If you’re looking for the safest and considered most effective means of unarmed offensive assault you would select long range unarmed offensive assault, stamp kicks on or below the knee joint.
Logic: employ your longest limb contact with the sole of your boot on the closest enemy target their front leg. Stamp kicks provide the greatest human unarmed destructive force and distance from your assailant during employment. When the integrity of the knee joint and or ligaments are compromised the effect is immediate decentralization and neutralization.
The devastating result of a kick to the knee, dislocated knee
Close range strikes for trained combatants that are role and task specific may be required and such skills require specific individual and skill set fundamentals to achieve the required objectives.
Injury to an operators legs that affects their mobility or stability or terrain considerations or ground obstacles are reasons that may require the use of close range strikes with the hands and arms over long range stamp kicks.
Some combatants through personal preference or extensive prior fight training backgrounds are simply more proficient at striking over kicking. There are close range strikes for various roles uses and from various practices, boxing, Thai boxing, karate, kung fu, MMA etc.
There are close range strikes that are primary options for military CQC urban and battle field applications. The following is the logic and reasoning behind the close range unarmed offensive assault striking skills being selected and adopted as primary options for military close combat.
1. Safety: clenched fist strikes without sap gloves, brass or composite knuckles expose the hands to injuries like boxer’s breaks, deep cut hand wounds and general knuckle injuries. The high risk of infection from cuts from teeth and the possibility of transfer of diseases via blood and the dangers of wound infection in battlefield and tropical jungle environments becoming serious are all indicators of why boxers wear bandages and gloves and why in CQB clenched fist striking is higher risk and not a primary option.
Hammer fist strikes are a simple action to learn and employ but they often require multiple repetitions to achieve an effect like in MMA in the cage where it can take multiple hammer strikes to gain an effect and often little or no affect and usually far from subject immediate neutralisation. They are a good gross motor skill but create usually minor to medium effect blunt force trauma generally unless applied to major life support bodily targets. They are as a general rule employed when the target is static and secured which is not the norm in an actions on initial close quarters combat encounter where entry unarmed combinations are required.
This exposes the next issue in unarmed combat, always presume your enemy is bigger stronger fitter faster highly skilled and committed to taking you out.
Fighting for their life and constantly resisting being seized and secured while attacking makes them difficult to hammer strike on the move in combination cohesive form.
Bearing the previous in mind hammer fist striking the nape of the neck or throat could be very difficult against a formidable trained enemy per. Especially when they are aggressively motivated and will not cooperate by exposing the desired target and are not static. You must also consider battle dress and human self-preservation making target contact difficult. Getting under the chin strap or base of the helmet especially when your reactive enemy to such gross motor skills will compress move guard or cover such considered small vulnerable targets. This has been the findings with all the operator testing we have undertaken.
Semi open hand strikes for CQC offer maximum uncovered hand safety, both primary blunt force trauma with the palm heel and narrow edge trauma with the hand edge strike. These skills can be employed as individual strikes or in combination form.
Note palm heel strikes executed vertically as above can lead to wrist injuries
Compact Palm Heel Strike
Why palm heel strikes over clenched fist strikes.
Apart from safety previously outlined the following is the reasoning and logic. We all know that properly delivered and landed clenched first strikes can and do achieve knockouts and create superficial as well as internal injuries. The reality is many more do not incapacitate their target than do and very few eliminate the target completely. The palm heel strike employs the tough and durable heel of the palm and promotes both velocity and push power type impact. The aim in military battle field life or death close quarters combat is to cause as serious internal damage to the brain and brain stem.
Chin Jab to Head
Snapping the head back with a cross palm heel strike or up and back with a chin jab palm heel strike is a safer uncovered hand striking means and the most effective as far as enemy disabling and or disposing goes. Confidence in self-risk reduction plays a major role in the outcome. If you are confident that your means of striking is the best and safest and also competent in its execution then you have a high likelihood of achieving your best outcome and by means of the least risk of self injury.
Test the logic you can certainly in a controlled manner palm heel strike a concrete wall but try clenched fist striking it with the same force levels. The integrity of the brain and spinal cord and column are far more vulnerable to serious injury or destruction by palm heel strikes than clenched fist strikes.
Palm heel strikes to the face head under the chin, nape of the neck are role and objective specific and are as safe and guaranteed as uncovered hand strikes get for lethal military unarmed combat.
The force measures of such strikes are incredible.
