The following is some basic considerations and reasoning in regards to target selection for stamp kicks and possible outcomes of targeting or mistargeting of either the knee joint or ankle joint. Both targets have specific selection reasoning in military CQC for required objective achievement. The main reasoning for the destruction of the knee joint and knee cap ligaments as the primary incapacitation target in our military close quarters combat is that the outcome of destructive knee ligament targeting effectively employed is threat neutralisation by decentralisation and immobilisation.

This prevents footing recovery, escape and evasion and stand up combative continuation.

Mil CQC trade-craft training safety practices apply in training to maintain realism and realistic objective achievement outcomes without sacrificing the integrity of the knee joint and knee cap ligaments.

Mil CQC specific heavy contact training equipment applies to the practice of stamp kicks at actions on levels of high intensity momentum/velocity. Such training stands are standard trade craft training equipment for mil CQC and come in a range of designs.

The lower shin/ankle joint targeting with stamp kicks can cause sprains, dislocation, decentralisation and immobilisation and the enemy may be neutralised or may even if injured continue with hostilities dependent on the individual combatant’s mental toughness and willingness to overcome the pain and injury. The threat realities if continued on the deck will demand counter actions out of self-preservation in a military actions on where it can come down to life or death. The realities of deadly actions on will be the immediate motivator to battle hard. This is very different to combat sports competition where such debilitating injuries will usually put an end to proceedings for safety reasons under the rules of the sport.

One filed post actions on report detailed an individual in an action’s on severely injuring an ankle and not being able to stand on it immediately continued with hostilities by hopping on the other leg and using an environmental hazard to his advantage as an improvised weapon to achieve threat neutralisation.

Another report was of a combatant in actions on that was decentralised with a severely injured ankle who was unable to regain his footing but counter engaged his assaulter from the ground with ground stamp kicks with his uninjured leg then seized his assaulter’s legs taking him down and crawling up his body targeting his vitals neutralising the threat against him.

While the means and methods may need to be changed by selection of CQC skills that fit with available physical capabilities/injuries and overcoming the effects of the injuries the objective of threat neutralisation was achieved in both the previous actions on even with severe debilitating ankle injuries. Post actions on reports have proven combatants even with ankle ligament injuries, dislocations and fractures have not allowed the pain or disabling effects to prevent them from achieving threat neutralisation, testament to their mental toughness and prior training.

For military combatants on the battlefield weapons capabilities would certainly enhance their chances of enemy neutralisation under actions on when injured.

Training injuries to the ankle or lower shin can occur as a result of exponent’s executing skills with a lack of attention to detail in targeting accuracy or by way of over aggression or by laziness such as failing to raise the stamp kicking leg to the required height to cock and load it to effectively achieve controlled immediately below the knee contact impact. Such skill employment fault outcomes can be injuries of the lower shin, ankle or foot.

Under training stamp kicking employments contacting with the lower shin may cause injuries including superficial fibular (perineal nerve) damage that can result in foot drop or injuries to the small bones of the foot. This is an injury also common to combat boot toe spiking of the lower shin.

The ankle joint is a form of hinge joint that’s primary movement is flexion and extension with a minimal amount of lateral movement.

Some DT targeting of the ankle joint especially for detainee control and manipulating focuses on the minimal side to side movement and in training must be applied in line with trade craft training safety practices. Contact impact on or above the ankle joint can cause rolling or lateral movement in an actions on producing painful and reduced mobility injuries including sprains, dislocations and fractures.

25% of the total bones in the human body are located in the feet and injuries through stamp kicking are likely as a result of accidental/careless contact in CQC training. The combat boot maximises extent of injuries in-line with the Todd CQC adage boots are for combat bare feet for sport.

Military CQC stamp kicks employed with high level entry engagement momentum/velocity completely down through the target to the ground by means of a diagonal downward through the limb line of travel maximise ligament destruction decentralisation and incapacitation.

Gravity assists downward stamp kicks by a pushed increasing of speed/momentum and as such increases impact velocity.

The generated force can be as high as 20 times more force than required to destroy the knee joint, knee cap or ligaments.

Targeting of the ankle joint is an effective means to manipulate a detainee by controlled contact and commensurate forced leverage in relation to resistance to achieve pain compliance.

Actions on outcomes have clearly identified that incapacitation through the destruction of the knee joint ligaments prevents the regaining of footing escape or continued stand up actions on.

Ankle related contact/impact sprains in mil CQC actions on are less guaranteed than knee joint ligaments destruction in achieving total incapacitation/immobilisation. The possibility of the enemy being able to maintain footing or regain footing or counter engage from the ground even if at a reduced capabilities level overriding the pain barrier has proven to be possible for mentally tough combatants.

Often contact to the ankle and foot is of a compression nature as in a crushing or a shortening type of impact.

Actions on contact to destroy the integrity of the knee joint can be more of a destructive tension type impact aiming to break or lengthen the target.

In an actions on stamp kick execution directed on or below the knee joint diagonally groundward through the knee joint, the boot may well slide down the shin, depending on the angle of execution and targeted leg direction of movement.

Upright body to body close quarters clinch stamp kick executions travel is prone to being vertically downward and some stamp kicks where the target leg on immediate contact is hyperextended and the enemy is decentralised will cause sliding impact down the shin to the foot.

This may result in ankle and foot contact injuries that in training must be eliminated or reduced as much as humanly possible by proper SOP’s and adherence to CQC trade-craft safety practices.

Increased threat neutralisation objective achievement levels in stamp kicking are achieved by body contact range enemy seizure and securing immediately before employing a stamp kick of heightened objective achievement by opposing directional forces pulling the enemy towards the stamp kick that is directed diagonally forward and downward through the target leg to the ground.

In tracking forward unarmed expedient entry assault stamp kicking, employment is enhanced by battle proven dirty tricks brigade means of stamp kick initiation including by distraction or deception interfering with the enemy combatant’s mental and visual focus.

Mil CQC stamp kicks are not retracted as they are a takeout assault primary option that is part of maintaining forward momentum until the threat is neutralised consistent with as quickly as possible stopping an enemy in their tracks. Mil stamp kicks include full tracking forward strategies/contingencies to maximise maintained momentum if immediate threat neutralisation primary skills employments fail. These strategies promote continuous fast mapping assessment and decided contingency add on options to ensure threat neutralisation is achieved and momentum is maintained and as such the stamp kick is not retracted as this would provide a let off and give time for enemy counter engagement actions to be initiated.

The final and most important factor of effective stamp kicking in an actions on is the hard combat boots that achieve autonomic contact reactions that enhance the destructive capabilities of stamp kick objective achievement by providing an immediate contact effects initiator.