The reason behind the Todd Systems version of the hand edge strike known as the flat hand edge strike in the Todd Systems for military close combat is simply because it is a safer most current and improved variation for military CQC.
Todd CQC systems angled for outwards backhand contact flat hand edge strike.
Inside and outside views of the Todd Systems downward direct contact Flat hand edge strike.
Over more than three decades I have been taught and observed various variations of the hand edge strike.
Some variations extended the thumb skyward especially from the World War II error when it was considered vertically extending the thumb skyward and tensing the fully straightened hand compressing the straightened fingers together would make the hand more rigid, and it did achieve increases in rigidity.
Obsolete in the Todd Systems skyward raised thumb straightened fingers hand edge strike variation.
There was a version where the thumb was fully extended across the palm of the hand giving an appearance from the outside of the hand of the thumb being amputated.
There was even a version with the fingers fully straight and held rigidly apart with the thumb rigidly pointing skyward.
There was the clenched fist hammer hand edge variation with the thumb either positioned as in the orthodox punching position or positioned outside the index finger compressed against the second joint of the index finger.
The Todd group as military regular and elite forces training providers for decades have a professional duty and responsibility to ensure the doctrine comprises of the most current proven safest and best combative tactics and skills to achieve the required objective.
This requires regular assessment of changes in threats battle dress weapons and equipment as well as enemy tactics and skills employments roles situations and related specifics.
Some tactics and skills with time become obsolete as military close combat threats are constantly changing in an effort to achieve and maintain superiority with safety being a very important factor.
The Todd Systems utilize the flat hand variation for multiple reasons that include reducing the risk of thumb and finger injuries related to the fingers and thumb being extended.
Another reason for the flat hand edge variation in the Todd Systems is that military close combat is about taking out the enemy and not taking them on.
Lethal flat hand edge strike to the throat.
In the flat hand edge position the combatant can execute palm heel strikes, chin jab strikes and flat hand strikes. Having the hands in the flat hand status enforces military close combat enemy take out not take on fighting.
The palm heel strikes safety is increased with the right hand angling the hand to ten o’clock and with the left hand angling it to 2 o’clock.
This allows the heel of the palm to protrude for impact, maintains forearm to palm heel alignment and reduces wrist injuries by angling the hand off of the direct impact point. During training on bags and pads wrist injuries are considerably reduced by this protective angling of the hand.
Right and left hand 10 and 2 o’clock palm heel strike angling.
Potentially lethal chin jab.
Bent fork fingers for eye targeting.
Cross Palm heel strike.
Flat hand lethal strike
The bent fork finger hand edge variation is a natural and simple adjustment to target the eyes or with a simple adjustment that has commonality with an open hand offensive the web hand seizure of the throat can be employed.
Through my research and being trained by and training with veterans of World War II and Vietnam veterans I uncovered some interesting facts regarding extended fingers and raised thumb hand edged strikes.
The realities of injury to the fingers and thumb employing such rigid extended thumb and digits hand edge variations for military battlefield CQC could be extremely high risk including in training injuries.
Military CQB/CQC pers including medical doctors and military medics with long service records combined with current medical doctors that are CQC proponents including a CQC instructor qualified medical doctor all confirmed the increased small joint/bones and ligaments risks of such extended hand formations.
The thumb and fingers are small sensitive delicate vulnerable extremities that when injured can affect capabilities by considerable.
The largest individual’s weakest link in their arm and hand is the digits when seized secured and hyperextended.
The old rigid extended thumb and fingers variations primary use was for hand edge strikes to enemy pers that were disarmed disabled and incapacitated prior to the execution of the hand edge strike to a life-support vital. This usage against a vulnerable static enemy target offering no resistance safety would be less of an issue.
The enemy target being incapacitated or seized and secured in an immobilized/stress position incapable of resistance or counter offensive would increase the likelihood of objective achievement and reduce the risk of injury.
Employing such skills as part of close quarters combat unarmed offensive assault or unarmed counter offensive assault against a willing enemy combatant increases the risk of injury by considerable.
There are the impact injuries related to hand edge striking a moving resisting target where the distance between the delicate bones of the little finger and the resilient edge of the robust side of the palm heel are minimal.
There is the risk of the extended thumb being dislocated through impact velocity with the enemy defending or attacking as well as the thumb during velocity striking catching in battledress or webbing.
Extended fingers are also prone to fracture or dislocation through impact catching under velocity extension in battledress webbing.
I have seen all too many martial arts practitioners’ victims of serious dislocations through what they call knife edge strikes, including fingertip accidental impact causing serious fractures and dislocations even a serious finger compound fracture.
I had a friend working with me on the doors to supplement his income as a professional knife hand boning at a meat works that got his thumb caught in clothing restraining a punter incurring such a serious dislocation that it affected his livelihood.
I personally dislocated fingers in my early days utilizing the old straight fingers hand edge striking under unarmed entry skills employment as taught to me back in the 1970s.
When I took over as chief instructor and reviewed the doctrine and training packages I determined the extended fingers and thumb variation of the hand edge strike was unnecessarily high risk.
My research and development in this area included being assisted by a former Vietnam veteran who was also an experienced medical practitioner.
The reasons for developing improving and selecting the flat hand edge strike variation include the following.
The delicate joint ends of the fingers and thumb are not extended/protruding.
The hand position provides commonality as previously explained for palm heel and bent fork finger employments.
Simple minimal upward rotation/angling of the wrist will ensure the robust and resilient side of the palm heel impacts with the target over the delicate bones of the small fingers.
Flat hand edge rotation to ensure side of heel of palm target contact for increased safety.
