I have been getting a lot of interest on recent articles and blogs about counter-grappling for military CQC and this is another blog on the subject. I am conducting CQC and CPP-related courses currently in South East Asia and Europe for civilians and military groups and interest in military CQC combating of grappling and wrestling is constant.
For military CQC CQB life or death encounters against a formidable enemy, to attempt to apply submission skills could cost you your life. The first thing a trained military combatant should do against such actions as submission skills is to prevent them by firing their primary or backup weapon to put an end to the actions on encounter.
If firing the primary or backup weapon is not possible then using a dagger, spike,utility knife, e-tool or a range of other items of common military kit or battle dress that are effective weapons should be employed. Improvised weapons, such as the zippo lighter, will certainly encourage a release when by means of a live flame.
Unarmed skills that target delicate bodily targets including the eyes, ears, throat and other targets of a lethal or incapacitation capability are primary means of making submission techniques a risky option for military close combat. There is a big difference between submitting a weak foe and a trained, ruthless, highly-committed combatant.
Combine hard targeting, hard cover guarding capabilities, and dirty and deadly armed and unarmed combat with a controlled aggressive ruthless demeanour and your chances of neutralising submissions skills are maximised. Against such dirty and deadly assault, the risks of wasting time with setting up and employing submission techniques on the battlefield to the realist are blatantly apparent.
Ask yourself, are you prepared to apply submission techniques when your aggressor is gouging your eyes, is at point blank range armed with a dagger, or has a primary or backup weapon in or at hand? I have seen over more than 40 years in training and in street fights, working at pubs and clubs, guys with martial arts and combat sports backgrounds beaten by streetfighters that fight dirty from the outset and are not worried about reputations or training prowess because they know that everyone is vulnerable to dirty or deadly skills employed, preferably covertly and with sudden aggressive shock action overkill. They know that when they target your eyes with multiple thrusting actions or deep gouging, your autonomically reaction or deliberate response will be predominantly defensive out of self-preservation. They know that if they bite the end of your nose off, you will be affected by pain and your reactions will be primarily that of self-preservation and getting away from the immediate danger and painful effects which will expose to you further assault.
The risk is even greater when you are unexpectedly assaulted, especially if weapons are employed that are penetrative or hard impact like brass knuckles. Dirty and deadly changes things by considerable and can neutralise even formidable foes especially when the assault is a relentless ravaging until the enemy is incapable of fighting back through incapacitation or lethal elimination.
I can remember the clippings and media accounts of trained fighters and martial artists killed by such means by ruthless aggressors that Charlie Nelson would show us at the school of self-defence in New York in the 80s and 90s.
As a military CQC instructor of over 25 years I know that anything other the the best of battle proven is suicidal against a formidable enemy on the battlefield in kill or get killed actions on encounters. The correct and best tools and practices for the role and against the threat is what increases the combatants chances of threat neutralisation and the vital component of mental toughness.
In training, if you are not aware of the effects of such dirty and deadly CQC, have your training partner enemy per target your eyes or airway with speed but safety control of action or use a shock knife or training drone against you while you try and grapple or execute a submission technique against them. Know that even light drone contact would result in a wound that could be life threatening and that would make your priority out of self-preservation defensive including trying to get away from the danger.
Remember the trained ruthless aggressor will employ multiple thrusts with their dagger not a telegraphed single non-retracted type thrust all to common in unrealistic self-defence training. They will identify immediate unprotected bodily vitals and target them with ruthlessness.
Training the way you intend to neutralise threats is critical for military CQC as you want to expose your enemy to the best of your combative capabilities that you have honed to provide your highest chances of threat neutralisation in high repetition practice and realistic battle handling exercises where you must deal with unpredictable assault by means of ruthless dirty and deadly overkill military CQC skills.
