible to hard blows especially those struck by the feet. If we kick a man from behind on the back of his knee, he will fold up and be off balance, and may be polished off that much faster. Blows or kicks delivered directly at the kneecap from the front, or directly from the right or left side or the knee when the leg is straight, will cause a break. Even light blows delivered in this manner cause dislocation of tendons and cartilage. Athletes call such injuries "football knee."

The arms. The arm has three joints: the shoulder, the elbow, and the wrist. Nature made them to bend one way only. If you force them in the opposite direction of the hinge they will either break or cause your man to go down.

The best blows using the hands are delivered with the fist or the heel of the hand or the edge of the hand. Blows struck with the fist (uppercut, haymaker, jab) are most effective when the user has had considerable experience in boxing and its allied sports. It will take up to six months to learn to deliver a positive knockout blow with either fist.

When your opponent is down kick him in the ribs with the heel of your shoe.

The heel-of-the-hand blow to the jaw is the simplest and most effective of all blows of this type and when used in conjunction with a kick to the testicles, which causes the opponent to bend forward, will often result a neck fracture. The beauty of this blow is its simplicity. In applying the fist-blow technique, a man not used to using his fists may easily break a finger or cause a dislocation or cut himself on his opponent's bony facial structure.

A kick delivered toe foremost and aimed at a narrow target is not accurate enough, particularly when the slightest move on an opponent's part will cause you to miss and leave you off balance and wide open for his retaliation. By kicking with either the inside or outside of the foot you get a striking surface the length of the foot from heel to toe. When properly delivered, it does not leave you unbalanced in case of a miss or a near miss. The kick should be delivered from the front directly to or a few inches below the kneecap. If your opponent stays on his feet after this kick, let your foot scrape on down, putting your weight at the finish across the top of his foot. This has the effect of bruising his tender shinbones and crushing the small bones at the top of his arch which are tender and unprotected.

If this blow is delivered properly, your enemy's knee will go out, or if his knee is in a slightly flexed position, not getting the full benefit of a blow against its hinge, his foot will be crushed and rendered completely useless by the follow-up down the shin. The effect is to cause the Jap or Nazi to topple to the ground, leaving him open for an easy kick to the rib area or temple, after he is down. The same kicking blow delivered against the knee from the side has the same effect as one from the front. At any time a kick on the shins will cause the strongest man to lurch forward and stick out his chin leaving him open for a chin jab or uppercut. A kick to the knee at the outset of the fight will usually down your man before he has had a chance to even get his hands on you.

Don't get the idea (if you have it, get rid of it now) that these elementary techniques will bring you unscathed through all types of unarmed combat. Your main purpose always is to inflict as much damage as quick as you can and at the same time to get less than you give. Two good rules in combat of this type are: (1) Keep your opponent at arm's length; (2) Never go to the ground with your opponent because this means getting close to him, and being close, you will not have room to see what he is up to or to work yourself. You should know how to fall, but to do this properly takes hours of practice. And since there is much difference between falling on mats and falling on uneven rocky ground, concentrate on staying on your feet.

Let this one thing be said, however. If you do hit the ground never stop moving. Begin rolling and get into position whereby you can easily get up again. It isn't necessary for you to follow your opponent to the ground once you have placed him there. Your feet are the weapons by which you can finish him. Remember that if you get to the ground yourself, and don't move, you are vulnerable to attack from your enemy's feet.

The chin jab is an extremely effective blow. It must be delivered up and under the chin with the heel of the palm, fingers extended to give palm rigidity. The more directly underneath it is the more power it will pack. It is executed with a bent elbow and a great deal of the body force in an upward direction. The farther forward the chin juts at the time of the blow, the more devastating will be the result. If a knee thrust to the testicles or groin is used in connection with a chin jab, the body will automatically bend forward, leaving a perfect set-up for this particular blow. It results in unconsciousness and possible neck fracture if delivered with enough force.

The arm or hand does not have to be drawn back to deliver the blow, but can be hanging at the side, fingers hooked in belt, hand resting on a lapel, or in any other ordinary position. An average man can cause a knockout with only six inches of traveling distance from the start of the blow to the point of impact. The element of surprise is most useful in close quarters where time, space, or circumstances do not allow the hand and arm to be withdrawn for a long haymaker. You can fracture your opponent's neck by grasping his belt with the left hand and jerking him forward at the moment of impact with your right. It is also possible to use the fingers of the striking hand to jab him in the eyes after the blow.

The point of the toe delivered with force to the temple will finish off your enemy.

Source: Infantry Journal, March 1943