Now to restrictive target areas such as the throat above the battle dress and nape of the neck under the helmet base as well as less lethal targets such as the carotid artery and bridge of the nose. The sharp narrow hand edge strike is the best and the most proven option for such targets.
This striking means delivers all the strike impact in a narrow line across the target.
Extended finger compressed thumb hand edge strike
Compressed hand edge strike
While devastating trauma can be achieved to major bodily vitals with clenched fist or hammer fist strikes as well you need to consider the disadvantages. Straight-line narrow hand edge impact specific target striking over clenched fist increased mass impact striking. Hand edge striking reduces risk by less mass to impact with helmets upper quadrant body armour and protectors. I am very much a product of the military master instructors of World War II and later and as such have been fortunate to be privy to their work. They were all years ahead of their times in close combat and much of their findings are still primary options today. However CQC/CQB is a living package and when I took control my duty was the protection and future proofing of the doctrine. This meant I would need to make some changes whenever required over time. Some previous skills needed to be made obsolete others dormant and some changed.
This is a favourable circumstance and is in no way negative.
My role as an elite forces and regular force CQB chief instructor with coming 20 years service has ensured I am not only current in my instructor status requirements but also privy to real time combative skills threats and enemy technique matters.
Times have changed weapons have changed tactics and skills have changed. The enemy and their various threat forms continuously evolve in an attempt to gain them superiority.
The military combative master instructor must stay ahead of such threats. Think about it how could you expect to defeat a skilled combat sports standup fighter with a reverse punch or disarm a razor-sharp knife being employed with multiple thrusts with the old X blocks, or out grapple a skilled MMA fighter double your bodyweight with grappling techniques.
We all know there are exceptions to the rule but real military proven CQB/CQC skills are selected for their ability to be superior in all employment considerations and be the primary means to neutralise wide ranging encountered threats by skill tactics and procedures superiority.
Since I have taken control I have methodically evaluated the entire doctrine and rewritten all the manuals and training packages. Some changes or new skills tactics and procedures developments take priority as they are urgent requests from the units that have identified operationally specific threats that require immediate combating.
Generally though the system is considerably advanced in relation to enemy threats as it is a living package constantly evaluated with its category of threat primary skills being the most current and proven.
In the close range palm heel striking skill re-evaluation and the hand edge strike re-evaluation I come up with the following findings.
The Flat hand formation over the full open hand formation reduced hand injury risks by considerable. The fingers or thumbs being dislocated or caught up in battledress is reduced with the Flathead formation to the maximum.
The execution of the palm heel strike with the right-hand angled in facing 10 o’clock and the left-hand angled in to two o’clock reduces impact injuries relating to the wrist joint.
Right handed 10 o’clock palm heel strike, and left handed 2 o’clock palm heel strike
This hand formation also angles the heel of the palm outwards providing a definite point of impact and also maintains shoulder to wrist bone alignment.
The palm heel strike being employed always straight as in a direct cross or diagonally upwards as in a chin jab with the 10 o’clock and two o’clock hand formation not only increases self safety but also body to target alignment.
Isosceles triangle frontal stance and guard target alignment with the width of the feet plus squared shoulder width by centre of mass alignment to centre of target provides the highest levels of safety and striking velocity.
Isosceles triangle frontal stance and guard target alignment
The former World War II fully extended fingers and raised thumb for hand rigidity just produced too higher risk of finger and thumb exposure injuries except with no risk of such self-injury lethal strikes to incapacitated or seized and secured enemy pers.
(left) WWII rigid full open hand edge strike. (right) Todd systems semi-compressed open hand hand edge strike. Note, the strike can be executed horizontally as in entry strikes, or vertically as in finishing strikes.
The Flathead configuration was safer and in line with the Todd System takeout over take on unarmed offensive actions. Assuming the Flathead meant a definite target had been identified and a specific means of incapacitation or elimination decided. One of the identified human errors over the years has been how many trained proponents of various fighting arts in a high stress high risk situation may resort to clenched first hit and hope swinging over their trained tactically correct options. If you have undergone specialist training in CQC/CQB you should never loose tactical control and resort to take on techniques when you most need take out operationally tried and proven role and situation specific combative skills.
The Flathead formation is also a mindset reminded that you need to go tactical and combative and not sporting or traditional. I call it my police dog theory.