Rigidity can be achieved by extending the first and second joints of the fingers combined with tightly compressing the fingers to the palm. Bending the thumb in and down against the palm at the first and second joints and pulling it back against base of the thumb provides opposing directions resistance when combined with the bent fingers being compressed in and pushing forward. This will provide increased tension and rigidity of the hand.
Flat hand edge rigidity increased by opposite directional forces with fingers compressed extension and thumb compressed retraction holding a rigid status for contact.
Battledress, load-bearing and hard-shell protection increases risks of snagging and impact related injuries and require especially for close quarters combat flat hand edged compressed open hand offensive or counter offensive striking to maximise risk reduction.
The flat hand edge strike provides a narrow more robust open hand weapon that provides the capability of being employed to target under above or between battledress protection.
This includes above body armor and below chin straps and throat protection as well as below the base of helmets.
Flat hand edge striking is a deliberate action to eliminate the enemy or incapacitate the enemy prior to elimination.
It is also an effective means of weapon disarming and preventing seizure and securing by attacking the seizing or weapon holding forearm.
In relation to the skill factor to execute flat hand edge strikes to incapacitate or eliminate the flat hand edge strike is a medium to gross motor skill.
The hammer fist for example is a simple gross motor skill applicable to fighting more than taking out a formidable enemy kitted out in modern battledress protection.
The martial arts styles knife edge strike and the historic military hand edge strike with extended fingers either locked together or rigidly spread apart combined with a rigid extended skyward thumb just increases risk of injury to the fingers and the thumb to an unacceptable level.
The reality is serious fractures and dislocations of the thumb and fingers reduce the combatant’s immediate capabilities by considerable to perform wide ranging operational requirements.
Military close quarters combat systems utilise open hand striking as a means to target delicate life-support vitals such as the thyroid cartilage and nape of the neck and also to increase the ability to cause serious internal injuries as a result of palm heel striking.
Clenched fist striking in military close quarters combat without sap gloves or brass knuckles is simply high-risk in relation to hand cuts and fractures that reduce the combatant’s capabilities.
Hand wound infections in hostile environments require medical attention and can reduce the combatant’s capabilities by considerable.
Considerable testing and evaluation’s identified the flat hand edge strike as providing maximum capabilities for military close quarters combat through commonality and also maximum risk reduction through the compressed compact hand formation for specific objective related employments.
Think of it like having no protruding fingers or thumb to be injured and as such safety is greater and risk reduced.
The flat hand edge strike should always be employed with combative respiration timing accuracy and visual focus on the target from close to point blank range.
Covert employments and deception or dirty tricks greatly add to the effect and outcome.
The very most important adjustment component of flat hand edge striking in relation to both effectiveness and safety is the minor upward wrist rotation hand angling to ensure the side of the palm heel impacts with the target and not the delicate bones of the small finger.
Rotated side of the heel of the palm impact contact surface.
The hand edge strike can be used to achieve a release against rear flank holds such as bear hugs by targeting the genitals in a backwards upwards striking motion to the groin.
Backward hand edge crotch/groin strike.
It can also be employed to effectively attack the radial nerve and mound of the forearm in weapon disarming.
Flat hand edge weapon holding forearm impact in disarming.
The flat hand edge strike in unarmed combat offensive and counter offensive assault can be employed for entry strikes as part of an unarmed offensive assault combination or in deliberate terminal destruction of major life-support vitals once the enemy has been incapacitated or seized and secured in a stress/static position and the life-support vital exposed and statically locked in position for destruction.
It can also be employed effectively covertly to major life support human bodily vitals of an unaware unsecure enemy per.
I enforce to the military combatants I train for uncompromised situations pre-actions on, by maintaining a neutral stance with the arms at your sides and hands in the flat hand edge position psychologically you are self-preparing for takeout skills over clenched fist take on skills while reducing stance and guard tension and maintaining a higher level of the element of surprise.
Neutral stance with flat hand edge hands at sides.
When compromised by assuming a stance with a guard with the hands in the flat hand edge positions risk can be reduced by providing increased protection of the thumbs and digits.
From a front or side stance and guard the enemy has to get inside or around your guard which will retract to a cover guard position which is a natural pre-trained counteraction that has commonality and is a simple adjustment variation of open hand practices.
Front guard.
Front cover guard.
Side guard.
Side cover guard.
Going tactical whether when uncompromised or compromised is enforced by assuming neutral status or front or side guarding with the hands in the flat hand edge configurations. Cover guarding is simply a matter of seizing and securing your guarding hands above your ears on the highest levels of your skull and ensuring your arms are rigid for cover guarding and deflection.
The Todd Systems flat hand edge formation has commonality with military open hand close quarters combat striking and is cohesive in transition from hand edge to palm heel and bent fork finger specific target destruction requirements. It cohesively allows transition from a side guard to lead arm open hand nape of neck cover guarding and from a front guard to sides of skull hand placement front cover guarding.
Importantly the Todd Systems flat hand edge variation has proven to reduce risk to the maximum and increase confidence as a result.
In fact there has not been a single thumb or fingers dislocation by any operator exponent or instructor using this skill correctly to date.
Confidence is increased by knowing the employed skill is as safe as it gets and provides the required capabilities to achieve the objective.
In conclusion European military close combat is and always has been a military science living and changing in relation to requirements needed to neutralise changing enemy threats.
Our expert evolutionary pioneers did not necessarily get it wrong for their times but times have changed and the military science of close quarters combat and close quarters battle must continue to advance and change to provide our people with the most current proven and safest methods to effectively neutralize current and changing threats as well as self-protect and reduce risk maximizing safety.