Neutral stance flat hands (police dog theory)
The police dog can be a family pet until a harness goes on and it becomes a weapon. You assume the neutral stance with flat hands status and its a covert combative ready status tactically correct and psychologically ensures you go tactical by dirty and or deadly means and not punch it out and hope you’re a better slugger.
This is not only proactive as all professional operators should be but it also discourages in a high stress encounter mimicking your enemy’s actions.
Another important consideration of close range unarmed offensive assault is the two types of employment situations covert and overt.
Covert prepared primary category enemy unexpected quick and quiet takeout. Immediate target striking or target seizure and securing and striking. Employment sudden aggressive shock action utilizing the element of surprise and vulnerability of the exposed bodily life-support vitals to be destroyed with maximum force application levels.
Overt compromised and required to make yourself as covered and guarded hard target as possible in the execution of specific strikes to eliminate your enemy more likely incapacitate them leaving them exposed to elimination. This may involve unsecured striking or seized and secured striking employments.
Generally in overt compromised close range strike employments the requirement against any formidable unarmed enemy per is a close range strike combination strategy over the unrealistic single strike objective achieving fallacy. The close range unarmed offensive assault combination employment can be executed from a neutral stance or a stance and guard status depending on if you have been compromised and if you can execute an unexpected assault over an enemy expected assault.
Your close range strategy would primarily comprised of entry strikes that incapacitate, injure, distract, and overwhelm your target combined with a finishing strike to incapacitate decentralize or eliminate.
Palm jab entry strike
Hand edge entry strike
Elbow entry strike
Closeup compressed Todd systems hand edge entry strike
Note Todd system hand edge strikes ensure the hand edge is rotated slightly skywards, protecting the small finger bones and ensuring contact is with the robust side of the palm heel.
Extended hand edge entry strike
Note the previous descriptions are the proven best means of achieving the desired objective but the highly skilled combatant will also be fully trained in all the necessary contingency options for any and all the Murphy’s Law Oh Shit situations that are the realities of real close combat.
Never forget these battle proven facts have been determined against formidable enemies that are unlikely to be taken out in in unarmed encounter by a single blow.
Employing close range unarmed offensive assault combinations originating from the side guard in the entry strikes component reduces your personal target mass and provides you with economical swift entry mobility.
Staying aligned to your enemy by pivoting on your lead boot ensures your rear flanks are hard targeted. By fast mapping assessment under phase entry strikes employment it will be determined when your enemy is most vulnerable and at this point your swivel manoeuvre and finishing strikes will be employed. Note generally you lead off with the entry strikes with your non-master hand and employe the finishing strike with your master hand. The entry strikes against a well-guarded enemy may well target their guarding arms driving them back into their face or clearing the target area by the entry striking action clearing the cover guard across their face. To maintain target alignment increased stability and increased velocity of impact the swivel manoeuvre is employed immediately prior to the finishing strike or stamp kick. This is another effective action I learnt from my former instructors that I later slightly modified to fit better with my system and increase objective achievement as well as ensuring skills commonality and cohesion. The general rule with the Todd Systems is I insist on straight line practices and especially for offensive actions because the fastest way between two points is straight and cutting a circle is quicker than following its circumference. You may well get the impression of being very regimented and regular tin soldier like but this is not the reality.
Demonstrated side to front guard swivel manoeuvre minus close range unarmed striking skills
Side guard
Crouch position immediately prior to swivel manoeuvre
Execution swivel manoeuvre
Immediately post swivel manoeuvre
Post swivel manoeuvre
One must remember a lot of irregular combative warfare owes its origins to regular combative warfare and some of the basic principles and practises are the best safest and most proven and are essential to all combative roles.
Even the specialist situation unarmed or armed offensive options that employ initial straight line entry offensive actions combined with employing off centre line angled footwork and offensive actions to target side or rear targets are very much straight line angles over circular movements.
Direct and Swift straight line unarmed offensive movements from front or side on maintaining maximum levels of stability by assuring the shoulder width stance is maintained at all times are a must.
This way there is no closing of the stance or unnecessary widening of the stance except to increase stability hold position or increase strike reach and or velocity certainly no wasted movement or overly increased stances that reduce mobility. Operationally for specific armed employments or weapon or object seizure or recovery as well as tactical escape and evasion through combative rolling for cover or concealment and in combative falling you will always be in your stable front stance position that provides the desired combination of stability and mobility.
If in a side stance and guard the transition to a front stance and guard can be achieved immediately with a cohesive and economical minimal manoeuvre that is testament to a system based on commonality and sound combative practices.
The combative swivel manoeuvre comprises of the following components. The lead boot straight-line sliding manoeuvre initiated by sliding the lead boot in a straight line backwards until the toe of the lead boot is in-line with the heel of the stationary rear boot. Now by simultaneously pivoting both boots forward and turning your entire body from ground to head forward towards your enemy target ending in a front stance and guard where you deliver your finishing strike from.
Your master hand strike is powered by a combination of the torque of the swivel manoeuvre and the drive off of the rear master boot from the ground up.
The manoeuvre also involves crouching to reduced target mass and cock your entire body dropping your centre of gravity immediately prior to the swivel manoeuvre and extending up and forward towards your target powering the finishing strike travel to the target. The forward explosive drive powering the master hand strike originating from the ground up incorporates 1) ball of foot forward and upward drive. 2) calf extension 3) Knee joint straightening 4) Thigh extension 5) hip extension 6) torso extension 7) Shoulder extension 8) arm extension 9) Neck extension 10) head extension. Immediately on extension and contact of the strike the reverse re-traction applies from heed back to boot. This process of the side stance and guard to front stance and guard swivel manoeuvre provides the least exposed target mass. During the side guard entry striking phase and the velocity torque and power of the swivel transition manoeuvre from the side stance and guard to front stance and guard finishing striking or stamp kick the combatant has sound cover guarding, centred target alignment and maximum complete bodily commitment.
Close range unarmed offensive assault combined entry and finishing strike combination
Side guard
Hand edge entry strikes
Swivel manoeuvre
Chin jab finishing strike
The clock cut swivel manoeuvre for right handers sees the non master left boot slide from centre to 9 o’clock and for lefthanders the right boot slide from centre to three clock. Entry strikes with the non-master hand would include hand edge entry strikes Palm Jab entry strikes and elbow entry strikes to soft targets.
Close range unarmed offensive assault combined entry and finishing strike combination
Side guard
Setup palm jab entry strike
Palm jab entry strike execution
Swivel manouvre
Palm heel strike finishing skill
Finishing strikes would comprise of straight palm heel cross strikes, chin jab Palm heel strikes or the elbow round house finishing strikes can be employed to soft delicate targets by employing continued swivelling past centre to align your centre of mass to the target.
This is achieved by continuing to permit your boots to pivot in the direction of your cocked elbow strikes travel to the target then pivoting back to your front stance and guard position.
Close range unarmed offensive assault combined entry and finishing strike combination
Side guard
Elbow entry strikes
Swivel manouvre and elbow finishing strike
For specific situations and targets if it is safe to do so the bent fork fingers attack to the eyes to incapacitate or the lethal flat hand to the throat to eliminate can be employed.
BENT FORK FINGER ATTACK AND FLAT HAND ATTACK
Bent fork finger attack
Employed bent fork finger attack
Lethal flat hand finishing strike to throat
Palm heel strike finishing skill
Chin jab finishing skill
Closeup compressed hand edge vertical finishing strike
Closeup extended hand edge thumb compressed vertical finishing strike
Closeup WWII vertical hand edge strike variation
Closeup lethal compressed hand edge strike to nape of neck
Target secured bent fork finger attack to eyes
Target secured lethal flat hand finsihing strike to throat
Post swivel manouvre if the upper quadrant targets are well guarded then an axe kick can be employed to destroy the integrity of the enemies closest knee joint.
Elbow entry strike to clear guard
Swivel manoeuvre and axe kick finishing skill
Post axe kick employment follow through
There are also close range unarmed offensive assault combinations in the Todd systems that are employed from a front stance and guard and a full range of entry set up employment and post-employment contingency options.
The drill terminology finishing technique describes the employment of a deadly skill when the enemy per is incapacitated and at ones mercy or eliminated.
Obviously an unarmed offensive assault combination made up of entry strikes and a single finishing skill may not neutralise the enemy and continued skills employments may well be required but for a basic principle description and for drills instructions as in technique to command commonality in general terminology this is the general rule.
The training package in unarmed close range offensive assault provides a wide range of continuation and finishing contingency options that are decided by fast mapping on the move in relation to the specific situation and situational and threat changes.
These contingency and continuation skills include ground neutralisation, long and close range continuance, stationary armed and unarmed offensive options including stationary unarmed attack combinations, seizure prevention and unarmed counter offensive assault, enemy target re-alignment and continued unarmed offensive assault etc.
